Land + lot consulting
Buy the right lot. Or pass on the wrong one.
About a third of our clients arrive without a lot. We walk specific sites with you, run feasibility studies on shortlisted parcels, and tell you honestly which ones the design budget can survive — without earning a commission on the land transaction.
Why land first
The lot decides most of the home.
Slope determines the driveway. Soils determine the foundation. View corridors determine the great-room glazing. Septic and well decide the bedroom count. The HOA architectural review board decides the roofline. The lot is two-thirds of the home before the first sketch is drawn.
We walk lots with buyers all year — on snowshoes in winter, on foot in summer, in the rain in spring shoulder season. We have walked away from 41% of the parcels we’ve scouted for clients in the past five build seasons. The discipline of saying “not this one” is the entire reason this service exists.
When the right lot does appear, the design conversation can begin with confidence — budget that holds, schedule that holds, permit that holds. The compounding cost of getting the lot wrong is the most expensive mistake in custom home building.
Lot Suitability Report
Six categories. Twenty-two data points per lot.
When we walk a lot for a client we deliver a written Lot Suitability Report scored across these six categories. The score is the framework for deciding go / no-go — with reasons, not opinions.
Soils + geotechnical
- Bearing capacity for proposed foundation
- Frost depth + winter water table
- Cut/fill volume to reach building envelope
Slope + grading
- Driveway gradient (Park City max 12%)
- Walk-out vs. flat-pad orientation
- Retaining required & estimated cost
Utilities
- Septic feasibility (perc test history)
- Well depth + water quality test
- Power, gas, fiber service distance
Regulatory
- HOA architectural review board scope
- Setbacks, height limit, FAR cap
- Wildfire interface + defensible space
View + orientation
- Solar orientation for primary rooms
- View corridor angles + future-blocked risk
- Adjacent buildable envelopes
Environmental
- Wetlands, riparian buffer, floodplain
- Stream or pond setback
- Mature tree protection / removal limits
87
Homes delivered
across Park City, Deer Valley, Heber Valley
1.2M
Sq ft built
custom new build + whole-home renovation
24 yrs
In the Wasatch Back
founded 2001 by Owen Alder and Daniel Stone
12
Industry awards
NAHB, Mountain Living, Utah Style & Design
Our 6-step process
From sketch to move-in.
A predictable sequence built across 87 finished homes. Each phase has a defined deliverable, a published timeline, and an open-book budget update. Custom homes don't have to be the chaos story you've heard.
Schedule a consultation- 01
Discovery
Weeks 1–4
First-meeting walk-through of your program: how you live, who lives there, the budget you can actually defend. We listen more than we pitch.
- 02
Land
Months 1–3
Lot analysis if you have one, scout-and-acquire if you don't. Soils, slope, view corridors, septic, well, easements, HOA review.
- 03
Design
Months 3–8
Architect-led schematic, design development, construction documents. Three revision rounds built in. Renders before you commit.
- 04
Permitting
Months 7–10
Park City and Wasatch County submittal, engineering review, agency back-and-forth. We carry the file so you don't take the call.
- 05
Build
Months 10–22
Single superintendent on site daily, weekly homeowner walks, transparent open-book budget. The construction phase is the part most builders hide.
- 06
Move-in
Month 22+
Walk-through punch list, one-year warranty walk, mechanical training. You hold the keys; we stay close for the first heating season.
Common questions
What clients ask about land consulting.
Do you charge for lot consulting?
Do you take a commission on the land transaction?
Where do you walk lots?
Can you help us pass on a lot?
Tell us about your project
Have a lot in mind?
Send the listing — or the plat — and we'll do a 30-minute desk review at no charge. If it's worth a walk, we'll meet you there.