When starting the custom home journey there are many things that have to be considered before starting the home design.
Overall Budget
Lot Restrictions
Design and Flow of the Home (Floor Plan)
Budget-
We will skip overall budget in this blog but it is very important to talk with a construction lender to establish what you can afford to build. This will greatly affect size and features that can be included in the home. Our favorite lending institution and mortgage broker is Richard Henry at Truist Bank - Click Link
Lot Restrictions -
You might not know, but every property is different and has different requirements by the county based on the property location. Before purchasing a property it is good to reach out to the county or city building department to ask what your required building set backs are. Below is a picture of what a boundary survey looks like. It includes the corners of the property, main road, and utility easement information. Because our property was split we have some interesting shaped lot lines. We are building on parcel A.
Floor Plan
Now that we know what our property looks like and we obtained our setback requirements from the county, we can begin to think about the design of our home.
Kevin and Kaitlyn Requirements Based on Overall Budget:
Main Home Around 2,800 Living SF
Accessory Dwelling Around 800 Living SF
L Shape Home
3 Car Garage & Carport (Side Entry)
Main Home Kitchen Open to Living and Dining - Dining Off of Front or Back of Kitchen
Split Floor Plan (Master on One Side of Home Vs Spare Bedrooms)
Free Standing Tub
I'm guessing you get the point? :D Below is how our home design came out after a few revisions.
Here is how the house fits on our property
Prepping the Property: Tree Trimming Day
Before we could even think about breaking ground, we had some work to do on the property itself—specifically, clearing and trimming several large trees on the left side of the lot. Not only was this necessary to make room for the house, but we also wanted to ensure that the remaining trees were healthy and wouldn’t cause any issues once construction began.
So, we made a family workday out of it! On a Saturday, mom, dad, Kaitlyn, and I spent the entire day out on the property—chainsaws in hand and ready to go. We started around 8:30 AM and didn’t wrap up until close to 4:30 PM. It was definitely a full day’s work, but honestly, it was a fun and productive one!
We rented a lift to help reach the higher branches safely (Dad's already had one too many falls off of a ladder) and used our small tractor and trailer to move the cut limbs and brush. As we trimmed the trees, we piled the cut branches and debris toward the back of the property, out of the way of the future build site. By the end of the day, we had a much cleaner, more open space, and it was so satisfying to see the lot start to take shape.
This kind of site prep is a good reminder that there’s often more involved in getting land ready to build on than people might realize. Clearing trees, trimming limbs, and grading are all important steps that need to happen before the foundation can go in. Great news, Alex Custom Homes can take on all the items required to make sure your property is ready for a great build!