New Home Planning
We have found that many new home inconveniences
can be addressed and many
new home comforts can be
maximized when the house is sited before it is built.
Here are some tips for planning for the site of a new
home.
1. TREES. Everyone
likes a well-landscaped
lawn. With some proper planning
you can have a treed lot for a new home.
Initially, you must pick a site that has trees that
you can protect during construction.
Besides the value that trees add to a home, they
help save energy by keeping the roof and
walls cool. If trees can be saved it is essential that they are
fenced off or clearly marked.
One needs to do everything necessary to ensure that the roots will
not be damaged by
digging, chemicals, or mechanical equipment.
2. EXPOSURE. By
placing the house on the site properly one can minimize the home’s
exposure to the east and the
west. We advise that most houses be placed so that the longer
sides of the house and the glass areas face north and south.
3. VENTILATION. Natural
ventilation can be taken advantage of by locating the house to
maximize the spring and
summer breezes.
Tagging
Shut Off Valves
Here is great advice to pass onto your clients so
they can avoid damages from unexpected emergencies!
Recommend that your clients tag the following systems in the
house:
1. Main
water shut-off for the water system
2. Water
shut offs for each plumbing
fixture
3. Clean outs in
the sanitary waste lines
4. Electrical
distribution panel ledger should
list the location of all circuits
5. Shut-off for the
gas main
6. Shut-offs and
pilot lights on each gas
appliance
7. Valves from the
oil tank
8. Septic tank lid,
distribution box,
and leaching field
9. Main electrical
disconnect, if separate
10. Emergency
heater shut off |
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Home
Hightlights
First Subdivision
Archeologists
say that the founders of
a small city in southeastern Turkey created
what may be the first subdivision -
building adjoining houses on
standardized plots of land.
Top 5
New Home Complaints
Major
builders in a large eastern city report
that the top five complaints from buyers of new homes
are:
1. Popped nails and cracks in drywall; 2.
Uneven or unlevel flooring between rooms;
3. Doors that don’t open or close
properly and locks that do not work;
4. Painted shut windows; 5.
Cracks in sidewalks and masonry.
Future Features
Engineers from a national survey predict that these will be
some of the features
of future homes: smaller homes
that are built closer together, weather
monitors, pre-dyed and preconstructed
wall units, intercoms, and
permeable pavement that prevents
excess water runoff.
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