The short answer
You can build on your own land with Guardian. Most of our homes start that way. The process starts with a free, no-obligation walk on the lot. The home gets designed around the land, and the house and the site work are priced as separate lines so you can see what the lot itself costs.
Step one: walk the lot before you draw anything
We walk your lot with you at no cost. We’re looking at sun exposure, soils, setbacks, neighboring sight lines and what the land is asking the home to be. You leave with a clearer idea of what fits and what it will cost. Book a lot visit.
What to find out about your land
Every item below changes either the design or the budget, so it’s cheaper to learn it now:
- Survey and site plan. Many counties want the site plan prepared by a surveyor or engineer. In Teton County, the same plan goes to building, grading and septic review.
- Soils and perc. If the lot needs septic, the soil evaluation decides which system you’re allowed to install. A poor perc can mean an alternative system that costs more.
- Water. A rural lot needs a well. Drilling needs an Idaho Department of Water Resources permit or driller start card. It isn’t on every county checklist, but you can’t occupy the home without it.
- Flood zone. Riverside parcels can sit in a mapped flood zone, which sets the minimum height of the lowest floor. On one recent Bingham County build, that was five feet above the ground.
- Setbacks, HOA and CC&Rs. These decide where on the lot the house can sit and sometimes what it can look like.
- Snow load and elevation. In Teton County, lots above 6,600 feet move from an 85 psf to a 100 psf roof snow load. That changes the engineering.
What site work costs
Site work is the part of a build that depends most on the lot. Guardian’s current working unit costs:
| Item | Working cost |
|---|---|
| Excavation | $2.30–$2.55 per sq ft of footprint |
| Sewer line | $28 per linear foot |
| Water line (1”) | $25 per linear foot |
| Gas line (¾”) | $18 per linear foot |
| Well, where a rural well is needed | $15,000–$25,000 |
| Standard septic system | $10,000–$15,000 |
Distance is the hidden multiplier. A home set 400 feet back for the view pays for 400 feet of every utility. Sloped lots, retaining walls, long driveways and rural well drilling are each priced as their own line, outside the house’s per-square-foot number. On one recent Rexburg build, lot fill and grading alone came to $20,675.
The order the permits come in
Counties don’t issue a building permit until the site approvals are in. Teton County is the strictest example. The county won’t approve the building permit until the septic permit is issued and the grading and erosion control permit is approved. You can’t disturb the ground until that grading permit is in hand. Septic is the longest lead item by far, so start it first. See Idaho building permits by county.
What you’ll still need to arrange
Under a Guardian contract, the owner pays for permanent utility service.
Don’t own land yet?
That’s fine too. Many clients come to us before they buy. We work with real estate partners across Eastern Idaho on the lot search and walk prospective lots with you before you commit.