So you want to build a house, or have one built either as an owner builder or by a contractor.
You have spent hours and hours going through house plans to find the one you like.
Or you have been a bit innovative and designed a house yourself, just the way you want it.
You have taken the best ideas from all the house plans you have seen and changed and added and taken bits out and moved bits around until you have the perfect house plan.
It better be perfect because you will be living in it and probably for a long time.
There is a sense of satisfaction having your house admired by your friends and being able to tell them that you designed it yourself.
Remember, you do have to live in this house so make sure you have got it right.
The house design can mean that your house is comfortable and functional to live in.
It can mean you will be paying less or a lot more in heating and cooling costs.
Not much good designing a beautiful looking home if it is like living in a sweat box and you have to spend a fortune on air conditioning.
Likewise, your house could end up like you are living in an igloo and you are spending a fortune in heating costs.
This is the major consideration when designing your house, your comfort.
You want to be comfortable living in your house and later on when it is time to sell you will get far more selling a house that is comfortable to live in.
If you like to wonder around the house in your PJs you will not be comfortable having to wear a woolly coat to keep warm.
So what is the first step in house design? This is the step that most people leave out.
They see a house design they like and plonk it on a block of land and move in and wonder why something is not quite right.
The steps are back to front.
You must have a block of land first and then design your house to suit that particular block.
If you have a house design that you must have then it pays to find some land that is oriented the right way to suit that house.
What do we mean by oriented the right way.
Get out your compass and check out the sun.
If you can sit your house to take advantage of the rise and setting of the sun you will be surprised at the difference it will make.
If you are in a warm climate you want the sun coming into your bedrooms and kitchen early morning and then you don't want to see any sun coming in to your house in the heat of the afternoon.
Likewise if your are in a cooler climate you can design to see maximum sun throughout the day and reduce your heating costs.
There are lots of methods to capture solar heating which is free and ways to use the sun in solar cooling systems.
The sun is a free resource.
It can be so beneficial if we use it right and a real pain if we don't.
Do some reading on passive heating and cooling.
You will get some great tips to design your house so you can live in it.
You might as well be comfortable.