Where will the basement wall be situated?
There are many things to consider before you pour the basement wall. You should know where the sun will rise and set around your new home. You may want to sit on your deck in the afternoon and sun yourself. Or you may want the sun shining in your kitchen window at 7 am. It is nice to sit on your deck in the evening and watch the sun set. Take a few minutes to decide where to place the basement-wall. This will allow you to have full benefits from the sun.
If you are going to have flower beds around the new home it is important to know if the sun will be shining directly on them. Some plants don’t need a lot of sun and some do. You may want to work on your flower beds without too much sun shining down on you. You also have to consider how your driveway will approach the new home. Will the angle of the house allow you easy access to the two car garage?
If you don’t prepare the basement properly you will have water problems. Steep side hills can be very difficult to deal with. Don’t build your new home to close to the foot of a slope. Dig the basement away from side hills as far as you can. You need enough room to slope the ground away from the wall without digging into the side hill.
Once you disturb a side hill it will be difficult to maintain. You will have to spend a lot of money to deal with the problems that will occur. Retaining walls are expensive if one is needed. I have built several retaining walls for people and they are hard work. I will say it again; look your lot over carefully before you make any decisions. A residential general contractor will help you with your lot preparation. The equipment operators will give good advice as well. Surely someone can help you make the right decisions.
Some people can look at a building lot and say the new home needs to go here. Very few people have that gift. You need a creative mind to picture the new home already sitting on the lot. I can create a picture in my mind and build it. Doesn’t matter what it is! I can tell you exactly where the water will come in on the lot and leave. I can do this before a new home is ever built. So if you are absolutely sure where you want the basement wall, you can start to dig.
If you are going to have flower beds around the new home it is important to know if the sun will be shining directly on them. Some plants don’t need a lot of sun and some do. You may want to work on your flower beds without too much sun shining down on you. You also have to consider how your driveway will approach the new home. Will the angle of the house allow you easy access to the two car garage?
If you don’t prepare the basement properly you will have water problems. Steep side hills can be very difficult to deal with. Don’t build your new home to close to the foot of a slope. Dig the basement away from side hills as far as you can. You need enough room to slope the ground away from the wall without digging into the side hill.
Once you disturb a side hill it will be difficult to maintain. You will have to spend a lot of money to deal with the problems that will occur. Retaining walls are expensive if one is needed. I have built several retaining walls for people and they are hard work. I will say it again; look your lot over carefully before you make any decisions. A residential general contractor will help you with your lot preparation. The equipment operators will give good advice as well. Surely someone can help you make the right decisions.
Some people can look at a building lot and say the new home needs to go here. Very few people have that gift. You need a creative mind to picture the new home already sitting on the lot. I can create a picture in my mind and build it. Doesn’t matter what it is! I can tell you exactly where the water will come in on the lot and leave. I can do this before a new home is ever built. So if you are absolutely sure where you want the basement wall, you can start to dig.
