How Long Does It Take to Build a Custom Home in Michigan?

One of the first questions every custom home buyer asks is some version of: "How long is this going to take?" It's a fair question — and one that deserves a straight answer. If you're considering a custom build at Oaks of Tyrone in Tyrone Township, or anywhere in Southeast Michigan, here's what the realistic timeline looks like from the day you sign a purchase agreement to the day you walk through your front door.

The short answer: 12 to 18 months from contract to move-in, depending on your floor plan, the time of year you start, and how quickly design decisions get made. Here's the longer version — broken down phase by phase.

The full custom home building timeline

Building a custom home is not like buying a production home off a builder's spec sheet. You're choosing your homesite, selecting a floor plan, working with a design team on finishes, and then watching it come together over several months. That process has real steps — and each one takes time for a reason.

Phase 1: Site selection and purchase agreement — 1 to 2 weeks

This is the starting line. You tour the homesites at Oaks of Tyrone, pick the wooded one-acre lot that works for you, select a floor plan from Big Sky Development's available plans, and sign a purchase agreement. At this point, your homesite is reserved, your base pricing is locked in, and the clock officially starts.

For buyers who've done their homework — visited the community, reviewed the floor plans, and spoken with their lender — this phase can happen in a single afternoon. For buyers who want to walk the lots twice and sleep on it, it might take a week or two. Either way, it's the shortest phase of the process.

Phase 2: Design and plan finalization — 4 to 8 weeks

This is where custom building earns the word "custom." After signing your agreement, you'll work directly with Big Sky Development's in-house design team through every selection — from structural options like basement configurations and window placements to finish details like cabinetry, countertops, flooring, and fixtures. Big Sky maintains its own design showroom, so you're making selections in person with an experienced design consultant, not scrolling through a builder's online portal.

This phase typically runs four to eight weeks. Buyers who come in with a clear vision and make decisions efficiently tend to land closer to four weeks. Buyers who want to explore more options or revisit selections — which is completely normal — usually land around six to eight. The design team keeps things on track either way, and nothing moves to construction until the plans are finalized and every selection is documented.

Phase 3: Permitting and approvals — 4 to 8 weeks

Once the design is locked, Big Sky submits the plans to Tyrone Township for building permits. In most Michigan townships, the permitting process takes four to eight weeks, though it can vary based on the complexity of the plans and the township's review schedule. Tyrone Township is generally straightforward to work with — they're familiar with Big Sky's builds and the community's infrastructure.

This phase overlaps with other prep work. While permits are in review, Big Sky coordinates with subcontractors, orders long-lead materials, and schedules the excavation crew. The goal is to break ground as soon as the permit clears — no dead time between approval and construction.

Phase 4: Site preparation and foundation — 3 to 4 weeks

Site prep begins with clearing the building footprint on your wooded one-acre homesite — and this is where Big Sky's tree preservation approach makes a visible difference. Rather than clear-cutting the lot and replanting a few ornamental trees for show, Big Sky preserves as much of the mature tree canopy as possible. The build footprint is carefully carved out while keeping the surrounding wooded privacy intact.

Excavation, grading, and utility connections follow. Oaks of Tyrone's community septic system with pre-treatment means there's no individual septic install to coordinate — that infrastructure is already in place. Footings are poured, the foundation goes in, and waterproofing and backfill complete the groundwork. Expect three to four weeks for this phase.

Phase 5: Framing — 4 to 6 weeks

Framing is the phase where the house starts to look like a house. Walls go up, roof trusses are set, windows and exterior doors are installed, and the structure is dried in — meaning it's weather-tight enough for interior work to begin. Depending on the complexity and square footage of your plan, framing typically takes four to six weeks.

This is also the phase where Big Sky's owner, Tino Pulice, makes some of his personal jobsite visits. Quality oversight during framing is critical — it's the skeleton of the home, and everything that follows depends on it being done right.

Phase 6: Mechanicals and rough-ins — 3 to 4 weeks

With the structure framed, the mechanical trades move in. Plumbing, electrical, and HVAC rough-ins are installed within the walls and ceilings. Insulation follows. This is also when the municipal or township inspections happen — a building inspector verifies that the mechanical systems meet code before the walls are closed up. Expect three to four weeks for this phase, which runs on a tight schedule with multiple trades coordinating in the same space.

Phase 7: Drywall and interior finishes — 6 to 8 weeks

Drywall goes up, gets taped, mudded, and finished. After that, the home moves into its most visual phase: trim work, cabinetry installation, painting, flooring, countertops, tile, and fixture installation. This is where your design selections from Phase 2 come to life — and it's the longest single phase of interior work. Six to eight weeks is standard for a custom home of this caliber.

Phase 8: Final inspections, punch list, and move-in — 2 to 3 weeks

The final phase includes a thorough walk-through with Big Sky's team to identify any items that need attention — a paint touch-up, an adjustment to a door, a fixture that needs alignment. This is called the "punch list," and it's standard practice with any quality builder. Once the punch list is complete and the final inspections pass, you receive your certificate of occupancy and your keys.

The timeline at a glance

Total estimated timeline: 12 to 18 months from signed purchase agreement to move-in. Timelines vary based on weather, plan complexity, and selection pace.

What affects the timeline the most?

Michigan weather

This is Southeast Michigan — winter is real, and it affects construction. Groundbreaking in late spring or early summer usually means a smoother, more continuous build. Starting in late fall can push framing or foundation work into the winter months, when frozen ground and snow slow excavation and concrete work. It doesn't stop the project, but it can add weeks. The ideal window to sign and break ground is typically March through June.

Selection pace

The design phase is where buyer decisions have the biggest impact on schedule. Buyers who come in prepared — with inspiration photos, a clear budget range, and a willingness to commit to decisions — move through design in four to five weeks. Buyers who prefer to explore every option and revisit choices may take six to eight. Neither approach is wrong, but the selection phase is the one part of the timeline that buyers control directly.

Floor plan complexity

A single-story ranch like the Firethorn or Pine Meadow builds faster than a multi-story plan with more complex framing, mechanical runs, and finish details. Larger square footage and additional features — finished basements, premium trim packages, specialty masonry — add time to both the design and construction phases.

Subcontractor scheduling

Quality builders maintain long-standing relationships with their subcontractors. Big Sky Development has been building continuously in Southeast Michigan since 1994 — over 30 years of relationships with the same plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and finish crews. That continuity matters. When a trade finishes one phase, the next trade is already scheduled. Gaps between phases are where timelines slip, and experienced builders minimize those gaps through relationships, not promises.

When should you start if you want to move in by a certain date?

If you have a target move-in date, work backward. Want to be in by next summer? You need to be signing a purchase agreement by late fall or early winter of this year. Want to be in by the holidays the following year? A spring or early summer start gives you the best runway — and keeps construction in the favorable weather months for framing, foundation, and exterior work.

Here's a practical example: a buyer who signed a purchase agreement at Oaks of Tyrone in March 2026, completed their design selections by May, received permits by July, and broke ground in August could realistically be framing by November, drywalling by late winter, and receiving their certificate of occupancy by late spring 2027. That's roughly 14 months — right in the middle of the typical range.

Can you speed it up?

To a degree, yes. Buyers who arrive pre-approved for financing, have a clear vision for their home, and make design decisions promptly can shave weeks off the total timeline. Big Sky Development also maintains a well-oiled scheduling process — the owner oversees quality on every jobsite, and the trades are experienced and reliable. But "faster" doesn't mean "rushed." The timeline exists because each phase depends on the one before it, and cutting corners to hit an arbitrary deadline is how quality suffers.

The honest answer? The best way to speed up your timeline is to start sooner — not to rush the build.

Why the timeline matters for lot selection

Oaks of Tyrone has 34 wooded one-acre homesites on Timber Trail. That's a fixed number — you can't manufacture more land in Tyrone Township. The homesites that are available today won't all be available six months from now, and the ones that sell first tend to be the ones buyers wanted most. If you're thinking about building here, the timeline conversation starts with lot selection — and lot selection is urgent only because the inventory is finite.

One-acre wooded homesites in this part of Livingston County are becoming harder to find. The ones that exist in established communities like Oaks of Tyrone represent a specific kind of property — wooded, private, full-acre, with infrastructure already in place — that doesn't replicate itself.

Frequently asked questions