Fairfax County’s Stormwater Management (SWM) Requirements
Any project in Fairfax County exceeding 2,500 square feet in land disturbance will require a Site Plan prepared by a Civil Engineer and a Land Disturbance/Stormwater Permit upon County approval of the plan. This includes Tear Down & Rebuild, Home Additions, and Pool & Patio projects in Fairfax County. As land development continues on multiple properties […]
Can I Reuse an Existing Sewer Lateral for my New Home?
A sewer lateral is the pipe that connects your home to the public sewer main, which conveys all of the wastewater from your home to a sewage treatment plant. Typically, a new home project will propose a new sewer lateral connection from the home all the way to the sewer main in the street. […]
Virginia’s Stormwater Management Program and What It Means to Your Construction Project
Stormwater management is a critical aspect of every construction project. As land development continues on multiple properties across a State County, an important question that civil engineers must consider is how to best manage stormwater runoff for each project. Homes built today are much larger than homes built 50 years ago. With the larger impervious […]
How Big of a House Can I Build in Arlington County, VA?
Building a new house in Arlington County, Virginia can be one of the more difficult areas to build in the Northern Virginia region. Trying to maximize your lot coverage on a typical Arlington lot can be extremely challenging due to a number of constraints such as lot setbacks, maximum lot coverage allowed by zoning codes, […]
Obtaining the Proper Plans, Permits, and Approvals
Knowing what type of Plans, Permits, and Approvals will be needed for your construction project can be a confusing process. Whether you are working in Washington, DC or Northern Virginia, DeMarr Engineering is here to help you navigate through the process. We recommend you contact us as soon as you decide to develop your property. […]
Best Practices in Design-Build Residential Home Construction
When in the planning phase for a new home, it’s important to think about the constructability of the design plans. How will these plans affect construction access? Will this design require a more expensive construction method? Is there a risk of a delay in the final occupancy permit approval because construction didn’t conform to the […]
Erosion Control on Construction Sites
Before any construction can begin on any project disturbing over 2,500 Square Feet in Northern Virginia and 50 Square Feet in Washington, DC there must be approved Erosion & Sediment Control Plans and an active grading permit. Pre-Construction Meeting Once plans and permits are approved, there will be a pre-construction meeting scheduled with the Site […]
Do I Need a Boundary Survey?
A Boundary Survey is a Land Survey that determines the legal property line limits and corners of a parcel of land. When you purchase a property or currently own a property, you will have legal deed paperwork stating the ownership of the parcel and this paperwork may also have a description of the property boundaries. […]
Why Do I Need A Topographic Survey?
Once you decide to build on a property you own, we have to prepare Civil Engineering Site Plan drawings for the proposed improvements (house, driveway, garage, etc). Before we can begin on the site design for your property we have to collect topographic and existing conditions data as the basis for design. What is a […]
Is Your Lot Buildable? – The Importance of Feasibility Studies
When purchasing a parcel of land or deciding to build on a lot you already own, you may have questions about setbacks, buildable areas, floodplain concerns, etc. The purpose of our Feasibility Study Reports is to answer these questions before you purchase a property or start on a new project. Our Feasibility Studies can be […]