Americans are turning to an unexpected place to express individuality and affirm their social status—the bathroom. Taking the lead from Hollywood Stars and a new breed of interior designers on television, people all over the country have decided to enhance their homes with fixtures previously found only in luxury spas.

Americans are turning to an unexpected place to express individuality and affirm their social status—the bathroom. Taking the lead from Hollywood Stars and a new breed of interior designers on television, people all over the country have decided to enhance their homes with fixtures previously found only in luxury spas.

Infrared ray saunas, steam showers, and bidet toilets are just a few of the exciting new home spa products beginning to appear in modern master bathrooms. And today it’s not just stars like Will Smith who can afford luxuries like paperless toilets. US spa and bath companies are finding new ways to make these luxury items accessible to the everyday consumer.

According to Christopher Keeling, a real estate professional in Bethesda, Md., modern home improvement is all about finding the right item for the right price. “Twenty years ago, you would only see these types of fixtures in the bathroom of a Hollywood star. Now, everyone is watching shows like MTV Cribs and Trading Spaces and they want their bathrooms to look and feel the same way as the bathrooms they see on television.” Due to recent innovations in design, production and sales channels, this desire is no longer a fantasy.

The e-commerce revolution, for example, has contributed to the sharp decline in home spa prices over the last five years. Until very recently, the cost of operating retail space was the most important factor in pricing bulky items like saunas or hot tubs. Now the Internet is allowing vendors to reach customers nationwide without the need for expensive retail locations.

For some consumers the low prices on home spas are providing the opportunity to show-off to friends and family. “Installing a sauna or high-end steam shower is a great way impress the neighbors and a wonderful means to enhance your quality of life,” says David Petersen of Wasauna, a Phoenix, Ariz. maker of home spa products.

Wasauna’s sales of these luxury items have nearly doubled over the past 12 months, with handmade spruce wood saunas as the best selling item.

“People want to feel like a star,” Petersen says. “And they want to feel that way everyday.”

Driven by hit television shows about home improvement and luxury lifestyles, the demand for saunas and other home spa products is growing at breakneck speeds. Meanwhile, low-cost production techniques and e-commerce have brought prices for these luxury items into the reach of millions of consumers.

About Wasauna ( wasauna.com Wasauna.com):
Wasauna has earned a reputation as a leading manufacturer of home spa products including spruce wood saunas, steam showers and hot tubs. Based in Phoenix, Ariz., Wasauna distributes its spa products to customers throughout the United States, Great Britain and Australia.

Contact:
Ryan Petersen
240-764-4727

One of the easiest ways you have to light a dark corner in your bedroom or add some atmospheric lighting to your living-room area, is to place your choice of lamp. With numerous designs, shapes, colors, dimensions or lighting abilities, lamps constitute one of the most convenient methods one has to alter the lighting tone of a room. In fact, the lighting selected and used can complete the statement of a house or enhance the décor of an usually professionally looking office space.

According to interior designers the lighting of one’s house or office can ultimately affect a person’s state of mind. Whether you are looking for a little romance, relaxation, fun, or sophistication, the lamps selected to light a place can improve a room’s decoration and give the feeling one is looking for. In addition, since most of the lamps sold today are not difficult to assemble or carry, they are a perfect way to bring personal tastes and styles into a home or office.

Lamps should be functional as well as affordable, but they should also make a statement. Thus, it is advisable to take time selecting the best possible choices on the market always in relation to the available budget and in accordance to one’s personal taste. Being part of a room’s decoration elements, lamps, and in general the right type of lighting, are a very important part of a polished look. By combining them with furniture, window or bed dressings, and other accessories, one can change or advance the ambience of an indoor area.

Whether you are looking for a crystal lamp, a bedside table lamp, a floor lamp or a reading lamp, chances are that you will be able to find exactly what you need when you look at the right places. Big department stores offer cheaper versions of otherwise expensive lighting choices, but if budget is not an issue, you can purchase an antique design or a very modern stylish one and complete your room’s look. In addition, with the right decorating tricks or tips it is also possible to improve your lighting experience and get the result you dream of. Replacing bulbs or shades can be the most inexpensive way to renew an otherwise old-looking lamp and if you know how to surf the online databases of stores, you can order and receive your ideal lamp without stepping one foot outside your house. So, take a closer look to your lighting needs, decide on an budget and then hunt for the right lamp that will make your reading or relaxing experience an unforgettable one.

John Gibb is the owner of

Prioritising Your Choices

The “Your Home” project should be about improving the quality of life of the residents and reducing the overall environmental impact. Cost is usually the main consideration when selecting what to include and what to leave out. Creating the perfect sustainable home will be out of the range of most budgets – but what does that mean anyway. This sums it up: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the future without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (WCED, 1987 Brundtland Report).

Planning a reno includes prioritising the things you want to achieve such as more space, a better kitchen or bathroom, more sunlight, reduced energy and water consumption etc. Search the internet for facts on suitable materials, types of glass, well designed lighting, and energy saving appliances.

The following important considerations are helpful when decisions have to be made on designing, buying, building or renovating a home.

Energy Efficient, Sustainable Homes

These are rapidly increasing in value owing to their greater comfort levels and lower running costs. Your home will be around for at least 50 years and its resale value will be increasingly linked to these features. Sustainable housing include technologies that cover a wide range of topics including rainwater storage, solar energy, composting, renewable building materials, efficient appliances. In Australia there are now whole housing developments being built as sustainable homes.

Reducing Energy Consumption

This is an urgent priority. Global warming and its effects on climate change are already becoming apparent.These will invariably lead to higher prices for energy from non-renewable sources. Look for appliances with high star ratings that will not only save on your pocket expenses but will help save our planet. Little things like monitoring your gas and electricity bills for unexpected increases then working out how you can further decrease your usage; Insulate hot water pipes; Set the thermostat at 60-65 Deg C on storage hot water systems and 50 deg C on instantaneous systems; Turn off hot water systems when on vacation; Put a timer on the electric booster of solar hot water heaters and on peak electric storage systems to avoid heating water when not needed; turn appliances off at the wall (you’ll be amazed how much energy you can save – not to mention reduce the risk of fire).

Water Usage

Water is in short supply the world over. Rising demand for houshold water is competing with needs of agriculture and both are reducing the environmental flow needed to keep our rivers and waterways healthy. The application of these ways to use water in a sustainable way will depend on whether you live in the country or the cities, in the tropics or the temperate areas. Examine these suggestions and decide what may be able to improve your quality of life and reduce your impact the on the environment. Install AAA rated shower heads and dual flush toilet cisterns that save water; Reduce water demand; Rainwater harvesting; On-site wastewater reuse; Waterless toilets; Stormwater management; Outdoor water use; Fix leaking taps.

Passive Cooling

Air movement is the most important element of passive cooling, and this is produced by fans. They increase cooling by increasing evaporation rates. Hot humid (tropical) climates limit the body’s ability to lose heat by evaporation of perspiration. Sleeping comfort is a significant issue. Design eaves and shading to permanently exclude solar access to rooms; Maximise shaded external areas with trees and plants – this will also lower the ground temperature.

Use low energy ceiling fans and natural cooling whole house fans to draw the cooler air in from outside and when there is no breeze. Note that natural cooling whole house fans also remove the odors and toxins from your home and lower the need for refrigerated air conditioning. Choose windows with maximum opening areas e.g. louvres or shutters – avoid fixed glass areas.

Hot dry areas require the introduction of water into the atmosphere. Evaporative cooling is an effective passive cooling method and works best when relative humidity if lower (70 percent or less during hottest periods) and the air has a greater capacity to take up water vapour. Design solutions include the use of pools, ponds and water features immediately outside windows or in courtyards to precool air entering the house. Carefully located water features can create convective breezes. Other cooling tips in tropical areas can also be applied to hot dry areas.

Passive (Solar) Heating

In cold climates establish where your sun moves during summer and winter and design your windows to let the suns heat in while insulating against the cold. In hot and moderate climates admit light but reject the heat. Open floor plans allow more sun inside. The sun’s heat is stored in the thermal mass of your building – concrete, masonry, stone slabs – and is slowly released. Proper building orientation will allow solar heat to enter the home in winter, while allowing in as little sun as possible during summer. Shading and overhangs also reduce excessive summer heat, while still permitting winter sun. In passive solar designs, the optimal window-to-wall area ratio is 25-35 percent.

I hope that this information has helped you make important decisions on your most important projects.

Author: Brendan Hogg. Brendan is Manager of Cardiffair natural cooling fans. He is Housing Industry Association Green Smart Qualified and experienced in air movement for comfort and a healthier indoor environment. Visit cardiffair.com.au cardiffair.com.au

Many druggies want to keep their little drug sales Home Business to themselves and they do not want the US Government or even local law enforcement to use thermal imaging to see if they are growing something in there or cooking up some toxic crystal meth. I guess that makes sense, no body wants to go to jail, even if they are breaking the law and poisoning the minds of our children right?

Well then, I would like to talk about the use of thermal images in for seeing into homes. It was determined by the Supreme Court on June 11, 2001 that this could not be used, yet many policing agencies still use it all the time and make up all sorts of excuses then go find some bogus witness to say they are growing or manufacturing drugs in there to get a search warrant. In fact there have been cases that even though it is not allowed some agencies still use this great technology to catch criminals such as the DEA, FBI, Boarder Patrol, etc.

Indeed, as a matter of fact in AirBeat Magazine there was an article in June of 2002 there was a killer article about the use on all modern metro police helicopters which use this technology to catch fleeing on foot fugitives or rabbits (those trying to evade police).

Today there are now even hand held units that do ultrasound through walls and other technology and even being used in Iraq. The special ops military uses them and you can buy one if you know where to look such as Soldier of Fortune Magazine. You just need a good reason, for instance you work for animal control agencies volunteering the night shift or have a big game hunting licence. That is what we told them and they said they could sell us a unit. WOW, that was with one phone call. Go to:

supremecourtsus.gov

and click on “opinions” then click on “Latest Slip Opinions” then click on “Kyllo Vs. United States” This was the case where the bozo in OR was growing marijuana in his home and they used a thermal scanner to see the heat lamps that were way off the spectrum.

alea.org

It is interesting stuff, although the Constitution Crowd is a little upset with Big Government and Big Brother and the drug runners, dealers, growers and cookers are now developing ways to shield the heat signatures and thus the war on drugs just got a little more high-tech indeed; on both sides. Consider all this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” – Online WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/ Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; WorldThinkTank.net www.WorldThinkTank.net/

There is great importance placed on the relevance of Feng Shui bookcases in a home, office or bedroom that is trying to partake in Feng Shui practices. It is reflected in an area of Feng Shui called the Knowledge and Self-Cultivation area. You will find that there are Feng Shui bookcases in any area that is separated by the main section due to the nature of this area of Feng Shui. This area is said to represent the desire to learn more and become as a result, more being and a process of knowing more. It doesn’t matter the age of the person trying to place any Feng Shui bookcases; they must be placed strategically in accordance with Feng Shui beliefs in order to be perceived as working effectively.

Knowledge & Self-Cultivation and Feng Shui Bookcases

The very statement itself seems a bit misleading in that like the Feng Shui water dragon emits an immediate mental image of a horrible dragon, the Feng Shui bookcases statement sounds like an actual product manufactured by Feng Shui. Just as the water dragon is a myth, Feng Shui bookcases is not an actual product but it lies in the placement of objects in the Knowledge & Self Cultivation area of Feng Shui. This is an area that directly pertains to Feng Shui bookcases and the promotion of growth for the spirit, mind, soul and body. A globe should also be placed in this area as it also plays a role in knowledge and the desire to learn more about the world around you. As well as the globe and Feng Shui bookcases, you should have pens and pencils along with paper or a journal to promote the recording of your thoughts and feelings while inspired by this areas.

Tips for Placing Feng Shui Bookcases

Feng Shui bookcases should be filled with books, as many as it can possibly hold to signify your knowledge and desire to learn more knowledge as you grow. Any good Feng Shui bookcases should have doors on it and if doors are absent, in order to make up for it, it is suitable to pull all the books on your Feng Shui bookcases so that they are flush and plumb with the shelf that they sit on.

In your own personal little area of knowledge, it is also wise to place many plants, as plants are a very high promoter of growth as they are continually growing and flourish over and over again.

If you want to learn more about fengshuiclarity.com/about” target=”_blank feng shui products please visit our site which is free to the public. You’ll find the best tips on everything to do with fengshuiclarity.com” target=”_blank feng shui tips

Your carpets represent a very significant investment, and keeping them clean and new looking is an important part of enhancing the overall look and appeal of your home. Taking proper care of them is absolutely essential to insuring they will have a long and useful life. Here are some carpet cleaning tips to help you retain the beauty and wearability of your carpets.

** Clean your carpets regularly

If you let dirt and oily residue collect on your carpet it will attact further dirt, and walking on the dirty areas will break down both the carpet fibers and the carpet base. It is best to frequently vacuum your carpets to remove as much loose dirt as possible — to get down into the fibers and pull the dirt out before it becomes much more firmly embedded.

** Remove stains as quickly as possible

Stains are caused by oily liquids dropped on the carpet. The liquid residue saturates areas of the fiber and leaves an ugly stain. Or they can result from dirty shoes or boots in high traffic areas. It is important to remove stains as quickly as possible because they become more difficult to remove when they are allowed to dry and harden.

** Scrape dried soil

If soil or other kinds of dirt have been tracked into areas of your carpet, it will probably be necessary to scrape some of the areas where they have dried into small clumps. Use a blunt metal object to break up the dried spot and loosen the dirt so it can be vacuumed.

** Test spotting agents and stain removers

Not all carpets are the same, and they react differently to different chemical cleaners. Always be sure to test a spotting or stain removal agent before applying it to a critical area. Apply it to a spot in a hidden area, and then let the test dry properly before proceeding to the visible areas of your carpet.

** Follow instructions when using chemical cleaning agents

Do not use a harsh spotter or chemical cleaner without properly testing it, and always begin with a less harsh spotting agent. If that does not work, move on to something that is stronger.

Be sure to follow the instructions provided with the spotting agent. They will usually include recommendations for application strength, and will give you some idea of the kinds of stains they can be effectively used to remove.

Most strong spotters are either high acid or high alkaline based. After using one of these, neutralize the area by applying a neutralizing agent as recommended in the instructions. Or if it is not clear what neutralizing agent to use, use water to rinse the area thoroughly.

** Minimize detergent residue

Whenever you use a detergent to clean your carpet you will probably leave a detergent residue in the fibers. This residue can build up and actually attract dirt and show up as powder within the fibers.

So it is important to remove as much of the detergent residue as possible. Often vacuuming is not enough. You should occasionally use an extraction process that uses rotary scrubbing so the fibers are thoroughly cleaned.

Rick Hendershot publishes linknet-news.com Linknet News | carpetcleaners-dallas.com Carpet cleaning services in Dallas | floridamortgageguide.org Florida Mortgage Guide – Free CD and workbook.

Many Florida residents that have come from the North are surprised by the idea of roof cleaning – and even more surprised by the fact that many communities here in Florida require it. Reasons for cleaning include aesthetics, property values, energy efficiency, and increased longevity of the roof.

Whatever the main reason, if it is going to be done, it is your best interest to know what choices are available to you. A quality roof should last upwards of 30 years if cared for and maintained properly. Unfortunately, many roofs here in Florida (and increasingly throughout the US) are subjected to unnecessary stress while cleaning the greatly reduces the life expectancy of the roof. With repeated roof cleaning comes certain pitfalls that every homeowner, property manager, and professional cleaner should be aware of in order to avoid damage to property, unnecessary repair costs, and the premature replacement of the roof.

WHY HAS THE ROOF TURNED BLACK?
The black streaking typically found on homes in areas where moisture settles on shingles is not caused by mildew or fungus; it’s roof algae. 3M scientists have identified the most common form as Gloeocapsa Magma. Algae spores are carried b the wind, which is why so many houses in the neighborhood can end up with this problem. During the last 20 years, this particular algae strain has become hardier and so has been able to migrate to less humid environments than it has in the past. And in areas where it traditionally has been found, the staining is showing up earlier, is more severe and settles on a greater number of roofs.

HOW CAN IT BE CLEANED?
Typical roof cleaning methods involve either pressure cleaning or chemical solutions containing Chlorine Bleach or Sodium Hydroxide. If used properly, these methods will clean the roof with minimal adverse impact – but the effects can be very temporary and will generally have to be repeated every 6-18 months in order to maintain the appearance of the roof.

WHAT IS THE BEST CLEANING METHOD?
Each method has its advantages and disadvantages.

A chlorine and water solution can be used followed by a thorough rinse. Of course, since chlorine can be toxic to people and plants, proper care should be taken to protect employees and the surrounding property from overspray and runoff. The benefits to using chlorine include a much faster cleaning process and minimal rinsing as compared to other methods. This translates into much less wear & tear on the roof – particularly asphalt shingle roofs.

Sodium Hydroxide based cleaners are generally advertised as safer for the landscaping, but sodium hydroxide is caustic, very toxic, and care should also be used to protect employees and surrounding property. Sodium hydroxide is also a very effective degreaser. So high levels of sodium hydroxide in a cleaning product can cause damage to an asphalt shingle roof that can be irreversible. These products generally require much more rinsing than the chlorine method. The rinsing process is not only time consuming, but it can also be potentially damaging to the roof if not done correctly. A quality sodium hydroxide based product should not require any more than 100 psi to effectively rinse an asphalt shingle roof and even then some granule loss should be expected.

Pressure cleaning is an option that should only be used on a concrete, barrel tile, or metal roofs. Pressure cleaning has the advantage of not requiring chemicals, which eliminates some of the cost – in addition to landscaping and chemical exposure concerns. The down side to pressure cleaning is that it is very time consuming and it exerts tremendous force on a surface that is not really designed to handle it. In addition, repeated pressure cleaning can wear away the surface of some tiles that are only covered by a thin layer of coloring. When this happens, the grey concrete color starts to show through and the roof must be stained or painted.

THESE METHODS ARE NOT LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS.
While these methods are relatively safe and effective when done properly, repeated use will lead to premature aging of the roof. The natural erosion that occurs over tie from the basic forces of heat, cold, wind, and rain alone are enough to weaken most roofs to the point where annual inspections and minor repairs are necessary to prevent significant repair costs. But when the roof is repeatedly subjected to high pressure or harsh chemicals, the aging of the roof structure is significantly accelerated. With repeated cleaning, tiles are more likely to shift, slip, or break and asphalt shingles are more likely to become brittle and crack. When this happens, there is a greater likelihood of tearing the roof membrane simply by walking on the roof. Once gaps are created in the roof and subsequent pressure cleaning or chemical cleaning takes place, these gaps provide the water or caustic solutions a path to the roof membrane and increase the chance of costly roof leaks.

WHAT IS THE ALTERNATIVE?
A proper program of preventative maintenance will eliminate the need for future cleaning and the potential for damage that comes along with it. Preventing the recurrence of the algae growth will require a light spray of chlorine and water or an algae prevention product.

Most quality algaecides will last for approximately 6-12 months before reapplication of the product is necessary. Obviously, the longer the time frame, the better your chances are of minimizing and unnecessary damage to the roof. Prevention programs should be done in conjunction with neighbors whenever possible and many can be applied without a need for walking on the roof.

One important mote about algaecides: Algaecide products are regulated at both the state and federal level. Any algaecide product used on a roof requires EPA registration as a pesticide or biocide and approval for use on a roof. Contractors found violating the law in this regard cold find themselves facing fines up to $10,000. per occurrence.

John Browne
Roof-A-Cide, Inc.

For additional information on Professional Roof Cleaning and Algae Prevention, please visit our webstite: Roof-A-Cide.com/ Roof-A-Cide.com/ or call
800/806-6727

Maybe this should have been lesson #1 – it’s such a common mistake. The oft-neglected rule is this: not every house plans fits – or can easily be made to fit – on every site.

Potential Disaster

You’ve seen the sad, odd result of this mistake before – the one-level house precariously perched on a steeply sloping site. In the Midwestern and Southern United States it’ll be supported on stacks and stacks of concrete block; in the California hills it’s even worse – houses on stilts! But it does make for great video when a mudslide or earthquake takes one into the ravine below.

Most plan book houses are “designed” to be placed on flat lots, and granted, the majority of building lots are relatively flat. But many house plan buyers have more challenging properties and these lots require a design that responds appropriately.

You can buy “sloped lot” designs from some house plan sites, and these are a step in the right direction – if you know what to look for.

The Four “S’s” of Siting a House – Slope, Sun, Soil, and Sewer

Slope The slope of the property can have a big effect on the cost of your project – a house placed on a slope will most definitely cost more to build than on a flat lot. Does your house have to be placed on the slope? Perhaps it can be placed at the top or bottom – taking advantage of the views from the slope but not incurring the costs of building there.

Many owners of sloping lots want to take advantage of that situation by including a “walk-out” basement in the plan. It’s a great way to increase the space in your house for a relatively small cost. The steepness of the slope will partly determine how much excavation and/or fill is necessary to create the walkout.

But a walk-out basement will also require a few special details and some additional structural information to accomplish properly and to get permits from most building departments. Be sure your plan includes such provisions for a walk-out, or have someone make the necessary revisions to the plans for you.

Homes on sloped lots often require more (read: costly) gravel backfill material at the foundation; they might need expensive retaining walls to create a flat area for a driveway or hold back soil at the walk-out; and they usually have a full basement – whether you want it or not.

Looks for plans designed for sloped lots – they’re usually multi-level plans and are usually listed as “sloped lot plans” on house plan websites.

Here’s the bottom line – carefully analyze (with the help of a design professional if necessary) the impact that your sloped lot may have on your choice of house plans. Choose a house plan that’s appropriate for the lot without expensive modifications or construction techniques.

Sun Most homes are designed with the primary family living spaces at the back (kitchen, breakfast room, family room). These are the rooms you want sunlight in; the rooms with all the expensive windows. And you’ll get that sunlight through those windows, too – if the back of the house faces south. That’s where the sun is, remember? If your lot is on the south side of the street, great.

But what if your lot is on the north side? All that living space, all that glass, isn’t going to get any direct sunlight at all. Or worse, your lot faces east, and the afternoon sun pours through that wall of west facing glass like a blast furnace – heating up the house and fading the furniture and carpeting.

Most house plan services will be happy to “flip” your plans for you if that will give the living spaces a better orientation to the sun. If the plan you’ve chosen is drawn on CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) software, then flipping the plan is easy. For hand drawn plans, you’ll have to make “reverse” prints yourself – easily done at your local reprographics (blueprint) shop. In Chapter #9 “Buy The “Right” Set Of Plans”, we’ll talk more about flipping floor plans.

Since we’re talking about sunlight, now’s a good time to bring up the subject of energy consumption. Houses use energy to keep heat in, and to keep heat out. The easiest and least expensive way to keep heat out of the house is with proper orientation of the windows and doors. The easiest way to keep heat in is to reduce the number of windows – so pay close attention to the number and location of windows in your house plan. A properly oriented plan can save you a lot in fuel bills.

Soil It’s amazing, every time a backhoe starts a new house foundation, how different soils can be from one building site to another. From loose sand to solid rock and everything in between, and sometimes on the same site!

Soil type can have a big impact on the cost of construction. Even if you know a lot about the underground conditions on your site, it’s a good idea to keep a little cash in reserve to deal with potential surprises lurking under the turf.

How much do you know about the soils on your home site? It’s relatively easy to learn the basic characteristics from your County Extension Service or local building department. You might also contact builders and excavators with experience in the area and ask them what they’ve encountered on other projects they’ve built near you.

House plan services that design all their own plans (like RTA Plans) often design them to fit the site conditions and building traditions of their local area. Some Southeastern plans, for example, have neither crawl spaces nor basements; they’re designed with foundations on multiple piers because of the low bearing capacity of the sandy soil. In areas with better soils this same system would be overkill.

A few of the plan services in the Great Plains and Texas design their homes on concrete slabs – there’s almost no foundation at all.

Some types of foundation systems that are popular in one region are unheard of in others. Typical practice in many areas is poured concrete walls – a potentially expensive option if your plans call for concrete block. It’s important to know what foundation systems are common where you’re building.

But even a house with the proper type of foundation for your site may need significant re-engineering to accommodate the local soils and the local building department.

Soils drain and retain water differently, and soils have vastly differently capacities to bear structural loads. In most areas, you’ll have to show the building department that your foundation is designed for the local soils conditions.

Don’t skip this step – if the plan you’re considering isn’t suited for the soil conditions on your site, you could spend thousands of dollars to have the plans modified accordingly.

Sewer The Plumber’s Credo – “everything flows downhill” is extremely important to remember when selecting a plan. On a developed lot, the municipal sanitary sewer line is buried near the front (usually) of the lot. The height of this pipe will determine the depth below grade of the basement slab since the effluent from the house must “flow downhill” to the sewer line.

Depending upon the soil conditions and slope of the lot, the sewer line may be too high to allow gravity flow from a basement, especially if you’re planning on having a bathroom in the basement. In such cases a “grinder” or “ejector” pump may be required to lift waste to the sewer height – at a cost of several thousand dollars.

An undeveloped lot is one where the utilities – electricity, water, gas, and public sewer – aren’t brought from the street to the buildable area of the lot. On larger undeveloped properties there may not be any public sanitary sewer to connect to at all. On such a lot, you’ll need some type of private sanitation system.

Several types of private sanitation systems are in use today including the traditional septic tank and leach field, aeration systems, and “mound” systems. They can vary widely in cost, and not all health districts allow all types. The choice of system will also be heavily weighted by the soil type and slope of the lot, and the available area(s) for the system. A typical leach field system will require a large clear area for a primary and second field.

Since a private sanitation system is more expensive than connecting to a public system, the cost isn’t typically considered in the “base” cost of building a house. A private sanitation system is usually an “extra”.

Put ‘em all together At this point you’ve probably begun to guess that all of the four critical site selection factors above can affect the same site. You’re right. A heavily-wooded, steeply-sloping property on the north side of the street with loose, sandy soil will require a very particular house plan indeed.

Will you be able to find that house plan on a website? Maybe – but perhaps just as important to you should be the desire to avoid purchasing a plan that won’t work on the property.

Richard L. Taylor, AIA is a published author and recognized expert in Residential Architecture. He is President of Richard Taylor Architects, a 5-person firm in Historic Dublin, Ohio.