Condron Homes Blog

When a potential customer calls us with the intention of moving to an undeveloped country lot, the subject of land-development costs is sure to be addressed. It's important to us that our customers are well educated, and understand the full scope of a project, before investing any time and money into a road that is sure to lead to a dead end. 

When moving to the country there are a few important things to consider before making your lot purchase. The shape, topography, and wildlife present on your lot will dictate where your house sits. This, in turn, will dictate which trees to remove, the length of your driveway, and where your septic tank, well, and power are located on your lot. We'd like to go through each item to shed some light on the costs you could incure so you can more precisely comb through the options to find your dream lot - within your budget. 

Topography

You could use the natural topography of your lot as one of your design elements. Think hard about the type of home, style of driveway/road, views you want to see, and natural features you want access to before purchasing your lot. If you are interested in a daylight rancher home, search for a lot with plenty of slopage. For a one-level slab on grade home find a lot with a large flat area. If you're considering a build with a basement look for a lot with plenty of sand and steer clear of lots set on the granite, limestone, and sandstone quarries that are common in our area. Costs that you could incure if your build doesn't match the topography of your lot include: rock hammering, building up or lowering areas with the use of an excavation team, flattening the area for the road/driveway, or a septic pump if the system can't be designed as a standard gravity fed system. 

Tree Removal

 Along with topography, the wildlife (mostly flora) present in your area will incure costs. As a real life example a customer building in Deer Park paid $15,000 for tree removal to clear space for their 350 ft. driveway and 2,607 square foot home. By code, and for the safety of your investment, the trees must be cleared 50 feet away from the foundation of your home. 

Driveway/Road

It is common for customers to be very ambitious during their initial construction consultation. A windy, tree lined, asphalt driveway has been brought up in many meetings. Asphalt is very expensive and is almost always an unnecessary cost to carry; our long time partners will make sure you have a high quality gravel road. It's also important to weigh the cost-per-foot of driveway against the signifigance of the trees that might be in the path. For perspective - the same 350 foot gravel driveway mentioned above cost that customer $25,000. 

Well 

Once you have been granted the right to tap into the Spokane aquifer, a series of tests commence. Test holes are dug and tested for water quality and pressure. Once the location of the well is decided - keeping in mind that the well and the septic tank need to be separated, and ditching for pipes is expensive - the well is designed by a licensed designer and installed. The minimum cost for a well is $30,000. The depth and location of the well on your lot are the factors affecting this price. 

Power

 The main costs for power are the permit fees (ranging between $1,500 and $5,000 depending on which utility company services your home), and the ditching to get the power to your home. A home set back 350 feet away from the road should expect a $20,000 power budget. 

Septic 

 Septic system drain fields are designed based on the number of bedrooms in your home. The system is comprised of either one or two large tanks that filter and flow the waste to a drainfield which disperses the cleaned waste back into the ground. A standard gravity fed system costs roughly $15,000. If the location of the home and septic system aren't compatible and a drip or pressure system needs to be installed, you could be paying as much as $30,000 for your septic system.