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You can’t build on undeveloped land without preparing it for construction, which involves running utilities to the site or accounting for private utilities like wells and septic systems and grading and compacting the soil for safe construction. Once you prepare the land, you can build on it as long as the project abides by local zoning regulations.

If you’re planning to dig on your property, you’ll need to check for underground utility lines. Call the national call-before-you-dig 811 number. Once connected to an operator, you can schedule a site visit to mark underground lines. This way, you won’t accidentally dig into pipes and can cause major (read: costly) issues.

With proper training and experience, reading blueprints is fairly straightforward and not very difficult. If you don’t have the necessary knowledge to interpret the symbols, abbreviations, and other notations used, blueprints may not make sense. Learning to read blueprints can help you understand the construction process and keep you more involved and informed when you’re building a house.

This is fairly rare, but sometimes the local government or a group like a historical society will label a tree as a landmark, or historical item. These designations almost always come with a small, on-site plaque for identification, but you should also be able to look up protected trees in your area on a city website or similar list. If the tree in question is a landmark, call your local government and ask how to proceed before making any plans.