Recently, we looked at all the things to watch out for when hunting for a homesite. Once you’ve secured your dream block, it’s time to start thinking about how you can best position your new home to make the most of why you bought the land in the first place. At
David Reid Homes, we’ll spend time with you on-site exploring a range of considerations that need to be taken into account before we start designing your new home. Here’s just a few of the things we focus on when looking at positioning your home:
LightThe position of your home in relation to the sun is one of your most important considerations. The ambience and comfort of your living areas can be greatly compromised if you don’t take the orientation of the sun into account - and don’t forget the impact that excessive sunlight can have on your furniture and window dressings.Your energy costs for heating and cooling your home will ultimately be affected by your home’s alignment, so we always look for ways of making the sun work for you, not against you. It’s not called the Sunshine Coast for nothing - and particularly in climates like the one we enjoy here on the Coast, we put a lot of work into planning and positioning your home so that the living areas are positioned towards the northern or eastern sides of the plan. This means that when that summer sun really beats down, it hits the southern and western sides of the home, which we try to reserve for non-living spaces such as the garage or storage areas.
WindGo back to your block as often as you can during the planning stage and try to get an understanding of the prevailing winds and how they’ll affect your lifestyle. If you’ve chosen a block in a high wind area, such as a coastal headland, there are major design issues that we need to start looking into at at this stage, such as the pitch of the roof, and positioning your home on the windward side of the block to minimise the wind’s impact. Even if you’re not in a high wind area, the design of any outdoor living areas will be greatly impacted by the prevailing winds, because if you’ve got a howling south westerly, no one’s going to enjoy being outside.
Aspect At David Reid Homes, we go to great lengths to ensure that the ultimate design of your home affords you the best possible outlook from as many rooms in your home as possible. Crucial to the subsequent positioning of your home, we’ll spend time with you on-site, assessing the different aspects you have to work with, and looking at the best ways to bring the outside in. The time we spend with you at this stage will be invaluable when it comes to the actual drafting of your home’s design, especially in relation to the positioning of balconies, and the size and position of any windows and sliding doors.
PrivacyThe importance of careful planning when siting your home is no more important than when it comes to the privacy you’ll want to ultimately enjoy in your new home. If you don’t want the neighbours peering into your ensuite in the morning, make sure you spend some time having a good look at the position of your neighbours homes, where their windows are positioned, and where they’re likely to spend their time outdoors. Don’t forget that David Reid Homes’ Fixed Price Contract also includes all your landscaping, so this is also a good time to consider how we can utilise trees and plants - or even a water feature - to increase your privacy.
Swimming PoolsIf your plans include a swimming pool, now is the time to start looking at your options. Think about what you want from a pool - are you a serious swimmer wanting to stretch out with a proper lap pool, or do you just want to relax and splash around with family and friends? What about a spa? Remember you’ll need to also allow for extra space around the pool itself for a deck or paved area, landscaping and of course, the required pool fencing. Pool design is part of our complete design service at David Reid Homes, so talk to us about what type of pool you have in mind.
3-Dec-2007