More Straw Bale Building. Peter Mack

       Wood and creatively stained plaster help Jan Cohen’s home blend well with its snowy surroundings.

      Cohen residence, Steamboat Springs, Colorado

      Look for the Microclimate

      An ideal building site for energy efficiency and added comfort would have trees (especially evergreens) to protect the site from prevailing winter winds and to trap the sun’s heat. Southerly and easterly exposures benefit from clearings and a few deciduous trees, which will allow the sun to help heat the home and immediate surroundings. Perfect microclimates are few and far between but definitely worth looking for.

      You Can Grow Your Site

      Remember that sites are not unchangeable nor unchanging. Sites that do not currently offer ideal microclimates or appear naturally beautiful can be grown into functional, lush, attractive sites over time. That lot with the two gorgeous mature oak trees may be nice now, but how will it look when those trees inevitably come down as they die? Try to look ahead. You can always transform your site to meet your needs, and if the lot you’re interested in is clear, beginning with a clean slate is not always a bad thing.

      Wherever You Build, Think about More Than Your House

      Regardless of your choice of location, don’t forget to plan for more than just your house. Assess the property for its natural characteristics, including trees, vistas, bushes, hills, and other features. Harmonize friendly outdoor spaces with your plans. Think about storage buildings and workshops, and leave room for such outbuildings even if you don’t need them now. Situate the house to make gardening possible, remembering that a good microclimate can bring part of the yard to the south of a house one growing zone warmer, lengthening the growing season and possibly creating a mini fruit belt.

      Property Hunting Schemes

      Searching for property can be a long frustrating process. Real-estate agencies are a good place to start, but be sure to let agents know all your requirements early on. Listings for vacant lands are considered the doldrums at many real-estate offices. Be sure to ask for complete listings in your preferred area; otherwise, you may only be shown newer listings or those an agent is keen to push. Expect to see a lot of what you don’t want.You can also place ads in local newspapers, specifying your needs and price range. Quite often, the prospect of a keen buyer can motivate property owners into selling lots that are not currently on the market. Tax foreclosures, property dealers, and rezoned lands are all worth researching, too.

      Don’t Design Too Early

      Without a piece of property on which to build, don’t spend too much time creating a finished design for your home. The land should — and will — be responsible for shaping your design.

References

      Books

      Alexander, Christopher, A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction. Oxford University Press, 1977. ISBN: 0195019199

      Allen, Edward. How Buildings Work: The Natural Order of Architecture. Oxford University Press, 1995. ISBN 0-19-509100-0.

      Brooks, Hugh. Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary of Building and Construction Terms. Prentice-Hall, 1976. ISBN 0-13-451013-5.

      Brown, Azby. Small Spaces: Stylish Ideas for Making More of Less. Kodansha International, 1993. ISBN 4-7700-1495-3.

      Crowther, Richard L. Ecological Architecture. Butterworth Architecture, 1992. ISBN 0-7506-9171-9.

      Holloway, Dennis and Maureen McIntyre. The Owner-Builder Experience: How to Design and Build Your Own Home. Rodale Press, 1986. ISBN 0-87857-643-6.

      Preston, Edward. How to Buy Land Cheap, 4^th ed. Loompanics Unlimited, 1991. ISBN 1-55950-064-6.

      Rybczynski, Witold. The Most Beautiful House in the World. Penguin Books, 1989. ISBN 0-14-010566-2.

      Taylor, John S. A Shelter Sketchbook: Timeless Building Solutions. Chelsea Green Publishers, 1997. ISBN 1-890132-02-0.

      Woods, Charles G. A Natural System of House Design: An Architect’s Way. McGraw-Hill, 1996. ISBN 0-07-071736-2.