by EdselB (Designer)
5. November 2009 08:26
When planning a home, most people usually feel like they have a good idea of what they want in their home design; however, they may be leaving out one important set of criteria.
Your building site has much to say about your home and how it should be designed, but it is most often ignored in the design process. The topography, orientation to the sun, drainage, focal views, existing trees and the type of soil are only part of the conditions that exist at each site and can severely impact your home design. Example — the soil type lurking beneath the home can be expansive clays that may have the ability to crush your foundation. Another example — placing most of the glass area of your home toward the south allows you to capture the solar gain in the winter and avoid direct solar rays in the summer.
Regardless of whether you are looking for a pre-drawn plan or you are having your home custom designed, you should have two documents in your design arsenal:
1. A soil test which can be obtained from a soil testing laboratory. They will take sub-surface soil samples from your site, analyze them and provide you with a soil report and foundation design recommendations.
2. A site analysis plan is usually prepared by a landscape architect. The landscape architect will usually survey the lot to gather tree location and topography data. This information will be used, in conjunction with site observation data, to compile a complete drawing of the site. The drawing will usually include a recommended footprint of the home in order to best fit to the site.
Armed with these two pieces of valuable information, you will be much better equipped when searching for the perfect home design.
See Edsel’s home plans by clicking here!
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