Building custom in Blacksburg: what to know before you buy the lot
Blacksburg is one of the most in-demand markets Tyris builds in. The lots that come up are often steep, wooded, or on the edge of Tom’s Creek basin. Here is what we walk every one of them looking for before a client signs a purchase agreement.
Slope changes the price of the house
A flat pad and a walkout basement lot are the same acre on the tax record and two different builds. On a steep Blacksburg lot, you can spend $30,000 to $70,000 on foundation and drainage before you frame a wall. That is not a Tyris upcharge, that is the ground telling you what it needs. We would rather walk the lot with you before you buy than surprise you with it after.
Trees are more expensive than they look
Almost every Blacksburg lot worth building on is wooded. Clearing is not free, tree work near neighbors is not simple, and the trees you keep have to be protected during construction or they die two years later from soil compaction. We tag what stays and what goes on the walk, so you know the number before the excavator shows up.
Septic and well are decisions, not paperwork
Outside town water, you need a percolation test before you close. A failed perc test can add $15,000 or route your driveway around a drain field you did not know was going to be in the front yard. If the lot has never been perced, we build the perc test into the offer contingency.
Setbacks and view lines
Blacksburg’s terrain means the difference between the view you fell in love with from the driveway and the view from the great room can be one row of trees. We stake the house footprint on the ground before design is final, so you see what you are actually going to see.
What to bring to the first walk
- The plat map from the listing.
- Anything you know about water, septic, or utilities.
- A rough number for your all-in budget, house plus lot plus site work.
- A plan or a sketch, if you have one. If you do not, that is fine.
We do not charge for the lot walk. Jason takes it himself. If the lot is right, we will tell you. If it is not, we will tell you that too, before you spend money you cannot get back.