Free Download
Ground Up: Your First Spec Home
The free pre-construction planning guide and companion spreadsheet for builders who are ready to go from trades to ground-up new construction.
✓ GCs estimating their first ground-up build
✓ Tradespeople making the jump to spec builder
✓ Investors self-developing for the first time
✓ Flippers moving from renovations to new construction
What’s Inside the Guide
16 pages of real-world pre-construction planning.
An honest self-assessment for builder readiness
Pre-construction planning and selections checklist
Licensing and legal setup checklist
Estimating principles and budget categories
Insurance requirements and sub coverage
The permit process and common inspections
How to build your team of subs, suppliers, and consultants
Managing the build from dirt to CO
Construction loan basics and what lenders want to see
Selling your finished spec home
How to find and evaluate buildable lots
A complete pre-construction master checklist
Plus a Companion Planning Spreadsheet
Four working tabs to plan your first build.
Project Setup with financing overview
Lot Evaluation comparing 3 lots side by side
Budget Planning for pre-construction costs
Deal Analyzer with go/no-go indicator
Download the full planning kit.
Get the complete 16-page guide and companion spreadsheet. Covers licensing, insurance, financing, lot evaluation, estimating, permits, sub management, and selling the finished home. Plus four working spreadsheet tabs including the full Deal Analyzer.
Built by a working residential construction professional. Every checklist item comes from real job site experience.
Tools built for builders. Unsubscribe anytime.
Enter your email and we will send you the PDF guide and spreadsheet immediately. Then you will get a few follow-up emails with additional builder resources. That’s it.
Common Questions
Before you download.
Two files delivered to your inbox immediately. First, a 16-page PDF covering 12 sections of pre-construction planning, from licensing and insurance through estimating, permits, and selling. Second, an .xlsx planning spreadsheet with four working tabs: Project Setup, Budget Planning, Lot Evaluation, and Deal Analyzer.
It is free. No credit card, no trial, no hidden upsell wall. You will get a few follow-up emails with additional builder resources and information about our paid estimating system. If that is not useful, you can unsubscribe with one click. The checklist and spreadsheet are yours to keep either way.
Some. This guide is written for people who have hands-on trade experience and want to take the next step into building spec homes. If you are completely new to construction, start with the self-assessment in Section 1. It will help you figure out where you stand and what gaps to fill before committing to a build.
Yes. The .xlsx file works in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and Apple Numbers. All formulas and formatting are compatible across platforms. No special software required.
This free kit helps you plan and decide whether to build. The paid Residential Construction Estimating System is the tool you use once you have committed to a project. It has 20 trade categories, 150+ line items, bid comparison, draw schedule tracking, change order logging, and a print-ready summary for clients and lenders. Think of this free kit as the planning phase and the paid system as the execution phase.