Home Buyers
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House Positioning

There isn't much you can change regarding a home's positioning, but at least you can recognize good and bad points about the orientation of each place you look at. Even if you identify "bad" positioning points to the homes that you're considering, they probably won't be a deciding factor on which dwellings you will reject and which particular home you will accept.

Naturally, every house cannot have a garage positioned to block northwest winds because there are two sides to every street. However, by identifying these orientational traits, you can appreciate the good features and you can think about what you can do at a later date to correct any deficiencies in your financial selection. For example, if the garage is already on the south side of the home, maybe a line of Scotch pines planted along the north side of the lot will shield the house from blustery winter winds. Or if the home's landscaping is such that rainwater runs toward the house, you can plan some additional grading and reseeding.

General House Positioning Points

In any event, here are a few points to consider about a home's positioning and orientation on its lot:

1. To take advantage of the sun's free heat and light, the south side of a house with the most glass ideally faces south.
2. Depending on the circumstances, wind can be a help or a hindrance.
3. Be aware of land or water that surrounds a dwelling and the way a nice view can be changed overnight by neighbors who cut or plant trees, pile up garbage cans, or park a junk car in their backyard.
4. You'll want a practical exit/entrance to your garage from the street, especially important in cold-climate locations where snow and ice make driving and walking a chore. Be aware of how steep the driveway's fall will be because it could add to the difficulty of getting in and out of cars.
5. Check for ample space on the side of the house that's most passable for trucks- preferably the side along the garage.
6. The fewer ascending or descending steps needed to reach the front entrance, the better. Landscaping here can mean a lot.
7. Evaluate the yard's usable space. Some exclusive subdivisions feature houses that have practically no backyards.
8. Do you like to grow your own food? What about small "kitchen" gardens or large family vegetable plots? What about fruit trees and berry bushes- or places for them?
9. Do you like to keep pets or farm animals?
10. Do you like to participate in recreational activities at home such as badminton, croquet, tennis, horseshoes, swimming, or basketball? Or do you go for rope swings, hammocks, and children's monkey bars?
11. Do you plan to hold large outdoor parties and picnics?
12. Is the house a reasonable distance from the road to reduce the amount of dust and noise generated from passing traffic? If the house is way back from the road, be prepared to handle the snow removal in some fashion, if it applies to your part of the country.
13. Good drainage is a must. A house should be located on a high part of its lot, even if only a few feet above the street level. A gently rolling site generally will mean no drainage worries, especially if the lot slopes down to the street. If the site slopes the opposite way, downward from the street toward the house, carefully check the basement for water problems.
14. If the house has a rear terrace porch, or Florida room, that area hopefully will not face west. A westerly exposure would make those places uncomfortably hot in the afternoon and evening. A better location is on the south, east, or north side of the house, providing, of course, that it's still convenient to the family room or other part of the home's main living area.
15. Check if the backyard is adequate and safe for children's play. There should not be any unguarded edges, cliffs, or other hazards that could result in an accident.

This Tip was excerpted from:
Home Buyer's Checklist, by Richard Scutella and Dave Herberle,  McGraw-Hill TAB Books, 1991
ISBN # 0-8306-6588-9

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