Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Building On Your Lot

Lot Cost + Finishing Expenses (site work) + House Cost = Price

The price we provide to you includes the cost of the land itself, the expenses required to prepare the land for your new home, and the actual cost of the house, structural options, and design options you may choose. Site work expenses include items such as storm water management, engineering, permitting, water & sewer, site controls (construction entrance), sediment and erosion controls, and driveway.

Percolation testing is not included. Perc tests calculate the rate at which the soil is able to absorb liquid waste. A perc test shows if the lot is buildable. If the rate is poor, we are unable to dig holes or trenches. An alternate system may correct a negative perc test, however it is an additional cost. It is the responsibility of the seller or buyer of the lot to perform the perc test.

We do not provide ballpark or price-per-square-foot pricing. Instead, we provide specific pricing that is more accurate and helpful for you to make the best decision for your new home! We do more work on the front end to provide a complete estimate, whereas other builders may only disclose a fraction of the overall cost to build your home on your land.

After the engineer feasibility study, we guarantee the price. This occurs before you are required to take ownership of land or enter the building phase. Our process allows you to know all the information before beginning construction on your new home.

You can expect to receive pricing within 3 business days of an informational phone call, which you can schedule with our Online Advisor by calling 877-954-0101, provided we get most of the information we need during the call.

You do not have to own land or have a contract on it to get pricing. If you are still looking for land, our team can guide you in the right direction to find a property. We recommend searching for lots and land on your own. The property needs to be zoned as residential. Drive by the lots on your own to see if the property matches your expectations. Consider the yard, surroundings, driveway length, tree density, location, etc. We also have relationships with local Realtors to promote lots that are viable for construction.

In general, the On Your Lot program is available within 20 minutes of most of our existing communities. Our ability to build in an area depends on trade partner accessibility. Speak with our team if you have any questions about your desired area.

The timeline for On Your Lot is broken down into 3 stages, roughly 90 days each. Keep in mind there may be variance based on government permitting, weather, etc.

For On Your Lot homes in Howard County, MD we suggest a timeline of 90/120 days.

Stage 1:

• Feasibility, Mechanical & Structural Meeting for Home
• Guaranteed Price
• Appraisal
• Lot & Loan Settlement

Stage 2:

• Drafting
• Permitting

Stage 3:

• Construction

Financing for the On Your Lot program is through a Construction to Permanent Loan. There are two transactions that occur – one on land and one on the home. Both transactions are then combined into 1 settlement and 1 loan package. Settlement on the loan occurs at settlement of the lot, meaning, you take possession of the property at settlement and you establish the construction loan at the same time.

We use a list of approved, preferred lenders who specialize in partnering with our clients for this type of loan.

Building On Your Lot provides maximum flexibility and minimum restrictions! Our team can help determine the feasibility of your specific desires, such as having a pool on the property.

Benefits of Building On Your Lot

• Larger property, if desired
• Avoid HOA restrictions
• Separate pole building or detached garage
• Park work truck or trailer onsite
• Large garden
• Board & breed animals
• Additional privacy
• Prestige
• Investment
• Security & safety
• Convenience

We require that all customers start with one of our floorplans. We require this because all our homes come with a 20-year structural warranty and we cannot warrant a home our team did not engineer. This also helps to control overall costs, efficiency, and familiarity for our team and trade partners.

There are different methods to customize your base plan depending on the level of customization you’re looking for! Personal Choice Requests are available through your assigned Designer or you may elect to pay for Design Time with our Drafting Team.

We have many opportunities to work with Realtors! Schedule an informational session with our On Your Lot team to discuss working with one of our local New Home Advisors to turn your lot listing into a house listing. Partnering with Keystone gives you more exposure and more contacts!