6 Steps To Prepare a Home Site for Construction

Building a brand-new house is exciting, especially if you’re an owner-builder who wants to live in the house after it is complete. This is an opportunity to customize your own living space according to your own wants and needs. However, building a home is a multi-step process that involves planning and preparation to get it right the first time.

1. Have the Property Surveyed

The first step in home construction is to arrange for a property survey. The property survey Pasco County FL and other counties offer will provide an exact footprint of the area and verify the boundaries of the property, as well as the location of underground utilities and other encroachments.

2. Think About Trees

In other words, decide which existing trees on the property, if any, you want to keep and identify timber that needs to be removed.

3. Obtain Permits

Every large construction project requires one or more permits from the pertinent regulating authority. The type of permit you need and how many permits will be required depends on the specific type of work you’re doing and the jurisdiction in which the construction is taking place.

4. Allow for Erosion Control

In other words, take special precautions to prevent runoff from your property from depositing mud on neighboring lots or adjacent roads. If you’re not sure what’s required, check with your building department.

5. Rough Stake the Home

In other words, plot out where you want the outer walls to be. This is important for finding out how much land you need to clear and grade so you don’t waste time and money preparing land on which you aren’t going to be building.

6. Remove Vegetative Debris

This can include roots, limbs, branches, and other unusable material. You can dispose of them by hauling them off or burning them.

Once you’ve taken these steps, then grading and leveling the site, or what you may consider the “real” work, can begin.