Santa Clara · Washington County
Building a custom home in Santa Clara.
The oldest town in the metro, nearly built out, and settled in a way its neighbors are not. Here is what living here is like, and what building here involves.
Why people come here
A town the freeway went around.
Santa Clara Drive was the highway to Las Vegas until 1973, when the interstate went through the Virgin River Gorge instead. Being bypassed is what preserved the town, and it is why the main street still runs under a canopy of sycamores past pioneer buildings instead of past a strip of frontage retail.
The city sits between Ivins, St. George and the BLM river reserve, along the entire south edge of Snow Canyon. Downtown St. George is about thirteen minutes east, so nothing is far, and the Pioneer Parkway corridor covers groceries and errands without leaving.
People choose it for the feel of a place that was already finished before the county started growing. What they accept in exchange is that there is very little ground left.
The town's own story
Four dates that made the place what it is.
Most of the county is new. Santa Clara is not, and its history is a live part of daily life here, not a plaque on a wall.
Living here
What is on the other side of the front door.
Snow Canyon at the back
The city runs along the park's entire south boundary, and the river reserve trails start inside town.
Two courses on the edge
Entrada at Snow Canyon on one side, and Black Desert straddling the Ivins line on the other.
Swiss Days in September
A parade down the historic drive, a pancake breakfast, a 5K and a community dinner the whole west side turns out for.
Three schools in town
Small enough that children walk to school, close enough to St. George for everything a small city cannot hold.
Why build here with Sagestone
Local help for a Santa Clara build.
Santa Clara is small and mostly built out, so a new home here usually goes up among neighbors on an established street. Here is what Sagestone brings to a build here.
Santa Clara City, handled for you
Sagestone takes your plans through the Santa Clara building department and manages every subcontractor, so your part is deciding what goes into the house.
A house that fits the street
The older blocks here have a character people move to Santa Clara for. Sagestone works alongside your design team so the new house sits well with the homes around it.
One person to call
Your project coordinator stays with you from the first meeting to the keys, and the schedule, selections and budget are online whenever you want to check them.
A family company from next door
JMI started in St. George in the 1930s, and the office on St. George Boulevard is a short drive from Santa Clara. Meetings and walkthroughs happen in person.
Bring a parcel number or an address and a budget range. You get a straight read on what the lot supports and what the build takes.
Permits and utilities
A small city, run its own way.
Santa Clara City
Permits, inspections, zoning and setbacks, with its own fee schedule and review times. The city also runs its own municipal power company, so the electrical connection goes through the city instead of a regional utility.
Your architectural committee
Entrada and the newer developments carry design standards, and that approval comes before the city application. Much of the older town carries none, which shortens the schedule.
Sagestone handles the submittals either way.
Around the city
Where people are building.
In a town this size the differences are less about distance and more about age. Older ground carries trees and fewer rules. Newer ground carries views and a committee.
Questions about Santa Clara
Questions? Let’s start here.
Here are answers to some of the questions we hear most often. If you don’t see yours, give us a call. We’re happy to talk it through.
Is there anywhere left to build in Santa Clara?
Yes, but not much. The city is about six square miles and hemmed in by Ivins, St. George and the river reserve. Most custom homes here go on an infill lot or on ground bought with a house already on it.
What does a teardown add to the budget?
Demolition, disposal and any abatement the age of the house calls for, plus the survey work to confirm what can be reused. It gets priced up front, because finding it in month two is the version nobody wants.
Can I build to the same footprint as the old house?
Sometimes. Setbacks may have changed since the original was built, and an older footprint can either help or restrict the new plan. That is one of the first things a lot study answers.
Does Santa Clara have its own utilities?
It runs its own municipal power company, so the electrical connection goes through the city, not a regional provider. Permits and inspections are the city's as well.
Do I need HOA approval to build here?
It depends where. Entrada and the newer developments carry architectural standards, and their approval comes before the city permit application. Much of the older town has none at all.
How long does a build take here?
About ten to twelve months from the date of contract.
Start here
Send the address, even if there is still a house on it.
You get a read on what the lot supports, what demolition would cost, and what building there takes, before you commit to anyone.
Start your build