So what do you consider?

Views: If there is a good view from your lot, that is going to really help you decide where to put your house, and could save you a whole lot of time in making a decision.you want it facing the view! Even if it means you flip-flop your house, because the view is off the back of the lot, you will want your main rooms (living room, family room, kitchen, and master bedroom) to be oriented to face the view. Otherwise you might be wasting one of the best features of the lot.

Relationship to other existing homes: If every house in your neighborhood is set perpendicularly to the street, and you put your house on a weird angle, it is going to really stand out. And, this isn't the kind of standing out you are going for. The same goes for how close to the street, or how far back other homes are. You want your house to blend into its environment and fit in with the neighbors! So, try to site your house similar to those around you in order to make your house a positive to the neighborhood rather than a negative.

Sun exposure: Depending on what you like or dislike, you want to consider the sun exposure when siting your home. For example, if you enjoy watching the sunset in the evenings, you will want your home to face west. Or if you live where it is hot, you will want the backyard facing west and the front facing east, so there is shade in the summer evenings. Even if you do not care too much about watching sunsets or sunrises, other factors contribute to sun exposure siting decisions. For example, if you live in a place with cold winters, you will probably want the side of your home with the most windows to be facing south. So, when letting sun exposure play a factor in determining where on your lot you place your house, consider preferences and climate.

Lay of the Land: You are probably going to put your house where you want it, but the easiest place to site a home is on perfectly flat land. However, most lots aren't perfectly flat, so you must decide how to take advantage of any sloping. For example, if the lot slopes down toward the street, you will want to build at the top of the slope because then from the street your house will look larger than it actually is. Or, if it slopes off on the back of the lot, you could take advantage of this and have a daylight basement!

Water flow: When you have a lot, you typically want the water to drain from the rear to the front, and then out to the street and storm drain. This is not always possible however. But, it is important to pay attention to how water drains so that you don't end up building your house in the middle of a big puddle and have to include an expensive drainage system, etc. You want water to drain around your house, so if there is a place where water drainage is being blocked, you may need to consider including a drainage system as part of your building plan.

Also, water flow affects erosion. Before you site your home, take erosion into consideration in order to avoid problems down the road.

Soil, and Septic: Hopefully you tested the soil, and you know that the soil can support a leach field (if you need one), and that the soil will support your home. If you know that the soil will support your needs, then you need to plot out exactly where the leach field will go. You want to put your leach field in before you excavate and start building so that you can site your home accordingly.

Driveway: You probably already realize that your driveway is important. It can add or subtract thousands from your total costs. So, when you site your house remember that you don't want to have a super long driveway, but you don't want a super short straight one either. The best is a moderate length with a curve.

Stake it: When you have considered all of the above factors, it is time to stake out your house. Take into account any easements, setbacks, leach fields, etc. Then, put your stakes in where the house will go. Once it is stakes re measure everything to make sure you have followed any setbacks and you don't pour your foundation and then find out you are a foot too far forward, or too close to your neighbor's house.