Investment Property Builders(504) 407-3199
ModelsCostFHA 3.5% downVA $0 downHouse hackingFirst-time buyersInvestorsHow it worksLotsDuplex vs houseAgentsNew OrleansMetairieKennerWestbankSlidellCovington & Mandeville

Land · Greater New Orleans

You do not need a lot. We find it.

The most common reason people never build is that they think the land comes first and they do not have any. It does not have to work that way, and the lot is the part we are best at.

Ask us to look for a lot

Five things a lot has to survive

Any empty piece of ground can be bought. Not every one of them can carry a duplex. Before we let you spend a dollar, a lot has to clear all five:

  1. Zoning that allows two units. This is the one that kills the most deals. A beautiful, cheap, wide lot zoned single-family will never be a duplex, and nobody tells you that at the closing table.
  2. Size, setbacks and coverage. The building has to physically fit after the required distance from every property line, plus parking and drainage.
  3. Flood zone and required elevation. Pulled lot by lot. Elevation changes both the build cost and your insurance for the life of the property.
  4. Utilities. Where the water, sewer and power actually are, and what it costs to reach them.
  5. The site itself. Trees, fill, an old slab, a shared driveway, soil. These are the expensive surprises, and they are visible before you buy if somebody knows to look.

You may not need cash for the land

People assume the lot has to be paid for separately, in cash, before anything starts. Often it does not. With your down payment and your pre-approval, the lot may be financed into your loan — subject to lender approval. That single fact is what turns "someday" into a build for a lot of our clients.

Already own a lot?

Good. Send us the address and we will tell you what it can carry — zoning, flood zone, setbacks, whether a duplex fits and which of the six models works on it. If the answer is that it will only carry a single house, we will tell you that too, and we build those.

How we look

  • We look where rent is, not where land is cheapest. A cheap lot in a corridor nobody wants to rent in is not a bargain.
  • We check zoning before anything else. Two doors or no deal.
  • We pull the flood determination. On that lot, not on the neighborhood.
  • We price the site work honestly — before you are committed, not after.
  • We know which office reviews it. City of New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, Kenner, Gretna, Slidell, St. Tammany. They are not the same, and the lot decides.

What the lot costs

Lot prices in this metro swing widely by ZIP code and by what the lot needs. That is exactly why we will not print one number and call it the answer. What we will do is show you real lots, with real prices, and the total project number next to each one so you can compare them properly. Here is how the rest of the cost is built.

Tell us where you want to be

Give us a city or a couple of neighborhoods and your budget range. We will come back with what is actually available and buildable — not a wish list. The consultation is free and commits you to nothing.

Start the lot search

(504) 407-3199 · [email protected]

Where we build

New OrleansMetairieKennerWestbankSlidellCovington & Mandeville

Keep reading

The six modelsWhat it costsDuplex vs single familyHouse hacking

Investment Property Builders is a home builder — not a lender, a mortgage broker, a real estate brokerage, or a financial advisor. Whether a lot can be financed into your loan is determined by your lender, not by us, and is subject to approval. Zoning, setback, elevation and permitting requirements are set by the city or parish with jurisdiction over the lot, not by us, and they change. Nothing on this page is a quote, a listing, or a guarantee.

Operated by DuCar Construction, LLC — Louisiana Residential License No. 883334, Commercial License No. 63084. 638 Papworth Ave., Suite C, Metairie, LA 70005. Equal Housing Opportunity.

See our Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, SMS Consent, and Accessibility Statement.

Questions people actually ask

Straight answers. Numbers are current as of September 2026.

How do I know if a lot can hold a duplex?

Zoning and lot dimensions decide it. Not every residential lot in Orleans or Jefferson allows two units, and some that do will not fit our footprint with required setbacks. We check zoning, dimensions, setbacks, utilities and drainage before anyone writes a check.

What does a buildable lot cost?

$40,000 to $70,000 in the areas we build, as of September 2026. Price tracks the neighborhood, the width of the lot and what has to happen to it before you can build.

Do you find lots for me?

Yes. That is part of what we do, and it is the step where a bad decision costs the most.

What makes a lot a bad deal?

Fill and drainage problems, a width that forces a compromised plan, zoning that caps you at one unit, and utility connections that are farther away than they look. None of these show up in a listing photo.

Can I buy the lot first and build later?

You can, but talk to us before you buy. A lot that cannot hold the plan you want is an expensive thing to already own.

Still have a question? Call (504) 407-3199 or book a free consult. Hablamos español.

The Ground Under It

What the $322,000 covers on the ground — and what it does not.

Every duplex we build sits on pilings, on fill, with the floor raised above the elevation the survey calls for. Water runs past the house instead of standing under it. The base price carries a normal lot. It does not carry every lot, and we tell you which one you have before you sign anything, not after.

Included in the base price

  • Pilings. The structure is driven and set on piles, not laid on dirt.
  • Three loads of fill under the house, to bring the pad up.
  • Raised above the required elevation. We build the floor higher than the survey calls for, not level with it.

Not included — quoted after we walk your lot

  • Clearing trees and grinding the stumps.
  • Extra fill when the lot sits well below street level. A low lot needs more than three loads, and that dirt goes in before we start building.
  • Anything the topography turns up once we are standing on it.

So the honest answer to what will my lot cost is: we have to go look at it. We walk the lot, read the topography, count the trees, and tell you the real number in writing. If your lot needs work before we can build, you hear that at the start — not in the middle of the job.

Have us walk your lot

Where We Build

We build wherever you want to build — if the lot is zoned for it.

That is the whole answer. We are not limited to one neighborhood or one parish. We build new-construction duplexes across Greater New Orleans, on the lot you choose. The one thing that decides whether a duplex can go up is the zoning on that particular lot.

The only real limit is the zoning

Not every lot allows two units. Some zoning districts permit a duplex outright, some require going through an approval process first, and some allow one house and nothing more. Two lots on the same street can fall under different districts. The lot decides — not the block, not the neighborhood.

We check it before you buy

Send us the address or the lot number and we pull the zoning, the setbacks, and the height limit, and tell you straight whether two units fit. If they do not, we say so. That check costs you nothing and takes about a day.

If the lot does not work, we find one that does

We source buildable lots across the metro — Orleans, Jefferson and St. Tammany. You are not stuck with a lot that will not take a duplex.

Send us a lot to check

Zoning is set by each parish and can change. Nothing here replaces a zoning verification or a licensed surveyor.