Many people dream of building a custom home, but that process can quickly become complicated if you don’t have a proper plan in place. Well before you break ground on your new home, there are some important tests and assessments that must be carried out if you want to avoid problems down the road.
Zoning
Checking the local zoning laws is the very first thing that you should do before you even consider buying a piece of property to build a home. In certain areas, zoning laws can be extremely complex, and you must be sure that your property is zoned for residential construction. The zoning laws might also contain other statutes such as how many stories the buildings can be and how far away the structures must be from the property line.
Utility Options
Zoning laws are sometimes determined by access to utilities, but that isn’t always the case. To see if you are going to have access to all of the required utility lines, you might need to call each provider and request a utility map. The utility providers will also be able to tell you if there are any buried utility lines on your property that must be avoided. In addition to being extremely dangerous, hitting a utility line could also result in thousands of dollars worth of fines and fees.
Soil
Another important step in this process is having the land inspected by an experienced geotechnical engineer. One of those professionals will have the tools and training that are required for determining how stable a plot of land is going to be. They might also give your building contractor additional instructions if the soil needs to be reinforced or there are unstable embankments.
Groundwater
If this is the first home that you are building, then you might not realize just how important it is to check for groundwater. Following the soil test, your engineer will need to survey the ground for moisture and water that could be below your home. That type of assessment is also going to be important if you are building a home without access to city water lines and you need to dig a well.
All of these assessments might seem like time-consuming hassles, but they will help you avoid quite a few serious problems down the line. Building a home is a major investment, and you need to be sure that you consider all variables before you begin the process.
