🏠 How much will hidden site prep add to the cost of my land purchase?

When you're buying a piece of land to build a home, the actual cost of the home construction is the least of your worries. The sticker price is just the beginning. This tool helps you estimate hidden dead weight costs so you can negotiate a lower purchase price.

City utilities might require expensive line extensions. As Alex points out, the cost of extending that water line would be approximately $100 per linear foot, whereas if you have utilities at the property line typically you're going to pay $1,000 or $2,000 as a tap fee.

If you're building outside city sewer limits, you'll need to treat waste on-site. The soil quality dictates your options and ultimate budget. A perk test determines if the soil drains well enough for a standard system.

As Alex notes, a standard septic system would cost approximately $8,000. However, when you have shallow depth of usable soil then you may have to build what's called an engineered septic system which instead of costing $8,000 might cost $30,000 or more.

Subdivision restrictions and topography often mandate much more than standard city zoning. Steep slopes or flag lots require longer, more expensive driveways. We've seen cases where incremental cost of driveway construction can add thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars to the total cost.

Restrictive covenants might force you to build a larger home. A lot of times at the subdivision level they'll say no the minimum is actually 2,000 square ft, meaning you're forced into a much more expensive construction project as a result.

Based on content by Alex on Acrewell Land Company (YouTube).

Original: HIDDEN COST of Buying Land to Build a Home

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