House site
Slopes, soils, setbacks, trees worth keeping, and where the water already goes.
Land · DC · Maryland · Virginia
You bought the land. Now what?
Where does the house go? Will it perc? How do you get water, power, and a driveway in — and what will all of it cost? We walk it with you and give you a plan.
On the job
Haymarket land development
The costs are in the ground
Two parcels with the same price can be a long way apart.
The driveway, the well, the septic, the power line, and the permits are where a “deal” on land gets expensive. You should know that before you design a house. Ideally before you buy.
We look at land the way we would for our own projects. DigRight is part of Square One, a custom-home builder. Where the house sits best. How you’ll get to it. How water moves. What has to be true for a permit.
Every landowner’s list
- Where the house can actually sit
- Access and the driveway
- Water — a well, or public
- Septic, or a sewer path
- Power
- Stormwater and erosion control
- Trees and forest rules
- Floodplain and wetlands
- Permits, in the order they happen
- A budget that includes the ground
Raw land to build-ready
One sequence. Skip a step and you pay for it later.
Access
A driveway and an entrance construction can use, then live with.
Water
A well, or public water. The location shapes the rest of the plan.
Septic or sewer
A perc or a sewer path. Not a guess drawn on a listing photo.
Power
Where the service is, and what it costs to get it to the house.
Pad and permits
Grade, erosion control, and the order the county will actually require.
The Land Assessment
A builder’s review of the lot.
Research on what the county will require. A site walk with you. A written plan: house site, access, water, septic or sewer, power, and a rough cost to get build-ready.
A Land Assessment is a flat fee, quoted up front before we start.
Buying, or selling the idea to a buyer
Call before you close. Send us your land buyers.
If you’re under contract, book the pre-purchase version inside the diligence window. If you’re a realtor or a land broker, send the buyer here — the form asks who you are. There is no referral fee on this page.
I haven’t closed yet. Is that too early?
It’s the right time. A pre-purchase look during your diligence period is how you find out the lot is expensive before you own the expensive part.
Will you tell me not to build?
Yes, if that’s the honest read. A walk that only encourages the project is not an assessment.
Can my realtor come?
Yes. Say so when you book.
Is this a survey or a perc test?
No. We tell you which of those you need, and we can help coordinate them. We don’t pretend a walk is either one.
Where
DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Small excavation and property work is concentrated around our home market. Larger site-development and build-ready projects are considered throughout DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia.
Everyday work
The home market, and nearby.
Washington County, Maryland, including Hagerstown. Frederick County, Maryland. Loudoun County, Virginia. The West Virginia Eastern Panhandle: Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan counties, plus nearby markets.
Larger projects
DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia.
Site development and build-ready lots, considered throughout Washington, DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia.
Not sure which this is? Call (202) 345-5795.