We're finishing up a house on heavily wooded land with a well and septic.

We are in Minnesota and things may be different in NJ, but it would have been fine for us to clear land before getting a building permit. Weirdly, our builder might have gotten in trouble for clearing our land before getting the permit-- I think the logic is that as the owner, you can cut down your trees, but a licensed builder who is planning to build a house can't start the building process, including clearing the trees, before getting the permit.

So, if you know where you want to put the house, odds are you can go ahead and start clearing. However, it might be good to at least talk to an architect first, so you know where you are likely to need to put the septic, or whatever, and you don't have to pay for the tree guys to come out again later.

In our area, the septic has to be designed for the house and the septic plans are approved along with the rest of the house plans in the building permit process. If you were to install a septic system before finalizing your house plans, it could be either very limiting or something you have to pay to fix.

Our septic went in before we were connected to electricity, and our well went in after, but I don't think it mattered either way. The pump for the well needs power to bring water into the house, but they don't need electric to dig either septic or well.

I would recommend spending your time coming up with a plan with an architect, and possibly improving the land-- planting screening trees if necessary, clearing scrub and weeds, that kind of thing.

I would concentrate on choosing your house plans and architect so that you know exactly what will fit on the lot. However, if you still intend to do any clearing in the meantime, you might want to check with your county's land use office to get their take on the clearing plans. When I cleared my lot, the land use official actually came out and worked with the tree guy to mark the trees that HAD to be left in place, because they were canopy trees within the watershed. And I wasn't even building a house!

There's a lot that can happen between now and then, so the first step is to get an architect and start working on a plan which should include siting on the property, understanding what your constraints are (setbacks, sidelines, wetlands if any, wind loads if any), getting a handle on your general needs (x bedrooms, x baths, x car garage), must haves, and wants in terms of size, budget, function, style, how green you want to go, what rooms, room sizes, total sq footage, etc.

Septic systems are sized according to the number of potential bedrooms so that needs to be known before you can work on that design...and you need to have the house sited on the property before you know what land is available for the septic...plus you need to know where you can put the well...it can't be too close to certain things and that's hard to know without a house footprint.

Beyond that there are about a million decisions that have to be made between now and then, so you can start chipping away at them at any time...things like what kind of hvac, what kind of hot water system, windows, insulation, roofing, siding. Interior finishes and fixtures like plumbing and cabinetry and doors, and moldings and a fireplace if you want one, etc, etc. The more decisions you've made up front, the easier it will be in the long run.

We bought a 1.4 acre lot in Portland, OR earlier this year and are in the permit review process now. We will also have septic, but can connect to city water. I thought the size of our lot would be plenty big for septic and a nice big yard for the kids. Once you have the septic design, setback requirements for the drain field, and a backup drain field, all of a sudden we are really pinched for yard space. We do have some areas on our lot that are off-limits for improvements due to some protected trees, but I am still surprised how much area the septic system consumes. We are a family of six and our house will have six bedrooms, so the lateral lengths are significant...

I guess I am also suggesting that you consult with an architect (and septic system designer) early on in the process so you can get a handle on how much clearing you will have to do and where.

Good luck!

Getting together with an architect is a great first step. It will help you figure out where to put the house and how your lot will be used. Consider getting a soils report from a geotechnical engineer. The benefits are that you will be able to size your foundation just right (not too big, not too small) and you may find out if there are any soil issues that could affect the stability/durability of your home.

This post was edited by laurie236 on Tue, Nov 12, 13 at 21:52

Since you have time, start observing the property at different times of the year so you can see where the sun rises and sets, etc. This can be a big help in siting and orienting your home. Very few people pay attention to orienting a house, mostly because the lots are too small to allow for it. The layout for the house may change, depending upon potential views and where the sun will come in. Our view is to the back, so our main rooms are across the back of the house so we can enjoy it.

As far as septic goes- That depends entirely upon the local jurisdiction. Only they can provide an accurate answer. In our case, the perk test was also a permit, good for 5 years. We put in most of our system before any buildings were built, later adding the barn, and just recently, the house. In the time from when we got the permit until now, the rules had changed (read: more restrictive), but we were grandfathered in by the date of the permit.

While you're studying your land, pay attention to the trees you'd like to keep. It takes a LONG time to grow a mature tree! You'll have to take pains to keep all traffic and construction equipment well away from trees you want to keep. Don't trust the contractor to protect the trees. Just driving within the dripline of a tree can compress the soil, leading to the tree eventually dying- usually long after construction is over. Then you have to pay someone to remove the tree you wanted to save!