Building Houses that Suit the Lot

By: Austin Appraiser

I've been observing a lot of properties lately that were not built to make full advantage of the lot upon which they were built. The resale value is hurt by this. These said properties are most likely in tract subdivisions. One of the most egregious examples is a property I previewed lately located on a cul-de-sac lot adjacent to devoted greenbelt area. To the left of the property, and straight out the cul-de-sac as you drive into the street is natural ranchland dotted with stunning mature oak trees, native vegetation, and a wet weather creek. A area that is devoted not to be urbanized. One of those kind of panoramas one can see in pictures, the scenery of wholesome Texas Hill Country that you imagine appreciating them while sitting on a rocking chair at the back of the veranda or on a swing. It is way better than staring at a neighbor's house. But whoever made the house sure did blow it.

Much to my amazement, the floorplan of this property presents no acknowledgment or compass reading toward this wholesome surroundings--not a bit at all. If I had built on this lot, I would have chosen a floorplan where in I could enjoy the native Texas scenery, having the windows of the kitchen or the living room face towards the scenery and supplemented a largely roofed terrace. This property was built without even a roofed terrace in back, and the terrace itself is a tiny 5?8 foot concrete lump. Upstairs, the master bedroom is on the other part of the home from the open area and presents no view.

If there is none to choose from, the whole floorplan could have been reversed and flipped to the other side, the kitchen and the breakfast area would have had the sight of the native Texas scenery, and the master bedroom would be overlooking it, while windows could have been supplemented or shifted to more appropriate areas.

So why in the world would someone build a home on this lot that doesn't make maximum advantage of this beautiful and serene sight? In my point of view, people would select first a floorplan and then pick a lot to place it on when buying for a new house, although they don't make time to think whether the house is a good match for the selected lot. I've also seen builder spec homes built with the same deficiency of thinking as to which floorplan may best make advantage of natural sceneries and/or compass reading of the lot.

On the other side, there can also be negative distinctiveness of a lot that better thinking can lessen. For example, would you build a house at the 'T' end of a street with the master bedroom windows in the frontage of the home? No, because the headlights from cars at night will shine into your bedroom windows. You will surely notice this from you first night after moving in if you don't think of such things ahead of time.

If you're getting prepared to build or buy a new house, pay attention to how good the house and the lot you've selected flatter each other. Those homes that disregard this relationship are the homes you should stay away from. Be aware of the alignment of the streets and possible intrusion of light from time road traffic to your house. Pay attention to the compass orientation of the house, the natural sunlight may either flatter or torment your living area.

When previewing homes for buyer prospects, I eliminate a lot of candidate houses off of the list because of these sorts of issues. Many of these homes will seem perfect on paper and in Internet photos, but they don't endure the first visit because it takes more than a good floorplan to make a good home. The lot has to have the right floorplan.

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This article was created by R. Chandler Smith, a savvy real estate whiz in the Austin and Central Texas area. He maintains Austin Home Appraisal as well as Austin Real Estate Appraisals

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