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Building In The Mountains Made Easy

By LandSmith® Construction

Introduction

Building in the mountains is a completely different process than building on a suburban lot. Maintaining your mountain home also presents unique challenges.

LandSmith, Inc.® “LandSmith” presents you with this information to assist you in your mountain building efforts.

This is general advice only, so be sure to contact a professional real estate agent or attorney before making any important decisions.

When you’re ready to build, or just want to kick around ideas, don’t hesitate to take advantage of our free one-hour design consultation.

Call, write, fax or email us:

LandSmith Construction

1-866-641-5577 TOLL FREE
(650) 328-4663
(650) 328-1833 fax
Construction@LandSmith.net
www.LandSmithConstruction.com

The rub here is that some folks design a home, and then find a lot.  Managing your home project in a chronological way can help ensure you don’t design a house that can’t be built on your lot.

The recommended sequence is:

• Choose a Buildable Parcel
• Optimally Site Your New Home
• Select Your Home Design
• Partner with an Experienced Builder
• Moving in to Your Mountain Dream Home

There are many other construction details that are affected by building in rural, higher elevation areas like those in Mariposa and Eastern Madera Counties. Be sure you select a builder with the experience and know-how you need. Learn more about choosing an experienced builder here.

Choose a Buildable Parcel

While many parcels are beautiful, they may not be practical to build upon for a variety of reasons. The first consideration is whether or not the parcel is large enough and correctly zoned for the intended home. You also need to determine if enough level land exists to support your desired home. Also, can a home pad with sufficient size and compaction be created?

The other prime considerations are having sufficient water volume and quality, along with a suitable wastewater system, typically on-site septic systems.

The water may pass a basic potability test, but still have many undesirable characteristics, such as staining, taste, smell, etc.  Mountains are well known for high mineral content. Also, find out if your water source is a shared well system. Or if there is a mutual water system serving your potential lot.

Passing a soil perk test, and having sufficient room for the septic system, is necessary unless a municipality or sewer district serves your lot.

The last big issue is electricity. How far will electricity need to be run? Though costs can vary, according to PG&E as of 2007 overhead power lines averaged $12 to $15 per lineal foot and underground lines averaged $25 to $30.

Access is another concern. How steep is the access? Is it paved? Keep in mind that your local Fire Authority regulations can limit the length of a driveway. Can a fire truck get to your parcel from the main road?  Does the lot have an easement for access? Is it legal? Is it adequate?  Are there any endangered species, Native American historic archeological sites? Seasonal creeks, vernal pools, flooding and setbacks are also a consideration.

Sound daunting? Don’t worry, LandSmith makes lot selection easy! We’ll be with you every step of the way. 

Beyond the minimal requirements, how much land you want, elevation and type of terrain is a personal decision. Despite the obvious reasons why you may want a certain size parcel in a certain area, don’t leave out other considerations, such as snow, seasonal temperatures, trees, terrain and streams or creeks.

Building in a snowy area has special considerations as does building in areas with extreme temperatures or potential flash floods. Being aware of these considerations before you make a decision will go a long way toward making your new home a dream come true.

Elevations here range from 1,000 to 8,000 feet. Above 2,500 feet, you will get snow. Above 5,000 feet, the building season is considerably shortened, potentially running only from May to October.

Optimally Siting Your New Home

After you have the land, first and foremost is choosing where to put your dream home and your driveway access. Driveways are no big deal in urban areas but can wreak havoc on building projects in the mountains.

The placement of your home is also very important. The two considerations must work together. The best home site may not have access and the best access route may not lead to a good home site. Compromise is inevitable – but being aware that you are compromising is key.

When choosing your home site, you want to consider the driveway route very carefully to make sure that it provides sufficient access. You’re not just concerned with codes and with providing vehicular access upon your home’s completion, you also need to plan for construction-related deliveries and equipment access.

Keeping this in the back of your mind before you invest in locating and building your driveway can save you from more than a few headaches. If there’s a need for special or large deliveries, such as roof trusses, you’ll be covered. Typically this is not a problem for most buildable parcels, but it’s something to keep in mind.

Choose a site that provides plenty of room, good winter southern exposure, and shade trees to help block the summer sun. Orientation of your home is critical. What may appear to look the best could actually cost you money in the long run. Proper placement and orientation of your home can save you thousands of dollars over the life of your home.

After you’ve chosen your home site and driveway route, you need to choose whether you want to build on a slab or raised foundation. The majority of homes use a slab on grade construction, unless on a slope.  Slab on grade costs much less. Where there are poor soil conditions, a pier and beam foundation may be required. Depending upon the width and depth of the piers and home size, raised foundations substantially increase cost.

A raised foundation offers the advantages of higher elevation above grade (a consideration if there is very heavy precipitation or danger of flooding); access to all plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems under your home for future upgrades or repairs; and the ability to build with the terrain, thus not requiring major cuts and fills to create a home site. And some folks just plain prefer the feel of a raised concrete foundation with wood framing.

A slab on the other hand can cost less, eliminates any chance of decay of the floor, moves very little, offers extra thermal mass, and is much quieter with no creaks or moans years later.

The terrain and soil type of your parcel along with your preferred home site will help you make this decision, as well as your own personal taste, budget and preferences. In fact, in some cases with mountain properties, you’ll have to use a raised foundation or building simply won’t be possible.

Selecting Your Home Design

When building a custom home in rural areas, design considerations are often dictated by the terrain, typical weather in the area, and many other factors. Panoramic views are a large consideration here in the mountains, so try to design your home to best take advantage of the views, if available. You’ll also want to account for passive solar heating and cooling factors that take advantage of trees and other landscape features.

All types of floor plans are common in the mountains – single story, two story and tri-level, due to the not uncommon steep terrain. The only real limit is your imagination. By far, the most popular designs are single story on a concrete slab on grade largely because of cost. Make sure you choose a home design that meets your needs now and into the future. Multi-level homes have their own challenges, namely, stairs.

Always review several completed homes in and around the area where you have chosen to build for solid examples of how other homes succeed, or don’t, in fitting into the landscape and terrain of the area.

Your builder will be able to point you toward many floor plans to review as well. If you’re unable to find a floor plan that excites your imagination, you can start from scratch using your builder’s designer or a separate design firm.

Make a list of what you require, as well as your dreams and desires in a home. Select some floor plans that are close to your dream and give these and your list to your designer. Also make sure you and your designer meet at the building site to go over the terrain and landscape advantages and disadvantages, so you can maximize the use of your property in your new custom design. Most likely you’ll find some feature of the property that you want to focus on – maybe a view, a stream or a beautiful tree.

Choosing a builder with an in-house design team – before you begin a design from scratch – can save you time, energy and money. You’ll be assured you’re getting a design that can be built within your budget, meets your wants and needs, and includes all of the latest ‘green’ features and other innovations.

LandSmith Construction will provide you with a complete seamless in-house design build process.

Read the full article about choosing your home design here.

Selecting an Experienced Builder

There are many things to consider when selecting your home builder. You’ve spent time, energy and effort to make your home dream a reality. The last thing you want to do is get into a stressful, unfulfilling experience when entering the construction phase.

You’ll be entering a long-term partnership with your builder, and you need to be sure that your builder operates with honesty, integrity, top-notch service and provides a quality product. This way, if problems are encountered along the way, you can have confidence your builder can easily solve them for you.

You could be spending up to a year or more working closely with your builder, so partnering with the right builder is critical to your success and satisfaction.

Use this checklist as your guide when selecting a builder:

• Good Rapport
• Attentive to You
• Licensed
• Your Builder is the License Holder
• Management Skills
• Community Standing
• Financial Stability
• Lender Relationships
• Full-Time Custom Home Builder
• Green Building Capability
• Quality Assurance and Warranty
• Overall Presentation
• Past Projects
• Testimonials
• Design Build Capability
• Quality Subcontractors
• Clear Documentation
• Lawsuit History
• Better Business Bureau
• Web Site

After you’ve narrowed your list of potentials down to 3 or 4 that you like, only then should you go to bid or begin the design process by obtaining proposals. There’s no point in getting bids from builders you know nothing about.

Taking the time to thoroughly investigate several builders before you go to bid and before you begin your project can help prevent future headaches, frustration and disappointment.

Read the full article about choosing a reputable and reliable builder here.

Construction

So you have your land, your driveway route, your home site, your builder, and you’ve selected a  slab or raised foundation.

Now, you need to implement modern construction techniques that will make your building process easier and your new home more affordable over time.

Some construction methods to be considered when building in the mountain area are:

• Using 3/8-inch rebar mat in slab for extra strength and virtually no heaving. This means that when the unavoidable cracks occur, the slab surface remains level, keeping your floor coverings intact for years. Your slab will also have greater resistance to separation.
• Full 2X6 exterior wall construction with shear panel and R21 insulation along with R38 attic insulation for superior energy efficiency, delivering you long-term return on investment through lower energy bills.
• 5/8-inch drywall throughout (not just where required by code) to afford better fire suppression capability, shear strength and long lasting durability, which means your home will be stronger and have a more solid feel.
• Full concrete mortar bed for shower tile for better strength and longevity.
• AquaPEX water lines with their extreme resistance to bursting and elimination of metals in your water.
• Steeper pitches to help keep snow off the roof.

LandSmith Construction incorporates all of these and more in your new home.

Read about our Superior Building Practices here.

Living in Your Dream Home in the Mountains

Mountain living is typically broken down into two areas when dealing with a new home. One is your utilities and the differences between urban and rural areas; the other is the climate and how it impacts your home.

The beauty of the surroundings of our mountain area is what draws people here, but as with all areas, climate and conditions here may vary greatly from what you’re accustomed to, depending on where you have previously lived.

We have four full seasons – from hot dry summers to very cold, snowy winters (depending on elevation), and everything in between. These extreme changes can wreak havoc on unprepared homes and their owners.

Your new LandSmith home has been prepared for these extremes, and we provide you with specific maintenance instructions and assistance to make certain living in your new mountain home goes smoothly.

Read the full article on mountain home maintenance here.

Conclusion

You now have a solid understanding of some of the challenges you can face building a home in the mountains. Armed with this knowledge, you’ll have a much easier and stress-free experience with your project.

LandSmith Construction will walk you through every step of your new home project, assisting you even before you find your land.

You’ll find our outstanding service and professionalism will make building your dream home a breeze. With LandSmith it’s Easy! You’ll be taken through a complete in-house design build process that makes building your dream home simpler than you ever imagined possible.

Remember,

LandSmith Makes Construction Easy!

Call, write, fax or email:

LandSmith Construction

(650) 328-4663
(650) 328-1833 Fax
Construction@LandSmith.net
www.LandSmithConstruction.com