SITE SELECTION
The first step in designing any house is to find the right location. In fact, the decision where to build is an irreversible one and may influence the resale value of the building. Therefore, you should consider factors such as a rural or urban environment, proximity to schools, work, shopping centres, emergency services, parks and amusements, roads, public transportation, municipal services, etc. You'll also have to look at the land zoning, the soil quality, nearby street traffic, noise, and trees. After this, the next step in the house design process is to prepare a site survey.
DESIGN PROCESS
At this stage, a residential architect plays a crucial role as he or she, after a thorough site analysis, provides preliminary house concepts and rough sketches of the exterior. It is also high time to prepare and approve a preliminary budget of house building.
© Valerijs Kostreckis – Fotolia.com
POINTS TO CONSIDER
The construction will yield the best results when you take into accountsome important things such as layout of rooms, plan for light, entrances and exits. First of all, whereas large living room or common areas should be placed toward the front of the house, its back should have the rooms that aren’t used by everybody, namely bedrooms or study rooms. Secondly, a good house design allows a good amount of natural light into the room throughout the year, which may be achieved through appropriate planning for windows, removing wall dividers from main rooms, as well as adding skylights in the roof. Finally, each house should have enough entrances and exits, including the main entrance in the front yard, side exits, a back door, and all the doors around the house.
THE CONSTRUCTION PERMIT
Once the house design is developed and the final floor plans, sections and elevations are decided upon, you must make sure your project complies with the standards, laws and regulations. A building inspector is a resource that will help you to ensure your plan complies with the municipality's requirements in matters of electric power, water supply and sewage.
HOME CONSTRUCTION
When building a house, it is better to opt for quality over quantity. Thus, you had better get the best contractor for the job you can.Once a contractor is chosen, a construction schedule is drawn up and the building of your home begins. The architect will make periodic visits to ensure that the construction stays on track.
MagdalenaKaczor
GLOSSARY:
ins and outs of sth – tajniki, szczegóły
foundations – fundamenty
roof – dach
to ensure – zapewniać, gwarantować
site selection – wybór lokalizacji
irreversible – nieodwracalny
resale value – wartość odsprzedaży
rural environment – środowisko wiejskie
urban environment – środowisko miejskie
proximity to sth – bliskość, sąsiedztwo
municipal services – usługi komunalne
land zoning – zabudowa i zagospodarowanie terenu
soil – gleba, grunt
site survey – obsługa geodezyjna
residential – mieszkaniowy
preliminary house concept – wstępna koncepcja domu
rough sketch – wstępny szkic
to approve – akceptować, zatwierdzać
to yield the best results – przynosić najlepsze efekty
to take into account – uwzględniać, brać pod uwagę
layout – tu: rozmieszczenie
common areas – wspólne pomieszczenia
wall divider – ścianka działowa
skylight – świetlik
side exit – boczne wyjście
construction permit – pozwolenie na budowę
floor plan – plan pomieszczeń
to comply with – być w zgodzie z
building inspector – inspektor nadzoru budowlanego
requirements – wymogi, wymagania
water supply – zaopatrzenie w wodę
sewage – ścieki kanalizacyjne
quality over quantity – jakość nad ilość
contractor – wykonawca robót
construction schedule – harmonogram robót budowlanych
to stay on track – tu: trzymać się planu, iść zgodnie z planem
