Are you ready to build your own house? It’s an immense undertaking but one that has been tackled successfully by many proud homeowners. Before you start thinking about excavating or even about getting an architect to draw up a house plan, you need to take a few preliminary steps.

Meet Your New Crew

You should know that before you’ve moved into your new house, you will have dealt with an entire team of professionals. These include: an architect or design consultant, a site supervisor, land planners, engineers, a purchasing agent, a sales representative, subcontractors, a building inspector and a closing agent. Some of these professionals will work together and some will not, but each member will play a specific role in the building of your new house.

Choosing a Site Locale

If you’re like most potential homeowners, you probably already know whether the house’s exterior will be stucco or steel, how many bedrooms and bathrooms you’d like and whether you will position the house at the edge of your chosen site or in the middle. You now need to decide what sort of lot to build on.

Two terms to keep in mind are: improved or unimproved. A fully improved lot will usually have a curb, a gutter, a sidewalk, electricity, sewer connections and your gas, telephone and cable lines. An unimproved lot will have none of these. Generally, the city or county will set the minimum improvements that must be in place.

What you must decide, next, is which of the following three types of locales you’ll build on:

1. Rural – This is often called farmland, or agricultural land. Every state has rural areas, which are usually outside the city limits. Land is plentiful in this part of the state. Therefore, the cost per square foot is markedly less than the other two types of locales.

The drawbacks are that lots are usually unimproved. Connecting utilities or sewage facilities can be problematic. It is recommended that you purchase rural plots that at least have utility lines near the property. If sewage lines are unavailable, you may have to put in a septic tank.

2. Urban – Choose an urban plot of land if city life appeals to you. Here, lots are improved in advance and you’ll have access to the part of town where business districts and commercial entities abound. If there is public transportation in the area, you won’t need your car–or a taxi. You will most likely be able to jump on a bus, tram or train to pick up your groceries or to see a movie. You might even be able to walk!

The drawbacks here are that urban areas become crowded very quickly. Due to this “urban sprawl” you are not apt to have a great deal of private land for children or pets.

3. Suburban – This locale theoretically has the best of both worlds. You can rest assured that the lot is improved, which means that the infrastructure is in place, and that your utilities will be piped in. The business part of town is probably only a few miles away. You won’t have far to go for errands or for a night on the town.

Schools and churches and doctor’s office all will be nearby, and you’ll still have enough land to garden and for children and pets to romp around in.

One drawback might be a proximity to factories and warehouses. Also the possibility of lengthy commutes into the business part of town should be taken into account.

Zoning Ordinances and Covenants

Once you’ve found your site, it’s time to explore the zoning ordinances in the area you will be building on. These policies are set forth by local boards or commissions, and are intended to protect the property from loss of economic value.

Make note of the subdivision your land is on and check your yellow pages’ government listing for the local building department. (You can also do a Google search.) If you don’t know the subdivision, or if it does not apply, the address of the lot will suffice.

When speaking to the local building department, ask them about the town’s covenant. A covenant is a regulation outlined in a deed and concerns itself with specifics about home-ownership, such as how wide your garage can be, or whether or not you can keep a certain type of pet.