Vela Creations - Site Preparation

Before you start any kind of building project, there is a lot you need to think about. Try and do as much research as you can, as well as plans and models, to avoid any unforeseen complications. Things like winds, rains, heat, cold, valleys, rocks, etc. are not easy things to bend to your will, so work with them. Get to know your land and environment as intimately as you can.

Type of soil
Rocky ground allows for a good, solid base for your house, but it’s a pain to dig. Plan your house so that there is as little digging as possible. Filling in is easier than cutting through bedrock.

Soft ground is not as stable, and your efforts should revolve around making your foundation as strong as possible. The advantage is that you can make your home partially underground; the earth’s thermal mass is better than any insulation you can buy.

There are some types of soil that are ill suitable for building, such as clay and silt. Study the characteristics of your soil. Consider how much it shifts and sinks under weight, and how it reacts with frost and water.

The half-buried house we are currently building is in clay. In heavy rains there is an underground river as the water moves through the top levels of soil. When it dries out, the soil shrinks and cracks. To prevent any damage to our foundation, we have dug drainage trenches uphill of the building site, put pipes in gravel at the back of the hole we dug out, so that any water getting through will drain to that pipe and out. We also put a thick layer of compacted sand and gravel under the whole house site, and black plastic sits between it and our foundation and floor. No obstacle is insurmountable so long as you know that an obstacle exists. The surprises are where the true problems lie.

Type of land
If you have flat land, you will have less work to do on leveling a building site. However, you do not want to build in a flood plain. If there’s no natural drainage, you will have to provide some, or start looking into elevating your house.

Hills provide natural drainage, but also a stronger flow of water, so direct it well. The steepness of the slope will determine how much you have to cut out or fill in to level your building site. If you have to cut out a lot, you might consider having steps in your house, so that some rooms, or areas of a room, are raised slightly above others.

If you have a choice, build on the southern face of a hill. You will be more protected from cold, northern winds, and have more access to the warmth of the sun. A northern face will keep your house in the shade, especially in winter, when the sun is lower in the southern skies. This will increase your need for additional heating.

Climate
If you can think about your heating and cooling systems before you start to plan your house, you can save a lot of expense. The more the house is built to fit the environment, the more comfortable the ambient, natural temperature will be. For example, where we used to live we saw temperatures of 120ºF in summertime, but our house had no air-conditioning. We had windows and a vent system that ensured airflow and kept the place cool (and a fan for the rare days that it was completely still on our hill). We also had thick adobe walls, which, in summertime, never saw the sun, because of porches and eaves. The eaves hung out far enough that they blocked the sun in summer, yet in winter, when the sun’s path is lower in the southern skies, the sun hit the adobe all day long. Same with the porch on the east side: its roof was made up of vining plants, watered by the kitchen sink. In summer, their leaves were thick and offered significant shade; in winter, the leaves died and the sun could shine through.

Every climate is different. Study the weather patterns in your area and build your home to withstand the extremes, whether they are heat, cold, high winds, hail storms, etc. If we lived in a hurricane zone, we would live underground or build a concrete dome.

Next will come leveling the ground. You can do this by cutting out or filling in, though a combination of the two is often the least labor intensive.

Forethought
Before you pour the foundation, visualize the house as whole – a model is not a bad idea. It helps to know where windows and doors will be, as you might need to allow for them in your foundation. Where do your water, electric and gas lines come in and out? At what level do they need to come in: ground level, top of the foundation, up the wall a couple of feet?

Foundation
This is perhaps the most important stage of building, and one of the bigger costs. If you get it right, everything will go a lot smoother from there on out. If you get it wrong… well, don’t.

The depth and material used (like rock, or metal-reinforced concrete) will depend on the stability of your soil, the weight of the building that will sit on it, the frost level, and drainage. Consult local experts as much as you can.

The shape of your foundation is governed by your building’s design. Whether square or round, be precise when marking and digging the ground.