Would you buy a pair of shoes without first trying them on? You might, if they were the correct size, but how could you be sure the shoe design would suit the peculiarities of your feet? If the shoe design is unique, or your feet have unusual contours, the chances of a misfit are even greater.
Like feet, building lots come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Every foot is different, even two feet on the same person, just ask any shoe salesman. Similarly, no two building lots are identical, even if standing side by side. One may have bedrock near the surface; the next, an underground stream. Consulting neighbors who have built nearby sometimes yields useful information about the land quality, but it’s no guarantee of what may be unearthed on your building lot.
To prevent the unpleasant surprise of discovering a sinkhole on your land, it’s a good idea to have test pits dug before you buy. Land sales are usually “as is” and there’s little recourse after the deal is done. At least three test pits are recommended, and they can be dug with a backhoe in about one hour. On unserviced lots, satisfactory soil tests are mandatory before approval will be granted from health authorities for a well and septic system.
After good soil quality is confirmed, the shape of the lot should be checked against the “footprint” of the house to be built. The footprint is the shape described in plan view by all parts of the house touching the ground. While it’s best to pick the land and then the house, many people choose a plan and then try to find a lot to fit it. (Something like buying the shoe and then looking for a foot to fit it.) Standard forty foot wide houses fit neatly on standard fifty foot wide lots, but if an irregular house plan is selected, finding a lot after the fact is more difficult. Not every building lot accepts every house design.
A sloping lot is more expensive to build on than a level lot. More cut and fill is required, and a split level house may be the only option. Split level houses are more expensive to build than one or two story types because of the stepped foundation, staggered floors and split roof. However, a sloping lot may lend itself to a more interesting architectural design.
Buying a lot at the bottom of a hill is not recommended. Low lying lots are subject to surface water run-off from neighboring, higher lots. This accelerates soil erosion and raises the water table around your foundation. Soil with a high water table exerts a greater pressure against the foundation wall, making leaks more likely.
Zoning affects the type of house that can be built on a lot. The three main residential zones are: low, medium and high density. Low density zones are reserved for single family dwellings without basement apartments. Buy a lot in a medium or high density zone if you need a basement apartment to offset the mortgage payment. Also, consider the proximity to commercial zones which may, over time, envelope your neighborhood.
Consider lot aesthetics. Visualize the house you have in mind on the particular lot. Will the topography add to, or detract from, the house design? Even an ordinary house can be set-off nicely on the right lot. High on a hill, any house looks impressive; but then again, you may prefer the seclusion of a house down in the valley. In any case, a house with strong visual appeal will bring a better selling price later.
Just like shoes and feet, houses and land must suit each other for best results. With shoes, you can try on many pairs before buying the right one. With houses, you must know if it will fit before you actually “try it on”. The surest way to a perfect fit between house and land is to have your house custom designed for the specific lot. Just because a shoe is pretty and expensive doesn’t mean it will fit.
CUT AND FILL
“Cut and fill” is the term used to describe adjustments the contractor must make to the topography so the lot will be suitable for the new house. “Cut” is the removal of unsuitable materials such as rock, bog and organics, or the leveling of land contours which are too high. “Fill” is the replacement of unsuitable material with good quality material, or the adding of new material to hollows that are too low.
The cost to build the same house on two different lots can vary widely depending on the amount of cut and fill required. Level lots, with good soil, are the cheapest to build on because little cut and fill is required. Sometimes though, a level lot must have fill added to raise the main floor up to the elevation set by the municipality for proper sewer drainage.
Unsuitable material which is cut should be removed from site and not used for fill elsewhere. All fill used for foundation support must be clear draining, free from organic materials and well compacted.
