Скачать или смотреть If I were sick of the city life and moved to North Idaho to build my dream home you need to know...

Here's my hot take on escaping the city life and building your dream home in North Idaho with chickens, acreage and space to breathe ❤️

Buying acreage to build might not be what you expect - especially in North Idaho.

Depending on where you build, the process will be vastly different.

I hate to break it to you but you just can't build what you want.

Let's break it down;

The most popular areas fall within Kootenai County (Coeur d'Alene and surrounding areas) or Bonner County (parts of Athol to North of Sandpoint)

Here's what you need to know before starting your acreage search:

Which county to build in. I'll limit it to the 2 most popular counties in North Idaho;

📢 Building in Kootenai County:

You're working with a more developed system but a rigid one

That means you'll deal with building inspections, strict setbacks, and zoning rules that feel more city like- even in rural areas.

Permits are required for just about everything, and timelines are… well, let's just say “predictable-ish” if you’ve got the right team.

Definitely more bureaucratic though.

📢 Bonner County:

It’s more like: “Here’s your dirt, go build your dream.”

Permits still exist, but the process is often less rigid, less bureaucratic.

Want a shop-home combo on 10 acres?

More likely to fly here.

Off-grid? You’ve got breathing room.

Septic approvals can be more flexible.

Some areas don’t require building permits at all for certain structures (like sheds or smaller cabins).

But that freedom comes with trade-offs

You get more personal responsibility, but fewer building inspectors, and not as many local tradespeople on hand is the downside.

🚨 Bottom line:

👉 Bonner gives you more freedom to create what you want…

👉 Kootenai gives you more structure (and usually more hoops).

Would you rather have less red tape or more convenience?

👉 Comment “GUIDE” and I’ll send you my Guide to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho’s local information where you’ll learn the population, median age, median home price, median income and so much more about Coeur d’Alene.

👋 Hi, my name is Laurel. My husband and I moved from Arizona to Hayden, Idaho in 2017. I love helping others find their new home