We tore down an existing house so may not apply but that demo process plus running new water, sewer lines + all the grading were $$$$ - maybe more broadly: budget more money for landscaping that may be anticipated

Than you for the information. I definitely have site prep in my budget but didn't pay much attention to it. Think that I'll take another look!

I think the hardest part is "not knowing what you don't know" - meaning it is often hard to anticipate decisions/down stream consequences- FWIW good friends of ours say there is no perfect house, but the closest you can get is the 3rd build bc you learn a ton and make a bunch of mistakes during the first two builds 😅

Completely agree about the not knowing what you don't know. Since this is our first home build I'll do my best to avoid mistakes - fingers crossed! 😁

The biggests gotchas can be almost eliminated by having full architectural plans and specifications, in advance of atempting to get pricing. A bunch of unknown blanks is not goign to get you accuracy. They money you spend on design up front eliminates expensive change orders that cost the earth when you finally do decide what you want.

You are in the country, will you be on a well? septic? Be sure the water is good (where my parents lived, it all depended on the water source which varied in different parts of town) and the septic will perk.

Check historical plats of survey for the plot. A nearby church built on former farmland was building an addition. They had engineers, and great contractors, but when they took the first dig for the basement foundation, the backhoe just scraaaaaped. Turned out that many many years ago, there was a barn with a concrete floor. Long gone, and never really legal I don’t think, and subsequently farmed over and later treed. It took a visit to the historical society for old pictures to know what was there. The build continued but without the basement; removing the foundation enough for a basement would have eaten up too much of the budget.

Find a local architect of design talent to walk the site, and help you determine what works for you to optimize sun, diminish the effect of wind and rain and snow, take advantage of views every direction, and make it a home for you, not for miscellaneous stock plan users. You might be surprised if the architect says ”you know, if the house angles x degrees this way, or moves 20 feet that way, you get this benefit” but consider it!

My DSIL et al were planning an addition. Where it was to go was solid rock. Couldn’t get a permit to detonate it.