Get matched with top land surveyors in Kansas, IL

If you can’t find any records online, you’ll need to contact your county clerk’s office to do further research. They should have property records on file, or can at least point you in the right direction of who to contact. You can also speak with your neighbors about when their houses were built because they were likely built around the same time.

Yes, new home construction will always require building permits, no matter where you live. In most cases, you’ll need a general construction permit, along with plumbing and electrical permits for the utility lines in your home. Depending on where you live, you’ll likely find that you also need permits for things like connection to a sewage system or installing exterior components, like decks, driveways, patios, and curb cutouts. Leave navigating the permits required for new home construction to a professional to ensure your home is built legally and safely.

There are a couple of ways you can determine the depth of your well. One method is to use a device called a well sounder. This tool has a long measuring tape containing a sensor to alert you once the end reaches the water. 

Or you can DIY it by using a long tape measure with a half-filled bottle of water attached to it. Lower the tape measure into your well. Once you feel tension on the tape, you’ll know the bottle has reached your static water level. This will give you an approximate idea of your well’s depth.

Measure from zero on a measuring tape by placing the metal hook right up against the edge of what you need to measure. You can also latch the hook onto an open edge—of, say, a table—to accurately measure as well. If you begin at the 1-inch mark, you'll need to subtract an inch from your total.