New Custom-Built Homes – Site Preparation

Preparing your lot for your new home

You have your lot, but there’s still plenty to do – and many questions to ask – before you begin to pour your foundation.

Here’s a summary of those activities:

While it’s much too early to start building, we need to establish exactly where the house will be located on the property and how it will be arranged.

This may require a surveyor who can develop “as-built” drawings for your home placement.

Also be sure your house placement is within the zoning boundaries as outlined by your community’s bylaws.

As you consider the arrangement of the house, you may also want to consider things like window views and sun exposure.

Plan for utility access

Utilities will need to be connected to the house through pipes or wiring.  Use this time to identify how water, sewage, electricity, gas and phone will be accessed.

If you are building in a growing neighborhood, chances are those utilities will be waiting for you on the outskirts of your property line.  But if you are building in a secluded area, utility access will be more difficult and expensive.

Runoff and Erosion

As you examine your site’s slope, you may be concerned about drainage and runoff during storms.  All homeowners are concerned about water coming toward the house and into the basement.

But you should also be concerned about water flowing into neighbors’ properties and public roadways.  While this doesn’t affect your home, you could be responsible for mitigation costs.

Clearing the land

At this stage, you will be clearing trees, removing stumps and removing boulders that may be in the space where you plan to build your house and driveway.  Of course, you may want to keep some trees and other vegetation to be part of your later landscaping.

If your home is going to have a basement, you’ll need to do some excavating which means you may be facing some grading issues.  This is the time to address any potential drainage issues that may come up.