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Topography
The top image is taken from a public domain USGS Digital Raster Graphic file for southwest Escondido CA. It shows contour lines representing elevation. The closer the lines, the steeper the slope. Compare this image with the Google Earth picture of the same area in the lower image. Most of the easy buildable land in Southern California is either long gone or is many miles from the nearest city. That means that builders are having to cope with land with significant slope or rocky terrain or both! You may find a nice flat lot, but the laws of supply and demand suggest that you will have to pay an inflated price to buy the lot. If you've selected a lot with slope, you'll need the services of an expert grader to estimate how much it will cost to carve out the pad for your home. If you have already hired an architect and/or engineer they will need to get involved at this stage. Grading is expensive, and it is not uncommon for a pad to cost $50,000 or even $100,000 to grade. In some situations a retaining wall will be necessary on either the cut or the fill side of the graded area, depending on the situation. The topography of the land also affects utility. For horses, you'll want a large flat or gently sloping area. For the 8000 square foot home you may be OK with a mountain top retreat so long as there is enough area for a 1/4 acre graded pad. We'll discuss septic systems in a later section, but slope affects the feasibility of putting a septic system on a lot. The steeper the slope, the deeper the trenches for the septic system have to be dug. This adds to the cost, and if rock is present, extra depth may not be possible. |
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This web site has been developed by Dr Rob Ransom, a Realtor with Windermere Exclusive Properties in Escondido, CA. Rob has extensive experience working with buyers and sellers of vacant land in San Diego County, CA. If you need assistance finding or selling vacant land in San Diego County, call or email Rob at any time. Rob Ransom REMedia is an electronic media company based in Escondido, CA. Previous projects include the ZooGuides series of educational CD-ROM titles, of which over 1m copies have been sold to elementary, middle and high schools across the USA. REMedia Inc. |
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| Buying and Selling Land is Copyright 2006, REMedia Inc. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this website may be used in any manner without prior approval of REMedia Inc. | |||||||
