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Home Construction Washington

Home construction in Washington state makes up a large percentage of the state's overall building totals. Still one of the youngest states in the union, home construction in Washington has progressively increased over the past 70 years. Though in a downturn due to the recession, home construction in Washington will likely pick up again in the near future.

Home construction in Washington began with the Native Americans, then expanded with the arrival of European colonists. Their rudimentary buildings were constructed with the basic supplies on hand, and usually had roofs made of tree limbs or other simple items.

As engineering became more advanced, home construction in Washington began to incorporate new items, like bricks, stone and, in some cases, luxuries like granite and marble. Though these were more expensive, these buildings were far more durable and more appealing to property owners. Home construction in Washington, like the rest of the United States, skyrocketed after World War II, with the creation of mass transit and the highway system allowing people greater access to cities while not living in them. The creation of the suburbs followed, and home construction in Washington reached levels never before seen. That upswing continued through the 1950s and 1960s as more Americans moved west.

The first step in the new home construction process is the development of an architectural design. While in some cases the client can have a home built to their exact specifications, cost and building codes frequently lead to the adaptation of a common design developed by the builder and used hundreds, if not thousands of times. After establishing a floor layout, or plan, and checking to make sure the design meets building code standards, construction begins.

Home construction in Washington, like that of the rest of the country, begins with the exterior of the house, with the laying of the foundation. Construction of the frame follows, along with the installation of water pipes and electrical wiring. Weather protection and retaining walls come next. Inside, the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC) are installed, along with the electrical wiring and plumbing started on the exterior. Insulation is put in and floors are laid before the walls are put in; in more modern homes, wiring for cable and other electronic systems is put in at this time as well. Once the wiring is complete, the walls and ceilings are completed. Personal touches like cabinetry, furnishings and other internal d?cor complete the process.

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