One of the most appealing aspects of the custom home building process is the ability to select the perfect lot.
We recently wrote a post on our blog that addressed a common question that many of our clients have: should you buy land before hiring a contractor to build? While there's not necessarily a right answer, the article is definitely worth reading as it walks through the pros and cons of both options.
1. Permit jurisdiction in your area.
Anyone going through the custom home building process should know that understanding the permit jurisdiction and requirements for the area of their selected lot needs to be a priority.
Here are some common scenarios when permitting is required:
- Building a new home
- Adding on to an existing home
- Completing a major home renovation
- Making structural changes to an existing property
- Completing electrical, mechanical, or plumbing work completed
2. Physical location of your lot.
We've all heard the golden rule about real estate: location, location, location!
How does the lot fit into your location needs? Is it located in a good school district? How long will your commute to the office be? Is the lot located on a busy street? Will you be convenient to shopping, restaurants, and recreation?
3. Topography of the lot.
A major advantage to the custom home building process is that you can design your home to fully leverage the unique topography and views that your lot offers.
To the untrained eye, a particular lot may seem easy to build on; however, confirming this with your building contractor before purchasing the lot can save you a lot of money in the long run.
4. Natural light.
There's no question that natural light can be a symbol of contentment for homeowners year-round, so finding a way to maximize the amount of natural light that flows into a home is key.
Walking the lot can help you to best determine to position and layout of your future home to make the most of natural light. If you're not pleased with the amount of light that a prospective lot could provide to your home, you may decide to move on to another site.
In short, you'll find that each lot is very unique, and in order to take full advantage of a lot's features may require some tradeoffs. Take the time to do your homework and speak with an experienced custom home builder about the requirements of a lot before moving forward with a purchase.
To learn more about factors to consider before selecting a lot, please contact us at Empire Custom Builders. We've successfully completed over 500 projects in Central Florida and have a thorough understanding of local permitting and lot requirements to give our clients their dream homes.