Defining Your Site Layout: A Guide

When it comes to designing your home, you must start from the ground up. Your site layout is probably the most important aspect of your build, so you want to get it right the first time.

See below a brief guide to assist you with defining your site layout.

 1. Site Access
Careful design and planning of your driveway by your Architect can save thousands of dollars in earthworks, drainage, retaining walls and resource consents.

2. Prevailing Wind
House shape and Placement of decks and doors away from the prevailing wind gives you sheltered cosy areas to sit outside yet away from the wind. Arcline can advise your local weather patterns and design your house to give you the required protection from the weather.

3. Sun & Light
Positioning rooms to suit morning and evening sun is very important. Are you a morning person and like the sun streaming into your master bedroom in the morning? If so, position the master bedroom and kitchen on the East side of your home to catch the morning sun. Careful design of roof overhangs is also important to maximise sunlight into your home and Arcline use computer sun modelling tools to ensure your home is in the best position.

4. Views 
A new home needs a great connection to your site and views. Do you want the view as a big surprise when you walk in the front door? Or have it unfolding as a surprise as you walk through the home? Windows need to be positioned exactly to take advantage of the views. By using Google Maps and your local councils GIS mapping systems you can get this right.

5. Service Connections
When buying a site, research the location of key services (power, water, phone, sewer, stormwater) and get estimates of costs to connect to them. Every local council has an online mapping system that is free to use and that show available public services nearby your property. If your property doesn’t have available connections close by there are alternative options, just speak to a professional.

6. Public Services Aren’t Available? 
For water, rural sites that aren’t nearby public connections need water tanks and often when less than 20m from bush, an additional firefighting water supply stored in tanks as well. For sewer, if an on-site sewer disposal is required you will need a sewer design, commonly called a TP58. Where there is no stormwater connection nearby your site or if exceeding the impermeable surface council rules for the zone a stormwater system designed by an engineer (a TP10) will be needed.  It is good practice to install a good filtration system when on tank water.

7. House Orientation
This can make a big difference to the comfort of your new home, how the inside flows to the outside and how it collects the sun and shelters areas from the wind. Arcline can advise the best position of your new home on your site.

8. Land Contour
Where your new home is located on the topography can make a huge difference to the cost  of foundations. A surveyor needs to locate your site boundaries and do a ‘topo’ plan of the site. Arcline can then 3D model the contours to get the exact cut & fill volume and area, as well as the floor levels for your new home.

 

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