Building a Custom Home

A lot of property in Lancaster and Palmdale is advertised as build your dream home. It is easier said than done. First you need to budget for it. A custom home can cost from 150k to $450k with the average being $300k. But first you must buy the land, and the land location is tantamount. Many buyers buy land without power, water, or city services. Once you get the permits to build on such a property then you will need propane tanks for power, drill a well for water and use septic for sewage. All doable tasks. But getting the water 1500 feet below the surface is the first real trick. This is typical in Lancaster and LA County. A popular option is a modular home or prefabricated home. They almost look like a normal home, but you will have to disclose that the house is a modular home, and the selling price may be lower to reflect that. If you choose to build it yourself then you may need estimates for the cost to do so in your area. Plans and designs must be submitted to the city or county and then permits and inspections follow once initially approved. A builder will likely have several inspections along the way. Then you need a construction loan, or a construct to perm loan. A construct to perm loan can involve the land purchase as well. There are numerous factors that affect the cost such as square footage, number of stories, roof type, finishing’s, and issues like if power, water and sewage are available. The propane tank is reasonable if you go the lease option. It may cost only a few hundred to install, and the cost of a simple slab. A septic tank can run $1500 to $4000. A well estimate is $5k to $40k, but on average $25 a foot. The average in Lancaster and Palmdale area is $20-$25k for a well . In the end it may takes years to complete.

Here are a few City of Palmdale Projects Under Review for Approval

Tentative Tract Map (TTM) 62333 Time Extension (TE) No. 1; is a request for a three-year time extension to develop approximately 7 acres into 22 single-family residential lots and one detention basin lot between Avenue R and Avenue R-4, Tentative Parcel Map (TPM) 74425 and Conditional Use Permit (CUP) 16-010; applications by HRES Palmdale, LLC, to subdivide 9.1 acres into two commercial lots and to construct a convenience store with an accessory car wash and fuel canopy consisting of two buildings to be located at the northwest corner of Palmdale Boulevard and 40th Street East. Tentative Tract Map (TTM) 60732 Time Extension (TE) No. 2; an application by The Epic Companies, requesting a second and final three-year discretionary time extension to subdivide 9.8 acres into 28 single-family residential lots located east of 20th Street West and 660 feet south of Avenue P-8. The development of a 56-duplex condominium project has been proposed for APN 3009-001-900. The 9.9 acre project area is located at the southeast corner of Taintor Road and Division Street in the City of Palmdale. General Plan Amendment (GPA) 15-002, Zone Change (ZC) 15-002, Tentative Tract Map (TTM) 73740, and Site Plan review (SPR) 15-007 are applications for the following items: a) General Plan Amendment 15-002 a request to amend the General Plan Land Use designation on 9.9 acres from SFR-3 (Single Family Residential, 3.1-6 dwelling units per acre) to MR (Medium Residential, 6.1-10 dwelling units per acre); b) Zone Change 15-002 a request to change the Zoning designation on 9.9 acres from R-1-7,000 (Single Family Residential, 7,000 square foot minimum lot size) to R-2 (Medium Residential); c) Tentative Tract Map 73740 a request for a one lot 56 duplex condominium unit subdivision on 9.9 acres; d) Site Plan Review (SPR) 15- 007 a request for multiple family residential use; and e) Density Bonus Agreement The last one above is a zoning change request form R-7000 zoning into Medium Residential Zoning. Building is taking place in Palmdale. You just have to know where to look.