Page 27 - What You Need to Know to Find the Right Builder

move inside to keep the job flowing or to work around bad weather days.

This decision varies depending on the circumstances and the availability of
materials and subcontracted help. If or when the carpenters move back
inside the finished ceilings and wall material would be the next things to be
installed. Some days the carpenters may be inside and the next day they
may be outside. It’s often a day to day decision.
• Interior painting. It’s good to give the painters the run of the home once
the wall and ceiling materials have been installed. This way they can get a
couple coats of paint or polyurethane on before the finished flooring goes

down. This prevents damage to the new floors caused by high traffic,
ladders and staging.
• Interior finish. This is when the jobsite really gets busy. Hopefully by now
the exterior is completed and weather tight, and the interior ceilings and
walls are installed and painted. Next on the agenda would be all tile and/or

wood flooring (hold off on carpet until all trim is installed and painting is
completed). Once flooring is down and the walls and ceilings have been
coated with paint and poly, cabinets should be installed, and countertops
ordered. Heat, electrical, plumbing, interior doors, cabinets, and trim can
then all be finished. Sometimes it seems chaotic, but it should work like a
ballet if the builder schedules properly and the materials are ordered in a
timely manner. While all the action is happening inside, and if weather
permits, the painters can take over the outside doing decks, trim, and
siding. It’s not uncommon to see 10 to 20 different trucks or vans on site at

this time as things get close to finishing.
• Finished excavation and landscaping. Here in New England, we must
always consider that winter is never far away. While we can, and do, build
year-round, finished excavation and landscaping are best done during
warmer times of the year. Believe it or not we can do site work and

foundations year-round, even after the frost has set in, but it is difficult to
put down loam and grass seed or plantings during winter months. Rainy
stretches in spring can also be a challenge since the dirt just turns to mud
and the excavator has to work twice as hard to get half as much done. If the
finished excavation and landscaping can’t be completed by mid to late
October, it’s probably best to wait until spring or early summer.
• Finished interior painting. Almost done… Interior trim can be
painted/polyed, door knobs can now be installed, and finishing touches can

be completed.

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