Grade the Site Before You Trap Yourself

One of the biggest differences I see between an experienced builder and an inexperienced one can happen before the first block is ever laid.

It's how they look at the land.

I came into homebuilding with a landscaping background, and that experience taught me something very early:

Don't simply build a house on the land you have. First figure out how to make the land work best for the house you're about to build.

I've seen builders put a house on the existing grade without doing any site work beforehand.

Then construction progresses and somebody realizes they need a retaining wall beside the house.

Except now the house is built.

Maybe there's only 15 feet between the house and the property line. Equipment access is difficult. Material has to be moved around the structure. Something that would have been relatively straightforward before construction becomes complicated and expensive.

The same applies to moving dirt.

It is much easier to balance and shape a site when there's nothing sitting in the middle of it.

Once the house is there, moving dirt from one side to another can mean traveling all the way around the structure.

Grading Can Affect Foundation Cost Too

The grade can also change the foundation itself.

Generally, the flatter and better prepared I can make the building area, the more consistent the foundation can be.

A steep or poorly prepared building pad can require additional block and foundation work. And a taller exposed foundation doesn't stop costing money when the block is finished.

That exposed area may eventually need brick, stone, stucco or another veneer.

So poor planning can cost you twice: first in the foundation and then again when you finish it.