It’s a common request: ‘I want to look out this window and see (fill in the blank here with your favorite view).’
Here in the Treasure Valley the request is often ‘We want to see Bogus.’
Thanks to the web and some available tools, the process involves much less guesswork. The image below has a line drawn from a future home site to Shafer Butte, the tallest point at Bogus Basin. It’s just a little under 24 miles away, and this line is just shy of 37 degrees east of true North (36° 59′ 56.28″ to be exact).
I’m a big believer that if an objective is accurately represented on the plans, the chances of achieving that objective is greatly improved. Sure, I’ve been onsite with the Owner and excavator plenty of times, moving stakes and string to make sure the house sits at *just* the right spot and faces *just* the right direction. The process can be frustrating and time consuming (‘Let’s try it this way . . . no . . . what if we shift it that way?’).
Using these digital mapping tools, it’s a snap to draw the site plan with the precise rotation, then simply pull dimensions to the property lines and corners to nail it down. The excavator then knows precisely where to lay out the foundation, and adjustments from there are much smaller or altogether unnecessary. The proper application of the right tool is a 3-way win in this situation: happy owner, happy excavator, happy me!
