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The old farmstead above is like thousands and thousands across America that share remarkably similar site plans. Even though the buildings were added over generations, they were built strictly on the square with each other. All walls are parallel or at right angles, even on buildings that are hundreds of yards away from one another. This gives a visual character that’s a hallmark of American farm architecture. Old farmstead buildings seem as if they belong together, even if they are far apart, and even if they are very different in style, because they were carefully aligned with each other.
The visual effect is dramatic. Page through some of those great coffee-table books on barns and farms and you’ll see. Drive through the countryside and you’ll see it too. The places that catch your eye, that look just right and seem as if they have always been there and always will be, share the same simple method of site planning.
Keep it in mind as you plan your new
buildings. A pretty barn, garage or shed, finished to complement your house, and aligned with it, can’t fail to look great and improve the value of your property. And, it will cost you nothing more to plan your property right.
First, check on your community’s zoning code. There may be setback distances between your property lines and where you are permitted to build. Make sure the area that you’re planning to build on is clear of environmental or wetland restrictions. For secure foundations, you want to avoid marshy areas anyway. Have a surveyor, engineer or architect sketch a “building envelope,” and show your existing buildings on the same plan. The information might already be on your survey. The envelope is the area that’s clear of restrictions and that seems to have reasonably good soil.
Now, decide which building on your property is the most important or the most attractive. It’s probably your home or a big barn. That’s what your new
building should be aligned with. Draw a rough outline of your new building at the same scale as your envelope plan. Cut it out and move it around the site plan. Remember to keep it aligned, on the square, with your house or barn. Imagine how it would look and work in different positions.
Make common sense decisions. A stable should be downhill from your well. The new carriage barn shouldn’t block a nice view. Your new potting shed should be near the kitchen garden. Take your time. Walk around the area that you’re thinking of and go through the same paces that you will with the new
building. Drive your car or tractor into your imaginary garage. Make sure it can easily take the turns. Walk back to the house.
How convenient will that walk be, a few times everyday?
If one best position doesn’t win out, ask your architect, surveyor or engineer. It’s always good to have an impartial opinion. They may see things that you didn’t. That might make your decision easier.
Once you’ve picked a spot, you might need to present a site plan for zoning approval. Whoever plotted your building envelope can draw your new
building on the same plan. Make sure that the new structure is aligned with the old ones and that dimensions are shown between the new and old buildings. That way it will be an easy job for your contractor to place the actual building in the right position in your yard.
If you build your new
building well, it may stand there for the next few hundred years. Take the time now to make sure it’s standing in the right spot. Plan it like the old timers did, and, who knows, it might inspire a photo
in some 22nd century coffee-table book.
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