How to Build a Home - Lesson 2 - The Building Lot - Part VI - Due Diligence

What To Do Soon after The Contract To Acquire Is Accepted

1. Utility line right-of-methods

Make contact with the enterprise that owns the pipeline or energy line crossing the property and acquire out what you can or cannot do on their easement. Some companies, like Colonial pipeline, will fly these proper-of-ways practically every day by plane or helicopter. If you start off disturbing the ground on this proper-of-way with out their information they'll shut the job down.

2. Percolation test

If you do not have access to a sewer line you will quite possibly have a septic tank. If you have a septic tank you will perform, in conjunction with the county wellness department, what we call a percolation, or "perk test". Most county health departments will let you, the owner, to do this perk test. Mainly because of my busy schedule, I generally hire the surveyor to do it. The well being department will produce you with instructions on how to do the perk test - it's straight forward. If you fail this perk test, it could mean you can not have a septic tank. Make positive you have completed the perk test and the property is approved for a septic tank. If the property fails a perk test, numerous men and women consider it is "unbuildable" for a house mainly because they are of the opinion you can't have a septic tank - not so! There are other options for example, you could use what is named an aerobic therapy unit. This program is more pricey than the conventional septic tank but it would enable you to construct on what some would give consideration to an unbuildable lot. Be certain to check with your wellness department since the aerobic system could possibly or may not be approved for your location.

three. Soil test

In North Georgia we have "very good ole" red clay. If you have never been to Georgia, it is certainly red and a true discomfort to get out of clothes and carpet. Having said that, this red clay is extremely stable for a foundation. There are various parts of the nation and Georgia where the ground is especially unstable for a foundation. In those locations where the ground might possibly not look "just suitable," you may possibly be required to do soil testing and/or engineering to effectively set up a foundation for a property. If you fear any difficulties with the soil, I advise you call a "soil engineer". A soil engineer can test the soil and tell you irrespective of whether or not it is stable sufficient to assistance your house. If it is not stable, the soil engineer can tell you what can be completed to make it stable. You may possibly also require a "structural engineer" to design the foundation for any unstable ground. You can locate these engineers in the Yellow Pages under Engineer - Geothermal and Engineer - Structural. The construction of a residence is fundamentally the identical throughout the nation. The foundation is what adjustments quite a bit from a single place to one more because of the soil. If you set up the foundation properly, the chances of something key happening to your property, from a structural standpoint, are pretty slim. You do not want a foundation situation. So check your soil and seek expert advise if the ground doesn't test properly or does not look "just" ideal.

4. Wetlands

Wetlands can be a real and critical dilemma. The department that oversees and regulates wetlands is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Army Corps of Engineers have mapped many wetland regions and can give you the pamphlets to aid you figure out if your property consists of any wetlands. What is confusing are those areas that look high and dry that are designated wetlands. If you unknowingly create in these regions, they can shut down the construction of your property since it is illegal to disturb a wetland environment. If you have any doubts, check with the Army Corps of Engineers and get out if there could a issue. To master significantly more about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, take a look at their net webpage.

five. Flood plain

A flood plain is one other sort of land area designated and regulated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps of Engineers will designate an elevation point named the "100-Year Flood Plain Mark." In theory, only when in 100 years would there be a floor exactly where the water level would go above this elevation point. Your surveyor can indicate this 100-Year mark on your survey. Most cities and counties will not let you construct in an region designated as a Flood Plain. In some flood plain regions you might possibly be permitted to add fill dirt to raise the elevation of the household above the flood mark. But, in countless flood regions, you might possibly not be permitted to do this, given that if there's not sufficient drainage, you would accentuate the trouble, if there had been a flood. It's like putting a rock in a glass of water you will raise the level of the water. I recall some property I placed under contract for a subdivision and there was a compact creek on the property. I didn't consider there was any difficulty. It turned out over half of the property was in a designated flood area. It was also the kind of flood area you could not fill in. The seller was shocked they said they had lived there for 30 years and had never ever observed the creek flood. If the owner was correct, he could possibly do the important paperwork to have his property removed from the designated flood region. For me it did not matter - it was a dead deal. You can see these designated flood locations by acquiring copies of flood insurance rate maps [FIRM]. The easiest way to get a copy of a FIRM map, for your location, is to go to the net web-site for the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA]. It is not unusual for part of a parcel to be in a flood plain. The difficulty arises when any part of the structure of the residence is within the designated flood plain region. If the house is in the flood plain area, your lenders will need you to obtain flood insurance. The maximum amount out there for flood insurance coverage is $285,000.00 and the premium for flood insurance can be expensive. Lots of lenders will not even make a loan on a household where part of the structure is in the flood plain.

6. Tributary setbacks

If there is a creek or stream on the property, even if it is not in a designated flood plain region, there could be restrictions on how close you can create to that creek or stream. These restrictions are federally mandated to decrease sediment runoff into a specific creek or stream. Check this out with you city or county making department.

7. Hydrology Study

Some properties that I create are so pricey I treat them like a commercial job and hire an engineer to carry out a "hydrology study." The hydrology study will indicate if there is going to be a water runoff problem, after the household is constructed. If there is a trouble, this engineer will style a remedy to the predicament. The type of engineer to do this is a "civil engineer." If you ever have a dilemma with water drainage and you require to appropriate it, speak to a civil engineer. You'll uncover them in the Yellow Pages beneath Engineer - Civil. Some areas of the nation may perhaps call for a hydrology study on each home. The Developing Department of the city or county you will develop in will need to be in a position to tell you. Don't let the fact that I recommend these engineers scare you. If anything, you will need to be afraid if no engineers are involved in the project. Do not devote a ton of capital for these engineers and shop around, you will see fairly a variation in price from one engineer to another. Don't be afraid to hire these engineers I would rather you devote some dollars up front to find and solve a situation than devote substantially even more funds later on to solve a dilemma.

8. Hazardous waste and buried trash

I am beginning to see much more and a great deal more builders necessary to furnish a certified document stating that there is no buried trash or hazardous waste on the property. There are engineering firms in any given location that can do this testing and supply these documents if you have to have them.

9. Rock test

Even if you don't see any surface rock, if you have severe doubts about rock, you can hire firms to check for rock. Make contact with a soil engineer to obtain out whom to use. They can bore or dig test holes in the ground to tell you how far beneath the surface the rock exists. This way you will know if you are going to have a problems installing a driveway, basement, swimming pool, sewer line or septic tank.

ten. Survey

After you have the property under contract to acquire, I recommend that you go ahead and get a present (no far more than 6 months old) survey by a licensed land surveyor. The survey is going to clear up a lot of possible complications. For example, the survey will show any easements on the property that you might not see with the eye. The survey will also show any regions of the property that are in a flood plain. I know people who believed their lot was 200 feet wide on the road and two acres in size. Their daddy even told them it was two acres with 200 feet on the road. They'd sell the property based on this information, only to have the new owner order a survey and come across out the property is 1½ acres in size, not two, and there is only 150 feet on the road, not 200 feet. The deal could fall via proper there. If you have got an old survey, you could possibly be in a position to have the original surveyor update it for as small as $50.00. If there is a subdivision plat recorded at the courthouse, get out who did the original subdivision and they may be prepared to survey the lot for a more affordable fee. Don't forget to shop around you will see a sizeable variation in cost from one surveyor to a different. A single final item, ask the surveyor to supply a legend on the survey for clarification. A individual new to the market could possibly not have an understanding of that "IPF" at a corner of the property stands for "Iron Pin Discovered."

11. Topography map

The topography map or "topo" will show the contour of the land. If your property is fairly flat, you may not need to have to invest revenue for a topo. The surveyor is who we hire to do the topo. Like the survey, to get the ideal cost you will need to shop around.

If you are designing a house for a given lot and/or working with steep or rolling terrain, a topography map will be very beneficial. The perfect topo is what we call a "2-foot topo" (as opposed to a 4-foot topo). What this signifies is the distance in between every single line represents a two-foot drop or rise in the terrain. In the globe of grading, a grade of two% or much less may possibly have challenges with drainage and a grade of 15% or a lot more could price you money for fill dirt, hauling away of any excess dirt, or building retaining walls. The topo map can show you if you are going to will need $ten,000 worth of fill dirt or a $20,000 retaining wall. These are complications you want to know just before you acquire a lot. If you happen to be in a main metropolitan area, check with the county engineering or highway department. They may possibly have in their files a topo for the property you are interested in buying.