Before designing a new home, it is our recommendation to have the lot you want to build on first. That way the home can be designed to best fit the lot, with the best views, and you don’t risk having to redesign it due to the limitations of the lot. That being said, please don’t go out and buy a lot without first consulting with a builder. We recommend meeting with your builder to look at the lot before purchasing it.
There are many things to consider when looking at a lot, that if you don’t have experience building homes, you may not know to look for or even what you are really looking at. One extreme example is a past client who purchased a “flat” lot, because it would be easy to build a home on. They were shocked when I told them the lot really wasn’t flat at all and where they were wanting to site the home dropped 9’ from the front of the house to the rear. That wasn’t a big problem per se, it was ideal for a walkout basement, but they had envisioned a home on a slab and didn’t want a basement. We’ve had other clients wind up selling their problematic lot after investing time and money with us in design and estimating, because while the lot was technically buildable, it had a lot of problems to overcome that would require extensive expenditure that made it not buildable for their budget.
Some items to take into consideration (but not an all-inclusive list by any means):
- Is fill dirt going to be required? – This may cost thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.
- Is soil testing required? – This is important for septic lots to ensure a septic system will work, what type will be required, and where the house can be placed and still take advantage of the “good septic soils”. This is also important in some situations, particularly on waterfront lots or swampy areas, to ensure the soils are suitable to support a home.
- Local zoning requirements may have restrictions regarding front, side, and rear setbacks that may be more limiting than the buyer realizes. Also, any easements and buffer zones on the property need to be considered. If buying an infill lot, there may also be restrictions to the size of the home, both square footage and height.
- What type of foundation is required or best suited for the lot?
- How much clearing is going to be required?
- How accessible is the home site? Getting access for construction is one consideration, but an overly steep driveway can be a long term regret. Long driveways can also add significantly to the cost of construction and can easily be overlooked.
Even after having a builder look at the lot, there may be future surprises, but to help minimize those, it is best to have a builder’s input before making the purchase. This may be a shameless plug, for which I make no apologies, but at Custom Dwellings, you can have the benefit of having both the designer and the builder put their eyes on the lot for you at the same time. Not only are two sets of eyes better than one, but with different specialties, we also tend to look at things differently, or at least from a different perspective. Do you have a lot you are interested in buying for your dream build? Please reach out and we’ll be happy to give our opinion on its strengths and weaknesses before you make the purchase.