Pre-construction: 8 to 16 weeks
Design and permitting are the phase most clients underestimate. Fully custom plans take six to twelve weeks to develop with our in-house team or your outside architect, plus another two to four weeks for permit review with Greenville County or the City of Greenville. Semi-custom builds through our America's Best House Plans partnership cut this dramatically — proven plans can land you at permit-ready in three to four weeks.
Financing approval runs in parallel. Construction loan officers we work with regularly across the Upstate close in three to six weeks if you start early; later starts add the same weeks back to your timeline.
Site work and foundations: 3 to 6 weeks
On a flat suburban lot in Pebble Creek or Thornblade, site work is fast — clear, grade, foundation, and you're vertical in about three weeks. Lake Keowee shorelines, Cliffs slopes, and Travelers Rest acreage all add weeks here for engineering, foundation type, and the inevitable surprise the topo map didn't show.
Vertical construction: 16 to 28 weeks
Framing through dry-in is roughly six to ten weeks. Mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and finish carpentry layer in over the following ten to eighteen. Premium suppliers — Shaw flooring, Armstrong ceilings, Pelican fixtures — get pre-ordered at contract so you're not stalled three weeks waiting on cabinet color.
Smart-home, geothermal, or full luxury system integration adds two to four weeks on the back end. Worth noting: the longest delays we see come from late-stage selection changes, not crew capacity.
Punch and walk-through: 2 to 4 weeks
Final inspections, certificate of occupancy, and our internal punch happen in parallel. We don't hand over the keys until the punch list reads zero — a list we walk with you, not over the phone.
Bottom line
Add it up: a fully custom home on a buildable lot lands in 9 to 12 months from contract; semi-custom on prepared land closes faster. Lake Keowee, Cliffs slopes, and major mechanical scope add to the high end. We give you a real schedule at design lock — not a phone-call ballpark.
