Start talking to a local architect, it will be educational.

There are a lot of threads around here which talk about early planning, hiring an architect, site analysis and planning, etc. Rather than repeat everything, if you search for these subjects you will find a lot of good comments. Good luck on your project--exciting times! :-)

Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. I will search through the threads and see what I can find about the early planning process. Mark, you mentioned talking to an architect. Is it too early to start that conversation? Also, I am still trying to warm my husband up to the idea of using an architect. He is of the opinion that we can just design our own house, which is how it seems most people around here do it (with the help of their builder). Although the other day he came to me and somewhat sheepishly admitted that he had Googled "reasons you don't need an architect to build your house"... and pretty much all of the results were reasons why you DO actually need an architect. So I think I'm making some small progress. :)

I think the biggest issue you may face is the indoor / outdoor connection that you want along with the walk out basement. Usually the walk out portion is in the back, meaning the kitchen level / entertaining level is up in the air.

I have that now. We NEVER use the deck. the house feels grounded in the FRONT, but not the rear. We DO have great views from the main living area, but it's simply not connected to the outdoors with easy movement in and out.

Siting your house and the design to connect to the outdoors (preferably at ground level, IMO) will be a challenge. THAT will be the strength of an architect.

I always try a day in the life exercise, and then talk about how that all would work - you'll see the challenges in your layout (and it is probably a common one) but one that someone with design talent can help with and laypersons will struggle with. If you are planning for long term stay here -all the more reason to engage with someone who will think though all these things with you!

Actually, the purchase of land or a building site should be done with an architectural concept in mind. For example, southern orientation is ideal for the back or private side of the house, so that the major public living spaces of the house may be oriented to the south, and passive solar design strategies may easily be incorporated into the design of the house.

In another example, if indoor-outdoor living activities are important, then a relatively flat building site is important. Basements vary by region--they are common in many northern regions and unheard of in southern regions. The problem with basements is that they are a significant change in level to get to grade and enjoy the outside property.

These, and many more design considerations, are very important when one looks at and considers buying property. About the only time that site selection and site analysis are relatively unimportant is when one is buying a 60' X 120' (or other small dimensions) site in a tract subdivision or urban built-up area. In those situations, one is buying location, and not a specific site!

jannicone, thank you for the great insights. I do see what you are saying about the walkout basement causing the back to not feel grounded. Our current home has a low back deck (no walkout basement), and we also never use it. However, I think this is because to get to it from the living areas you have to walk past the dining room, down a hall, and through our small laundry room (which feels like another hallway) to get to the back door. Can you elaborate on what factors contribute to your deck not being used? What I'm imagining for our home is a layout with easy access to outdoor living areas, which I thought of as a deck. Maybe I'm thinking about it wrong and should give more importance to the backyard over the deck space, especially when we should have a pretty large yard. And maybe indoor/outdoor connection is the wrong terminology? I would love to be able to easily access our deck for grilling and dining. I'm picturing myself sitting on the deck, drinking my coffee, watching the sun come up... just dreaming here. :) We are also planning on a family room in the basement that would have easy access to the backyard.

Virgil, it looks like we've already committed mistake #1 then. We do love our location, and our loosely formulated idea was to put main living areas towards the East (back) and South, so we could enjoy them later in the day when the sun was on the other side of the house. However, I do like those sunset views. I also have an appreciation for passive solar design considerations thanks to some college engineering classes.

You've both given me some great things to think about with regards to the indoor/outdoor connection vs. the walkout basement. I think having a walkout basement will probably end up being a higher priority for us, but I do want to keep an open mind at this point and it's helpful hearing about real life experience living with that kind of arrangement.

Welcome aboard! Do start talking to architects. It's nice to start early and have the luxury of time to really think through ideas and possibilities. And it's a fun process.

Everything is local, Anglophilia. In some areas of the country, basement square footage does count. For example in the area where we are building (and where we've owned (just sold) a house with a finished basement for years) , the county, banks, real estate agents, and appraisers all include finished basement at the same value as the main and second stories. That's probably true elsewhere. Also, in our area, basement bedrooms are very common even in higher end homes.

I spent a similar amount of time learning and researching before building our house. I spent a lot of time studying our land throughout the seasons. It's surprising how much the angle of the sun changes through the seasons. Another good use of your time is to research modern building techniques. There are a number of alternative building methods, as well as amped-up 'standard' building methods that will result in an energy efficient home. Technology is breaking out all over in HVAC, water heating, alternate energy, etc. Just don't fall for the advertising claims- high-tech just for technology's sake won't necessarily save you money in the long run.

I'm glad I didn't know that the main living area of our house should be at ground level. We like the 'treehouse' feel of having our kitchen, DR, and LR elevated, and use our raised deck all of the time. We also have a front porch at ground level, and like it as well, choosing our outdoor area based on the weather and the view we want.

As young as you are, it would be unusual indeed to consider your new home as 'forever'. All that bucolic farmland around you could very well be sprawling subdivisions faster than you think. There's still no harm in incorporating Universal Design, though- even young people can wind up incapacitated from injury or illness.

We also use our raised deck all of the time in warm weather months. I think usage is based on two things: access and what one puts on the deck. Ours is easily accessed through the kitchen/breakfast nook. It makes it easy to grill and watch anything cooking inside. We also have a comfy outdoor couch and chairs with a large umbrella for shade when needed. We often sit out there for coffee in the morning or relaxing after dinner. On pleasant days I'll take my laptop outside and work there. I know when we had an outdoor dining table and chairs there we didn't use it nearly as much.

It's never too early to engage an architect; and it's certainly never too early talk to an architect, it's usually cheap (free).

Here's why I think we don't use it:

• We have a walkout / daylight basement. Because I didn't want to block the sunlight in the basement, we have a cantilevered walkway across the back of the house and the deck is off the bedroom corner.
• You have to walk a significant amount to get to the deck, even though we have 3 french doors that lead out to it from the kitchen and great rooms.
• We have dogs - usually old, often blind. Using the deck for any sort of access to the back yard won't work. (and besides, they get outside and will need to pee - so trekking down 12 stairs isn't a good idea)
• The deck is on the east side of the house - so while it feels like it's in the trees - it's not all the bright, etc.

For us, the connection to the outdoors is more important with my feet on the ground or close to it - and with the deck - we're just too far up.

Orientation is important, but you live inside in most climates. My MIL's new condo had just-above-the-treetops views over a park and a churchyard. Everyone who visited commented on the view. Within months she dismissed the view as 'nice', but the room sizes were a pain -- and she didn't like the doorman. LOL

I don't know who can build a forever house that also suits a family of five or six. Childless couples have a hard time planning for small children's needs. Couples with small children can't envision the space their kids -- and the kids' friends -- will need when they are the size of adults. Empty-nesters plan space for graduating seniors who will not be 'coming home' again. I know that I didn't know at 65 what would work best for me at 75.

At thirty, you have 20 - 30 years to enjoy a family home. You can think about that 'forever' home later. Get going on what you need now ASAP. You don't want to spend your children's growing up years concentrating on creating The Perfect House to house them.

Adding: I don't mean to sound so preachy. You'll build when you CAN!

Thank you Anglophilia and mojomom. We are pretty set on having the extra bedrooms in the basement. As mojomom said, this is very common where we live , even in high end homes, and I have no qualms about it whatsoever.

Mushcreek, I am glad you chimed in. I have followed some of your threads and really respect and admire what you have accomplished. We will also be DIYing some of our build (although not nearly to the degree that you did).

rrah and mushcreek, I'm glad to hear that you enjoy your deck space. We will have to think about what will give that space the most utility for us personally.

jannicone, thanks for answering my question. These insights are helpful.

chisue, I appreciated your post. Good point about living spaces. I hesitate to use the word "forever home" but we really do plan on this being the last move we have to make. Obviously life could throw some unforeseen circumstances at us, but barring anything really really surprising we plan on staying here. Again, this is a very rural area, and people just don't buy and sell to the same extent that they do in the city or even larger towns. To me, it's almost a foreign concept to buy/build for every stage of life. I'm trying to stay away from the idea of building the "perfect" home. We do want a well built and thoughtfully laid out home. If that doesn't work perfectly for every stage of life, that's okay with us. I've seen the small farmhouse that my dad was raised in. He had five siblings, and they also took in his grandparents towards the end of their life. Looking at it now, it would be almost inconceivable for even a family of three to live there, but they obviously made it work (although I'm sure it was far from ideal). Standards of living sure have changed! I also think that's one of the big advantages of a forum like this. As we move through the planning process, I may not necessarily know what we'll need for those different life stages, but people here who have been through that can hopefully offer some insight and advice based on their personal experiences.

chisue, I also thought it was interesting that you said "You don't want to spend your children's growing up years concentrating on creating The Perfect House to house them." That's a great point, and also one of the reasons we're not building yet! Our children are young, and building a house is a big commitment. We're doing okay where we are for now. We plan to GC our own build, and also DIY a portion of it. I know that's going to take a lot of time and focus, and I'm not prepared to take that away from my children right now. When they are a little older they'll be a little more self-sufficient, and also able to contribute more to the process.