House-building notes

An airy gate that lets the breeze into the house.

A gate that opens by itself - drive home without getting out to open it; it latches itself when closed, no need for a sliding bolt. What is the difference between a spring self-opening gate and an automatic gate? Which should be chosen?

The kitchen / house opens onto the garden.

Sun shading that still looks good (if needed).

A small rockery + guppy fish pond in the front yard; a place to hang a hammock in the yard.

No need to water plants or spray water to cool the yard by hand every day.

No rain splashing onto the front yard / porch, the back yard (BBQ, laundry drying), the balcony / roof terrace.

The yard and the road in front of the house are bright enough at night (the road in front of the house is rather dark).

Garden electrics that last, not damaged by tree roots and water; outdoor cables safe during gardening and digging. Plan the yard lighting scenarios in advance; leave wires / sockets for later connection (solar power, generator, bulbs, BBQ area sockets).

Yard, walls and landscape features that are easy to clean - plan this right from the design stage.

2 large mai (yellow apricot blossom) trees in the yard; 1 pomelo tree - can it be planted on the balcony? When advising on plants in the garden and in the house: state clearly the plant type, plant shape, care notes and the reason for choosing that plant.

A place for motorbikes outside the house, but refined enough and discreet. The residential land area may have to be increased.

eTimber gate + motor, BBQ area (charcoal grill, outdoor table and chairs) - 4 items (gate, motor, table and chairs: see the Suggestions in the "For the architect" section; grill: see the "Owner's picks" section).

Paving of the yard, walkways and parking space (~90 m²): outdoor stone / tiles, a vehicle-load-bearing base, yard drainage.

Lawn, planting soil, plants (rambutan, mango, fruit trees, flowers, vegetables) and automatic irrigation (~107 m²).

Surrounding perimeter wall - provisionally ~35 m long x 2 m high (re-measure against the land-use certificate (sổ)).

Garden lights: 2 large yard lights, path lights, outdoor wiring.

Roof cover / pergola for the BBQ area (~15-20 m²).

Detailed landscape drawings.