Problems crop up in unusual places. For instance, your homesite may have a beautiful, natural appearance now, but when cleared for construction, the top six inches of soil will be gone. This means that the grass, natural shrubbery and small trees will be removed from the construction area, and may leave you with land that looks very different. Heavily treed homesites are appealing to many people, but can present additional construction costs. In order to build, crews need to remove all the trees within seven feet of the house, as well as the trees in the areas of the driveway, sidewalks, septic tanks and drainfield.
Many regions also require permits to remove trees.
Low-lying or sloping homesites can also add considerable construction costs to a project. The costs of fill dirt and special construction requirements add up quickly, especially if the home is susceptible to drainage problems or sits in the 100-year flood plain. To determine if this is the case, check with your local building officials or request from the owner a survey showing the lot's topography. If the sloping homesite has a great view, you may want a custom floor plan developed that follows the lay of the land. In the case of a steep mountain elevation, for example, you could have a basement or garage built into the slope.