An Architect’s Short Guide to Picking the Right House
Are you looking for a place to call home? Aside from the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, what else should be considered when choosing the right house? The following are a few additional items that you may want to consider.
Location
Even before looking at houses, first, we need to decide on where the house is located. The location can be the most important factor when choosing the right house. Some common checklist items that you might already have considered could be:
Safety
Sense of community
Neighborhood atmosphere
Close to essential services such as grocery stores
Close to mass-transit
School district quality
These describe the existing conditions. As an architect, I would also be looking at future plans for the area.
Are there any redevelopment plans?
A suburban single-family housing area could turn into large blocks of multi-story housing in just a few years. This could be both good and bad. For example, a new high-rise building might signal the start of major development in a low-rise area. But it might also include the development of new community facilities such as schools, supermarkets, pedestrian streets, plazas, and green parks.
What is the current zoning of the location?
Zoning is a complicated topic, but it will tell us the potential of the house which we will explore at the end of this article.
Will there be major transportation infrastructure planned nearby?
Some people might desire a short commute to the city but wish to enjoy the quiet suburban life on days off, far away from the office. Perhaps there will be a new ferry service or train line planned that will make it much easier and faster to get to work from far away. This might also have implications for the future development of that neighborhood.
Follow the sun
Have you decided on the location? That’s great!
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. As an architect, one of the top priorities for me when looking for the right house is that the rooms should follow the sun. This means that the rooms should be located to get sunlight throughout different times of the day.
For example:
I would prefer having the bedrooms facing southeast because for me it’s important to wake up to the first light of the day.
At the same time, it’s also nice to have that natural morning sunlight in the kitchen when making breakfast. As such the kitchen should have a window facing east, or south.
The late morning and early afternoon sun shines brightly from the direct south and southwest. This would be a good location for a home office, a living room, or a family room for get-togethers on weekends.
As the sun travels across the sky, it finds itself shining from the west during the late afternoon and early evening hours. Try to capture that last bit of sunlight with a west-facing window in the dining room.
Rooms that may not require windows, such as closets, pantries, or garages should be in the northern areas of the house.
If you are looking for an apartment in a dense urban area, chances are you won’t have the opportunities as a suburban or rural house described above. In that case, the general rule would be to face south. This way the apartment will capture the sun throughout the day.
During winter months the sun can be your best friend in bringing passive heating to your home. Less energy spent on heating means a lower energy bill and your wallet will thank you for that.
Just like a flower grows towards the sun, we should also strive to live closer to nature and the house you choose should help you achieve that.
Does the house breathe?
Fresh air must have a way of entering the house and exhaust air has a way to get out. It would be even better if windows were located on opposite sides of the room to allow for cross-ventilation. Sometimes just having an opening window is not enough. There must be a path for the air to both get in and circulate through the room or space.
Fresh air can also be brought into the house through mechanical ventilation. However, the typical house on the market most likely uses a system that recycles the air that’s already inside the house. This could potentially be bad as the pollutants in the house, such as from the gas range, remain in the air longer. Newer houses on the market may have more advanced mechanical heating and cooling systems to include bringing fresh air in from outside, especially important in the winter months when opening a window may not be desirable.
Kitchen and Bathrooms
Probably one of the most important things on the list would be the kitchen and the bathrooms. I’m sure you also have a checklist of what you want. I would also be looking for possibilities for renovation. Moving these two rooms would take a lot of effort and planning. Depending on the layout, it might not even be possible. This ties into the last topic of this article.
Details
When it comes to picking the right house, there are some details to look out for that might give you a clue of what’s behind the walls as well as any red flags.
I once saw a kitchen island with a waterfall countertop where the countertop flows down the sides of the island. There was an outlet on one side of the island, and upon a closer look, I noticed it was a regular outlet, not a GFCI outlet (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter). It’s the type of outlet you should find in wet areas that prevent an electric shock if it comes in contact with water. This was a big red flag for me, especially considering that the kitchen sink was also on this island.
Take a good look at the windows. Do they look like they’re in good condition? The biggest source of energy loss is through the windows and this will show up on your energy bill. Put your hand around the sashes and frames. If you can feel air flowing, this is a clear sign that heat is leaving the house and the cold is coming in. This could also eventually lead to mold and moisture issues. Most windows will probably have two layers of glass. This is more energy efficient. But some older homes may just have windows with a single pane of glass. These should be replaced.
Another detail that is not entirely tied to the house is the listing itself. It’s not very common, but sometimes, especially in a dense urban area, you might notice the house or apartment is listed for a certain number of bedrooms but when you view the floor plan you have a hard time matching that number. The legal requirements for what’s considered a bedroom are natural light and air through windows or skylights and a minimum room dimension. In New York City this minimum room dimension is eight feet. Chances are if the “bedroom” you’re being shown feels off, it might just be.
Potential
Architects are trained to see potential.
When selecting the right home, it’s not a bad idea to keep in mind the possibilities for renovation, addition, and enlargement. Sometimes it may make more sense financially to pick a less expensive house with great potential. That would be where an architect comes into the picture to help.
Does the current zoning allow for an addition? Maybe you are allowed to build an accessory dwelling unit in the backyard.
What about adding another story above? Can the existing structure and foundation handle the additional loads?
Speaking of structure, where are the existing load-bearing walls? Maybe you are considering opening some walls to allow greater bonding within the family. It would help to know which walls can be touched, and which walls cannot.
This also goes back to the existing kitchens and bathrooms. The kitchen and bathroom are the most popular targets for renovation projects. While it may be relatively simple to replace a few fixtures or enlarge the bathroom, it can be very costly to relocate the entire thing altogether. This is why it’s important to make sure the layout of the house makes sense from the beginning. You wouldn’t want the bathroom to capture all the warm afternoon light. Unless of course, that’s what you’re going for.
Conclusion
Finding the right home is not an easy task. Above all, the house you choose must support the life that you want to live. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give me a call or shoot me an email and I will be happy to assist.
