Checklist for Your Permit and General Contracting Tasks

Homebuyer Checklists

The Modular Homebook

“If you are thinking of ‘going modular,’ this could be your primer: it covers all the steps of the process and features a 16-page color insert that helps you visualize the possibilities.”

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The Home Store offers over 450 standard floor plans for modular homes. Browse Floor Plans

20. Checklist for Your Permit and General Contracting Tasks

Here is a list of tasks that you and your GC must complete before your modular home can be delivered.

  • Sign a contract with the GC or separate contracts with the subcontractors
  • Submit the septic design for approval to the board of health
  • Order the land boundary stakes for the property
  • Inform the GC of any easements or deed restrictions that apply to the property
  • Review any zoning regulations that apply to the property with the building inspector
  • Ask the building inspector if he enforces any special local building codes
  • Determine the cost of all permit fees that apply to the property
  • Give the building permit application to the GC to fill out
  • Ask the GC where he wants to locate the electrical panel box on the modular home
  • Ask the GC to help design the second story floor plan for the unfinished cape or attic
  • Ask the GC to specify the matching materials he needs to complete the site-built structures
  • Ask the GC to specify the rough openings he wants for the modular home
  • Ask the GC to specify the site-installed flooring details for the modular home
  • Receive the GC’s first draft of the preliminary plans and specifications
  • Get back the completed permit application from the GC
  • Obtain the necessary signatures on the building permit application
  • Have the surveyor complete the boundary stakes on the property
  • Receive the septic design approval from the board of health
  • Meet with the GC to revise the GC plans and specifications
  • Receive the GC’s second draft of the plans and specifications
  • Meet with the GC to sign off on the plans and specifications
  • Ensure the GC drills the well
  • Authorize the GC to draw the permit plans
  • Pay the GC the balance of the required deposit
  • Receive the dealer’s GC permit plans
  • Submit the well water test results to the board of health for approval
  • Apply for the building permit
  • Receive the building permit
  • Authorize the GC to begin his work
  • Meet with the GC, his excavator, and the dealer on the site
  • Ensure the GC begins the site work and prepares the site for delivery and set
  • Schedule the surveyor to complete the as-built plan
  • Schedule a bulldozer and/or tow-truck
  • Ensure the GC installs the foundation
  • Locate a staging area to store modules
  • Obtain the as-built plan and get a copy to the bank or town
  • Ensure the GC completes his site and foundation preparation
  • Ensure the GC brings the necessary heavy equipment to both the delivery and set
  • Pay the GC for his excavation and foundation work

For a detailed schedule of when each of your permit and preconstruction tasks must be completed, see Building a Modular Home on Schedule in my book The Modular Home.  The chapter identifies all of the players, the tasks they must complete, and the sequence in which the tasks should be done. It also explains your responsibility for completing each of the tasks.