Deciding which lot to buy for a custom home design can be intimidating and stressful.

Some things to consider to help make it smaller.

There is some wiggle room here, as custom home design plans are like a puzzle with different sized pieces. How these pieces fit together determines the width and depth of the house. Sometimes the orientation of a room can be flexible, and a smaller size can have a width, resulting in a narrower house. It is one of the reasons why the home must be custom designed to match the lot that will be purchased first.

The easiest way to ensure that a home of the size you need will fit on the lot is if there are similar homes of that size already on the lots. Otherwise, you need to consider what will be different and how it will affect the width or depth. However, some differences may not work for some batches.

If you want a garage that you enter from the side, the distance from the lot line is preferably 30 feet, which may not be feasible. Another important consideration is the pool. A simple rectangular pool would need to be about 30 feet by 15 feet, not including the deck area. Unique shapes and carefully designed landscaping can significantly affect the required space.

Building lines and easements must be taken into account. Most subdivisions have boundaries that define a minimum distance, construction lines, from the property line of a house or any structure, including a swimming pool. There may be public service easements in certain non-developable areas. Although this is rare, there may also be height restrictions, so make sure neither the limits nor the city prohibits what will be necessary for your design. Looking again at what has been built can help answer this question.

Some cities or areas do not allow trees of a specific diameter to be felled. Not that you want to, but if the tree is where the house should be, then the choice has to be made. Usually, the root system extends to the top of the tree. Many trees near the house have never caused foundation problems, but many have. It is not the risk you want to take.

Another consideration is the orientation of the lot. For energy efficiency in warmer climates, the front of the site will ideally face north. The main goal is to have the sides of the house with fewer windows facing east and west. The south-facing back of the house usually has a porch to shade the windows from the southern winter sun.

Conclusion

However, while beneficial, it should not be the primary site selection criteria to the point where it compromises the home’s design.