Where to look for lot to build small house in Fort Collins (Wellington: how much)

[Windwalker2]

I'm interested in building a small (1000 - 1200 sq ft) house for retirement in or very near Fort Collins. I want to buy land and use my own builder. I prefer to be west of the interstate, and not very close to it. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to look for lots, and how much they might run? I don't want acreage, maybe up to 7000 or 8000 sq ft. Will I run into difficulties with zoning or HOA's requiring larger homes?

[Mike from back east]

Try the realtor.com website, they have an advanced search option that lets you choose LAND as a search term; when the list of hits comes back, click the selection to sort on lowest price first. I did the search and found many lots of about a half acre for about $20k, with views of a lake and the foothills. IIRC, the area was called Cushman South Lakeview, but I know nothing of it. I'm not a realtor, but I urge you to contact a few. The website came back with over 400 parcels of land, many of them hundreds of acres in size and asking millions.

[Windwalker2]

I looked at Realtor.com before posting here. Too little information is given there, and as you say there are tons of listings for land. Some I can guess belong to developers and would not allow a custom house, but others I can't tell.

I don't know what the situation is in Ft. Collins but here you cannot build a custom house smaller than about 2000 sq. ft. in many places. Smaller houses are usually built by developers, which doesn't work for me because I need special disability accommodations which they can't or won't do. Realtor.com does not tell you if you can build a custom house, or if you can build a small house, on the lots they list. I prefer not to involve a realtor till I have a better idea of where I want to build, because realtors usually have their own preferences and/or they try to push you to buy the things they have to sell.

[whirnot]

Although not in Fort Collins, I have built in that county, and there is no size restriction. I built 1050 Square feet. Fort collins is very envirofreindly, and will have some restrictions/ advantages that way.
Zoning should not be a problem, HOA's can each differ.

[Mike Weber]

The lots mentioned above in Cushman's have nice views, but are out of town a bit, and pretty steep, making construction and access a bit more difficult.

You might consider looking in Wellington. There are currently many lots available in the Meadows subdivision starting around $25k. This subdivision has covenants, but I believe the minimum home size for a single story home is 1000sf and a 2 story is 1350 sf. This location is just north of, and a quick drive to Fort Collins. Unfortunately, this location is near the interstate.

There are some lots available in the Richard's Lake subdivision in north Fort Collins, which also has covenants, but the size you wish to build may also fit within those limits. this location is west of the interstate about 2 miles. Lots here will run from about $45k to $80k. Don't forget to factor in tap fees whan looking at lot prices.

Good luck with your search.

[Windwalker2]

Thanks, Mike, very helpful suggestions.