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Home » Build » Home Building: How to Build a House on Your Own Lot

Home Building: How to Build a House on Your Own Lot

Land in sunset

Do you have a new home floor plan that you love or land that inspires you or both?

If you dream of designing a new home that takes full advantage of the unique geography and views of land that you love, then you’re a candidate for a build-on-your-lot home, sometimes known by the acronym BOYL.

Building a home on your own land can sound like a pricey prospect, but rest assured that new homes can be built on your lot or land across a wide range of budgets. Here are four steps to help you figure it all out:

1. Choose a Starting Point

The process of building your own home on your own lot can begin in any one of four places:

With Land You Love

If you own land already or are inheriting some, you’re one step ahead of the dreaming stage. If you haven’t found that perfect lot yet, you can work with a Realtor who specializes in land purchases or contact a builder who can help you locate the right spot for your home.

For instance, Paul Schumacher, founder and owner of Schumacher Homes, says two-thirds of their customers already own land or are in the process of acquiring land, plus they will provide Realtor recommendations to the other third.

With an Architect

Depending on your budget and the level of customization you’re looking for, you can hire an architect to transfer ideas from your wishlist to a blueprint. Rob Rutherford, owner of Nelson Homes in Arrington, Va., says having floor plans drawn by an architect could cost $5,000 to $6,000, while Schumacher says architectural fees can go up to $35,000.

With a Floor Plan

Internet search yields dozens of companies that sell floor plans that you can bring to a home builder for inspiration or to customize for your land. Floor plans that can be used for review, but not for building, cost anywhere from $150 to $500, while complete sets that can be provided to a builder for construction cost from $1,000 to $2,500 or more.

With a Builder

Most homebuilders offer floor plans of their own that you can have built as designed. Depending on the builder, you can often customize the design to your specifications. Todd Bennett, a regional manager with Lockridge Homes in South Carolina and eastern Georgia, says his company has about 60 floor plans available with a variety of elevations, while Schumacher Homes and Nelson Homes have hundreds of floor plans.

2. Study Your Land

The next step in the process of building on your own land is for you or your builder to work with a civil engineer to make sure you’re following the regulations for the jurisdiction where your land is located, says George Fritz, COO of Horizon Builders in Crofton, Md.

“You need to know how you’re going to get power to your house, whether you need a well and how you’ll handle sewage,” says Fritz.

Rutherford says his company schedules a site visit, arranges utilities, helps customers get their zoning approved and permits for constructions and hires an excavation company to build a road if necessary.

“We always look at the land with our clients to talk about how the house they want to build would fit on the property and how it would be positioned,” adds Schumacher. “We need to do that early in the process in case the plans need to be modified and to estimate costs.”

3. Customize Your Floor Plan

The next step is the fun part: customizing and designing the home to fit your lifestyle.

Schumacher says his company has portfolios of homes on their website that include characteristic architectural elements for specific locations. For example, in Louisiana, the home designs have a French country influence, while the homes in Wilmington, N.C., have a southern coastal style.

“We have floor plans that range in size from 1,000 to 6,000 square feet that function as a starting point and then we can customize everything inside and out,” says Schumacher. “A lot of buyers come in with ideas from websites like Houzz and magazines and we discuss everything they want to do with the home and give them a price quote.”

However, Schumacher says less than one-half percent of people who build a new home hire an architect.

“It’s much more common for people to choose one of our floor plans or to come in with a plan from a service,” he says. “If they bring one to us, we’ll see if we have something similar that can be modified.”

4. Discover How Long it Takes to Build on Your Lot

Building a new home takes four to six months if your home builder has already built your floor plan, but it can take significantly longer if you’re having a completely new design built or if you’re asking for extensive customization. So, if you have a specific time frame for moving, you’re likely to be better off with a semi-custom design rather than a completely custom-designed home.

“If you’re adding space to the house, we can usually turn that around quickly, but something more complicated could take a week or two to price out,” says Schumacher. “We average 122 days from putting in the foundation to finishing our houses, but bigger homes take a little longer.”

Nelson Homes builds modular homes, which can be faster to build, as well as less costly than other new homes. The parts are built off-site while the foundation for the home is under construction. Once the parts are delivered, says Rutherford, construction takes 45 to 60 days.

5. Ask Yourself: How Much does it Cost to Build a House on My Land?

The cost of building on your lot depends largely on the home builder you choose, but the general rule is that the more you customize, the more your costs will go up.

“Ninety-nine percent of the time, we use our own floor plans, which makes it less costly and easier for our customers,” says Bennett. “We can modify the plans anyway people want. Our prices average $55 to $75 per square foot.”

Modular home builder Nelson Homes builds from 1,500 to several thousand square feet and, depending on the size, can finish for $80 to $90 per square foot, Schumacher says.

On the other hand, Rutherford says many clients bring their own floor plans to Nelson Homes. If they can be converted so that the parts can be built in the factory, the clients can save $20,000 or more compared to having the home built entirely on site.

“A design-build company will cost less than working with an architect and interior designer,” reminds Fritz, of Horizon Builders. “Just make sure you get everything defined and in detail so you know, for example, what kind of ceramic tile you’re getting. Look at the numbers you’re quoted, too, to make sure you understand what’s included in the price. Don’t just go with the lowest price because you may find yourself spending more to upgrade things later.”

If you’re ready to get started on building a home on your land, most builders can recommend several lenders with expertise in construction finance and can work with you to make building your dream home on your dream lot a reality.

Sanda Brown

After graduating in 2016 from The University of Texas with a degree in English, Sanda Brown became a content writer for the BDX with a focus on website copy and content marketing.

At the BDX, Sanda helps write and edit articles on NewHomeSource.com, writes website copy for builders, and manages a team of freelancers that work on additional content needs.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Randy Smith

    January 22, 2020 at 4:46 pm

    property we’re just wondering how could we get off maybe something like the gym wall the house built on the property we standing like an old house on the property we just want some maybe some information on what it what

    Reply
    • Mike Rose-Harrison

      February 4, 2020 at 1:36 pm

      I’m a 3rd generation custom builder. With all due respect to the builders who were part of this article…. if you have “floor plans” you cannot call it Custom, is a track home with changes. If you want a custom build is a different system. The house will be designed according the LOT and the HOMEOWNERS request will be what dictates the build

      Reply
      • kim u

        October 30, 2020 at 6:59 pm

        i am recently getting deeds and titles to my 2 acre property in ruffin sc. my mobile home is outdated and just older than i am. what would you suggest in my route to building on my land. simple no obsurd richness just basic country living quarters?
        god bless

        Reply
        • Jamie Garcia

          November 19, 2020 at 5:14 pm

          Hi Kim,
          You should start by looking into which home builder you prefer. Narrow down your selection, then talk with a representative to get started on your home-building process. You can see a list of home builders in your area by going to newhomesource.com and searching for your city.

          Reply
  2. Elizabeth Deal

    February 19, 2020 at 4:31 pm

    Lot is 1.97 and want to know if two small homes can be built there?

    Reply
  3. Clarence Wray

    July 2, 2020 at 4:32 pm

    Do I need a Realtor for the process of having a builder build my home on my land?

    Reply
    • Jamie Garcia

      July 15, 2020 at 4:56 pm

      Hi Clarence,
      No, you can speak with a builder representative to answer all your questions on building your home!

      Reply
  4. Lavender

    August 18, 2020 at 4:14 pm

    How do we get internet, power, and water from nearby utilities though?

    Reply
    • Jamie Garcia

      August 19, 2020 at 6:11 pm

      Hi Lavender,
      You’ll need to call each company – internet and utilities – and set up service to your address. Be aware that some providers only provide service to certain areas; you can check with your HOA or with the city to find out which providers service your area.

      Reply
  5. Pamela

    September 22, 2020 at 11:27 pm

    I own land and want to build a house. All utilities, well and septic are there, including a pre-existing 16by80 slab for a single wide that will need to be moved. My question is, how much house could I build and to what extent (completeness) could $80,000 get me? That’s all of the loan I can afford. I live in upstate NY in the Adirondacks.

    Reply
    • Jamie Garcia

      September 28, 2020 at 3:57 pm

      Hi Pamela,
      You’ll have to talk directly to a builder to discuss what you want as far as home size and budget. You can find a builder near you by visiting newhomesource.com and searching your city.

      Reply
  6. Zachary Jordan

    October 16, 2020 at 3:58 pm

    Hi I’m trying to buy some land in Berwyn Illinois and I won’t to build my house from ground up I was trying to see are there any programs they can help me or how do I go about doing everything

    Reply
    • Jamie Garcia

      November 19, 2020 at 4:35 pm

      Hi Zachary,
      Stay tuned, as we are working on an article that details all the first-time homebuyer programs in Illinois. Thanks!

      Reply
  7. Melissa

    January 6, 2021 at 8:58 am

    Can you build on land thats you are still paying on?

    Reply
    • Jamie Garcia

      January 19, 2021 at 6:09 pm

      Hi Melissa,
      As long as the land is yours, you should be able to build on it.

      Reply

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