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We will be starting to look at lots in the not to distant future. What are some tips or ideas for they types of lots to look for and specifically what is the best orientation for your house on a lot? I know there will be some range of answers but I'm interested in them all as someone's dislikes might be a 'like' for others.
We are in the north, snow is an issue. Our current house (aka driveway) faces NW, not a good thing here so that is number one on the list.
Have your biggest windows along the south. Trees south of your house, if any, should be deciduous. If the land is sloped, get the sunny (south) side. Do you know which way the strongest winds usually blow? Use trees at a distance as windbreaks, and position the house so that the wind hits the short side (assuming rectangular house).
Consider drainage. When you have a hard rain, or when the snow melts, where will the water in the neighborhood go?
Put a covered porch around the house. We've got one almost all the way around, and it's nice that the snow is never right outside the door. (Easier on the siding, too.)
Even a covered porch, patio or deck should be at the east side of the property. North is an acceptable alternative but the afternoon sun will beat on it at the time you would likely use it most. Biggest mistake to ever make is have these outdoor living areas on the south or west side of the house. You want to enjoy these outdoor areas when summer is the hottest so make sure those areas sit where they get the least sun.
If you like to eat outside in the evenings give though to the placement of the patio/eating area. We once had a house where the patio faced the west and it was really difficult to eat outside when the sun was setting. This also applies to an eating area inside the home. If you eat early in the morning it can be blinding to have to look directly into the sun when you are eating breakfast. Of course, when inside you can always put shades up.
When you live in a cold climate it is nice to have deciduous trees on the south side of your house. It keeps the house cooler in the summer because the trees provide shade and warmer in the winter because the sun will warm the house in the winter.
I would also give some thought to placement of the tv in the family room. Really think about what times of day there might be a glare on the tv screen and whether that will coincide with the times you will be watching tv. We once had a house with a western exposure, which we loved. Our patio faced the east which made it a pleasure to eat outside in when the sun was going down. However, in the morning there was such a huge glare on the tv that the tv was unwatchable in the early morning. It didn't make a difference to us as we did not really watch much tv early in the morning, but had the house been flipped it would have made the tv unwatchable during sundown, a bigger problem for a family where we watch football every Sunday around sundown.
Our current deck faces south and west. We rarely use it.
Ideally we would find a wooded lot that would offer shade where needed but we might not have a choice in that either. Right now there is only one wooded lot for sale that I can find.
I would choose a lot on a cul-de-sac which faces south with an attached garage on the southeast side. If your mailbox will be a community mailbox, I'd pick a lot that's not near that. And I'd avoid a lot with a fire hydrant close to it as that will prevent you or your guests from legally parking in front of your home. Further I'd pick a lot that I could easily enter/exit on garbage day. We have large garbage and recycling cans which can block access to our driveways on collection days on our cul-de-sac.
As far as the house itself, I'd put the kitchen in the north (coldest) part of the house.
My kitchen and bedroom both face east. I like the sun and love that my kitchen is bright and sunny kitchen in the morning (the other side of the kitchen faces south). The light in the bedroom wakes me up in the morning.
My living room faces west and I can sit and watch the sunset in the evening.
It's based on 'energy efficiency'- but there are several other factors that can influence orientation of a house on a lot. Generally, it is size. Next is topography.
Personally, I would choice the energy efficiency quotient first- all other factors are easy to overcome- with good planning. And spare yourself the over indulgence of this room here, that room there. You'll just end up with a house with no flow and poor design (my favorite- garage in the front, kitchen in the back. Traipsing through the whole house just to unload groceries- NOT GOOD!).
If you're not a morning person, master bedroom on the west side of the house makes it easier to sleep in on the weekends without having to use heavy curtains.
Lots of good advice here. Especially the tip about the mailboxes. I live in development with dozens of boxes in one place and the traffic tie-ups are surprisingly bad in the early evening. Just dumb luck enabled me to avoid that but at least once a week I feel sorry for the people whose living room windows overlook the hubbub.
Also, try to avoid having a driveway with a significant slope. Of course you need some slope away from your house for drainage, but a steep driveway is an annoyance and sometimes dangerous. Mine's a pain in ways I could never have imagined.
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