Buying a plot: the questions to ask before you fall in love with it

From access and proportion to the future built form, these questions help you see a site with more confidence.

A plot can feel compelling long before the important details are visible. Before you fall in love with a view or a neighbourhood, establish the road relationship, shape, levels, surrounding construction and the parts of the site you cannot change later.

Ask for a scaled site plan, confirm the exact boundary and access, and pay attention to the future context as much as the present one. A quiet edge today may become a very different experience once neighbouring plots are developed.

The most useful early review is not about finding a perfect site. It is about separating a manageable design decision from a fixed compromise, then giving your architect a clearer starting point if the site is right for you.