Building a House Checklist: A Step-by-Step Guide for Your Custom Home in Quebec

What You Need to Know Now About Building a House Checklist

• A full custom home build moves through six phases: planning, foundation, framing, mechanicals, interior finishes, and final walkthrough, and typically runs 10 to 14 months in the greater Montreal area.

• Before anyone breaks ground, you need financing confirmed, land secured, a licensed team in place, and your design and permits finalized.

• Quebec adds a few steps most checklists skip entirely: RBQ contractor licensing, mandatory GCR warranty accreditation, and a combined GST/QST rate near 15% on a new build.

• Skipping the paperwork phase is the single biggest reason a 12-month build turns into an 18-month one.

  
  

Keep reading for the full phase-by-phase breakdown, the documents you'll actually need to gather, and the mistakes that cost homeowners the most time and money.

What Are the Six Phases of Building a House?

A house build breaks into six phases: planning, foundation, framing and exterior, mechanical rough-in, interior finishes, and final walkthrough, each one dependent on the work completed before it. The sequence matters as much as the tasks themselves, and it's usually the sequence that gets broken first. Here's how the phases stack up in the Montreal area.

Phase	What Happens	Typical Duration (Montreal Area)	Who's Usually Involved
Planning	Financing, land, permits, design	6 to 10 weeks	You, your builder, technologue or architect, lender
Foundation	Excavation, footings, concrete pour	2 to 4 weeks	Excavation crew, RBQ-licensed contractor
Framing & Exterior	Structure, roof, weatherproofing	4 to 8 weeks	Framing crew, roofer
Mechanicals	Plumbing, electrical, HVAC, insulation	3 to 6 weeks	Licensed subcontractors
Interior Finishes	Drywall, trim, fixtures, flooring	6 to 10 weeks	Finishing trades
Final Walkthrough	Inspections, punch list, closing	2 to 4 weeks	Municipal inspector, GCR, you

Add it up and most custom builds here land somewhere between 10 and 14 months, weather and permit timing being the two variables that move that number the most.

What Should Be on Your Pre-Construction Checklist?

Your pre-construction checklist should cover four things before any excavation starts:

• financing,

• land,

• a licensed team,

• a finalized design with permits in hand.

Miss one, and your start date slips. This is the phase where most delays actually get created, even though nobody notices until months later.

Lock In Your Financing and Budget

Get pre-approved before you fall in love with a floor plan. A construction loan works differently than a standard mortgage: funds release in stages tied to inspections, not all at once at closing.

Set aside 10 to 15% of your budget as a contingency fund. It's not a nice-to-have. It's the line item that keeps a broken water main from becoming a broken budget.

Quebec buyers also need to factor in a combined GST and QST rate close to 15% on new construction, though a portion of that may be recoverable. Revenu Québec offers a partial rebate on the GST and QST paid when you buy or build a new home used as your primary residence, provided the property falls under set value thresholds.

A checklist only works if the numbers behind it are real. See what a custom build actually costs per square foot in the Montreal area right now. Read: Cost to Build a Custom Home in Quebec →

Purchase and Evaluate Your Land

Before you commit to a lot, confirm three things: utility access, soil stability, and zoning. A gorgeous piece of land with a high water table can add tens of thousands to your foundation cost before you've laid a single block.

Ask for a soil test. It's a small expense next to what a bad surprise costs once excavation is underway.

Assemble a Licensed Team

In Quebec, you are not legally required to hire a licensed architect for a single-family home. A technologue, an architectural technologist, can produce the structural drawings your permit needs, usually at a lower cost.

What you cannot skip is your contractor's licensing. Every builder handling new residential construction in Quebec must hold a valid RBQ licence, and that contractor must also be accredited under the mandatory warranty plan. The RBQ's licence holders repertory lets you verify a contractor's licence before you sign anything, and it's worth the five minutes it takes.

Not sure an architect belongs on this list at all? Quebec has its own rules about who can legally draw your plans. Read: Do I Need an Architect to Build a House in Quebec? →

Finalize Your Design and Floor Plan

Lock in your floor plan, elevations, and material selections for cabinets, flooring, and windows before framing starts. Changing your mind after that point isn't a quick fix. It's a formal change order, and change orders are where budgets go to die.

Finalizing a floor plan is easier when you're not starting from a blank page. Browse fully customizable home models built for the greater Montreal area. Browse: Our Home Models →

Secure Your Permits

Submit your plans to your local municipality for a building permit. Processing time varies by city, so build in a buffer of several weeks rather than assuming a fast turnaround.

What Happens During Site Preparation and Foundation?

Site preparation clears and grades the lot, then excavation and footings set up the foundation before concrete gets poured and cured. In the Montreal area, foundation depth has to clear the frost line, which sits deeper here than in most of North America.

Land Clearing and Grading

Trees, stumps, and debris get cleared, and the lot gets graded so water flows away from where your foundation will sit. Get this wrong and you're dealing with basement moisture for the life of the house.

Excavation and Footings

Crews dig trenches for the foundation and compact the soil before footings go in. In our projects across the Montreal area, footings typically sit four to five feet below grade to clear the local frost line, deeper than what's required in much of Ontario or the American Midwest.

Pouring and Curing the Foundation

Rebar goes in for reinforcement, then concrete gets poured for a slab, crawlspace, or full basement. Curing takes time, and rushing this step to "save a week" is how foundations crack.

What Happens During Framing and Exterior Construction?

Framing builds the skeleton of the house, floor joists, wall studs, and roof trusses, and once that's standing, roofing and exterior finishes make the structure weathertight. This is the phase where a house starts looking like a house, which is also why clients tend to relax here. Don't. Weatherproofing details matter more than they look like they do.

• Framing: Floor joists, wall studs, and roof trusses go up, forming the structure everything else attaches to.

• Roofing: Roof deck, underlayment, and final roofing material go on, whether that's shingles, metal, or another system.

• Exterior finishes: House wrap, siding or brick, and exterior doors and windows go in to seal the building against weather.

What Are the Mechanical Rough-In Steps?

Mechanical rough-in covers plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and insulation, all of it installed before drywall goes up and hides it from view forever. This is the phase homeowners think about least and should think about most, since almost none of it is visible once the walls close.

Plumbing

Water supply lines, drain pipes, and vent stacks get run through the framed structure.

Electrical

Wiring goes in for outlets, switches, light fixtures, and the main electrical panel. This is also the point to plan wiring for smart home features, since retrofitting it later means opening walls you just closed.

HVAC

Ductwork, vents, and the heating and cooling units get installed. In Quebec, we're seeing more clients choose heat pumps over traditional oil or gas systems at this stage, largely for the long-term operating cost.

Insulation

Fiberglass, foam, or cellulose insulation goes into the walls and ceilings. This single decision affects your heating bill for the next three decades, which is why it's worth more attention than most checklists give it.

Insulation choices made here decide your heating bill for the next 30 years. See what it actually costs to build to passive house standards. Read: Passive House Building Guide 2026 →

What Interior Finishes Come Before Move-In?

Interior finishes cover drywall, trim, fixtures, and flooring, installed roughly in that order since each layer depends on the one before it. This is the longest visible phase of the build, and also the most satisfying, since it's where the house finally starts to feel like yours.

Drywall and Paint

Drywall gets hung, taped, mudded, and sanded, then primed and painted. Give this step time to dry properly between coats. Rushing paint over damp mud is a callback waiting to happen.

Trim, Doors, and Fixtures

Baseboard, crown molding, interior doors, and trim go in, followed by the final installation of plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, and appliances.

Flooring

Hardwood, tile, carpet, or vinyl plank goes down last, once the trades that could scratch or stain it have finished their work.

Reading a checklist is one thing. Seeing the finish line is another. Take a look at completed homes that started with this exact checklist. Browse: Our Gallery →

What Happens at Final Walkthrough and Handover?

Final walkthrough covers municipal inspections, a pre-acceptance inspection with your builder, and closing on your financing before you get your keys. In Quebec, this stage also triggers your GCR warranty certificate, so treat it as more than paperwork.

• Final inspections: Local building authorities inspect the home and issue a certificate of occupancy.

• Pre-acceptance inspection: You and your contractor walk the house together and note anything that needs fixing before you accept delivery. GCR will not issue a warranty certificate without this inspection being completed first, so it's a step worth doing carefully, not quickly.

• Closing and move-in: You finalize your financing, receive your keys, and move in.

Whatever you find on that walkthrough, write it down and photograph it. Verbal promises to "fix it later" have a way of not happening once everyone's moved on to the next job.

What Should You Look For in a Custom Home Builder?

Look for a builder who holds a valid RBQ licence, is accredited under the GCR warranty plan, and can show you a fixed price before construction starts rather than after.

Predictability on a custom build isn't luck. It's the result of a builder who priced every detail before the first trade showed up.

The contract structure your builder offers matters just as much as their portfolio.

Contract Type	How Price Is Set	Who Absorbs Cost Overruns	Best Fit For
Guaranteed Price	Locked before construction starts	Builder	Buyers who want budget certainty
Cost-Plus	Actual costs plus a builder fee	You, the homeowner	Buyers comfortable with an open-ended budget
Time and Materials	Hourly and material billing, no cap	You, the homeowner	Small scope changes, not full builds

We've seen this pattern consistently across our projects: clients who ask for a guaranteed price upfront finish with fewer surprises than clients who sign a cost-plus contract assuming they'll "keep an eye on it." Nobody keeps an eye on it as closely as they think they will.

A checklist protects you only if your builder actually follows one. See how our planning process locks in your price before a shovel touches the ground. Read: About HC Habitation →

What Should You Do Next to Start Your Build?

Start by getting pre-approved for financing and confirming your lot, then bring both to a builder who can walk you through a fixed-price proposal before you sign anything. A free consultation costs you nothing and tells you within an hour whether a builder's process matches the checklist above or just talks about it.

There's no obligation at this stage, and no pressure to decide on the spot. The goal is simply to find out where your project actually stands.

Frequently Asked Questions about Building a House Checklist

What are the items needed to build a house?

Before a contractor picks up a shovel, you need five things in hand: a purchased and surveyed lot, approved financing or proof of funds, finalized technologue or architect-stamped drawings, a signed contract with an RBQ-licensed builder, and your building permit. Skip any one of these and your start date moves. Material selections for cabinets, flooring, and fixtures should also be locked in during planning, since decisions made after framing starts almost always cost more and delay your schedule.

In what order should you build a house?

Construction follows planning, foundation, framing, mechanicals, interior finishes, then final walkthrough, in that order, since each phase depends on the one before it. In Quebec, one ordering detail trips up first-time builders: your contractor's GCR accreditation and your building permit both need to be confirmed before excavation starts, not after. Starting site work before that paperwork clears is a common, and entirely avoidable, source of delay.

What documents are needed for construction?

Plan on gathering six documents: your building permit from the local municipality, proof of your contractor's RBQ licence, a GCR accreditation certificate confirming your build is covered under the mandatory warranty plan, a notarized preliminary contract, a course-of-construction insurance certificate, and, at the end, a certificate of occupancy before you move in. Lenders typically ask for most of these before releasing draw payments, so gather them early rather than chasing paperwork mid-build.

What are the latest trends in building?

Heat pumps are replacing oil and gas heating in most new Quebec builds, driven by both utility costs and provincial incentives. Smaller, more efficient floor plans are also gaining ground over sprawling layouts, and buyers are asking for higher-performance insulation and airtightness earlier in the design process instead of treating it as an upgrade. Smart home wiring, planned during the rough-in phase rather than retrofitted later, has become close to standard in new custom builds.

What are common building mistakes to avoid?

The most expensive mistake is changing material or layout decisions after framing starts, since every change at that point usually means a formal change order and a delay. A close second is skipping the pre-acceptance inspection that GCR requires before it issues your warranty certificate. We also see buyers underestimate their contingency fund, when 10 to 15 percent set aside for surprises is closer to reality than the number most initial budgets assume.

Your Dream Home Starts With a Conversation

A checklist gets you organized. It doesn't build the house. That part still comes down to a team that treats every line item on this list as a commitment, not a suggestion, and that locks in your price and your timeline before ground gets broken instead of adjusting both as surprises show up.

That's the difference between a build that stays on budget and one that just hopes to.

You've got the checklist. Now you need a team that runs on one too. Book a free, no-obligation consultation to talk through your project. Contact: Schedule a Consultation →