In order to make reasonable decisions during the site-selection process, it helps to have general knowledge about:

• Land Use

• The size of blocks & Hierarchy of streets

• Style Considerations (Urbanism)

For deciding how to site the building, it helps to know:

• Form-Based Codes: how much space is needed for a house, for a driveway/garage, for a yard, for a garden, how to shape a cluster, how to position a house for sunlight

• Dynamic Codes, such as privacy requirements like setbacks from the road and neighboring houses, what views tend to be important to people, rules about plants/trees

• Negotiated Rights: ways to negotiate shared space with neighbors

• The back gable is broken into smaller units (a dormer) to emphasize the front gable. If the back gable was the same size, it might compete with the front of the house.

To determine the building's massing, it helps to know:

• Form-Based Codes: rules about density, rules about building types

• Massing Rules: rules about proportion/scale, 

• Style Considerations (Architecture): what elements are necessary to convey its style, its use, style compatibility, etc.

• The stairs are located so that the top landing is in between the second floor rooms. Having two stairways increases the loop distance through the house.

• The back office has access to the backyard.

To lay out the house, it helps to know:

• Spatial Rules like general sizes for most activities, rules about circulation, rules about privacy, maximizing sunlight and views

• Programmatic Rules like important adjacencies, different user groups, what activities are prioritized given available space, how to combine uses, find equivalent uses, etc.

• I chose the yellow color based on neighboring house colors and what felt right for the site.

• The window trim could be dark instead of white.

It helps to know about construction methods, materials, HVAC, structural rules of thumb, furniture layouts, technology and appliances, style details, etc. Style Renders offer a quick way to visualize ideas.