Plan → House Build

House Build — your GC checklist

Step-by-step to take a kit/shell to a livable, legal house as your own general contractor. Tick each step (your progress saves on this device); the cost column is a planning range for ~2,000 sf, North Texas. (DIY) = you & the wife; amber rows are inspections/sign-offs that gate the next step.

How to use Order of operations

The golden rule of GC'ing: nothing gets covered until it's inspected, and the trades go in a fixed order — under-slab plumbing before the pour, all rough-ins before insulation, insulation before sheetrock. Skip the order and you're cutting open finished walls. It ties to the kit + owner-GC cost ladder on Home and the roadmap.

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Rural-Texas reality check: many unincorporated counties have no city building permit or CO — but your lender, insurer, septic (OSSF), and electric co-op still require inspections. Confirm what your county AHJ enforces; where there's no formal CO, treat Phase 07 as your own safety + loan-draw checklist.

Or hire it out Don't want to GC it?

The plan is owner-GC at ~$100/sf (~$200k barndo). If you'd rather not run the build, a turn-key builder runs ~$130–200/sf — so ask them to bid finance-ready (complete enough to close the loan; you upgrade quality after) to keep most of the savings.

See the Barndo Builders page for a call list by type (turn-key · owner-builder programs · kit/shell), and take the builder questionnaire on every call. Compare any bid against the owner-GC cost ladder on Home.

00 Decisions & money

	Step	Possible cost
	Choose the building system & kit you like (metal barndo or panelized); get 2–3 quotesSee Home → House build. Kit/shell total drives everything else.	$60–170k (kit)
	Lock the floor plan / interior layoutRooms, doors, kitchen/baths/laundry, and where the plumbing + panel land — decide now, it drives every rough-in.	—
	Line up owner-builder construction loan + draw scheduleTexas Farm Credit / Capital Farm Credit. Each draw is tied to a completed+inspected phase.	closing fees
	Buy builder's-risk + liability insurance for the buildEasy to forget; protects the half-built structure and you as GC.	$1,000–3,000

01 Design & permits

	Step	Possible cost
	Engineer stamps the foundation + building plansRequired on North-Texas expansive clay — the slab must be engineered. (This is your "engineer reviews & submits.")	$1,500–4,000
	Energy-code (IECC) compliance + HVAC Manual J sizingSizes the AC right and is often required for permit/inspection.	$300–800
	County building permit (confirm — many rural areas: none)Call the county AHJ first; don't assume.	$0–1,500
	Septic (OSSF) permit + design by a licensed site evaluatorRequired rural; needs a soil/perc evaluation.	$500–1,500
	Driveway/culvert permit + 911 address assignedAddress must be posted before final/CO.	$0–500
	Apply for electric service (co-op); set a temporary power poleYou need temp power on site for the trades.	$1,500–4,000

02 Site & utilities

	Step	Possible cost
	Grade the pad & set finished-floor elevation above the floodplain(DIY tractor for rough work; subbed select fill + compaction). Getting FFE right now prevents flooding forever.	$5,000–20,000
	Geotech / soil test if the engineer requires itDrives the slab design on clay.	$800–2,500
	Drill the well + pump + pressure tank (or co-op water tap)Do early — the trades and slab cure need water.	$12–25k (tap $2–10k)
	Install the septic system (aerobic)Can be set after the slab; permitted + inspected.	$12,000–18,000
	Trench & run permanent electric service + meter baseYou can dig the trench to save.	$3,000–10,000

03 Foundation

	Step	Possible cost
	Stake the building; confirm finished-floor elevation & setbacks	—
	Licensed plumber sets under-slab plumbing (DWV + water stub-ups)This is the "call the foundation/plumbing" step — plumbing goes in BEFORE the pour.	$3,000–6,000
	✅ Inspection: under-slab plumbing (+ any conduit sleeves)	—
	Foundation co.: vapor barrier, termite pretreat, rebar/post-tension, pour slab (+ anchor bolts for metal)Don't skip the vapor barrier or termite pretreat — easy to miss, costly later.	$12,000–30,000
	✅ Inspection: foundation / slab (where permitted)	—

04 Shell & dry-in

	Step	Possible cost
	Erector / framing crew builds the shell — frame + standing-seam metal roofThis is "the framing guys build the shop/shell." Often bundled in the kit price.	$15,000–40,000
	Set exterior windows & doors	$8,000–20,000
	Weather-tight "dry-in"; house wrap; gutters → rainwater tanks	incl. / $2–4k
	Exterior finish: stone veneer / siding, soffit, fascia	$6,000–20,000
	✅ Inspection: framing / structural	—

05 Interior framing & rough-ins

	Step	Possible cost
	(DIY) Frame interior stud walls / partitions; backing/blocking for cabinets, TVs, grab bars; set tub/shower pansAdd backing now — you can't easily after sheetrock.	(DIY) $2,000–5,000
	✅ Inspection: interior framing (before anything is covered)	—
	Plumber: top-out rough (supply + DWV in walls)	$4,000–8,000
	HVAC: ducts, lineset, condensate drain, set equipment	$10,000–18,000
	Electrical rough: panel, circuits, boxesLicensed if financed/permitted; some areas let an owner-occupant pull an electrical permit — confirm.	$8,000–16,000
	(DIY) Low-voltage rough: data, security, AV, thermostat wire (and electrical if you're cleared to)Don't forget bath exhaust fans + attic access.	(DIY) $500–2,000
	✅ Inspections: plumbing top-out · mechanical · electrical rough (all pass)	—
	Insulation: closed-cell spray foam (metal) / batt + blown (wood)Metal NEEDS spray foam in Texas — condensation + heat. Goes in after rough-ins, before sheetrock.	$8,000–18,000
	✅ Inspection: insulation / energy	—

06 Interior finish — at your pace

	Step	Possible cost
	(DIY) Hang sheetrock	(DIY) $4,000–9,000
	(DIY) Tape, bed, float & texture	(DIY) incl.
	(DIY) Prime & paint	(DIY) $1,500–4,000
	Interior doors, trim & baseboards	$3,000–10,000
	Cabinets + countertops (kitchen, baths, laundry)	$6,000–20,000
	FlooringBare/sealed slab or subfloor is fine for CO — upgrade over time.	$6,000–20,000
	Plumbing trim-out: toilets, faucets, water heater, fixtures	$3,000–8,000
	HVAC trim: registers, thermostat, start-up	incl.
	(DIY) Electrical/LV trim-out: devices, fixtures, cover plates, panel labels	(DIY) $1,500–4,000
	Appliances	$5,000–15,000

07 Certificate of Occupancy — the legal minimum to move in

Less is more: this is everything that must be in and passing to legally occupy — you finish the rest later (Phase 08). Where there's no formal CO, this is your safety + final-loan-draw list.

	Requirement	Possible cost
	✅ All finals pass: building · electrical · plumbing · mechanical · energy	—
	Potable water connected & approved (well/tap)	—
	Septic final (OSSF) approved	—
	Permanent power energized	—
	One full bathroom working (toilet, sink, tub/shower) with hot waterWater heater installed.	—
	Kitchen sink operational	—
	Working heat (and AC); smoke + CO detectors (interconnected); bedroom egress windows	—
	GFCI/AFCI protection, cover plates on, panel labeled; handrails/guards on any stairs	—
	Safe walking surfaces (subfloor OK — no finish flooring needed); exterior doors lock; address posted	—
	✅ Final building inspection → Certificate of Occupancy issued 🎉	—

The county's bar isn't the bank's bar. The list above gets you a legal CO — but a construction-to-perm lender releases the final draw (and converts it to your mortgage) only when an appraiser calls the home "complete & habitable." That bar is higher than the county's: floor coverings, a functioning kitchen, paint, and hung interior doors. Finish to the lender's bar to close; defer everything else to Phase 08.

County CO — the bare minimum

Safe + functional, nothing more. Bare subfloor is OK — no baseboards, no paint, no finish flooring, and spare bedrooms can stay unfinished. Just the Phase 07 list: systems pass, one full bath + kitchen sink, heat/AC, detectors, egress, handrails, locking doors, address posted.

Lender / final draw — a notch higher

Appraisers won't sign off on bare subfloor, a non-working kitchen, or unpainted walls. Expect: floor coverings, a basic kitchen (cabinets · counter · range · sink), paint, interior doors. USDA / FHA / VA are stricter (fully complete, no deferrals) — portfolio lenders like Texas Farm Credit / Capital Farm Credit are the flexible ones on barndo + owner-builder + raw land.

The cheap bridge: a sealed / stained concrete slab counts as finished flooring for both the county and the appraiser — on a metal barndo you skip floor-covering cost entirely and still clear the bank. And the loan = lesser of cost or as-completed appraised value × LTV, so a leaner build appraises lower (you borrow less, spend less) — don't bank on cashing out the sweat-equity gap at closing.

08 Finish over time — after you've moved in

	Step	Possible cost
	(DIY) Finish secondary bedrooms: trim, closets, flooring	(DIY) as you go
	(DIY) Upgrade flooring/tile, built-ins, shelving	(DIY)
	Porches, carport/garage, deck	$8,000+
	Storm shelter / safe room (tornado alley — see Home)	$6,000
	Landscaping, final grade, rainwater tie-ins	as you go

Easy-to-miss items (all built into the steps above): engineer's stamp · finished-floor elevation above floodplain · temporary power · builder's-risk insurance · vapor barrier + termite pretreat under the slab · backing/blocking for cabinets & grab bars · bath exhaust fans · attic access · water-heater pan/drain · gutters to the rainwater tanks · 911 address · a draw-schedule inspection at each phase for the loan.

As GC doing the (DIY) work yourself, these ranges land around the ~$190–230k owner-GC barndo estimate on Home — carry a 10–15% contingency on top. Sub more out and it climbs toward turnkey.