Sussex County
Custom Home Builder in Laurel, Delaware
Laurel sits on Broad Creek in the southwest corner of the county, and it has more surviving nineteenth century architecture than almost any town its size in Delaware. Land here is among the most affordable in Sussex, which makes it worth a look for anyone whose budget will not stretch to the coastal half of the county.
- Drive from our office
- About 30 min
- Permits issued by
- Town of Laurel
- Typical ground
- Sandy loam; low along Broad Creek
- Wastewater
- Town sewer in town, septic outside
Affordable ground, and what that buys
Western Sussex land prices mean a buyer here can often afford both acreage and the house they actually want, rather than choosing between them. For a family that is not tied to the beaches, that is a materially better outcome than stretching for a smaller lot closer to the coast.
Inside town, Laurel handles permitting and sewer serves the developed area. Outside, county AR-1 governs: three quarters of an acre on septic, 20,000 square feet with sewer, and the 150-foot width requirement where a lot fronts a numbered road.
Broad Creek and the historic district
Broad Creek is tidal at Laurel and the land along it is low. Parcels near the creek carry floodplain mapping and the usual questions about lowest floor elevation and foundation type follow.
The town also has a large concentration of historic housing, and where a project falls within a designated area the review considerations apply. New construction on an infill lot among nineteenth century neighbours needs the same care about proportion and roof line that we would apply in Milton or New Castle.
Ground conditions
Away from the creek, Laurel sits on the well-drained sandy loams that characterise western Sussex. Flat, easy to work, generally good for septic. Nearer the water the water table rises and the answers change, sometimes within a single parcel.
The lesson we keep repeating on these pages applies here too: the seasonal high water table is a test pit question. On a lot that slopes gently toward a creek it can vary enough across the site to determine where the house sits.
Renovation as much as new build
Laurel's housing stock means a fair amount of the interesting work here is taking a solid old house and doing it properly rather than building from scratch. That is different work: you are dealing with balloon framing, questionable earlier alterations, and foundations that were never designed for modern point loads.
We are honest about which of those projects are worth doing. Some old houses in Laurel are worth every penny of a careful restoration. Some are a new build wearing an old facade, and the cheaper honest answer is to say so.
Nearby towns we build in
Laurel sits in Sussex County. We cover the rest of it too, and the main site has our completed work and how we price a build.
Thinking about building in Laurel?
Send us the parcel number and we will tell you what we find before you spend anything. Zoning district, sewer or septic, who reviews it, and whether the lot will take the house you have in mind.