Easy Mistakes to Avoid

Many people buy land that shouldn't have a house on it. 
Then they build a house ignoring these simple rules

Well building hath three conditions
- commodity, firmness and delight.

Sir Henry Wotton, 1651

Maximize the use and expand the perceived
size of your lot by setting the house back from
the road, curving a longer drive and
providing a variety of experiences such
as shelter and openness.

Don't build a suburban house on country
land. Break the dominance of the car and
think of the project as a compound of
structures, each with indoor and outdoor
living spaces.

  • An ideal location for a house is partway up the slope of rolling land, open to the south, partially protected on the east and west, and sheltered from the north. In the ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui, which concerns environmental energy flows, this house site is called the "armchair" placement.
  • Look to place the house near the edge of two different environments — close to the top of a slope where it starts to level out, or where vegetation changes (from meadow to woods say). Homes have always been built in these transition zones.
  • Build on dry well drained soil with no history of flooding or instability. Final grading should be such that ground water will run away from the house in all directions. Don't build in a low spot — water and cold dead air will collect there.
  • Don't build too close to the road. Money spent on a longer drive is some of the highest return dollars you will ever spend.
  • Build a curve into the entry drive even if a straight one would be shorter. This will give variety to the entry process, increase privacy and make the property feel larger.
  • Always consider the orientation to your view, even when you make it yourself. On a non-view site, clearing to the south of the house will bring in the sun. Your large window areas can then face this south view and focus on the landscaping and activities of this open area.
  • Three important questions determine how a home should be laid out:  
                  1. — "Where's the View?"
                  2. — "Where's the Sun?"
                  3. — "How do people get here?"
    Once you know these things, the location of specific activities and rooms becomes much clearer.

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