ARTICLE 07

How Long Does It Really Take to Design and Permit a Home?  
When people start thinking about building or renovating, the schedule often starts with the construction date.

“We’d like to break ground next spring.”

That sounds straightforward.

But before construction can begin, there may be months of design, coordination, engineering, pricing, approvals, and permitting that have to happen first.

The earlier that process starts, the more options you usually have.

The Design Does Not Happen All at Once

A project generally develops in stages.

Early on, the focus is big-picture:

What are you trying to accomplish?

How should the house relate to the site?

How much space do you actually need?

What does the budget allow?

What zoning or site constraints need to be considered?

From there, the design becomes more detailed.

Rooms are refined. Structure is coordinated. Windows and doors are developed. Materials are considered. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems begin to be integrated.

Eventually, those ideas become the drawings and information needed for permitting, pricing, and construction.

Trying to rush directly to construction documents without working through those earlier decisions can create problems later.

Decisions Affect the Schedule

One of the biggest variables in the design schedule is not necessarily the size of the project.

It is how quickly decisions can be made.

A homeowner who has clear priorities and can review options regularly may move through design relatively quickly.

Another project may take longer because the owner wants to explore several directions, reconsider the scope, compare materials, or adjust the budget along the way.

That is not necessarily a bad thing.

Design is the time to ask questions and explore alternatives.

The important thing is understanding that those decisions take time.

The Consultants Need Time Too

The architect is rarely the only person involved.

Depending on the project, there may be a structural engineer, civil engineer, surveyor, geotechnical engineer, mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, plumbing engineer, landscape architect, or other specialists.

Their work often depends on decisions being made in a particular order.

A structural engineer cannot fully develop the structure before the basic design is established.

A civil engineer may need an accurate site plan before completing grading or drainage work.

Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineers need to understand the building layout, systems, and project requirements before their work can be fully coordinated.

Coordination between all of those pieces is part of the schedule.

Permitting Is Different Everywhere

This is one area where Montana and New York projects can look very different.

Some jurisdictions may have a relatively straightforward building permit review.

Others may require zoning review, planning approvals, floodplain review, health department approvals, variances, historic review, coastal approvals, or other processes before a building permit can be issued.

A project in a rural Montana county may face very different requirements from a project in Bozeman or Whitefish.

Likewise, a project on Long Island can vary significantly depending on the town, village, county, flood zone, sewer or septic conditions, and the type of work proposed.

Even two properties a few miles apart can have different approval paths.

That is why the permitting process should be investigated early rather than treated as something that happens after the design is finished.

Some Approvals Can Add Months

A standard permit review and a project requiring a variance are not the same schedule.

Neither is a property involving wetlands, floodplain issues, a subdivision, septic approval, or other outside agencies.

Public hearings and board meetings may only occur once or twice a month.

Applications can have fixed submission deadlines.

Consultants may need to prepare additional information.

And reviewing agencies may request revisions.

None of that means the project is in trouble.

It simply means those steps need to be included in the schedule from the beginning.

Contractor Availability Matters Too

Receiving a permit does not necessarily mean construction begins the next morning.

Good contractors may be booked months in advance.

Certain trades can have long lead times.

Windows, electrical equipment, specialty materials, cabinetry, and other products may need to be ordered well before they are installed.

For some projects, bringing a contractor into the conversation during design can help establish a realistic construction schedule and identify long-lead items early.

So When Should You Start?

Earlier than you think.

If you want to begin construction next spring, the conversation probably should not begin in March.

Starting months ahead gives you time to understand the property, work through the design, coordinate consultants, evaluate cost, submit for approvals, and make thoughtful decisions without every step becoming an emergency.

For more complicated projects, starting a year or more before the desired construction date may not be unreasonable.

The exact timeline depends on the project.

But having time is almost always an advantage.

A Good Schedule Creates Better Decisions

The goal is not to drag the design process out.

It is to give important decisions enough time to be made thoughtfully.

When everything becomes rushed, choices are made because a deadline is approaching rather than because they are right for the project.

A realistic schedule gives the owner, architect, engineers, contractor, and reviewing agencies the time they need to do their part.

Because the question is not only:

“When do we want to start construction?”

It is:

“What needs to happen between now and then to be ready?”


Michael Demetrios Frudakis, AIA, NCARB
Principal Architect