What To Know Before Building a Home in a Rural Area

Photo by Clint Patterson

There has been a giant shift in the ways we live in recent decades. Today, the city is king; populations of urban areas have exploded, with rural life becoming less and less common within the United States. But there are signs of a reversal. While there’s plenty to love about living in a metropolitan area, the truth is that there are some well-documented downsides. For this reason, people are increasingly looking to move to more rural areas. And given the amount of space that’s available in rural areas, there’s often plenty of potential to build your own home, rather than moving into an existing property. In this blog, we’re going to take a look at a few essential tips you’ll need to keep in mind if you’re going to take on this type of project.

Visit The Area Multiple Times

It’s easy to get carried away when you’re looking for a place to build a home. You might stumble upon an area that you love, and decide that you’re found the land that’s perfect for your project. While it’s always worth listening to that inner voice, it’s also important that you spend a little more time in the area before making a firm decision. You might find that there are some drawbacks to the area that you hadn’t yet realized. It’ll be much better to know these potential problems before you begin digging!

Think About the Proximity To The Essentials

If you’re coming from the city, then you’ll be used to having virtually everything you could need within the space of a few blocks. Your gym, supermarket, favorite restaurant, and so on will all be within easy reaching distance. This isn’t going to be the case when you move to a rural area. When you’re looking for land to build your home, take a look at how far you’ll be from the supermarket, your job, and other spaces that will form part of your day-to-day life. You’ll be enchanted by the idea of having a peaceful home, but not if it means you’re an hour away from the nearest big store.

Who’s Living Nearby

There are people in the city who have lived next door to their neighbors for years, yet don’t even know their name. When you live in a rural area, you won’t just know your neighbor’s names — you’ll likely socialize with them from time to time. You’ll also be familiar with many other people that live in your town, on a level that would be impossible to match in a cosmopolitan area. As such, if you’re looking to build in an area where other homes are located, then it’ll be worthwhile meeting with people that already live there. Your lives will be intertwined once the home is erect and you’re living there, so it’ll be best to ensure that there’s not going to be any problems beforehand.

Waiting For the Right Spot

One of the best things about moving to a rural area is that you get to slowly rediscover all the joy of things like going through a walk among trees, and generally having fun in the outdoors. Since this is one of the main selling points, you should ensure that you can enjoy these things from your back porch. Rather than rushing to begin building your home, wait for the right spot. Your decision is going to impact your life for the next several decades; you can afford to put the project on pause for a few months until the right place to build becomes available.

Check Local Building Laws

You’ll need to get permission from the local authorities if you’re going to build a home. And in some areas this will be easy enough to get; in others, it’ll seem like a long and uphill battle. Before you grow too attached to the idea of building on one particular patch of land, it’s recommended that you get in touch with a local lawyer who can help with the matter. They’ll be able to tell you upfront what your chances of receiving permission to build will be. If it might prove problematic, then they can fight your corner.

Getting Connected

A lot of people think that they need to be in a city if they’re going to be a part of the modern world. But this is not the case: while there might be less human interaction in more rural areas, it’s not as if you’ll be off the grid. You’ll be able to have the same technological connectivity as you would in a city, it’s just the technology that powers that connection might be a little different. If the area where you’re building your home isn’t served by traditional cable internet, then take a look at satellite internet reviews and get online that way. There’ll also be options to get satellite television, so you can enjoy all the channels that you like to watch in the city. It’s worthwhile investigating what current connections are available in your chosen area before you begin building, so you’re not surprised later on after the property has been built.

Suitable For Other Creatures

The city always feels like it’s human territory. While there may be some wildlife dotted around, they’re generally trying to live in an area that’s dominated by humans. In rural areas, the reverse is true: it’s as if humans are trying to live in an area that is primarily a natural zone. As such, you’ll have to be prepared to make some new non-human friends. When you’re building your home, talk with the design team and try to include some touches that’ll make your home less appealing to critters and other creatures. Of course, even though there are things you can do to reduce the quantity, it’s not as if you can keep all creatures out all of the time. You’ll find that there are insects and bugs that want to make your home, their home. They rarely cause any harm, and you’ll get used to them. As well as those small bugs, you might find that there are larger animals, such as deer and the like, that live around your home — coming across them can be one of the joys of living away from the city, though adding a fence is sometimes a good idea if you don’t want them coming right up to your home.

Working With Experts

You might have a vision for what your home might look like once the project has been completed. But the truth is that there are many different incarnations of your property. The one that you’re ultimately left with will depend on the talents of the people that you’re working with. You won’t be building the home yourself, after all. Since this will have such a big impact on your home, it’s important to take it seriously. Meet with multiple home designers and builders, look at examples of their past work, and check that you feel comfortable working with them.

Take a Hands On Approach

However, it’s not as if you should just hire a team of workers and just have them get on with it. With a project of this magnitude, you’ll want to have a hands-on approach. This doesn’t mean checking up on them everyday, but rather just being a regular presence. There’ll be decisions that the builders have to make in real-time (there always are); make sure that you’re involved in the decision-making process.

Take Care of Security

There’s the idea that cities are dangerous, and rural life is one big utopia. Of course, this isn’t the case. There is crime in rural areas; even if it’s less than the crime in cities, it still exists, and you’ll need to be prepared for it. Build strong security measures into your home, including a security light, strong door, and a fence at the front. It’s unlikely that anything will happen, but it’s not worth taking any chances, especially since the police force will be further away when you’re living in a rural area.

What You’ll Do With Your Yard

It’s unlikely that you’ll have any outdoor space to call your own when you’re living in a city, let alone an awesome space that you can really enjoy. There’s a lot more space in more rural areas, so the chances of you having a large yard are high. The only thing you’ll need to figure out is what to do with it all; will you set up an outstanding social space, grow vegetables, or let things run wild and immerse yourself in the more natural side of things?

It’ll be a Long Process

Finally, remember that this should be a long-term ambition. It could take anywhere from six to eighteen months, depending on the size of the project that you’re undertaking. The best approach is to simply enjoy the ride; things can get stressful, but you’ll eventually end up with a property that you love, in a beautiful environment.

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