About the layout of a plot of 12 acres - landscape design options

Landscape design of 12 acres presupposes the presence of a relatively large space for the implementation of many ideas. But I want to do it right: so that there is a garage and a bathhouse, as well as a gazebo. All this should be conveniently located so that movement between objects is optimized according to the habits and wishes of the owners.

A plot of 12 acres cannot be called large, but it is quite possible to place everything you need here

General site planning rules

The basic principles of planning a modern site are:

• competent preparation;
• availability of a general plan and a detailed one;
• using current techniques and techniques for a spectacular appearance that is not inferior in practicality.

When planning the development of a site, it is necessary to take into account its shape, lighting, condition of the land and groundwater.
This applies not only to the arrangement of the landscape around the cottage, but also to the dacha area of ​​twelve hundred square meters. After all, the comfort of use depends on the layout of a plot of 12 acres, and its durability and overall impression depend on the correct approach.

Some points must be taken into account in advance. This applies, among other things, if it is necessary to pre-level the surface, or change the top layer of soil for a vegetable garden, garden area, or lawn.

Errors

The elongated rectangular shape of the site should not upset the owner, because there are many different techniques and ideas for its landscape design. Using some methods you can hide the shortcomings while emphasizing the advantages of the garden.

There are also ideas for visually adjusting space, but bringing them to life is sometimes not at all easy, so it is important to assess your strengths in advance and not take on too labor-intensive projects.

It is better to entrust their implementation to professional designers. When designing a rectangular garden plot, inexperienced people most often focus on the geometric lines.

When creating paths, organizing flower beds or laying out a mini-orchard, amateurs usually duplicate the configuration of the site, which is absolutely not allowed.

Often, owners create a straight path running along the entire garden. This is a big mistake, since this is how the path conditionally divides the garden into two parts, visually narrowing the area. Placing shrubs or flower beds of the correct geometric shape along the path only aggravates the situation, emphasizing the straight line. The same applies to lawns or flower beds located along the perimeter of the garden plot.

When designing the space of a rectangular or square garden, you need to use a minimum of straight lines, as they will visually “eat up” precious meters. It is better to resort to oval or round motifs.

If straight lines are used, then they should be placed diagonally or at an angle to the boundaries of the site. You can make flower beds in the shape of a diamond.

Territory zoning

If we talk about the design of a country house plot of 12 acres, its planning should begin with zoning. That is, you need a general plan of the top view, taking into account the slopes, sides and location of the fence - sketches.

Layout of the site with a children's playground in the middle, a separate area for adults, a garage combined with a utility block and a house in the back of the site

Layout of the site with a residential building and a separate garage on the front line, a recreation area in the central part, a utility room and a bathhouse in the far corners of the site

Then you can detail the project:

1. Accurately draw to scale the location and shape of each object.
2. To do this, they usually first do independent work, then invite a specialist to correct fundamentally important details and make professional adjustments.
3. Complying with building and fire regulations is not difficult if you do not plan to build a large number of buildings. But, most importantly, the distance from the border of the site to the house should not be less than three meters.

The layout of a plot of 12 acres is a scheme, the options are usually more tailored if the owners know in advance approximately what they want. If you completely entrust this to professionals, individual inconvenience and embarrassment may subsequently arise.

A 3D project allows you to clearly see the future appearance of the site and make adjustments if necessary

Harmony of styles

The landscaping and layout of a summer cottage presuppose a harmony of styles and a balance between decorative and design elements. It is not at all necessary that the design of a suburban area be consistent in the same style - 12 acres require sufficient area, but the stylistic finds and design solutions that unite the elements must have a common basis.

Modern trends in landscape design involve moving away from symmetrical solutions for placing elements of an artificial landscape. The asymmetrical arrangement of flower beds and other decorative plantings brings a fresh vibe to the overall perception of the 12-acre dacha plot.

Individuality and originality of the area will be given by pedestrian paths made of original materials, for example, sand and gravel mixture or round cuts of wood. Paths made of brick chips always look fresh. The retail chain offers a wide selection of tiles of various colors and shapes for garden paths.

For an average family, a steam room in a bathhouse can be 10-12 sq.m.; if you are planning a vacation with friends or relatives, then the steam room should be somewhat larger.

How to choose a place for your home

A cottage or private house is usually located closer to the front of the territory, leaving an area for the backyard, hidden from view. But here it is important to be guided by the external location, because it is also worth protecting the windows from the level of noise and dust coming from outside.

A residential building is the main building on the site

Placing the house deep in the plot allows you to avoid unnecessary noise from the roadway

A residential building located in the foreground will hide the recreation area from prying eyes

Then the main building is moved deeper and a high fence is erected. Sometimes a decision is made to plant a “living” fence - a creeping plant tightly wrapped around a mesh fence. And the house itself behind can be located based on the following:

1. The vegetable garden occupied the most illuminated place.
2. The foundation was not subject to landslides.
3. The place was not too low, then it would be vulnerable to wet weather and the risk of flooding.
4. Plus, we must not forget about the gap between the building and the fence.

If there are elevation differences on the site, the house should be placed on a hill

It is better that the main windows of the house face west or east

It is convenient when the veranda or terrace is located on the south side of the house

Preparation for registration

Before you begin to develop a land plot plan, you need to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the area, relief, shape, and the presence of structures.

For example, in suburban areas you can often find natural bodies of water that can be used when creating a design.

Particular attention should be paid to the following parameters:

• Is the site located on a hill or, conversely, in a lowland?
• Are there ponds or streams on the property?
• Is the area steppe or wooded?

To properly carry out the preparatory work, it is also necessary to assess the condition of the ground, namely:

• Relief. The placement of communications will depend on this parameter.
• Priming. If you plan to plant a vegetable garden on the site, then it is necessary to improve it and add fertile, nutritious mixtures, especially if the site is clayey.
• Availability of groundwater. If the site is located in a lowland, then additional development of a water outflow system will be required.
• Climate.
• Illumination of the area.

Bathhouse and garage

To plan a recreation area, you must first understand where the garage will be located. It is often located closer to the main entrance so that the driver has to make fewer manipulations. This will help protect the surrounding landscape from accidental collisions and exposure of plants to exhaust gases.

The garage can be located in an extension to the house or be a separate structure; in the latter case, unpleasant odors are guaranteed not to enter the living space

A bathhouse can easily fit on an area of ​​12 acres, even with a swimming pool, but it is better to install it where it is sunny during the day. It is also important to provide a high fence in this place, especially if there is a swimming pool nearby, where visitors run to take a dip immediately after the steam room.

The bathhouse complex should be located away from both your home and buildings in neighboring areas

Beginning of work

The design can be made in any style; you can choose your own color combinations and decor. But you need to draw up a plan according to all the rules, so that later you can competently develop the site according to it.

It is necessary to divide the site into several zones:

Living sector. This is your future home. It is best to place it inside the site so that it is not visible.

Technical area. This is a place to store inventory and all necessary equipment, such as a lawn mower. Such buildings can be placed on the north side of the house; they will protect it from the cold.

A dacha plot of 8 acres should have an area for a vegetable garden. It is better to place the garden on the sunny south side;

Organization of a recreation area

The recreation area includes a children's playground, the same swimming pool, a grill area and a flat area for setting up a table and seating. There are not many requirements for comfort:

1. The playground must be viewed from the parent area.
2. Rest is expected in a well-lit place both day and night.
3. Protection from the eyes of neighbors and passers-by.

If there is a swimming pool and a sauna, then they should also be located closer to one another and easy access should be provided in the form of a straight path several meters long.

The main element of the recreation area is a gazebo, the design of which depends on what time they plan to use it

It is not at all necessary to place all zones in one place, for example, a place for adults to relax can be separated from an area for children’s games

Location of objects

The next step in planning our acres will be to compile a list of all the main objects and buildings.

• Vacation home;
• Bath;
• Gazebo with space for barbecue;
• Small vegetable garden;
• Playground;
• Garden.

This is not a complete list of possible objects for 12 hundred square meters, but a lot will depend on the size of the buildings.

Economic zone

The utility area includes a bathhouse or shower room, a garage, sheds, summer kitchens, and places to store firewood. All these buildings are necessary, but can slightly spoil the appearance of the site. To get rid of the negative effect, buildings are grouped and decorated with neat paths, on the sides of which flower beds are planted. The result is a small, separate world within a large area of ​​property.

Bathhouse location

We will not consider options for designing a summer cottage of this size without a bathhouse. A bathhouse is a must!

In accordance with the standards, we retreat a distance of 8 m from the main building, and 3 m from the fence. We obtain the area for construction:

We will make the country bathhouse spacious – 6x5 meters and move it closer to the neighbors’ fence.

Layout of a site with a bathhouse

Gazebo location

Since the gazebo also belongs to buildings, within the framework of this land plot we take into account the norms of distances from other objects - 8 m from the bathhouse and at least 3 m from the building.

Possible construction area

Let's consider an example with a spacious 4x4 meter gazebo that can accommodate more than 10 guests.

Alcove

Let's place it at a minimum distance from the sauna and 1 meter from the fence.

Playground

If you are planning a holiday for children at your summer cottage, then you should consider the location and layout of the playground. The playground area does not necessarily need to be fenced, but should be functionally separated from the general area. A prerequisite must be the ability to observe the playground and play area from home. Perhaps it will be a path lined with bright tiles, a painted border, or a low hedge so that it does not interfere with watching children. Mandatory elements of the playground should be a sandbox and swings. A small bright house can become a favorite place for children to play. Do not forget that children will spend most of their active recreation on the playground.

Rest zone

The layout of the site requires a responsible approach to choosing a place to place a recreation area. The successful location of the recreation area implies proximity to the house of a barbecue, swimming pool or other body of water, or a children's playground with swings. This should be an area closed from the street, but at the same time, it is desirable that the sun illuminates the area for more of the daylight hours. Mandatory condition: the playground must be clearly visible both from the house and from the gazebo. If there will be young children at the dacha, care should be taken to fence the pond and pool in order to limit children’s ability to freely access them. As an option, you can consider the design of a plot of 12 acres, photos and projects.

Interesting: Ideas and rules for planning a summer cottage with your own hands

The layout of the site requires a mandatory design element - a veranda or gazebo. It can be a continuation of a residential building, it can be adjacent to it or be in the form of a separate building. The gazebo is usually decorated with climbing plants - it can be loach, hops or wild grapes.

An iconic element of the landscape design of the 12-acre site is the grill. There are various projects and design developments for this country house attribute. Recently, it has become fashionable to build barbecues in the “Russian stove” style, a style inspired by fairy tales.

A plot of 12 acres suggests the possibility of building a real Russian bathhouse or, for an amateur, a sauna. In this case, the bathhouse should be planned near a pond or swimming pool. As an element combined with a bathhouse, you can build an outdoor shower.

Particular attention should be paid to the lawn. As a traditional element of landscape design, it is a decoration of a summer cottage and, with proper care, requires a minimum of attention.

Arrangement of a garden plot

It is usually recommended to locate the vegetable garden and garden part not in a lowland, so that water from precipitation and irrigation does not accumulate and destroy the root system. Sometimes the problem is solved by general leveling of the territory or by placing rectangular sections on top of the main level of the site.

The best place for a vegetable garden will be on the south side of the house.

For the beds, select a sunny place away from tall trees

Landscape design also depends on this part, since you will need to think about the correct proximity and harmony of appearance. If automatic watering is planned, this should also be taken into account; this is especially true for non-standard territory formats.

Lighting

If you use decorative light sources, you can create any picture and highlight its beautiful aspects in the landscape design of your summer cottage. It will look interesting day and night. Such lamps are installed near fountains, ponds, sculptures, and flower beds.

Interesting: How to decorate a garden with your own hands - ideas with instructions

Do not forget that lighting fixtures must be located so that they are visible:

• residential building, and all paths;
• sharp turns;
• steps, stairs;
• well;
• various obstacles that are not visible in the dark.

Proper lighting will allow you to safely move around the area at night.

Paths on the site

The features of the roads around the house are determined by many factors, because if the ground is prone to erosion, then it is logical to lay one type of coating. And in dry places you can give more flight to the imagination. This applies not only to tile laying, but also to gravel options, asphalt, and other varieties.

The main paths should be made from the most durable material, as far as finances allow

For internal paths, less wear-resistant materials can be used

A path with gravel backfill is a fairly quick and inexpensive way to improve the area

Decoration elements

A finished, thoughtful and cozy look of a suburban area is given by various decorations, which in landscape design are usually called small architectural forms.

This role may include:

• picturesque artificial reservoirs, for example, a stream, grotto, pond or waterfall;
• sculptures or various decorative figures made of stone, wood or trimmed shrubs;
• arches, terraces, pergolas and other elements of vertical gardening;
• swings or openwork benches;
• rock gardens, alpine slides, rockeries, and other plant compositions.

Did you know? One of the main symbols of Paris - the Eiffel Tower - is also a type of landscape decor. Interestingly, this structure was erected in 1889 as a temporary structure, and many Parisians, including such masters of the pen as Alexandre Dumas Jr. and Guy de Maupassant, considered it ugly and spoiling the appearance of the city.

What to do if terrain leveling is required?

When an area is too low or high relative to the general level, it should be leveled. But this is done with the help of special construction equipment and under the supervision of a professional. If you do not neglect this seemingly trifle, the final result will delight the eye for a long time with its aesthetics and correctness. Plus, this will prevent many possible problems associated with the sliding of the earth and or standing water in the depression. It will be more convenient to move around, play ball on the lawn and control soil moisture.

Also, the problem of height difference can be solved with the help of terraces

Figures

Various sculptures made of plaster, concrete or stone will decorate the landscape design. These can be characters from fairy tales, animals, birds, insects. They can be purchased at the store or made by yourself. You can place a duck, heron, or frog near the pond. Animals will look beautiful in the flowerbed, and a fairy-tale character next to the bench.

The main thing is not to overdo it with quantity and colors. Otherwise, the interior will be tasteless and oversaturated. Everything should be harmonious.

Irregularly shaped areas - planning tricks

On the one hand, the non-rectangular shape of the territory is a minus, but it can always be played up and made individual. The format forces the designer to look for alternatives to standard solutions, which creates a special combination of ideas and makes the design unique.

Layout option for an irregularly shaped plot of 12 acres

If you do this yourself, it is important to remember the convenience of moving between objects, minimizing the time spent on transitions. This can be difficult when the shape is oblong and the bath is at the other end. In this case, it is important to provide at least path optimization.

First stage

Layout of a plot of 4 acres

First of all, you need to understand what you would like to see on your land. Usually these are mandatory functional areas: a residential building, a garden area, a recreation area, and outbuildings. Sometimes owners dream of a swimming pool or an alpine slide.

Then you need to take a plan of your site from the Bureau of Technical Inventory (BTI) and redraw it on graph paper (scale 1:100). Mark the territory using 1x1 cm squares as a standard unit (square = 1 m² of area). Draw everything you would like to see on the site: a house, a gazebo, a swimming pool, an orchard, etc.

It doesn't matter that your plan is approximate. A specialist will help you work out the details with greater precision if you want

This plan is a summary of what you ultimately want. There are also landscape computer programs that visualize your ideas.

Options for a estate with a garage and a bathhouse - examples in the photo

An example of a successful option for a manor with a garage and a bathhouse would be an option that resembles a sun with rays from above. The center is the house, from which there are several straight paths along the lawn and flower beds to other objects. At the same time, it is necessary to provide for the ease of caring for vegetation, if a specialist is not hired for this - leveling the lawn, trimming bushes and replanting flowers.

A layout with a house in the middle is more suitable for square plots

Layout option for a rectangular plot with a house on the front line

Option for planning a plot of complex shape with a house in the background

So, the layout of a plot of 12 acres allows you to correctly position not only the house itself, but also beautifully design a recreation area and other useful objects. Although, if you want to do everything yourself, this is acceptable, it is only recommended that before starting to implement the idea, you consult with a specialist regarding safety and, possibly, the advisability of making some competent adjustments.

Development of a project for a country plot

Dacha construction differs from ordinary home ownership in that it is mainly designed for maintaining a vegetable garden, gardening is carried out to a minimum extent, a house for seasonal residence and outbuildings for housekeeping are built on it.

Features of zoning allotment for a dacha:

1. In the north there are outbuildings, a toilet and a summer shower or bathhouse, a summer kitchen and a garage.
2. In the south there is a vegetable garden, the central entrance to the house.
3. In the east there is a sports zone and a recreation area.
4. To the west is a garage.
5. Paths must be durable and connect all outbuildings and areas.
6. Parking should be located in front of the house from the central entrance.

Photo of designing a summer cottage:

Photo: 50 landscape design options

Normative base

Fire safety

So, we have at our disposal an area of ​​8 acres, which can be built up with residential and commercial buildings, placed on it with green spaces, beds, etc. However, we should not think that if we are the sole owner of the land, then we can build anything and any way we want.

Today, the development of private households is regulated by a number of standards, and the key ones will be the following:

• SNiP 30-02-97, regulating the procedure for planning and building gardening associations.
• SNiP 2.01.02-85, which defines fire safety standards.
• SNiP 2.04.01-85, which describes the features of the arrangement of water supply and sewerage networks.

The requirements set out in these and other documents must be taken into account without fail. Standard site plan. Standard site plan

Standard site plan

First of all, it is necessary to ensure compliance with fire safety regulations. The key point in this case is the minimum distance between buildings of different types. For ease of use, we have placed the data in a separate table:

In addition, the following indentations should be observed:

• From the building to the red line of the street - 5 m or more.
• From a residential building to the border of a neighboring plot - 3 m or more.
• From the outbuilding to the boundaries of the neighboring plot - 1 m or more.

Standardization of indents

Sanitary standards

The layout of a dacha of 8 acres is also complicated by the fact that when choosing the location of objects, sanitary requirements must be taken into account. However, they are dictated by completely rational considerations, so it is worth listening to them not so much for fear of being fined, but for reasons of infection safety.

Here, as in the case of fire regulations, the most important role is played by compliance with the minimum permissible distances between objects of different types.

So, the distance from a residential building to other buildings should be:

• Bath or shower - from 5 to 8 m.
• Outbuildings (especially those that house domestic animals and poultry) - 12 m.
• Outdoor country toilets with a cesspool - 12-15 m.
• Compost heaps, solid waste dumps - 8 - 12 m.

It is also very important to monitor the purity of drinking water. To ensure the safety of the source, latrines, compost pits and sheds for keeping animals should be located no closer than 8 m from the place of water intake (well, well)

Minimum allowable distances

Shading of the neighboring area by trees and shrubs is separately regulated:

• We plant bushes no closer than 1 m from the common fence.
• Medium-sized trees - 2 m from the border of households.
• Tall trees - 4 m from the fence.

In principle, today sanitary services do not carefully monitor compliance with these standards (except, perhaps, those related to the aquifer). However, their role is usually taken on by vigilant neighbors, because the more precisely the instructions regulating indentations are followed, the fewer problems you will have in the future.

Useful tips

When planning, you need to take into account the following nuances:

1. Do not overload the interior with a large number of small details. This will create the appearance of clutter.
2. Paths in the form of smooth lines and curves will visually expand the space. Straight lines will reduce.
3. Arc-shaped beds will make the garden aesthetically pleasing.
4. If you plant aromatic herbs and flowers nearby, the smells will overlap.

Don’t take on everything at once, plan a budget, break the work into stages, and carry out the tasks sequentially.