Welcome to Post and Beam Living’s new Design/Build series. YBH Creative Director, Jeffrey Rosen, and I are going to take you through a step by step start-to-finish build experience. The series assumes you’ve found your build site. This series begins with how to plan and design your new home. We’ll use Jeffrey’s current build, Cove Hollow, to illustrate the process where ever possible.
House Orientation
The orientation of a house on the build site is extremely important. Do you prefer sun in the morning or the afternoon? Do you like direct sun in your breakfast nook or reflected light? A special view from a certain room? Placement of the home on a site, and its relationship to a light source, is one of the first considerations you’ll make when planning your build.
House Size
Now is the time to get serious about your house design. We call this “The Requirements List” phase. What are the must-have spaces you want in your new home? How many bedrooms and baths? Do you want an open concept floor plan or a traditional layout with more walls? Will you require an office space, single floor living or a multi-level design? What about the all important storage space; where do you want it located and how much will you need? A mudroom, location of laundry facilities, and will you have porches, decks, etc. It’s going to be a long list!
Architectural Style
What architectural style do you want? A good jumping off point is to visit the YBH website and check out floor plans and build designs. Some people know exactly what they want while others are unsure. No problem. If you’re in the latter group, we can help you determine your style quickly, particularly if you have a collection of exterior house features you like. Social media sites such as Pinterest and Houzz make it easy (and free) to set up an account and save photos. If you prefer magazines, keep a folder with photos to show us during your meeting with our staff. Most importantly, look at our website for floor plans and check out Floor Plan Fridays on the Yankee Barn Homes Facebook and Pinterest accounts. Make a list of the project plans you prefer.
Our next article in the Design/Build Series will focus on making the most of your floor plan. We’ll published it on April 9th. If you have any questions, please send them to us. We love constructive (and construction) dialogues!
One additional issue for site orientation would be to consider the directional orientation of a major portion of the roof on the new house. If a perspective new home owner wants to install solar panels (PV) during construction or in the future, a southern orientation of that major roof portion is helpful. A solar specialist should be contacted to determine the best positioning of the house for maximum solar gain. With the introduction of new home battery systems in the coming months and years, solar energy will become more common and more desirable. Continual improvements in the technology will one day allow for homeowners to go off-grid and produce all the energy they need right on their property. That day is sooner rather than later, in my opinion, and new home companies such as YBH should begin to include the possibilities in their designs and advice.
I look forward to additional postings in this series. Thanks for considering the building process.