It’s never too early to meet with a custom home builder when designing or building your own home. As our current real estate market can attest, the DeLand area is very desirable, but some areas are more appealing than others. An experienced local builder will help you find just the right lot and orientation to optimize your home’s longevity, safety, and comfort.

Custom Home Lot Location and Orientation Matters

For example, here are some considerations we work through when hired to help our clients choose where in DeLand to build their homes.

1. Is it in a flood zone?

Our beautiful geography and tropical climate are mainly due to our ample rains and high humidity levels. However, all the moisture can come at a price. When you’re looking at available land in DeLand or around Volusia County, use Volusia County’s Flood Maps to guide your decision-making.

These maps show an accurate rendering of our area’s flood zones, or the areas where water collects, pools, and flows during annual storm events. These zones are essential because, in addition to risking potential home damage or flooding, some insurance companies refuse to insure homes built in areas prone to flood damage. Or, even if an insurance company does cover you, it may require higher premiums than you’re comfortable paying each month.

The county’s Flood Risk Map Viewer allows you to search specific addresses and read the flood reports to determine if the property is located in a special flood hazard area (SFHA). As the website explains, SFHA’s “…are located in a 100-year flood zone. The term “100-year flood” is a little confusing. It is the flood elevation that has a 1- percent chance of being equaled or exceeded each year; it is not the flood that will occur once every 100 years.”

Even if a prospective address is in “the safe zone,” it’s best to confirm that with your insurance carrier. The county warns its map is not “survey accurate,” so it is recommended to verify the site’s data with a knowledgeable third party.

2. What about the schools in the area?

Do you have children? If so, schools are an essential consideration. DeLand has six public elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. There are also several charter and private school options. Each school has its own personality, strengths, and weaknesses, so parents must visit each one or connect with administrators or PTA members to see which schools feel like the best fit for your family.

3. Proximity to other services and amenities

Think about the lots’ proximity to schools, shopping, recreational activities, and so on. If you’d like you or your family to have the ability to bike, walk, or use public transportation, closer proximity is important and worth the investment. Also, if you plan to age in place, it’s better to be a little closer to the community resources to minimize the amount of driving you or others need to do in the future.

4. Lot location and orientation in terms of energy efficiency

Energy efficiency matters in a place as warm and humid as DeLand. Your home’s lot plays a significant role in the home’s energy efficiency potential before any other design elements come into play.

For example:

• Lots with predominantly southern and eastern exposure require more energy to cool.
• Established trees can be used to create natural sun and wind barriers.
• The lot’s location and slope can help or hinder water drainage, even if it’s not located in a potential flood plain.

We can go with you from lot to prospective lot and discuss the site’s pros and cons and how that affects your home’s optimal functionality. This doesn’t mean you can’t have the custom home lot of your dreams. Still, a lot’s location and orientation may affect our design recommendations so we can utilize “what is” and make design recommendations to optimize its natural features and minimize or downplay any potential “weaknesses.”

5. Shape matters more than the size

Sometimes, the shape of a lot may be more impactful than a lot. For example, a long narrow lot may seriously limit where you can place your home. The same is true if different soil types or specific geographic features restrict where a home is situated on the site. 

In addition to the location and size of the home’s footprint, the shape of your lot also dictates the size potential for the front, back, and side yards – as well as how those areas can be designed, built, and landscaped.

6. What are the current and prospective zoning laws?

Have you researched the current and future zoning and/or development plans for the area you’re planning to build? Sometimes an area with great potential feels like the score of a lifetime, but further research reveals plans in progress for commercial or mixed zoning changes that may not be what you’re hoping for. 

Speak with the local building and planning department to see if any developments are in the works that you don’t know about. Questions to ask or things to consider are:

• How is the area most likely to develop?
• What would the traffic be like on your street in comparison with others as inevitable growth occurs?
• Is there anything that could be built near you that may negatively impact your view, privacy, or quality of life?
• What are the zoning restrictions for setbacks (minimum amount buildings must be “set back” from a street or road) or how high people can build in that area?

You certainly don’t want to purchase the lot of your dreams, only to find out the lots across the street or one street over are soon to be re-zoned as commercial lots, and a strip mall is already in the planning works.

7. What is the lot like at night and on the weekends?

No situation is permanent, but it’s a good idea to visit your prospective neighborhood or lot at different times of the day and at different times of the week to get a feel for the big picture. Similarly, pay close attention to street lights, electrical lines, and other objects that might shine brightly in a second or third-story window or impede your view. 

What is the traffic like at night? During commute hours? When you’ll be shuttling children to/from extracurricular activities? Or around your neighborhood during weekends and after hours? All of these can affect the quality of life if it’s heavier than you anticipated.

Choose a Custom Home Builder to Choose Your Best Lot

The team at Fogle Constructors enjoys working with clients from the time they select their lot until the day they gain occupancy of their dream home. We’re skilled in everything from a lot evaluation and soil testing, to material recommendations and selection, to a completely custom design and build. 

Contact us to schedule a consultation and learn more important things to consider when choosing where in DeLand to build your custom home. 386-279-0901.