Building the Sun Cottage Part I: Site Selection

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You should also have the health inspector examine the property to establish whether-and where-a septic drainage field can be located, if this will be your method of handling waste. Without the health inspector's approval, you won't be able to get a building permit. And, because soil type can make such a difference in drainage requirements, the inspector will often take core samples to determine both the size of the field required and the optimum siting. (As previously noted, this procedure may also help you determine the suitability of the land for earth sheltering.)

Furthermore, though it has nothing to do with the land itself, the availability of a mortgage, with reasonable interest, from either the seller or a bank could provide an important incentive for choosing one lot over another. And, whether or not the tendet requires them, you should, exercise the safeguards of Title Search and Boundary Surveys. Once these have been completed, you can be sure that there are no restrictive covenants or title disputes that might later prohibit you from developing the land.

To recap the most important points we've covered thus far, a suitable location for a passive solar, earth-tempered house will have a gently sloping hillside that faces more or less to the south ... will be on a dry area out of the valley or nearly on the crest ... will have an assured water supply ill have an approved site for a drain ... w age field ... and will provide reasonable access to roads and powerlines. All of these considerations should add up to a feeling of rightness when you finally do find the place for your home.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A catalog of Angus Macdonald's standard designs for Iow-cost passive solar homes is available, for $5.00, from Survival Consultants, Dept. TMEN, P.O. Box 21, Rapidan, Virginia 22733. Complete plans, specifications, and cost analyst's for the Sun Cottage Modular-which we'll be describing in these articles-are also available from the firm, for $100. 

ABOUT THE SUN COTTAGE MODULAR

The series of articles that commences with this selection on choosing property will be centered on Angus, Macdonald's design called the Sun Cottage. In its basic form, the modular has one bedroom, encloses 720 square feet of living area, and has an estimated construction cost of only $17,500. The version MOTHER will be keeping an eye on, however, has a second bedroom on the east end... to give it 1, 023 square feet. By simply adding another room to the east, the floor space can be expanded to a full 1, 300 square feet. 

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