11 Key Factors to Consider when Selecting a Site for Building a House

The process of designing and constructing a commercial or residential building does not just commence out rightly.

There are many crucial factors and stages involved that will enable you to have the perfect or ideal building that fits your lifestyle.

One of the key stages that you must pay attention to is the site selection process. Most construction engineers, homeowners, and architects hardly pay attention to this. It is, however, the most crucial aspect of all the processes that make the act of planning and constructing a building successful and satisfactory.

In the same vein, the process of selecting a site can be quite challenging for a lot of people, especially those who are not experienced in site survey or analysis.

It is not just about visiting the site and conducting an inspection, it is also about taking cognizance of all the peculiar features of the site that will enable you to have enough idea about how to commence your building design and construction.

You must note those features and make sure that you work towards using them to your advantage as you begin your planning process.

 

Crucial Factors to Consider for Your Site Selection

Below are the most important things that you must bear in mind if you want to have a good site to design and construct any building.

 

1. Define your reason or purpose for situating your plan on the site

This should be the first factor to put into consideration when choosing a site for any type of plan or construction. You must be able to clearly define your aims and objectives for wanting the site.

Do you intend to build a residential or commercial property on it? Or you want to build a well-equipped modern farm for plants and livestock?

Knowing the purpose for wanting the site will help you to effectively plan the design and make the building process have a sense of direction.

 

2. Location and accessibility

Endeavor to know the address and every piece of vital information about the place the site is situated. Can the site be located via Google Maps? Is it easily accessible? Being able to find answers to questions like this will give you a head start.

Access the site's proximity to the road, highway, transportation system, airport, and other infrastructure that will help to ease things for the proposed building occupants.

 

3. Access to utility and raw materials

For any construction or building project to be successful, it must be done in a place where there is easy access to infrastructure and utilities. There should be electricity, water supply, healthcare, shopping mall, good waste disposal system, and so on.

Another vital factor you should consider is the proximity to the raw materials that will be used for the planning or construction. This will help you to save the cost of transporting or importing raw materials to the site. You will also get to have enough resources at your disposal to complete the job.

This is equally important if you’re planning to construct a manufacturing industry. Being close to the raw materials required for the production process will be highly profitable for you in the long run.

 

4. Knowing your competitors

If a commercial building is what you're planning on the site, you need to study the locality and know those who will likely be your competitors. This will help you to properly strategize your planning to make you have an edge over them.

With the right innovative mechanism, you can surpass your competitors and generate a high return on investment in no time.

However, don't forget to make sure that your site is located in the right place where your target customers reside. If this is in place, you’re guaranteed to become successful with your business on the site.

 

5. Study the building/land surrounding the site

The surrounding land and/or building can adversely affect your planning if proper care is not taken. Therefore, you must endeavor to thoroughly study the building(s) or land that surrounds your site.

If the building is too high, it can affect ventilation and obstruct sunlight during the cause of your planning. Similarly, if the site is surrounded by land, you must determine how the land can adversely affect your planning.

Some unused land around the site may breed pests and other insects if they are bushy; they may also harbor dangerous animals.

So, you must plan on how to combat these factors to prevent them from affecting your site negatively.

 

6. Landscape, size, shape, and topography

These four factors must be thoroughly considered. Knowing the size and shape will enable you to effectively get a plan that fits perfectly. The size of the site should be able to give room for future extension and the shape should be even and devoid of any sharp corners.

The topography and landscape should also be adequately noted. Does the site have a slope? If it does, you should determine the type of slope it has to design the building in such a way that it won't have any adverse effect on the construction afterward.

 

7. Security and the nature of the neighborhood

The protection of lives and properties is very crucial in any residential area. Therefore, this factor must not be taken with levity. Do your findings of the security system available within the site and its environs before you begin anything.

Knowing the crime rate within the locality will allow you to make informed decisions and take precautionary measures in protecting yourself, your family, employees, and property.

The nature of the neighborhood is also very crucial. Are your neighbors friendly? Is the environment filled with toxic elements? Is the site itself not suffering from any type of contamination that could be hazardous to human health?

These, among other germane questions, are what you must get answers to before selecting a site.

 

8. Law & finance

After garnering enough information about the site and its environment, endeavor to make findings of the laws or rules that guide the activities of operating in the locality.

There are places where laws are made by the government on the limitations a site should have.

These limitations could include the vacant space that must be left in the front and sides of the site, the proportion of the plot that should be built on, and the required height of the building that must be erected. Learning the laws and following them effectively will save you from having any problem with the government.

Also, you must be able to determine the cost of everything, especially the ones for the site, utilities, and other payments that you might likely incur in the future. Be sure that every cost or payment is in line with your budget so that you don't end up becoming bankrupt.

 

9. Know the soil type

Different types of soil can be situated on a particular site. Hence, you must pay adequate attention to the soil that is obtainable on your site and determine if it's ideal for construction.

You don't want to end up with a cracked or faulty building as a result of the soil type used for the foundation.

Therefore, get to know the safe load-bearing capacity of the soil to be able to design a foundation and structural system that will work efficiently and effectively.

Whether the soil on your site is clay, sandy, rocky, or marshy, you will be able to use it to your advantage if you determine its components and capacities.

 

10. Weather condition

Every location has a weather condition peculiar to it. You must determine the weather condition of your site before starting any plan. If there are any natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, or volcanic eruptions, you must endeavor to know them to know what is at stake before going further.

 

11. Natural features

The gift of nature offers value and aesthetics to a site when it's properly utilized. There must be unhindered access to natural light and air wherever the site is situated.

Determine the direction of the wind and construct a climatologically responsive building that the inhabitants will find comfortable.

The natural vegetation around the site like plants, trees, and flowers can be used to improve the site's value and beauty if the site planner is aesthetically inclined in making a design that will be harmonious with nature.

If that's successfully implemented, the site will be a masterpiece and will continue to appreciate for decades to come.

 

Select the Right Site

Designing the perfect plan for your building or construction will be easier and more directional if you select the right site for it. For you to do that successfully, the above factors should be put into consideration.