Selecting a building site is one of the most important decisions you’ll make in your home building journey.
If you have a vision of how you want your home’s functions organized, you need to find a site that will support that vision. If you have a “not to exceed” budget, the cost of preparing the site for a house – any house- could require an investment so large that the balance of your budget after the site preparation cost could be inadequate. If you are planning to add a pool and an ADU in the future, how can you know if the site you are considering will accommodate those additional buildings?
I am asked regularly by prospective clients “How do I know if this is a good building site?” or “What do I look for in a building site?” Those are questions that could take hours to answer — along with some substantial knowledge of what your new home wants to be and what budget you have.
Others of you will contact us after you’ve already acquired a buildingsite. Maybe you purchased it a few years ago …or it’s been in your family for decades. In these cases, the questions are more typically, “What can I do on this site” or “what restrictions should I be aware of on this site that may impact the design I’m considering?”
Or maybe you live on the site now and are considering replacing your current home with a new one on the same site. Don’t for a minute think that what was then is still now. Setbacks from wetlands or lakes, maximum heights or other regulations do change.
Recently a prospective client emailed me on just the right day and asked“Do you have a checklist of things to look for when buying a site?” Good idea! I developed that checklist, reviewed it in an online meeting with the author of the question and her husband, both of them hesitant to begin a process that was totally unfamiliar. We concluded our conversation with their offering that they felt more comfortable researching available sites and more comfortable knowing what questions to ask.
I ended that session, as I always do, offering to take a look available online information on any site that they were seriously considering anddiscuss with them any issues of concern and what house configuration might be at home on that site. We can’t afford to work
Not everything in the checklist applies to every site, and some questions relate more to the location of a potential site. If there is more than one decision maker in your project, please take time to seriously consider these questions to make sure both of you are of the same mind when it comes to these sometimes overlooked (and potentially lethal if overlooked) considerations.
A design with the living space elevated above the floodplain. Stairs to roof deck on exterior to avoid exceeding height limitation with stair tower.
Recently added considerations
This checklist has developed over the last several decades in my head, and over time the list has grown. The most recently added item is the suggestion that you check into the insurability of a house on the site and the cost of insurance. This is especially important in areas that have suffered in recent years from wildfires, landslides, hurricanes, and tornadoes. And along with that is the question of whether we should “overbuild” in anticipation of the future. For example, if the site is on Long Island Sound and if the hundred year flood elevation is X, should we design the first level of the house at X + 18” in recognition of the fact that global warming is fueling hurricanes with higher surges? This is worth some consideration, just as we consider changes in your lifestyle as every member of the household ages, we consider the likely lifestyle changes and design in anticipation of those changes to reduce the need for major renovation, expense, or relocation when those changes occur five, ten or fifteen years from now.
Relying on real estate agents
Generally speaking, real estate agents can be great resources to those looking to buy a home. Most agents, however, do not have a great deal of experience selling land. Ask all the difficult questions about the presence of wetlands, easements or steep slope areas on the site and give them time to research the answers.
Time
When making an offer on a piece of land try to extend the due diligence period between the offer and the closing toa period long enough for your own independent research. Thirty days is possibly not enough; go for sixty.
Due Diligence
During the due diligence period, if there are known wetlands on the siteor on an adjacent property, consult a wetlands expert to get an understanding of the buffer zone and how it may affect your plans.
If there are steep slopes, consult a geotechnical engineer and have a preliminary site analysis done. That will give you insight into how difficult it may be to build on the site and the process involved in gaining approval. Go to the community zoning bylaws (online) and findthe setbacks and other zoning restrictions (e.g. height limitations, maximum lot coverage) Copy the pages with that information for future use.
Many communities offer pre-construction meetings in which the Building Department chair, the Zoning Department chair, the fire chief and others will meet with consumers hoping to build on s property in the community. During the pre-construction meeting they will share with you and your architect builder the special considerations and expensesthe site may require. Many communities require that you already own the site, but whether you do it before or after you purchase the site a pre-construction meeting is an invaluable opportunity to learn about the site- and the people who will control what you build.
If you are considering building a Lindal on Long Island, northern New Jersey or in the state of Washington, call us. We can give you an insight into what type of house might work best on the site. We’ll need a survey, photos of the site, and the real estate listing, and the zoning information you’ve copied. We can also provide you with the names of other experts you need.
We look forward to assisting you and to the opportunity to design your new home.
Download the Site Selection Checklist and contact your Lindal rep with questions, pro bono, but this stimulates worthwhile relationship building discussion. During the design process and early in construction walking the site with our clients is SOP.
The complex (and expensive) foundation required to reach bearing soil on a steep slope design
Download your copy of the Site Selection Checklist here.
Coming up:
Part II — Four Designs controlled by their sites