Our Process
Building Your Exceptional Custom or Estate Home
We thought it would be helpful to provide you with an overview of what you can expect during the process of building your custom home in Chapel Hill or the surrounding area. The information below is not all-inclusive and is designed to give you some of the highlights of the process. For more complete information, please contact us to set up an appointment so we can address your specific custom home needs more accurately.
1. Land Selection
MorningStar Homes usually serves customers who own their own lot or land and need an experienced homebuilder to help them realize their dream. However, if you don’t have land and need assistance finding some, please don’t hesitate contact us to set up an appointment. We can probably help you locate some suitable land for your custom home in Chapel Hill, Raleigh or Durham.
When you come to MorningStar, one of the first things that we will do is visit the homesite with you. From there we can make specific recommendations about home type and the orientation of the home on the site. We can also identify any potential issues that may be associated with your homesite.
2. Planning and Design
The next step is to decide what type of custom home best meets your needs and the characteristics of your homesite. If you do not already have a plan in mind, we have a variety of home plans from several leading architects, from single story to two-story homes, in a wide range of sizes. We can also take an existing plan and modify it or design one from scratch for a truly “custom” experience. After final selection of a plan for your custom home in Chapel Hill or the surrounding area, we will be able to provide you with an estimate of the cost of construction. From there, you will begin the process of deciding what type of financing you will need.
3. Financing
There are two major components to financing the construction of your custom home in Chapel Hill, Raleigh or Durham. The first is to obtain a construction loan and the second is to obtain permanent financing on your loan. Many lending institutions “bundle” these two loans into a product called a “Construction to Perm” loan. Many of our clients have worked with several lending institutions and would be happy to refer you to them.
4. Construction
With your plan finalized and financing in place, it’s time to start construction on your custom home! Due to the extensive nature of this process, we would be more then happy to sit down with you to discuss all the details of our construction process. Provided below is a very basic list of the steps in our construction process.
Basic Process: Crawl Space Home
(No Basement)
1. Â Survey lot; locate home on site
2. Â Dig, inspect and pour footings
3. Â Install foundation block
4. Â Frame home
5. Â Install rough plumbing, electric and heat and air systems
6. Â Install windows
7. Â Install roofing
8. Â Install siding, brick and/or stone
9. Â Install insulation
10. Complete all county or municipality “rough” inspections
11. Install sheetrock
12. Install well (if required)
13. Install septic system (if required)
14. Install any “sand in place” hardwood flooring
15. Install interior trim and ceramic tile
16. Prime and paint interior trim and walls
17. Install cabinets and tops
18. Install final heating and cooling system, electrical trim and lighting and plumbing fixtures
19. Install driveway and walks
20. Install decks
21. Final grade of lot and installation of landscaping and sod or seed
22. Final county and/or municipal inspections
23. Final reconciliation and settlement on home
24. Provide keys to customer
*As mentioned above, these steps are not all-inclusive. There are many more items that need to be ordered, reviewed, scheduled and inspected during this process that are not listed above.