Know before you buy, build, or pour.

The expensive mistakes on a property are made early: in the house you choose, where the building sits, and what the contractor's bid leaves out. WellSited helps you catch them while they're still cheap to fix.

Get the Contractor ChecklistFind your review

Where are you in the process?

Three decisions shape how a property works for decades. Start with the one in front of you.

Launching soon
Hiring a contractor

The 50 Contractor Traps

The standards to write into your contract, check on site, and confirm before each payment for estate and equestrian builds.

$47 PDFSee what's inside
Coming soon
Buying a home

Property Review

A fast screen of one or two homes before you offer: flood and water, nearby nuisances, exposure, light, and layout.

From $997How it works
Coming soon
Buying land to build

Site Strategy

Where the house, drive, and outbuildings belong on your land, based on terrain, water, and wind.

From $1,497How it works

The 50 Contractor Traps

Most building disputes start in a one-page proposal. This owner's checklist turns earthwork, drainage, arena, barn, and fencing work into specific standards a contractor has to accept in writing.

  • 50 items, each with the trap, the red line, and how to verify it
  • A bid audit for comparing contractors line by line
  • U.S. and Canada, 20 pages
$47See the checklist
The 50 Contractor Traps checklist cover with sample pages

Specific numbers you can put in writing

Every review ends in standards you can measure, write into a contract, or ask about before you sign. A few from the checklist:

1.5–2.0%Continuous paddock slope to a defined outlet
95% ProctorMinimum compaction for structural fill, independently tested
8 in liftsMaximum loose thickness for each layer of fill
12 ftMinimum clear barn aisle, measured at finished stall fronts
4.5–5 ftPerimeter fence height for horses, with no barbed wire
5–10%Retainage held until a wet-weather walk-through

Ridge behind, water in front

The old rule for siting a house still holds: shelter at its back, open ground and water before it, and a level bench to stand on. We check it with today's tools, from FEMA flood maps and USGS elevation data to recognized construction standards.

For clients who want it, Property Review and Site Strategy include an optional chapter on traditional feng shui, kept apart from the site findings and labeled as cultural interpretation. Reports come in English, Simplified Chinese, or Traditional Chinese.

WellSited is not an engineering, surveying, inspection, or appraisal firm. We help you ask the right questions and know when to bring in a licensed professional.

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