What Size Lot Should I Buy for My Custom Home?

What Size Lot Should I Buy for My Luxury Home?

When it comes to lot size, bigger is not always better. Homeowners ask, Custom Builders what size lot should I buy? Locals will reply, one a great deal smaller than you had up north!

Central Florida is located in the tropics so everything grows, including the grass and landscape foliage. In the summer, the grass has to be cut once per week as it rains almost every day. I'm talking end of the world type rain storm too. A real Florida gully washer is something to behold. It's like something out of a hollywood movie. Thunder, lightning bolts like you've never seen and horizontal rain! After all, Central Florida is called the lightning capital of the world!

For do it yourselfers that means a lot of grass cutting, weeding and trimming. Most Orlando custom home owners hire a landscaping company rather than tackle the yard themselves. Watch a landscaper working, it's difficult not to feel sorry for them. It's a hot nasty job!

Most northerners when they relocate to the orlando area ask, where can I buy a few acres of land. I like to have room between my home and the neighbors. Although that might seem like a logical idea, they haven't taken into account how much maintenance even an acre size lot requires. Believe me, if you buy an acre size lot, you will regret it!

I live on a 1/4 acre and frankly, that's plenty of work. I pay my landscaper $130/mo to cut, weed and trim. That covers the grass and the shrubs. You can quickly see that's $130 x 4= $520 per month if you own an acre. The winter months don't provide any relief from the monthly cost either. Professional landscapers charge the same price year round as there's still lots of work even in the cooler months.

The tropics are quite different from other parts of the country, working is the yard is not as much fun as it may be elsewhere. Ask around before you take the plunge and buy a big lot. If you must go big, 1/2 acre is the maximum size I would recommend. That will provide enough room for a nice size front and rear yard as well as a reasonable distance between side neighbors.