Building Contractors

Build On Your Own Lot

You've found the perfect piece of property to build your dream home upon, complete with a duck pond in back, a long winding drive and lots of wide open space for the kids to play and the dog to run. But what now?

Getting started in turning that lot into your dream home site will take a little advanced planning. Check out each of the options available and keep an open mind. Since you're not building within a pre-set subdivision, the builders open to you might be a little different, but the experience should still be a good one.

Once you've followed the smart steps for finding a good builder - interviews, price comparisons, background and licensing checks, references - and you've decided on a floor plan, the real work begins.

Here's where patience on your part will be key.

Building a home from scratch takes times. This applies whether the home is in a subdivision or it's being constructed from the ground up on a remote lot. In the case of a remote lot, however, time may be a little more intensive. Since all the amenities for building aren't readily available on a single home lot like they are in a subdivision build, it may take longer for the process to move from ground turning to house warming.

The logistics of building on your own lot as opposed to a subdivision are many. The site prep work may take longer, electricity will have to be pulled, water will need to be made available and so on. All of these things necessities likely will have to be taken care of before the builder can even get started.

If you've hired a reputable general building contractor, adept at dealing with private lot construction, he or she will likely know how to guide you through the process. They'll also give you reasonable time estimates and may even handle all of the preconstruction details for you. Before you sign a contract with them, make sure you're fully aware of your responsibilities and theirs and the process will go a whole lot more smoothly.

It's the American Dream for many to own a home and to have some land along with it just sweetens the deal. But if you're planning to build on your own lot, remember a little more patience will be required. In the long run, however, the little extra wait will be well worth the outcome.