After many hours of discussion, research, planning and talking with people, we have decided how we will set up utilities, how big our house foot print can/will be and what things in a house and lot are the most important to us. We wanted to have a good idea of what we really want before we even started looking at land. There will also be many things we have to be flexible on and that will change multiple times over the course of the project, but we had to start somewhere and our must haves and have nots were seemed like a good staring point.

When looking for a lot to build on there were plenty of things we needed to think about other than size and price like:

Permitting, Zoning, CC&Rs, HOA restrictions

Access to the Land as well as access to the build site (where we will actually build the house.)

Utilities available

Build Site / Foundation placement

Neighborhood HOA, Development CC&Rs, (Codes, Conditions and Restrictions) City and County requirements. Each piece of property will have their own codes and restrictions you must adherer to.

We looked at a two acre lot that we really like. It was within price range so we started to think about how we would position the house, how we’d do the yard area, but before we got too carried away we knew we needed more information from the HOA and the neighborhood development. We asked for the neighborhood HOA Guildelines and CC&R Codes.. Come to find out about 95% of what they even allow has to be approved by a committee, NO yard/land development was allowed outside of your small building site. House design, minimal front landscaping, driveway design, every bit of it had to be approved by other people and even what you were allowed to submit for approval was incredibly specific.

Not what we had in mind for building our dream… So we walked away and kept looking.

We also had to figure out what utilities are available.. This one is usually pretty straight forward and Seller Agents will have that information on the MLS listing. Gas, Power, Water, Sewer, Garbage/Trash Services… If the lot is in a development or any sort, chances are these are easy to access in the road. If it’s removed from civilization in any way you might find not all are readily available.

Our lot has Power and Gas in the Road out front that we can connect to but our lot will require a Spetic System and a Well for our water and Sewer. Prices of installation or connections to existing lines needs should be considered when purchasing land – not just when you get to the building phase. Will you be able to afford the land, connecting Utilities as well as building?

And Permitting

There are SO many permits required during a build. Our lot is outside city limits so we have to work with the County Office. Contact City and county offices and ask what permits are allowed. Sometimes this even needs to happen prior to buying. Is your lot part of a subdivision? Do you need a special permit to even access the land? Figure out what the city/county knows about your lot and do your homework! Every city and county will be different in what they require and their process to get to know them. You are going to want them to like you. 😉