A house is one of the most valuable investment most of us will ever make. Apart from the actual investment in capital, there is also the emotional investment and the social status that comes from owning a home. There is much truth to the saying that a man's home is his castle. Since this is so, one can easily understand the importance of building houses in areas which are appropriate for construction. Failure to do this may mean the loss of the investment and possibly human lives.

Many times people think of house security as preventing thieves from breaking and entering their premises and stealing items. There is however, a far more important type of security. This involves building in a location that can be considered safe when one takes into consideration natural and geographical features.

Now this is where the need for professional services and information comes in. It is very difficult to tell just by looking, what conditions exist below the surface of the land. It may also be difficult to have information on the different land features nearby and how these may affect the site location for the house. For example, the land may have a sinkhole which, if blocked, could result in flooding on the property.

site selection

To ensure that site selection is sound, professionals and the government must be involved. A professional assessment will evaluate the existing geographical features on and around the housing site location such as the soil type, whether it is a flood-prone area, prone to landslides and other possible natural disasters. Government approval must be given for such structures to be built on the location hence the role of the local authorities and other government agencies.

Simply put, even though it may be your land, you can't decide without approval where to build and what to build since poor site selection may mean the destruction of the house itself, the destruction of the property of others and possibly loss of lives.

For formal housing developments, the developer has the responsibility to ensure that the relevant government requirements are met. There have been instances however, in which formal housing developments have been handed over to homeowners who subsequently suffer environmental disasters such as flooding because the houses were built in a flood-prone area.

Building a house is serious business. Whether you are building or buying, you should pay attention to the location of the property and ask relevant questions such as whether there are problems of flooding, landslides or other environmental problems. Next week, we will look at some obvious areas in which it is best not to build.

Ann Marie Rodriques

PeaceWater Services

Send questions or comments to peacewaterservices@yahoo.com