What I Wish I Knew: in the Beginning

We were supposed to break ground in late November.  We figured since our lot is flat, we would just do a  slab foundation and it was recommended as the best option for ICFs.   That wasn't to be, due to soil issues.  After much debate between the builder, foundation people, etc, we finally sprung for an in-depth soil test and it was determined that we will indeed need a crawlspace.  So, plans had to be redrawn for that and new documents, etc. etc. in the beginning:

1.  In hindsight, I wish we had sprung for a soil test from the start.  This would have a) given us great reassurance that the foundation would be really secure and b) eliminated unexpected delays in breaking ground.  We have it now because it was a necessity, but we should have done it in the first place.

2.  In hindsight, I wish I'd had a slope/grade survey.  Even though our lot is very flat, once they did the crawlspace per codes and for potential water concerns, my house very unexpectedly is much higher off the ground in one back corner.   And of course this is the corner of the house where our main living area is!   I was slightly freaking out at first, because I'd always envisioned a very minimal transition from walking off the back porch/patio onto the lawn.  It's not the end of the world, however, and the good news is that since I did design the house specifically for the lot, there should be a very good way to design the back patio/porch to accommodate this.

3.  There was a utility line marked on our lot that everyone shrugged off as "not a big deal".  Only to learn at the permit application process that it was indeed an issue and that the water company might not allow us to put a driveway over their line.  Thankfully the water company was nice as pie and immediately emailed the permitting office granting permission that they did not see it as a problem, so we were able to proceed as planned.   We were really lucky it turned out that way.  Some advice:   get the official word from the owner of the utility line before committing to a plan.  This could have been disastrous for us!