7 factors to consider before choosing a land to build a house

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When we buy a property, we are not only investing in the land to build a house, but we are also investing in time and money, for this reason, it is important that we think about all the aspects involved in finding and buying it.

The land is the foundation of our home, the place where we spend most of our time and where we live with the family, so it can be very useful, before you start looking for land, to create a list with ideas and personal requirements for your ideal land and house.

Let’s talk about the 7 factors to consider before choosing a land:

Infrastructure

Make sure that the necessary services such as electricity, telephone, public lighting, running water/drinking water, sewers, natural gas, etc. are already installed.

Location

It is important to detect the connection between main roads/streets and the general safety of the neighbourhood. If the land is far from the city, consider the time you will need to access services such as hospitals, pharmacies, schools, recreation areas, shops, and libraries.

Keep in mind that a good piece of land is one that is close to or well connected to the town, if the intention is to sell it in the future and even if there is no intention to sell it, it is important to think about the increase in value of the land in the future.

Orientation

We must take into account the sun. A recommendation would be that you visit the site at least three times a day in different months of the year to assess the route of the sun, this will help us determine possible directions for the house and the viability of the same in case of carrying out a project. The direction and intensity of the winds are also important depending on the climatology of the site.

It is necessary to take into account that, in general, the rooms will be located towards the north and that the direction of the winds will help to cool these rooms when entering through the windows of the rooms.

 

Topography/Geotechnical study

We can commission a professional geotechnical study to find out the characteristics of the terrain. This is necessary because only in this way can we know if the land meets the requirements needed to be able to build on it.

The study will give us exact information about the composition of the soil (the consistency of the soil whether it is low, medium or hard), the mode of excavation, the capacity of the soil to support the weight of the house, the safety factors that must be adopted during the execution of the project and so on.

Value

In order to know if the value of the land you have chosen to build a house on, is adequate, it will be necessary to find out how much the square meter costs on the land located near it. In general, the land is valued according to the following criteria: its shape and regularity, its topography (flat land is generally more expensive), its dimension, its accessibility to main transport routes, connection to public services and space available for the construction of the house in relation to the land.

Flooding

The possibility of flooding is often one of the least considered characteristics and one of the most important at the construction level. It is important to check that the land is not located in a low, floodable area and that it has a relatively high elevation to prevent flooding of the plot. In the case of floodable land, it will be important to take into account that the house may be elevated in relation to the flood level

Levelling

If the ground is not flat, we will have more usable space and therefore it will be more expensive. An uneven piece of land of the same size is going to cost less, but it will increase the price of excavation and earthwork.

ARE YOU READY?

If you are at that stage of life when you are ready to look for and choose a piece of land to build a house, don’t forget to ask questions and verify the data and recommendations mentioned.

In any case, at Architect88, we can help you with all your project steps. Just drop us a message below!

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