How are New-Build Homes Constructed in the UK?

This is a collaborative post

Homes are at a premium in the UK. There are a great many people awaiting their turn on the property ladder, having been priced out of first-time buying over the past decade of rising prices, stagnating wages and now rising mortgage rates. Property values are falling not because no one wants a home, but because fewer can afford the risk at present.

In this volatile market, the completion of new homes for the market is something of a blessing. New-build homes are inexpensive and warrantied, enticing newer buyers and alleviating stress in urban areas. Demand for new builds is understandably high; if you are interested in one, you might be interested to know exactly how they come together.

Preparing the Site

Before any construction can begin, the building site first needs to be prepared. This means performing a geophysical analysis of the ground beneath the site, clearing away excess earth and compacting the ground to form a level, stable base for the foundation.

Site preparations culminate in the laying of the foundation. This is another multi-step process, that requires input and approval at numerous times. Fundamentally, though, the foundation space is first excavated, and then reinforcements are added in the form of steel rebar or mesh. Concrete is poured, subject to warranty inspector approval, and levelled. It is at this stage in the process that early damp-proofing measures are introduced, to reduce the likelihood of rising damp and future structural damage.

Building the Superstructure

With the foundation poured and set, bricklaying work can begin. The first courses of bricklaying bound the foundation and consolidated the damp-proofing; from here, the cavity walls are built up and the form of the building begins to take shape. If you already have an existing property with defective insulation, companies like cavity wall insulation in Northern Ireland can upgrade your current cavity setup.

Channels and ducts for utilities will already have been created, and as the walls continue to climb, further internal work can be done to outline the shape of the home. Wood beams are installed via crane for the first floor, and then the roof trusses are set into place as the brickwork reaches the wallplate.

Finishing the Roof

Roofing work cannot begin until all the brickwork is laid, and internal works cannot begin until the roof, and some form of weatherproofing is in place. This involves the laying of waterproof membranes over the wooden roof trusses, and then the tiling or cladding of the roof from the outside. Around this point, double-glazing is ideally installed throughout.

Internal Works

With the house sealed from the elements, internal development and decoration can begin – including the erection and completion of stud walls. The stud walls form the interior layout of the home and are finished with drywall sheeting that provides a solid base for skimming plasterboard – which in turn provides a flat surface for even painting in the decoration stage. Here, electrical work and plumbing are also completed and sealed behind the stud walls.

Decoration

Speaking of which, with the walls and utilities complete, aesthetic work can begin. This might involve the installation of coving and skirting boards, and the painting of walls, before carpet or laminate flooring is installed.