Buying Vacant Land for Your Dream Home? 5 Tips From an Architect

1. Consider Your Architectural Goal

Ask yourself, do you want a home that stands out or a home that is hidden from view? Is your dream home one that expresses your aspirations, or one that passively supports your lifestyle? These might seem like questions that only need to be tackled further along in the process, but the site you choose may have an impact on the ability to achieve your dreams. If you have found a site or sites that you like, consider whether the site's location, orientation, surrounding buildings and views all lend themselves to your vision.

2. Orientation. What is it and how will it affect the architectural opportunities?

Orientation simply refers to the direction in which your site faces. This is usually in reference to the points of a compass. Let me give you some examples of how the site will affect the architecture. If the length of the site faces North / South, there will be great opportunity to create a home that works climatically with the sun. It is generally preferable that a house is North facing as this will lend itself to a "warm in winter, cool in summer" scenario. (Note: The opposite direction is true in the Northern hemisphere). If however, the site is sloping down towards the South, you may end up with a home that is mostly in shade. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however, because it could lend itself to a house with very large windows and a lot of transparency. Your site may also have it's length on the East / West axis. This will lead to a lot of direct, low-level sun in the morning or evening and needs to be a design consideration. A sites orientation may also be street facing, or parallel to surrounding buildings. If you're unsure about any of this it's a good idea to chat to an architect prior to purchase.

3. Check the Town Planning Rights and Restraints

It is a good idea to call the local municipality and ask for the town planning controls of the site, or any servitudes that may lie across it; this information is freely available and your architect will usually find out this information for you as part of our obligation-free consultation. Google Earth also gives very clear aerial imagery which could highlight any architectural opportunities or problems that could not easily be seen on a site visit. A lot of municipalities also have their own online Geographic Information System (GIS) that will indicate servitudes, services, boundaries, contours and many other natural and man-made features that may impact your site. The town planning controls also determine what is and isn't possible to build on the site and is best interpreted by an architect.

4. Context- It Really Matters

Look for surrounding buildings and the possible shadows they may cast on your site, how much of your property will your neighbour see, or any obstructions to your own view. Consider things like the slope of the site. If it is very steep a lot of money may end up going into the earthworks and foundations instead of your finishes. Steep sites, however, often lend themselves to a very exciting architectural response. Capturing the views from the site is also an important consideration. Are the views easily seen, or will you need to build up? Views of the ocean are great in the daytime, but dark at night, whereas views of the surrounding infrastructure can be exceptionally beautiful during the evening.

5. Call an Architect Before You Buy

This may seem like jumping the gun, but architects are trained to visualize the possibilities of a site by assimilating all of the above information, and most are glad to share their valuable wisdom in conversation -it's exciting for us to dream with you! Buying land for the purpose of building is a serious, long-term investment, and getting an architect involved at this stage will give you piece of mind that what you're choosing is what will help you realize your dream.