Log Homes Site Planning

Siting Your House

Siting is the process of planning how a house will sit on its piece of property. Both location and orientation must be considered. Siting can even influence the shape of your house and its room layout.

The objective of good siting is to maximize energy efficiency, lighting conditions, and weather effects to make your home as enjoyable as possible at the lowest possible cost.

A properly sited home will take advantage of the position of the sun to provide warmth in winter and avoid heat in the summer. Site planning should also consider the effects of surrounding trees, terrain, prevailing winds, sunlight availability, and directions from which storms come.

Site planning will naturally have somewhat different objectives depending on what part of the country you will live in.

Homes in colder climates should be sited to maximize exposure to the low southern winter sun. The long side of the house with the most lived-in rooms would ideally face south and contain lots of windows for maximum heat and light. The north side will be colder and feel the most effects from weather. Attempt to determine the direction of winter winds and use trees, shrubs, or other vegetation to help block them. Large bodies of water will have a chilling effect if the prevailing winds blow across them.

Homes in warmer climates should be sited to avoid the high summer sun and take advantage of cooling winds. Again, a south-facing orientation will generally serve well. Afternoon sun from the west will have a greater heating effect than morning sun from the east. If prevailing winds in your area blow in an east-west direction, having windows that can be opened on the east and west sides will allow maximum air flow through your house. Additional cooling will occur if the prevailing winds blow over a large body of water.

In summary, decisions you make when planning how your house will sit on your property can have a significant effect on not only your comfort but also your energy costs. Clearly, other factors, such as view, orientation to a street, accessibility, and construction costs, will also influence your siting decision. Therefore, compromises are nearly always required when siting a home.

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