Soil It's amazing, every time a backhoe starts a new house foundation, how different soils can be from one building site to another. From loose sand to solid rock and everything in between, and sometimes on the same site!

4. Use lots and lots of windows--don't skimp on windows Place as many windows as you can on the walls, low, medium, and high on the walls. The purpose of the window is to eliminate the visual part of the wall, and make you feel part of the outdoors. An example--for anyone who's built a home, right after framing the house, the wall studs are exposed. When drywall is installed it seems like all the rooms get smaller. That's because you're losing the visual space into the next room. Windows regain the visual space. As a cost saving measure, not all windows need to be operable. Use a lot of fixed windows and only a couple of operable windows.

Here's the bottom line - carefully analyze (with the help of a design professional if necessary) the impact that your sloped lot may have on your choice of house plans. Choose a house plan that's appropriate for the lot without expensive modifications or construction techniques.

You can get the ball rolling and save some time in the early stages by doing at least part of the design yourself. It doesn't have to be to scale per se, but a simple sketch and notes can prove to be very useful in the beginning stages of the design process. Begin by making a list of must-haves and a separate wish list of things you'd like to include in your house plans. Your must-have list is going to obviously include the necessary rooms which include the family room, kitchen, dining room, and bathrooms. Your wish list, on the other hand, can and will include a number of extras that are only limited by your home's total heated square footage, land space, and most importantly your budget. Wish list items may include things like an extra bedroom for guest, an office, a bonus room, an entertainment room, or a game room.

You can buy "sloped lot" designs from some house plan sites, and these are a step in the right direction - if you know what to look for.

Homes on sloped lots often require more (read: costly) gravel backfill material at the foundation; they might need expensive retaining walls to create a flat area for a driveway or hold back soil at the walk-out; and they usually have a full basement - whether you want it or not.

Since we're talking about sunlight, now's a good time to bring up the subject of energy consumption. Houses use energy to keep heat in, and to keep heat out. The easiest and least expensive way to keep heat out of the house is with proper orientation of the windows and doors. The easiest way to keep heat in is to reduce the number of windows - so pay close attention to the number and location of windows in your house plan. A properly oriented plan can save you a lot in fuel bills.

Sun Most homes are designed with the primary family living spaces at the back (kitchen, breakfast room, family