Houzz Logo Print
leavesdancing

Lot considerations might require big revision

8 years ago

We were originally going to take lot A of 3 lots that are being offered by a builder (former 1.5 acre homestead). To the west of lot A is another large lot, which will probably be broken up and developed at some point, but is pretty open at this time. That was the initial attraction.

However, we want a house that we can live in for the remainder of our lives (3 decades? knock on wood). Part of that means minimal steps and lot A has more elevation changes, so we decided to switch to lot B, which is much more level. Lot A is empty right now, but may soon have a house and the owners might build up to the side setback, which is 6 feet. So we've gone from wanting to maximize the southern exposure aka passive solar heating, to wanting there to be a little more space on the west side. The garage will be on the east.

The lots face south, and across the road is a heavily-treed park, which is also at a lower elevation. Each lot is about 1/2-acre; 90-some feet wide and over 200-feet deep.

Attached is the latest design, but I think we have to either make it less wide, or rotate the rooms counter clockwise, so the kitchen moves to the back, the back-left bedroom moves forward, and the living/dining rooms shift right to next to the entry area.

We have an architect, but they aren't cheap. Is there some halfway decent online software that I can try out a few layouts to narrow down what would work?

Also, any comments about design / spacing / layout / functionality welcomed.


Comments (21)