can this property be levelled?

[brujilde01]

hello there!

I am interested in purchasing this land on the picture... problem is that the property has a steep slope facing the street and towards the hill is more of a gentle slope and it has a neighboring creek below it. the property is in southern california,can anybody give me a rough estimate on how much it will cost to level it... i am planning to build a prefabricated house once levelled. is it do-able?

 

[beppington]

If you're referring to the huge mound right next to the road to the left, I'd be surprised if it was allowed. I don't even know for sure what the reason would be, but, hey it's California - It's bound to be against some law.

 

[flusher]

hello there!

I am interested in purchasing this land on the picture... problem is that the property has a steep slope facing the street and towards the hill is more of a gentle slope and it has a neighboring creek below it. the property is in southern california,can anybody give me a rough estimate on how much it will cost to level it... i am planning to build a prefabricated house once levelled. is it do-able?

YOu have to be careful. CA has stiff riparian laws. You can't move dirt on your property if it will adversely affect water flow over adjacent property. Disturbing the flow of a creek is a big deal in CA and can get you into big trouble with the law. You really need expert advice (geological, legal, etc) before you jump into this deal.

 

[JB4310]

hello there!

is it do-able?

Yeah, by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. with approval from the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Good Luck!

I can't imagine that being a viable building site, maybe not impossible, but definitely not cost effective.

Unless you mean just level a pad site at the top??

JB

 

[brujilde01]

according to the realtor it can be rezoned from open space to what, i don't knw... the lot costs less than $50k. is there a way that maybe just the top can be levelled some to have a house built on it? will it cost more than $50k to have it levelled some?

 

[Cat_Driver]

Yep, like other have said, the minute you move a grain of sand you own the liability attached to that entire mountain.

If there is a rain and there is a mud slide that crosses the road and kills 20 people and, well you get the picture.

Welcome to California, land of the fruits and nuts.

 

[brujilde01]

thanks to your replies... very enlightening so far...keep them coming

 

[nickel plate]

There are two types of creeks with two different sets of property development rules:
1. Year round flow
2. Ephemeral (seasonal) flow
You need to look into the laws regarding the placement of the septic system in relation to the creek. This could be a significantly larger hurdle than a grading permit.
Other types of home foundations to investigate for that terrain would be piling, stilt or pedestal foundations but only if the lot has a million dollar juicy view worth the money for that type of construction.

 

[BeezFun]

according to the realtor

If you think free internet advice is unreliable, just get some advice from a realtor. For a starting point, I'd go to the building department with jurisdiction on that land and tell them you want to level it for a house. If they fall backward off their chairs laughing that's not a good sign. They can at least give you an idea of some of the leg-hold traps you're going to get into when you try.

 

[SPIKER]

if I were you I would not think about leveling all that out then building, I would build into it that way much/most of the home would be underground. leveling an area only big enough top park a couple 4x4 tractors/trucks on and hide in there IF you were going after it. to level that enough would cost as much as the property more than likely and the permits would cost half again as much as the property & construction.
this is from what I remember back in the early 90s of the CA laws. zoning then again may be an issue as well...


mark

 

[JB4310]

according to the realtor it can be rezoned from open space to what, i don't knw... the lot costs less than $50k. is there a way that maybe just the top can be levelled some to have a house built on it? will it cost more than $50k to have it levelled some?

I agree with Nickleplate, Talk to the local building dept, they have the final word and you will find out in a matter seconds.

If it's zoned other than residential then I'd say it's a safe bet it would not be rezoned for you. You could always apply for a zone change but judging by it's appearance (looks like a scenic road) I think it would be a long shot.

As far as if you could build on top, sure if the building dept would allow you to perch a house up there, that would be doable. How many acres are there? The price is right.

JB

 

[Egon]

Yes you can level it but you may not be allowed to do so.

Best be getting plans and permits organized.

 

[greasemonkeyok]

Beezfun said: "If you think free internet advice is unreliable, just get some advice from a realtor."

That may be the most profound statement of the year. Some posting here may not have all the right experience to give good advice, but from what I see no-one will not intentionally mislead you because they know they will get challenged vigorously.

 

[brin]

Beezfun said: "If you think free internet advice is unreliable, just get some advice from a realtor."

That may be the most profound statement of the year. Some posting here may not have all the right experience to give good advice, but from what I see no-one will not intentionally mislead you because they know they will get challenged vigorously.

I am a Commercial Real Estate Broker, Licensed in Georgia and have practiced for over 30 yrs. and I can tell you...If the Realtor misled a potential buyer they would be risking their license to practice, short of that they know full well the prospective purchaser must get a building permit and would surely find out the truth...It is always up to the buyer to do their due diligence and investigate any property before signing any contract.

Make no mistake, the majority are professional and consciousness Real estate agents and Brokers .

 

[MtnViewRanch]

There is a reason that the property is offered at a reasonable cost. IF you do some more research, you are going to find that it will be VERY expensive to do just about anything with the property. But to answer your question, yes it can be leveled, but at what cost? I can almost guarantee you that for what it will cost you to do what you want to do with this property, that you can find a different piece that is a nicer piece of property, end up with a better place for a lot less money spent in the long run. I would trust the realtor about 1/2 as far as I could throw them.

Good luck with this.

 

[beppington]

Realtors are sales people :thumbsup:

Suing somebody for lying, especially verbally, doesn't sound like any fun at all to me ... so best to ignore pretty much anything they say & confirm on your own or get it all in writing. And getting their license revoked wouldn't help you, only other potential "victims".

When any sales person tells me anything, I respond with "Hmm, oh, OK, Umm-hmm, huh, OH, alright, hmm, interesting, hmm, OK, I see", & then I leave & go find out the truth.

 

[brin]

Realtors are sales people :thumbsup:

Suing somebody for lying, especially verbally, doesn't sound like any fun at all to me ... so best to ignore pretty much anything they say & confirm on your own or get it all in writing. And getting their license revoked wouldn't help you, only other potential "victims".

When any sales person tells me anything, I respond with "Hmm, oh, OK, Umm-hmm, huh, OH, alright, hmm, interesting, hmm, OK, I see", & then I leave & go find out the truth.

Exactly, I agree with you beppington...you do your own due diligence...I do the same - I don't trust dealers or advertisers selling tractors, hydraulic links, equipment of anything...I do my own due diligence no matter what the product but I don't make disparaging comments about other professions or occupations and paint with a broad brush..Sure there are bad apples in all fields.

 

[ultrarunner]

You referenced open space... has there been any new construction on adjoining or nearby parcels?

Have you contacted any of you potential new neighbors directly.

My brother was looking at a piece of property and contacted the family that owned the property to the right... the elderly woman was quite bitter... not to him.

She showed him a huge folder of documents related to her land and the efforts made to successfully build. She also offered to sell her land dirt cheap if he wanted it.

If your serious on the land... standard practice here is to tie it up with a window of time to due you due diligence and inspections... otherwise you may end up putting in a lot of time when you have no deal.

Homes in my city are often built on cliffs... stunning homes and very secure... they also have foundations and engineering that double the cost or more... as a general rule... it is easier here to build on a down slope because you are supporting the home... and not the mountain behind it.

You are doing the right thing asking questions.

 

[IndyIan]

As for actually levelling an area, if you can find a guy with something big like a D8, he can make it look very different in a few days. My whole 1/4 mile driveway is into a side hill and needed alot of fill moved, and it really only took a couple days of pushing to get it roughed in with an old D8.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Exactly, I agree with you beppington...you do your own due diligence...I do the same - I don't trust dealers or advertisers selling tractors, hydraulic links, equipment of anything...I do my own due diligence no matter what the product but I don't make disparaging comments about other professions or occupations and paint with a broad brush..Sure there are bad apples in all fields.

You're absolutely right, it just seems like around here anyway that there are a few good Realtors and the rest should find another profession. I personally have not come across what I would call "a good realtor" and personally know of people that have been screwed with the exact same situation that the OP is asking about. Yes everything was above board, but here in San Diego County, good luck on getting any reliable prices for any permits, variances or other wise until the day that you go to pay for the permit. In other words, good luck with trying to figure out what it's going to cost you ahead of time. You will not get a straight answer out of the local government agencies until the day that you write them a check and even then it is doubtful that you get the final cost figure.

And by the way, didn't you just paint with that broad brush? (I don't trust dealers or advertisers selling tractors, hydraulic links, equipment of anything.)