Monday, July 2, 2007

Designing A House: The Lot

It is time to design your new home. The lot will be the first thing to consider. The lot size, easements, setbacks, slope and drainage are just a few things that may effect the placement and layout of the house and/or garage.

The size of the lot will be the first consideration. After all, you cannot place a wide rambler-style house on a narrow lot. Be sure to check over your plot plan for any easements. Check with your city, township, or county for setback requirements. Easements and setbacks will decrease the "usable area" of your lot.

How is the lot orientated. How will you get the most sunshine to warm the house in the winter? You may want to design the project with the garage located on the "cold side", usually the north or west side. This allows the garage to act as a barrier between the house and the cold Minnesota winter winds, thus helping to keep the house warmer.

Highways, roads, and alleys will need to be considered. You will want easy access to your garage or carport, but you may not want your living room window positioned to watch the traffic of the highway as it goes by. If you have an alleyway you will probably want you garage placed at the rear of the lot.

Is the lot fairly flat, or is there enough slope to have some basement windows located out of the ground, thereby making the lower level more usable. If there is enough slope you may be able to have a walk-out basement with a family room as part of your plan. If there is too much slope toward the front of the house you may end up with a steep driveway, or a tuck under garage may be a possibility.

How the the water drain from the lot? Hopefully, it does not pool where you plan to place your house. If it does you will need to have some landscaping added to the cost of the project. Do not redirect your drainage to your neighbor's lot unless you want to have a lawsuit to go with the new house.

Many cities will have ordinances which restrict how much of a lot may be used by buildings. Be sure that your buildings do not exceed this percentage or you may find yourself redesigning your project when it comes time to get your permits.

Of course, their may be other factors or restrictions in your city, township, or county that could effect your building plans. Do your homework early and you will avoid problems later.

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