3 Home Design Solutions to Challenging Building Lots
You don't need to throw in the towel on an irregular homesite; today's designers are finding innovative ways to rise to the challenge
After World War II, the Federal Interstate Highway System allowed easy access for millions of families to populate subdivided farmland outside every major city in the United States. Flat, dry land with good soils for structural support and for receiving the new homes’ septic flow were gobbled up by suburban sprawl for a generation.
But for the past 30 years, available homesites within commutable distances from workplaces have often been awkward leftovers. Their property lines have trended away from simple rectangles to some pretty crazy shapes. Steep slopes are often part or all of new home building sites. Wetlands are often present. Septic fields are often located by the subsoils rather than responding to accommodate the best house location.
Typical house plans we often see — ranch, bungalow, cape and center hall — were conceived for simpler sites. Now homeowners looking to build must use designers to reconceive stock house plans or come up with custom designs to deal with the irregularities of available lots. It's the same for those who want to expand an existing home onto sites whose contours, wetlands or soil conditions make simple expansion either impossible or exquisitely overpriced.
Here are three approaches to giving homeowners the living space they hope for on today's more challenging building lots.
But for the past 30 years, available homesites within commutable distances from workplaces have often been awkward leftovers. Their property lines have trended away from simple rectangles to some pretty crazy shapes. Steep slopes are often part or all of new home building sites. Wetlands are often present. Septic fields are often located by the subsoils rather than responding to accommodate the best house location.
Typical house plans we often see — ranch, bungalow, cape and center hall — were conceived for simpler sites. Now homeowners looking to build must use designers to reconceive stock house plans or come up with custom designs to deal with the irregularities of available lots. It's the same for those who want to expand an existing home onto sites whose contours, wetlands or soil conditions make simple expansion either impossible or exquisitely overpriced.
Here are three approaches to giving homeowners the living space they hope for on today's more challenging building lots.
Renovating an existing structure. Another option is working with existing houses that are "grandfathered" in locations where an unbuilt site would prove far more restrictive. An existing house often predates its current lot restrictions, allowing the homeowner to renovate or replace the existing structure at a minimum.
This new house replaced an earlier structure that was very close to the water and allowed year-round use. Regulations limited expansion to no more than 30 percent over the existing footprint, while without an existing house, a new home would not be allowed to be built in such close proximity to the water.
This new house replaced an earlier structure that was very close to the water and allowed year-round use. Regulations limited expansion to no more than 30 percent over the existing footprint, while without an existing house, a new home would not be allowed to be built in such close proximity to the water.
Custom design. Finally, creative architects who understand the local building and zoning codes can manipulate the shape and planning of new designs to max out usable space, views and curb appeal. This house, by Wayne L. Good, is sited on a compact, 60- by 116-foot south-facing lot with sweeping panoramic views of a bay. Total lot coverage was strictly limited by Chesapeake Bay Critical Area regulations, which led to a compact three-story plan with a garage tucked under the house.
The projects illustrated here show ways that increasingly restrictive regulations have limited the size and shape of new homes — but not the creativity of their designers.
The projects illustrated here show ways that increasingly restrictive regulations have limited the size and shape of new homes — but not the creativity of their designers.
With a footprint that's 40 feet wide and 47 feet deep, this modular house is ideal for smaller lots. Yet it contains on the first floor a large living, dining, cooking and great room; a study and guest room; and a powder room; plus four bedrooms with two bathrooms on the second floor. With a total area of 2,500 square feet, the house is ideal for a growing family.