BUILDING VS. BUYING - BLOG SERIES! ​STEP #2: GETTING YOUR PERMITS

BUILDING VS. BUYING - BLOG SERIES
Since so many of our readers ask us about this topic, ​we decided to write a blog series!

Step #1 - Buying a Good Lot!
Step #2 - Getting Your Permits
Step #3 - Contractors & Financing
Step #4 - Let the Building Begin!
Step #5 - Permanent Financing and Moving into your Dream Home!

READ STEP #1 - BUYING A GOOD LOT!

​STEP #2:
​GETTING YOUR PERMITS

Okay, so you closed on your vacant lot and you are super excited, now what?!

SOFT COSTS
If you're ready to keep moving forward, now it's time to get your permits. Be forewarned, the process might just test your patience!
The list below is what are sometimes called your "SOFT COSTS".
Soft Costs are the costs you will incur from after you purchase your vacant land until you have your permits. Soft Costs are all of your costs to obtain your "entitlements" before you start any actual grading or construction work.

Most likely the lot you will purchase will be within a designated "hillside area" so you will need the following:

1. Hillside Referral Form: that is issued by the City of Los Angeles
2. Grading Pre-Inspection: from an LADBS inspector
3. Soils & Geology Study: completed by a private company that you will hire
4. Topographic Survey: with topographic map- completed by a private contractor that you will hire
5. Arborist Report: completed by a private contractor that you will hire.
6. Study of neighboring homes of their setbacks from the side property lines and front property line
7. Depending on what you would like to build and how close to your property lines you would like to be, you might need one or more variances
8. A PERMIT or B PERMIT: for improvements to the public right of way
9. Plot Plan: showing a view of the footprint of your proposed home from above showing basic dimensions of your home as well as distances from front, rear and side yards
10. Elevations: plans showing how each side of your home will look (front view, rear view, right side view, left side view)
11. Engineering Plans: you will hire a private engineer to complete the engineering calculations and determine design specifics for the structural members of your dream home
12. Architectural Plans: you will hire a private architect to create a set of architectural plans that will include lots and lot of details including the floor plans as well as material finishes like hardwood floors, and kitchen counter top material
13. Title 24: you will hire a private party to make sure that your home design complies with energy efficiency and insulation requirements​

AND THERE IS MORE but the above list gets to the majority of what you will have to go through.

BUDGET? 
Depending on whether or not you will need a variance, and whether or not you will need a "B PERMIT" and how expensive your architect is, you might be looking at about $100k for all of the above.

LADBS PLAN CHECK
With all of the above listed steps, reports and plans, you will be ready to submit your package into LADBS PLAN CHECK. Once in plan check, depending on how complete your plans are and how many corrections your assigned City of Los Angeles "plan checker" has to make, the entire process from submission to having your permits "READY TO ISSUE" or "RTI" it could be from 3 months (very unlikely) to up to 18 months. Most of the time you should be able to get everything done (if you are diligent with pressing forward) and be RTI within a year.

NOTE: I recommend that you take your time with your architectural plans to make sure that you have a floor plan that you will love. It's just as expensive to build a home that has an awful floor plan that you will be disappointed with as it is to build a home with a floor plan that makes you smile for years to come.
​
If you are not so adept at visualizing a 2-dimensional blueprint, you might consider hiring a contractor that can model your home and let you view the interior of your home with realistic graphics. This is a great way to be able to understand how it might feel to be in your home after it is built. Don't be afraid to make any changes that you think will improve your home.

This is your dream home! A 3D model of your home might be a great investment to make sure that when your home is completed, it is all that you had imagined it would be.

GOOD LUCK! 
Getting through the above will not be easy and there are sure to be challenges along the way but once your plans are RTI you will be able to get your construction loan and you will ready for the construction to begin!

STAY TUNED FOR
STEP #3 CONTRACTORS & FINANCING!

Buying or Selling Real Estate?
​Contact Us Today!
​
Brian Fitzburgh
​Real Estate Broker / Animal Lover
818-571-9712
team@brokerstrust.com
www.brokerstrust.com

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