some explanation

Several people have asked me about the site plan that I posted. Specifically, why we were orienting the house the way we are.  First, nothing is written in stone, the tentative placement is just that, but there are several reasons for that particular placement. 

1. The western part of the property is very swampy, in fact wetlands.  We are waiting on the wetlands part of the survey as I write.  This will tell us where exactly we can and can not build.  
2. We want a large "back" yard.  If we place the house more centrally, we won't have any one particular big yard.
3.  We want to use geothermal energy for our heating and AC.  This will require that we dig two, possibly more wells in preparation.  While I'm not sure yet how much room that will take, I think that western portion will be enough.
4. Lastly, we are supplementing our heat with a passive solar design.  This requires that the house faces within 30 degrees of true north.  The way the house is oriented in the site plans is very close to north.

We are still talking about the orientation of the house, for privacy, view, and praticality.  I will continue to update on that front.