Design My Own House Tutorial

Module 1- Site Analysis

This is Module 1 of the design my own house tutorial. These modules are best read in order. If you are just starting with designing a home, go to the Introduction of the how to design a house free online tutorial.

Site Mapping

When I started to design my own house it was paramount that the house fit the land and the neighborhood. We could not have designed the house in isolation of the land nor could we have started with designing a home before having purchased our land. We will assume you have already bought your land.
Site Map

Getting to Know Your Land

The first step in designing your home is to get to know your land as well as you can. Visit the property frequently, walk, sit, play and picnic there if possible. If it’s out in the country, camp on it. Get to know any neighbors and ask them about the area. (From one neighbor, we learned that every evening in the summer a cool breeze comes down from the mountain above us. We made sure to have all the windows on that side of the house open in a way to catch that cooling breeze.)

While on your land, notice:

Where do the local sounds come from?

Are they pleasant or unpleasant?

Do they vary throughout the day or from weekday to weekend?

What directions do the winds come from?

Do they shift throughout the day?

Do they differ from one part of the land to another?

Where does the sun rise?

Where does it set?

Where are the shady areas?

Where are the sunniest spots?

Where are the best views?

Are there directions in which you would prefer to not have a view?

Making a Site Map

Make a rough map of the land. On it show,

Property lines.

Roads.

Existing buildings.

All existing trees, plants or shrubs.

Areas where you have noticed wind direction.

Where the sounds come from.

Views - good and not so good.

Any high or low spots.

Any water features - creeks, ponds, wet areas

Any existing services - water, gas, sewage. If the services are not yet in, find out from your local municipal office and utility companies where water, sewage, hydro and/or gas services will come to the property line. If you will need to put in a well or septic tank and field, find out what options you have for their locations.

Next Module

With your map complete, now it's time to for the next step in how to design a house:
Research your Local Zoning Laws.

Jump from Design My Own House Part 1 back to the Tutorial Introduction

Jump to The House Plans Guide Home Page

No part of this web site may be reproduced or copied without written permission. Illegal Internet copies will be detected by Copyscape.

Copyscape graphic

footer for design my own house page