Proper placement of your green home

Sun angles and climate conditions are a big part of green building. One of the first things your home designer looks at for you is your lot in regards to home placement. Where are the major views, where does the sun come up and go down. Usually the best placement for a home is for the longer sides to face North or South. That way most of the glazing is not facing East or West. When looking at my situation, since my home plan was more square than rectangular, the most normal situation would be to face the front of the home toward the road. As you look at my site plan though, facing my home to the street would not take advantage of the best views, or the sites topography. And I'd have eleven windows facing West, and most of the rest facing East. By turning my home 90 degrees to the right, I can accomplish multiple objectives. My driveway crosses the stream at the head end for minimal impact on the site. I get an entry statement when you approach the house. I'm able to take advantage of the deep view of my lot and see my pond from the rear porch. I'm able to drive under my home for parking without having to go completely around it. In new home construction or in remodeling, a good site analysis is usually the difference between good design and not so good design.