Building your home - Things to consider

by The Mind of An Architect | Feb 25, 2021 | Architecture

Building your home is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and each one of wants to do it right. But knowing what is right for you for just, not your interest and desire, but knowing the right amount of investment and the design and construction team.

Sometimes, we, as an individual struggle in figuring out how our very dream home should be like, how our vision that we have about it should be portrayed, that how is our dream home to be designed. Leading a series of questions over our heads just like it’s a blank canvas to be painted and the dilemma takes over when it comes to the choice of the colour.

How should you plan the rooms? Is it possible to reduce the usage of artificial conditioning? What kind of conceptual design you should go for? Should you hire a professional? How is the climate of my region affecting the design of my house?

Not only in modern times but for ages, it has not been just a need but also a dream of many to have a home of their own. They are spaces where you not only invest your time and money but your emotions and your values too. Where you and your family turn that very house, into a home.

The inhabitants have an influence of the home on them as the very surroundings, environment, will determine and outlay the style and the quality of life, making them a crucial part of the planning. An independent house is a long-term investment. It’s a place where generations of your family grow and build together. And we often struggle in figuring out, where to start?

How do you know what layout of the house will work best for you and your family? This particular question certainly has made people banter their heads upon and around things and people to seek answers.

When planning and constructing a house for you and your family, it’s necessary to consider the lifestyle and preferences of the household. And the location of the house determines the design and size of the various building element, i.e. doors and windows, courtyards, etc.

A house is a space used by various age groups, with diverse lifestyles, mindsets, perspectives, and health. Therefore, all these factors with personal needs and choices of the various individuals who live in that space have to be taken into consideration as the very first step of the design process.

Too many questions, too many doubts and too many things to handle at once. Often makes an individual scratch their heads. But today, via this article we are gonna try to understand and answer one of such questions as now, how does climate play a role in design and construction?




The location, orientation, and surroundings of your land have a major role in the planning and construction of your home. Appropriately, planning the house, keeping in mind the climate can help keep your home cool during the summer and warm during the winters, it will provide thermal comfort to the inhabitants by reducing the energy consumption.

For hot and dry climates, several design strategies can be adapted.

1 - Building fenestrations can be designed to promote shading, heat loss, and insulation.

2 - The building orientation should be along the north and south axis, and windows on the east and west side should be kept minimum to reduce the heat gain from the east and west side.

3 - Courtyards are a vital part of Indian households in the hot and dry region. They keep the house cool, at the same time provide a common open space in the house for quality time for the family.

4 - Jaalis and screens are functional and aesthetic elements that can be used in semi-open spaces, to bring in light and at the same time, keep the space cool.

5 - Light colors are considered, as they reflect heat and hence reduce heat gain.



These are just a few strategies to be considered when designing for hot and dry regions, and there are numerous ways to design and construct your house with a comfortable indoor environment. To guide you better, architects and designers will help every step of the way.