New Home Pre-Construction Guide: Dream to Reality - Preparing the Home

Building a new home starts long before a single wall goes up. The new home pre-construction process covers everything from permits and homesite grading to foundation work. Understanding each step helps you feel confident and informed from day one. Here is exactly what happens when Tuskes Homes prepares your homesite in the Lehigh Valley.

The Start of Something New

Homesite Grading

First and foremost, our drafters, engineers, and construction team work together to find just the right location and grading for your home. Grading plans are the map for your new home. It shows where it will be placed on your homesite, what the topography will look like, and what needs to be added or removed to achieve your reality. This must be done before any new construction begins, including when we develop the original plans for a community.

The Permit Process

We then submit these plans for permits. This is paperwork that grants us permission to build your home. Each township and county has specific requirements that must be met, including tree removal, water, sewage, and septic connections (more on this soon!), among many others. Your home can’t be too close to the roads, to other homes, or affect green space in or around the community.

Our Permits Coordinator, Kathy, says this process can be anywhere from a couple of days to several weeks. While a permit for a home in our Sand Springs community can be made in a day or two, one for a New Jersey home once took months. This can take some time, so be patient!

Did you know? 

Williams Township works to balance construction activity with existing green space. Our Tumble Creek Estates community protects environmental stability by preserving as many trees and open spaces as possible and by establishing a community walking trail within them!

Once everything is signed, sealed, and notarized, the construction team can do its thing.

Breaking Ground

Your new home is fully designed and planned on paper, so now it’s time to bring it to life! Starting off the process is site preparation and laying the foundation. It may not be the most visually dramatic part of construction, but it’s one of the most important. A carefully planned homesite safeguards your home so it remains structurally sound for generations to come.

What is Home Site Preparation?

Before we pour the foundation, our team carefully prepares the homesite to ensure stability, proper drainage, and long-term performance. This phase includes clearing the land, grading the property, and precisely staking out your home’s footprint. Proper grading is especially important, as it directs water away from your home.

The Foundation of Your New Home 

Next comes the foundation, one of the most critical components of your entire home. First, concrete footers are poured first to create a solid base. Then, foundation walls are formed and poured to exact specifications. After curing, waterproofing measures and drainage systems are installed to help protect against moisture. Rounding out this essential step is pouring the slab, the very first floor that starts your brand new home. 

As this stage wraps up, our team starts the next exciting milestone: building the frame of your home. It’s at this moment you finally can start visualizing your dream coming true!

Septic vs Sewage Systems: What’s the Difference?

During this stage, our team establishes how your how will dispose of its wastewater: either by public sewage or a private septic system depending on your community. A public sewer system connects your home to a municipal wastewater treatment facility, where waste is processed off-site. A septic system, on the other hand, is a self-contained system located on your property that treats and disperses wastewater underground. Both systems are safe and effective when properly installed and maintained, and the type used is determined by township or county regulations.