These are things your "architect" should be providing. I thought you were working with an "architect"?

Honestly you need an interior designer.

At the least you need a draftsman to draw up plans. Unfortunately for most of us building for the first time, we don't know what we don't know, and that's why it's important to have pros working with us. Meaning, architect, kitchen/bath designer and Interior designer.

As others have said,  those should have been mostly figured out before framing.  At this point,  it's probably most important to figure out your floor plan layout and where cabinets will go.  Then you need to get the electrical outlet and light fixture locations and plumbing locations figured out,  so that they can finish putting everything in that will go behind the drywall.  In parallel,  you should be working on your cabinet design and shopping for light fixtures,  flooring,  etc.   But I think the most critical is to finalize your floor plan so that your can get electrical,  plumbing,  HVAC done.

Most of this was on the arch. plan but he didn't pick finer details for us. NO designer as I already said, our appraisal for a new construction loan left no budget for that, and with a layoff last year, I have to do this myself.

@cpartist 100%. Hingsight! First home and we were tied up in permits with an uptight village that was understaffed for half of last year. If i could redo I would have tried to simultaneously been working on layouts then.

So far there have been no gaps on timing, I'm jsut eeking by.

Anyway, so back to my question... does this feel like a good summary of my next tasks to get on stop of this? I can verify the dates with the GC.

1. kitchen/bath layouts (in progress) (including types/sizes on sinks, toilets, vanities, mirrors, tubs, lighting)
2. any other uncaptured electrical needs (in progress)
3. Plumbing rough-ins (purchased)
4. ceilings and lighting (molding, coffers, pendants vs. one light fixture)
5. Final bathroom fixtures and tiles
6. other millwork ( built-ins, trim, interior door selection.... anything else I could be missing?)
7. flooring
8. paint colors
9. landscaping

Please avoid any snarky comments, I'm really just looking for help to get stuff done and hanging on for dear life.

Thanks to all that are trying!

Your list seems reasonable.

Cabinet layout beats everything. You don't pick type of bathroom sink at this point or toilet. Mirrors are easy later. Which light fixture you want in a bathroom can also wait. The only thing is where you want the fixture - not which fixture it is. Since you have tubs, that should be first - perhaps even before cabinets but they have less of a lead time. They do go in first.

You can move in a house with $10 temporary lights. Not a priority.

You have purchased all the plumbing rough-ins? That is a big one - especially the bath/showers.

There are lots of things before sheetrock including all mechanicals, insulation, and several inspections (like the majority of all the inspections).

Are you planning on using stock cabinets? I would recommend it to reduce the wait/lead time. Ikea is an example of stock cabinets. You may need to reframe a few things to get it to work. The nicer the cabs often means longer lead times.

Have you picked HVAC? That is one of the more challenging mechanical systems. There are really 3 mechanical systems - electrical, plumbing, HVAC. You mention having done 'water service" - not sure what that means beyond plumbing. Maybe street level stuff or well? It is all considered plumbing since it is done by that contractor (with the exception of well/septic).

HVAC is usually roughly planned before framing but this varies. Planning is certainly best done before framing. Do you know where your ductwork is going? Where returns (the large intakes) are going?

Do you have an insulation plan? If you have ductwork in an attic/crawlspace, then it changes your priorities on insulation.

You don't mention windows or exterior doors. I am going to hope these are done. If not - that is the first priority.

Consider a scheduled off site meeting weekly as part of the service you contract for. Dedicate all time off and consider using vacation time until caught up with decisions.

This is rough but will depend on local conditions, local sequences and what has already been completed. Utilities connected? Sewer, water, ele, gas stubbed to house?

Cabinet plans should be done including onsite measure by now. Walk it with the cabinet designer to discuss. Plumbing layouts first (lav, sink, appliance centers, shower valve placement)

Ask GC for priority of that list. Typically big before small. all this prior to wall insulation and drywall. Getting this correct now will save 1-2 months of delay moving stuff after drywall.

1. Complete all framing for ceiling treatments
2. rough plumb vents thru roof
3. rough out HVAC vents thru roof
4. roof waterproof (start roofing)
5. insulate under roof if required (aka roof deck)
6. HVAC
7. complete plumbing topout during
8. recessed light rough in
9. electrical
10. fire
11. low voltage (security, communications, cable)
12. exterior doors during
13. waterproof exterior
14. start exterior finishes

Complete all selections & place orders including light fixtures (size, placement varies) now.

When I design for new construction, here is a general order of things I do (specifically as a designer):

***Edited to add that appliances should be selected FIRST, before cabinet layouts are finalized!

1. Space planning, including framing changes and cabinet layouts. All cabinet layouts need to finalized for plumbing centers (toilets and sinks). Your cabinet layouts should be determined by the actual cabinets you are using. Custom cabinets can be altered to accommodate the framing, but stock cabinets cannot. This phase includes ceiling design and other architectural elements, like columns and fireplaces. All framing happens first, unless you want to pay your framers to come back multiple times. Walkthrough with the framer.

2. Exterior finishes. Select these with your builder so that everything can get ordered. This will include siding, stone, brick, roof, windows, etc.

3. Plumbing selections. Because much of the plumbing goes behind the walls, this step needs to be completed early to avoid backorders. I select all plumbing at the same time, but I suppose you can just purchase the valves and finalize the rest later if you absolutely have to. You will need to communicate to the plumber what kinds of devices will go in the showers and where exactly they should be placed. Walkthrough with the plumber.

4. Electrical plans finalized. Wall sconces should be selected so the heights can be placed appropriately. Pendants over surfaces should also be selected so they can be placed appropriately. Walkthrough with the electrician.

5. Millwork selected and ordered. Includes trim, doors and door hardware. Any wainscot or applied molding should be designed and communicated to the installer. Walkthrough with the millwork provider and installer to review your selections.

6. Wood floor selection. Be prepared to communicate a general desired finish so that the correct flooring can be ordered (ie, White Oak or Red Oak, solid or engineered).

7. Finalize cabinet finishes/door styles and order. Lead times can be lengthy for cabinets and you do not want to delay the project waiting for them. Review all details with cabinet provider, including special drawer inserts.

8. Tile and countertops selected. Tile should be ordered early to avoid backorders. Tile layouts need to be determine and communicated to the installer. Grout needs to be selected. If working with natural stone countertops, slabs should be tagged. Walkthrough with tile installer.

9. Staircase design. Communicate the look you want and select the stair parts like newels and balusters. Staircase meeting with fabricator.

10. Order all lighting fixtures. Ideally, order fixtures from somewhere it can be all warehoused until delivery. You do not want light fixtures sitting at a job site.

11. Select carpeting or LVT. Meet installer on site for measure of spaces.

12. Paint schedule, including colors and finishes. Wallpaper selected. Walkthrough with painter and/or wallpaper installer. Order wallpaper.

13. Finalize floor finish. Meet on site with finisher to review samples on floor.

14. Cabinet installation. Walkthrough to confirm everything is correct and undamaged.

15. Countertop measure. Communicate edge details and reveals to the fabricator. Approve countertop fabrication layouts.

16. Countertop installation. Be on site to ensure all tops are correct before installation.

17. Backsplash installation.

18. Shower door and glass. Communicate details such as shower door swings, handle style and finish. Where you want flat applied mirror and where you will do hanging mirrors. Walkthrough with shower door fabricator.

19. Order mailbox and address numbers. Communicate placement.

20. Light fixture heights. Meet installer to place the heights for all hanging light fixtures.

21. Mirror and bath accessory placement. Meet installer on site to place things like towel bars, TP holders and hanging mirrors.

22. Final walkthrough to note any required touch ups or issues.

Throughout this entire process, you are also managing the BUDGET. Making selections and then pricing it all before actually ordering. This process can require multiple reselections of materials to keep within the budget or allowances. As a designer, this can be the most complicated part of my job and requires a lot of experience to select the right material for the budget and to anticipate actual costs. This has been made even more challenging by the multiple price increases we have experienced the last few years. So while you say there was no room in your budget for a designer, I would suggest that you risk spending a lot more money and making critical mistakes by trying to accomplish the list above within your budget without the education or experience to do so. Do not assume the GC or trades will be able to fill the role of designer. It's still early enough for you to seek out an experienced professional. This is likely the largest investment you'll make and a qualified professional designer can safeguard that investment.

Right. Space planning and cabinet plans are always completed before framing begins. This way certain adjustments can be made to the framing to accommodate the cabinets, like moving doors and windows, fireplace centers, ceiling heights and soffits. This is particularly important if working with stock cabinets where your sizes are very limited.

These comments are really interesting. It was our builder and team who put our schedule together. The ID produced all the plans and spec book but then the builder put the schedule together. They used Builder Trend which is an app and it projected dates and what was happening and for how long. It had a list view as well as month at a glance. Everything was connected. We also got emails with updates on what had happened so far and what was next and they provided us with tracking information on where we were related to budgets etc.

I do agree with you all that I need help! I have a bit of experience with remodeling, picking finishes, and pricing but obviously nothing near this large scale or "under the hood".

I actually did reach out to 2 designers that were referred through friends but they had like redesign one room kind of experience and didn't seem confident tackling my whole house. I hit a lull and had to hurry along on my own.

I guess what I need is an interior designer then with new construction experience? Should they dive in and review my already framed plan? Or just move forward with things I havent planned like tiles, lighting etc? Does anyone know someone in the chicagoland area that would consult on new construction? I did a quick scan on Houzz but I don't have time to interview 10 more ppl.

Appreciate all the advice!

I'm in Chicagoland. I wouldn't be able to help you, but once I know your location, I might be able to refer some designers to you. You can email me at info@kristinpetro.com.

One thing which annoyed me that I didn't catch with my new build in 2015 is location of receptacles. There were plenty of receptacles, but I am i stickler for symmetry, so if a receptacle is under a window, it should be centered. Clearly the electrician wanted to mount the box on a stud, so they ended up in what looks like random location. I would go through the house with the electrician and discuss this matter in person. Another thing is the height of the doors - I didn't notice until it was too late that the tops of the doors did not line up with the tops of the windows.

Maybe different elsewhere. But of the two dozen homes we've built, the longest lead times were for windows and doors, cabinetry and custom stairs.