Site Selection
Choosing a site or home that has as many as possible of the desired features that you are looking for is the best way to start the process. If you have a site that has unique features that would be negatively impacted by the construction process, try to choose a design and process that will have the least impact on the site in the long term. Maintaining the natural attributes of the site will have significant benefits both economically and environmentally.
From the moment you begin the building process, everything you do will have some effect on the land. The first cut made into the land will affect the vegetation and drainage of the site from that point forward. It is important that all measures be taken to proceed in a way that will destroy or disturb as little as possible and that all measures be taken to protect and preserve surrounding waterways.
Research your site to determine what if any uses from the past, might affect you now. Land fill, farming or industrial use may have left harmful residue or waste. You will need this information to decide how best to accommodate or reduce the effect these will have on your building.
Your design should consider:
Always choose your land before deciding on a house design.
Aligning to the street or boundaries because "that's the way it's always been done" can often rob you of these advantages. It can also reduce privacy and quality of life.
Cutting into a slope with heavy machinery can interfere with natural drainage, cause dangerous instability and destroy vegetation. There is also the danger of soil erosion and sedimentation in neighbouring creeks and drains. Biodiversity On-site Link.