How to Build a House in Virginia

So, you want to build your dream home in Virginia. Here at NewHomeSource, we know that building a new home is an exciting process that can seem intimidating at first, so we created this guide to help you through the steps of building a home in Virginia!

Virginia has five distinct geographical regions: Coastal Plains, Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, and the Appalachian Plateau.

Each of these regions presents its own challenges and price points. For example, the Appalachian Plateau will be less expensive to purchase land but may be more difficult to build on due to the mountains, while the Piedmont region near Washington D.C. has pricier land but simpler methods of building.

Step by step process to build a house in Virginia

The average time it takes to build a new construction house in the US is about 7.7 months, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction. In Virginia, this will vary based on a wide variety of factors like climate, the supply chain, and even what time of year you begin your build. Regardless of timing, the overall process will look the same.

1. Budgeting

Lots of love will go into your new home, but to make sure it lives up to the hype you need to prepare for costs that occur throughout the process. The average cost to build a 2,000 square foot home in Virginia is about $238,640, which is lower than the national average of $288,642. No matter where you want to build in Virginia, there are a few things to note before setting in one place such as land and preemptive budgeting for construction costs.

Land Costs

The cost of land varies widely across the state. In Fairfax County, the median price per acre of land is roughly $550,000. In neighboring Loudon County, however, that cost is under $50,000. How much you want to pay for land will all depend on where you want to live in Virginia.

Homeowner’s Insurance and Taxes

In Virginia, the average cost for homeowner’s insurance is $1,013 for $250,000 in dwelling coverage (meaning the house structure only, not its contents or the land it sits on). There are many different places you can get quotes for homeowner’s insurance in Virginia, so be sure to shop around for the most affordable price.

The average property tax in Virginia has an average effective tax rate of 0.8 percent, which is well below the national average of 1.07 percent. This, too, will depend on your specific county and city of residence.

Permits

In order to build a house in Virginia, you are going to need a building permit. Building permits are issued by the local government. Usually, it will be the city that is in charge of the permits, but more rural parts of Virginia give the county permission to issue permits.

Permits fees in Virginia will vary. For example, in Mathews County a residential building permit is $50; in Fairfax County, the base permit fee is $108.

Closing Costs

Generally, in Virginia, you can expect closing costs to be about 3 to 6 percent of the total price of the house. This means if you take out a mortgage of $200,000 you can expect closing costs somewhere between $6,000 and $12,000.

2. Hiring a Homebuilder

The national average cost for hiring a homebuilder is about 15 percent of the total construction cost of the home. Us sites like TrustBuilder to search for recommendations for homebuilders in your desired area to make sure they’re the right fit for you.

You can also ask different homebuilders for quotes on what it will cost to build the house of your dreams (just be transparent that you are still in the searching process). Come prepared with an idea of what you want, a timeline, and any questions you have.

3. Purchase the Lot and Complete Design Selections

You can purchase the plot of land directly, or your builder can roll it into the overall cost of construction. Remember that these costs vary widely and will have a significant impact on overall costs. Once the land is leveled, it’ll be time to start making design selections.

For a custom home, you will sit down and nail out every single detail of your house including size, layout, flooring, and anything you could want in a house! If you are building a production home, there will still be many different options but oftentimes they will come in a predetermined set from which you can choose. For example, you may be shown three different living room layouts rather than coming up with one from scratch.

4. Build your Home

Once these preemptive steps are complete, they can break ground! The footings and foundation walls are formed and poured, and then rough framing is completed (this is when you’ll start to see the house physically take shape). Plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) sheathing is applied to the exterior walls and roof and windows and exterior doors are installed.

Next, things like electrical wiring, sewer and water line, and vents are installed. Large items like bathtubs will be placed and there will also be more inspections at this point, however, specific inspections will depend on your city.

Quickly after these steps, insulation drywall, fixtures, trims, walkways, and more will be completed. The finishing steps will include flooring, countertops, exterior grading, mechanical trims, bathroom fixtures, and all the final touches like mirrors and landscaping.

Enjoy your new home

Once the build is complete, you will do a walkthrough with your builder to see if there is anything that needs to be changed or fixed. Then there will be final inspections and you will go through your builder’s process to officially close on your home.

Get ready, your newly built Virginia home is waiting for you!