Rural Land - Lots To Consider
Beyond the Blueprints: Understanding Land and Lot Factors for Your Custom Home
There are some amazing vacant rural lots in Chaffee County to choose from. Some are right along the Arkansas River, others are nestled along the edges of open plains in the valley floor and more are available in the upland forests looking down on the valley itself. There are also vacant lots inside the city limits of Salida, Buena Vista and Poncha Springs. You might have found this article after already falling in love with some acreage and hopefully it helps you understand the development costs you’ll come to see. If you are still looking for land, here are some essential factors to keep in mind as you cruise Zillow and scout on foot with your professional local realtor.
Building your dream home is an exciting endeavor. When selecting a lot, much focus is placed on the views, trees, rocks and tranquility. Understanding the nuances of vacant, rural lots is paramount. A knowledgeable builder can be your greatest asset in navigating these complexities.
The Costs Hidden In the Ground Beneath Your Feet
You’re going to need power and water. Rural lots need to bring those utilities to the site. They all typically require:
Well Installation: Drilling a well for potable water can be a significant expense, with costs around $95 per foot, this can be a huge sunk cost. The water table tends to be down near the valley floor, so lots up on a mountain can need a well as deep as 500-feet. Also know that some wells may not hit a productive aquifer and water flow might be negligible. This is especially true of lots in the hills to the east of the Arkansas River. Some wells might hit a thermal aquifer and cooling the water could be an interesting problem to solve. The Colorado Department of Water Resources has an interactive webpage where you can search well data and get a sense of the well characteristics based on nearby records.
Septic System Installation: A septic system for wastewater disposal is another major investment, with design and installation influenced by soil type and total number of bedrooms. Some lots will require a mounded system to be installed on top of shallow bedrock, others will require over-excavation and replacement with a filtering sand, others can be placed directly inside a trench. A soil test during preconstruction will help give some indication of the design type. Other factors to consider are the overall size of the lot and whether it has enough acreage to fit the house, driveway, well and septic together, given the necessary setbacks and clearances.
Power Feed Extension: Bringing electricity to your property may involve extending power lines. Further complicating this is that some of Chaffee County is in Xcel Energy’s territory and the rest is in Sangre de Cristo Electric Association’s territory. The engineering process can take time and comes at a cost as well as the cost to trench the power line and install the transformer equipment.
All of these underground utilities have to fit on the lot and around the house and could require complicated coordination in places where they overlap and cross each other. During the preconstruction phase of your project, the builder should be on top of these costs and logistics. In most cases, you will want the architectural site plan to reflect these elements as Chaffee County needs to see them during the Zoning and Permit Review.
Wildfire Considerations
All rural lots in Chaffee County now fall within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). In 2024 the County adopted the 2021 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code. This designation contains specific building requirements aimed at mitigating wildfire risk. There are three risk levels in the County - Extreme, High and Moderate. The Chaffee County Assessor has an interactive map with a Wildfire Risk Map layer. You can check any lot in the county using this map. Depending on the risk factor, buildings may require:
Fire-Resistant Materials: Using ignition-resistant building materials on different areas of the exterior.
Defensible Space: Creating a buffer zone around the home by clearing vegetation (depends on risk level)
In addition, there are Zoning Department requirements that stipulate the width and clear height of the driveway as well as required turnarounds and maximum slope. These factors ensure that fire trucks can get onto your property in an effort to protect your house in the case of a wildfire.
The Value of a Knowledgeable Builder
A builder experienced in custom home construction on rural lots in Chaffee County brings invaluable expertise. Your builder should know that these codes are in place and be able to help you understand their impacts on the cost and constructibility of your project for the dream lot you have in mind. In short, they should be able to:
Assess Lot Suitability: Evaluate the land for potential challenges related to utilities, soil conditions, and WUI compliance.
Provide Accurate Cost Estimates: Factor in the expenses associated with well, septic, power, and WUI requirements.
Navigate Regulations: Understand local building codes and WUI regulations to ensure compliance.
Offer Solutions: Propose effective and aesthetically pleasing solutions that meet both your vision and local code.
By partnering with a knowledgeable builder, you gain a trusted advisor who can guide you through the complexities of rural land development, mitigating surprises and helping you choose a dream lot.
Conclusion
If building your dream home on rural land near Salida or Buena Vista is your future, consider the lot factors that might impact your options. It is undeniably one of the last hidden gems in Colorado, but it's essential to understand the associated challenges. By recognizing the potential costs of developing your lot, and by partnering with a knowledgeable builder, you can confidently embark on your custom home journey, turning your dream into a reality.
Check out the preconstruction process we call the Porchlight Path or send us an email to get started.