Check Before You Buy
We recommend that prior to purchasing a building site for your new home, or purchasing an existing home, that you have a building professional and / or land use professional visit the home or building site to review exsiting conditons.
Together we can assess the pros and cons of the prospective property for your future needs and goals, and identify the permitting requirements for any future projects.
As part of an assesment, at a minimum, we review a prospective home or building site for the following:
1. Water
Is there town water available or will there be a water well on the site? If there will be an onsite well and septic system, the protective well radius may impact the overall allowed septic loading on the site. The impact of the protective well radius may limit the total number of bedrooms for your home that will be allowed by the State of NH.
2. Sewer / Septic
Is there town sewer available or will there be an onsite septic disposal system?
If there will be an onsite septic system, is the building site large enough including the protective well radius, and are the soil conditions adequate to support the number of bedrooms desired? The State of NH bases the size of a septic system on the number of bedrooms in a home.
3. Home Size
Will the size and style of home that you desire to build harmonize with the prospective building site? What are the soil conditions on the site? Is there obvious ledge, or other unique features, is it a level site or a sloping site, and are there views or water front?
4. Wetlands
Is there any evidence of wetlands on or near the desired building area or septic area of the site? Evidence of wetlands of any size will have a significant impact on the desired use of the building site. Many towns require additional setbacks and no touch buffer zones from wetland areas. The wetland areas must be identified to be sure that suitable buildable area remains for your proposed use of the property.
Wetlands zoning ordinances vary significantly from town to town, and should be reviewed for possible impact on the use of each property being considered.
5. Waterfront Homes
If you are considering an undeveloped waterfront building site, or deconstruction of an existing home on one of our lakes or rivers, special consideration must be given to the home site and the proposed use.
There are potentially significant restrictions on building in the Shore Land Zone on waterfront lots. At a minimum, additional State of NH permitting is required, and most towns require additional permitting as well. I strongly recommend that any and all potential restrictions for the desired use of a proposed property be identified by a land use professional before purchase, in order to prevent possibility of delays or limitations on your use and enjoyment of the property.
Please contact me for a free assessment of prospective property or any building project you are considering.
“From researching new materials to reviewing the floor plans to maximize space, we were impressed with the overall creativity and craftsmanship that went into the construction of our home.”