Permits & Pre-Construction Details: What Happens Before You Can Break Ground?
- Dani
- Jul 8
- 4 min read
One of the things that surprised me most during our home-building journey was how much had to happen before construction could actually begin.
To be honest, my husband handled all of this. I was a princess during this entire process haha. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean I'm not blind to the fact how much work he actually did. Which is exactly why I have this blog — to help YOU know everything I didn't!
In my mind, the process looked something like this:
Buy land → Get house plans → Get a loan → Build house
Simple, right?
Not exactly.
There was an entire phase between getting approved for our construction loan and seeing equipment show up on our property. It’s what I like to call the “pre-construction” phase, and honestly, it felt like a lot of phone calls, paperwork, and waiting.
The good news is that once you understand what needs to happen, it’s not nearly as intimidating as it sounds.
First, Every Location Is Different
Before I dive into what we did, I think it’s important to mention that every county, city, and state has different requirements.
Because we built in a very rural area, some of the things you’ll read about online simply didn’t apply to us.
For example, we didn’t have to pull a traditional building permit for our home like many people do when building within city limits or more heavily regulated counties.
We also didn’t have an HOA telling us what we could or couldn’t build.
Honestly, that was one of the perks of building in the middle of nowhere.
That said, there were still several things we needed to figure out before construction could begin.
Septic Approval
One of the biggest items for us was our septic system.
Before we ever purchased our land, we had a soil test completed to make sure the property would support a septic system.
Once we moved forward with building, the septic design and location needed to be finalized.
This is important because the septic system impacts where your house can sit, where your driveway can go, and how your property is laid out.
In most areas, your local health department can help point you in the right direction for septic requirements.
I also have an entire blog post about septic systems here.
Utilities
Just because utilities are available nearby doesn’t mean they’re automatically ready to connect to your house.
Before construction started, we had conversations with utility providers regarding electric service and what would be needed to get power to our build site.
Depending on where you’re building, you may also need to coordinate water, gas, or internet services.
This is one of those details that’s easy to overlook until someone asks, “Where exactly are we running the utilities?”
Finalizing the House Location
This sounds simple, but it’s actually a bigger decision than I realized.
We had to determine exactly where the house would sit on the property.
Not just generally.
Exactly.
A few feet one direction or another can impact your view, driveway layout, grading, utility runs, future outbuildings, and even how much sunlight hits your porch.
We spent a lot of time walking the property and thinking through these details before making a final decision.
Your excavator / surveyor are the ones who will help you make this decision based on the layout of the land.
Planning for the Future
One thing I’m really glad we did was think beyond just the house.
We considered things like:
Future shop locations
Future pool locations (one can dream)
Driveway access
Utility routes
Outdoor living spaces
Drainage around the property
Even if some of those projects were years away, it helped us avoid making decisions we’d regret later.
It’s much easier to adjust lines on a site plan than it is to move a septic system or relocate a driveway after everything is installed.
What We Didn’t Need
One thing I learned quickly is that building in a rural area comes with a different set of challenges—and advantages.
We didn’t have many of the permit requirements that friends building in subdivisions or cities had.
We didn’t need HOA approvals.
We didn’t have architectural review boards.
We didn’t have someone telling us what color our house could be or whether we were allowed to have a shop.
The tradeoff was that we were responsible for things like a well, septic system, and coordinating utilities ourselves.
Neither approach is better. They’re just different.
My Biggest Advice
If you’re in this stage right now, don’t panic.
I remember feeling like everyone else knew exactly what they were doing while I was Googling things at 10 p.m. wondering what I was supposed to do next...
The reality is that most of us are learning as we go.
Your lender, county offices, utility companies, and septic contractors do this every day. Ask the questions!! Take notes. Keep a folder for everything (I have a finish selection organizer that might help keep things in check / make sure you don't miss any decisions along the way).
And remember: this stage might feel slow, but every phone call, approval, and decision is getting you one step closer to the exciting part!!
The day the excavator finally shows up will make all of it worth it, promise!!
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