Buying an Old Vermont Home: Truth 4

Truth #4: Older homes take full advantage of their site. It occurred to me a number of years ago that one of the art forms that have really been lost over the years is the proper siting of a new home. With the dawn of the planned subdivision and the dreaded cul-de-sac, homes have become nothing more than playing pieces on a Monopoly board. You divide the land, create the lots, (all nice equal rectangles or squares) and you place the homes on them in the center of the lots facing the new streets. Gone are the days of walking the land, observing the sun patterns through the seasons, noting the prevailing fair weather wind and the gales that accompany any storms, observing the natural windbreaks and landscaping all before sighting your new home. The native Vermonters lived on and made their living from the land. The thoughtful sighting of their homes and farmstead was a matter of survival. It affected the heating of their homes, the productivity of the farms and in short the well being of their entire family. It was an extremely important part of the pre-construction preparation and was often done to perfection. This is one of the best reasons to explore older homes and is the one that is most often overlooked.