Many people put the cart before the horse when planning their new homes. In many, they tend to fall in love with a floor plan and pay little or no attention to the site where the plan is to be built.

Instead of treating the floor plan and the site as different elements, it is important to understand the relationship between the two and how they can work together to produce spectacular results.

By accentuating the positive aspects of a site, you will gain the best views and allow yourself more privacy and control over “problem” areas that may need camouflage.

The considerations
Many of the issues to consider when selecting a site have little to do with the land and everything to do with lifestyle. Some important aspects include school locations, proximity to work and recreation facilities, among others. When you start to shop, you will discover that sites are as individual as the owners.
After considering what it is you are looking for in terms of land, it is time to evaluate the site’s physical characteristics.

Ask yourself the following questions: Is the site heavily treed? Is it level or sloping in appearance? Is the site susceptible to flooding due to poor drainage? What are the deed restrictions and setbacks?

Problems arising

Problems crop up in unusual places. For instance, your home site may have a beautiful, natural appearance now, but when cleared for construction, the top six inches of soil will be gone. This means that the grass, natural shrubbery and small trees will be removed from the construction area, and may leave you with land that looks different.

Heavily treed home sites are appealing to many people, but can present additional construction costs. Builders will need to remove all the trees within two metres of the house, as well as the trees in the areas of the driveway, sidewalks and septic tanks.

Sloping sites

Low-lying or sloping sites can also add considerable construction costs to a project. The costs of fill or cut away and special construction requirements add up quickly, especially if the home is susceptible to drainage problems.
If the sloping home site has a great view, you may want a custom floor plan developed that follows the lay of the land. In the case of a steep elevation, for example, you could have some rooms on the lower ground floor like garages, or storage.

Authority approval

Beware of setbacks and title deed restrictions. Before you purchase a site, make sure that it can accommodate the home you want to build. Setbacks are regulated by the local approving authorities such as Kampala City Council (KCC) and Kira Town Council, among other authorities.

KCC has a minimum distance of 1.5metres for majority of the residential building as the distance between the boundary site and any building. (Still you have to check with the division approving authority).

The restrictions

Title deed restrictions can contain requirements on the size, how big the home should be and the percentage the house should cover, how many families are allowed to live on that particular land, style and appearance of a home.

It may be a good idea to check with the planning and zoning authority to disclose any restrictions before you buy. This information is actually available with the planners at the different divisions if you are in the Kampala area. You don’t want to compromise the style of the house you intend to build.

Design options

If you own property, but are not excited about the view, don’t worry. There are many creative floor plans that can be designed to create spectacular views.
One quick solution is the courtyard design. By opening the front, middle or rear of your home onto a courtyard or garden, you can capture a view and transform it into a personal oasis. Many urban residences utilise this concept around a swimming pool or garden, while metres away, the fencing or shrubbery hides adjacent homes.

Other captured views with which you may be familiar with include atriums and private gardens. We use these features to enhance the plans, private sitting areas and other interior areas that require natural lighting and privacy.

Land survey

If you are fortunate enough to have property that overlooks a lake, golf course, wooded area or town, you will probably want to take advantage of its positive attributes. First, study the land carefully.

Have a land survey conducted and, in heavily treed areas, consider a tree survey. The site should be visited and photographed from the position of the house looking out in all directions. By considering all angles of the property, the architect will be able to adapt the floor plan to the site.