DeMarr Engineering handles the entire land surveying, site design, permitting, and as-built certification process for building a new home in Northern Virginia and Washington, DC. Our parent company, DeMarr Construction, handles all of the Site Work tasks (Site Clearing, Excavation, Utilities, Stormwater Management Facility Installation, Final Grade, etc). For this article, we will be discussing the design and permitting process for Residential Site Development, from initial project ideas to approved plans for construction.
Why Build a New Home?
There are many benefits to building a new home:
- More living space and customized floor plan
- Modern features & technology
- Lower maintenance
- Energy efficiency
- Health & safety
- Location / build on land you already own
- Higher resale value
- Better quality of life
One of the greatest benefits is the peace of mind that you don’t have to worry about unexpected repairs and upkeep after moving into a new house.
Where Do I Start With Building a New Home?
Starting on a new home build project can be a daunting 18-month process to undertake, especially if this is all new to you and you have a full schedule with work and family. Hiring experienced and reputable experts will make the process much easier to handle.
DeMarr Engineering handles the entire 4-6 month design and permitting process to develop the Site Plans necessary for Land Disturbance and Stormwater Permitting to start construction. Once you select or have a piece of land you want to build on, DeMarr Engineering will walk you through the design process, step by step to help you make the right decisions.
Once plans are approved, DeMarr Construction will take it from there to clear the lot, dig the basement, and install the utility and stormwater connections. Then, the builder will begin with vertical construction (i.e., concrete basement foundation & wood framing for upper floors). DeMarr Engineering stays on the project to provide construction stakeout surveying, construction administration support, quality control, and as-built certifications. From deciding you want to build to moving into your house, the DeMarr Team is there every step of the way to make sure your project proceeds along the timeline smoothly.
Our mission at DeMarr Engineering & Construction is to handle everything outside the new house walls so you can focus on all the custom finishes inside the house with your builder.
Tear Down & Rebuild, Renovation & Addition, or Build on Vacant Land?
What type of home build project do you want to embark on? When it comes to land development, you have options:
1. You might have an existing house that you want to renovate and add an addition.
2. You could have an existing house you want to tear down and build a new and larger house from scratch.
3. Or, you may own a vacant property you want to build a custom home on.
Do you want to live in the city of Washington, DC or Arlington, VA? Then a renovation and addition project would be the choice.
Is location important to live inside the beltway and close to Washington, DC? Then a tear-down and rebuild project in the suburbs of Arlington, VA or Fairfax, VA would be the project for you.
Do you want to build a larger house with more land? Then building a new home on vacant land in Aldie, VA or Western Loudoun County would be a better choice.
Whatever type of home build project you want to proceed with, DeMarr Engineering can help with the Site Plans & Permitting and DeMarr Construction can handle all of the Site Work. It all starts with Where do you want to Build? And What type of land do you want to build on?
What is the Process to Building a New Home?
The following milestones are for a typical single-family tear down & rebuild project in:
- Washington, DC
- Arlington County, VA
- Fairfax County, VA
- Loudoun County, VA
PROJECT MILESTONES:
1. Retain the Services of a Professional Engineering Firm, Architect, and Builder
The first step in the process is to decide you want to proceed with developing your property and to hire the necessary professional services firms. If there are initial questions about building on your property, we can start with a Feasibility Study.
Once the initial feasibility questions are answered, you will need to retain the services of a Professional Engineering firm, such as DeMarr Engineering, to handle the Site Plans and a Licensed Architect or Licensed Builder to handle the Building Plans.
2. The Existing Conditions Survey
While you are working with your Builder or Architect on the floorplan of your new home, DeMarr Engineering will survey the Existing Conditions of your property. This Existing Conditions Survey will measure the topography of your land, tree sizes & location, utility locations based on markings and visible features, impervious areas and existing features. This is a critical step in the process because a detailed Existing Conditions Survey serves as the basis for our Site Design. It will also serve as control for future construction stakeout and as-built surveying. Therefore, it is crucial that you hire a Professional Engineering Firm that does not cut corners on this survey.
Existing Conditions Field Survey & Plan Drawing by DeMarr Engineering
It is also important to note that, although this is a detailed survey, a Topographic / Existing Conditions Survey is not a Formal Boundary Survey. Depending on the conditions of your property such as missing / insufficient property corner monuments or you desire to build your house close to the required setback lines, additional Boundary Surveying may be required for your project for an exact location of property lines.
Once the Existing Conditions Survey is complete, we will need your Architect or Builder to send us the finalized footprint design of the home. The next step will be to work on the Site Layout of determining the orientation of the new home on your lot!
3. The Schematic Design Phase
The Schematic or “Concept” Design Phase focuses on the 2D layout of how you want the new house footprint to fit on your lot. This step of the process is intentionally simplified to keep the decision making process easy and to prevent any wasted time having to re-do detailed design efforts due to changes in the initial layout.
We will work with our clients on several iterations of the Schematic Design until they are happy with the Site Layout and ready to proceed to the next step of Design Development.
4. The Design Development Phase
The Design Development Phase is where we take the finalized 2D site layout and start working on the 3D elements of design such as your first floor elevation, garage elevation, and proposed grade elevations around the house. This phase of design will also work on Stormwater Management options, Tree Preservation, and all of the other necessary aspects of Site Design.
At the Design Development Phase, we will send out a “Progress Set” of drawings to show the progress of design and to allow for input from Architect, Builder, and Client.
To keep additional hourly expenses to a minimum, it is recommended to finalize the Architectural Design of the house first before proceeding too far into Site Design. Changes to the Site Layout at this stage in the process will result in additional hourly fees.
5. Construction Drawings Phase
The Construction Drawings Phase will finalize the design development phase into the detailed Construction Drawing Set to be used for Permit and Construction.
Average Grade Calculation & Building Height Detail by DeMarr Engineering
There are a number of sheets required by the City or County for Minimum Submission Review such as:
- Cover Sheet
- Existing Conditions Plan
- Erosion & Sediment Control Phase 1 & Demolition Plan
- Site / Grading Plan
- Site Details
- E&S Control Phase 2 (Construction)
- E&S Control Notes & Details
- Existing Vegetation Map
- Tree Preservation & Planting Plan
- Tree Preservation Calculations, Notes, & Details
- Stormwater Management (SWM) / Best Management Practice (BMP) Calculations & Details
- Virginia Runoff Reduction Method (VRRM) Spreadsheet for Water Quality (Treatment)
- Stormwater Runoff Calculations & Outfall Analysis for Water Quantity (Detention)
- Geotechnical Report & Infiltration Testing from Geotechnical Engineer
We will issue a “Final Progress Set” of Site Plans to the Architect, Builder, and Client to review one last time before we submit to the applicable City or County to review.
6. City / County Plan Review & Comment Response
Once the Construction Drawings are submitted to the applicable City or County, the plans will be reviewed for compliance with the local Code of Ordinances for Zoning, Stormwater Management, Tree Preservation, and Utilities. The City or County Review process typically takes about 3-4 weeks for each review cycle:
- Initial Plan Review
- 2nd Submission to address initial plan review comments
- Signature Set Review to address any final reviewer comments
The Architect or Builder will need to submit their Building Plans at the same time as our Site Plan submission. If Architecture and Site Plans are not coordinated properly, it will result in delays to the design process. Elements such as the roof plan on the Building Plan Set must be referenced by the Stormwater Reviewer while looking at our Site Plans for Stormwater Management Design.
A typical Site Plan will go through two review cycles before approval. Site Plans that push the limit on house size and impervious area can expect to result in additional review cycles and additional hourly fees.
7. Permitting
DeMarr Engineering will fill out all of the necessary Land Disturbance & Stormwater Permit Applications for the land owner to sign. We will submit these permit applications during the initial or second plan review so that the Land Disturbance & Stormwater Permit will be released at the same time as the Approved Plans.
Once the Approved Site Plans and Land Disturbance Permit are released, you will then be able to schedule a Pre-Construction Meeting with the County Inspector to start construction!
8. Construction Administration / Consulting
Following plan approval, DeMarr Engineering can provide Construction Administration and consulting support services to answer any contractor questions.
If our parent company DeMarr Construction is the Site Contractor on the project, our site contractor consulting services are included.
9. Construction Stakeout Surveying
DeMarr Engineering provides the following Construction Stakeout surveying services for construction to follow:
- Limits of Disturbance Stakeout for Land Clearing
- House Stakeout w/ Cut Sheet for Excavation
- Brick Points Stakeout for Wall Formwork Placement
House Stakeout & Cutsheet by DeMarr Engineering
10. Quality Control / As-built Surveying
To confirm construction is conformation to the approved Site Plans, DeMarr Engineering provides the following Quality Control & As-built Surveying services:
- Wall Check to confirm location and elevation of basement foundation.
- Final Building Location & Height As-built Certification
- Stormwater Management Facility As-built Certification
Once your final as-builts pass city or county review, your Occupancy Permit will then be issued and you’ll be ready to move into your new house!
Build a New Home with DeMarr Engineering
If you are planning to build a new addition or home in Northern Virginia or Washington, DC, please contact us for a quote on your next Land Development project.
