The first steps to
having a great country place are to find a great site and then
to plan it well. Here are some ideas on how to look at property
and how to lay out buildings on your land.
The aspect of the
dwelling should be considered in choosing a position. The fixed
location of roads, rivers, or other important features in the
scene, often lies in the way of a free choice in this
particular. At the same time there are numberless instances in
which we see great inattention to it, where there was no
obstacle to its proper consideration.
The best aspect,
in any country, for the principal front of a house, is that
towards the fair weather quarter - that point of the compass
from which the fairest and blandest wind blows most days in the
year - and the worst aspect, that from which the greatest number
of storms come.
Keeping these principles in view,
it is evident that the south-west is the best aspect for the
dwelling house in the United States, and the north-east the
worst aspect. The longest, most numerous, and most disagreeable
storms come from the last-named point of the compass, and the
most delicious of our fair weather days are from what the
Indians called the ‘sweet south-west,’ the land where their
ideal heaven of hunting grounds lies.
A.J.Downing, Hints to Persons
About Building in the Country, 1847
Improve Your Country Property
Build a shed, deck, gazebo, arbor, pergola, greenhouse, small
barn, playhouse or garden bridge with these plans and DIY
building kits.
Homestead Help on the eBackroad Find
home and garden tools, products, furnishings and more. Check out
the free plans for country buildings and woodwork projects.
Country Outbuildings Plans, prefabs and
easy building kits for horse barns, garages, sheds, pole barns,
work shops and country outbuildings.
