Designing A House To Fit The Lot

I have been designing homes for the better part of two decades and during that time, several things have always remained constant. Too many designers try to make the site fit the house. I have heard quite a few of my colleagues talking about designing a house in this or that architectural style. But I have heard very little said about a much more important consideration of designing a house to make the most of the clients lot. After all, the problem of choosing the right architectural style really takes second place if the house is planned in a way that it takes advantage of every distinct feature of the site.

So then a study of the site for the house is as necessary to the building of a home as a doctors diagnosis of a case is needed for a successful treatment of a ailing patient. If a home is to be practically successful we can not simply say that we will have the dining room here and the den there, making our decision on the fact that placement of these rooms in this manner has worked out well in other houses that we have seen or designed ourselves.

The points on the compass in relation to the site, the direction of the available views, the location of the street access, the location of trees and other buildings, the topography, every one of these things will need to be part of our calculations in planning the new home.

It seems like the last thing we consider should actually be one of the first. If the site the owner purchased is not level, our first impulse is to send in the bull dozer to cut and fill until the natural face has been transformed into a level plateau. Now that is expensive, and it is frequently unnecessary.

So then, the logical course of action would be to design the home to fit the natural features and topography of the land. Why not make the house to fit the site, rather than making the site conform to a plan based on or determined by individual preference or convenience?

About the Author

To learn more about drawing an Designing A House To Fit The Lot along with creating an entire set of house drawings, visit House Plan Drafting 101 at http://homedesign.8m.com. My name is Tim Davis and I created that course.