Storybook Homes

To some it may not matter if the perfect site is chosen before they pick the perfect cottage to build upon it. However, many choose the perfect cottage and then find just the right site to place it on. Either way you go, considering the site in relation to your cottage or your cottage in relation to it’s new site is extremely important.

The best situation, according to some, is to acquire a building site with a slight slope to it. Flat lots may be all you have to choose from, but I would side with those who favor sites with some undulation and slope to it. Sites with drastic slopes however, can mean great views, but they are usually much more costly to build upon and to landscape.

Gentle sloping sites can provide all sorts of wonderful opportunities for visual impacts of both the cottage and the gardens. These varietal undulations can become centers of focus or dramatic vistas, especially if planned right, and that means the cottage design and it’s site should be complimentary and in harmony. The perfect site to me will have at least one location where most of the grounds and the cottage can be seen (from an elevated pad, either on the property or somewhere close to it). The cottage should be visible, if possible, from the road, but not with the intent to be proud and boastful, but in creating something so charming and beautiful, it should be shared with passer-bys so as to share with them the enchanting feelings of a picturesque little cottage and it’s cottage garden, there are just few things that match it in my opinion.

The ideal site (or building lot) should be facing South, with the road to the north of it, and it should be closer to the top of the hill, but not so close to the top as to lose it’s shelter and not so low down the hill as to lose the views of the distant hills or country side. It is also a good idea to maintain a good stand of trees on the North and North-east to help protect your cottage from the winds coming from those directions. Also, if possible, never place the cottage due North and South. It is much more desirable to place your cottage on a slight angle or “tilt” towards the east. This will allow the North side of the cottage to receive some sunlight in the evening. In other words, all sides of the cottage, during most of the year, will at one time of the day have sunlight shining into every room.

Another factor to consider when relating you cottage to the site (or vis-a-versa) is the “massing” of the structure in relation to the topography of your site. In other words, if you have a large flat site, the type of cottage that may best suit this particular site is a cottage with long horizontal lines, a cottage that is more sprawling rather than tall and narrow. Although, if there are large tall trees on the site then a compromise or combination of horizontal and perpendicular lines may be appropriate.

If your site is on a hillside and lacks tall trees, then the cottage should utilize both it’s mass and it’s characteristical profiles to counteract the slope and appear to be stable and “hunkered in”. This will be both pleasing to the eye and “natural looking”. This is also true for the placement of large boulders and rocks in the landscape, which should never appear to be setting on top of the soil, but rather, embedded into the hill and protruding from the soil. One is very natural and pleasant looking, while the other appears unnatural and artificially placed. There is just something a little strange and uneasy to me to see a big boulder sitting on top of the soil with most of it exposed in a home landscape or garden. I have to ask myself when I see a big misplaced boulder “where in the world did that come from?” or “is that thing going to roll away or worse yet roll into my cottage?”, and that’s generally not a good thing as design goes.

Another situation is, if your site is at the apex of a hill, then the cottage and it’s roofs could be designed in such a way as to carry the slope of the hill. Tall steep roofs may be just the ticket in this situation.

In the end, it is important to consider the site in relation to the mass and shape of the cottage. I also hope I don’t overwhelm you with too much information, these are just some ideas to help you create the perfect cottage for the perfect site.