I’m giving you a rectangular lot where the short end fronts the road. You can place your house anywhere you like - for the purpose of this exercise, the location of your neighbor’s houses don’t affect your decision.
Do you want your house closer to the road so you have a bigger back yard, or would you prefer to set it farther from the road, giving you a big front yard? Which better suits the lifestyle you prefer?
Can I make it an enclosed yard, Roman style?
OK, but no moat. 
To answer my own question, I prefer to be set farther back from the road. I suppose if I had a bunch of kids, I’d want a big back yard. I definitely do not like the row houses in the city where your front door opens to the public sidewalk. Give me a little privacy barrier.
Wow, it’s really about yards.
I thought for sure this was a double entendre.:smack:
Big back yard is where it’s at. Room for the dogs, a porch/deck/patio area, fire pit.
Big backyard. Because if I enclose it with a fence (which I intend to do), I can let the grass grow a bit long and weedy without anyone knowing, which frees me up to be more anal about keeping the front yard neat and tidy.
This.
Yeah, back.
Might find the turf-enthusiast here and there whose self-worth is wrapped up in whether their lawn is nicer than their neighbors, who would choose a big front lawn…but 90% of people are going to say “back.”
Definitely back yard. You actually have some privacy back there. You cannot sit out front or have your kids swingset or trampoline out front.
We once checked out this house which had this odd shaped lot. Imagine a triangle. The house was located at the top point with a tiny backyard where the bottom or base of the triangle was the front yard. NO WAY.
We are set as far back on our property as you can get and be in the same county, literally. We have land behind bit it’s in the next county?( So my front yard is really big)
Makes for lots of yard wirk.
I definitely prefer a bigger back yard. It’s so much more convenient when I have to bury bodies.
Back yard. I find front yeards to be too public, and would much prefer some privacy in a back yard.
Would prefer a larger back yard, but I’m all for reclaiming front yards as well. I don’t like lawns, I’d be growing vegetables or flowers or whatever out the front as well.
To be honest, I’d just like to have something larger than a windowbox.
Depends on how busy the street/sidewalk are.
Yeah, my preference would be against the city homes with the stoop/door right off the sidewalk, but I bet most of those don’t have big backyards either. And wonder how many of them got that way due to widening of the original street?
On the flipside, from my youth in a Chicago bungalow - with a modest front yard - there is some appeal to sitting on the front stoop…
But give me a modest front setback, and as large a backyard as possible. My heavily planted backyard is our retreat.
Back yard. More privacy.
I can look into the windows of city houses without really trying to. If it’s a more urban neighborhood, I’d want a larger front yard/more setback for privacy. If it’s a more rural house, with no one/few walking by then slide the house further forward in the lot. I’m in the house year-round; I’m in the back yard a lot less; especially because I’m not at home that much in the summer. (Of the past three weekends, I was away two & was gone almost an hour before sunrise on Sat & didn’t get home until it was officially Sunday.)
Yep, exactly my situation. My back yard is slightly larger than the front yard, but really they’re pretty even. I have the back yard fenced in, and not treated, and will let it go a little longer between mowings if need be. The front yard gets treated and I mow it diligently. I’d definitely choose to have it smaller, so I can spend less time and money on it.
I’ll take one [/1/"]like this](http://www.museocasanataldecervantes.org/the-building/#!prettyPhoto[gallery), then. Traditional, weather-appropriate architecture.
You’re a mur-diddly-urdler! :eek:
Mutts need big back yards.
My preference depends on 2 things - 1) lot size and 2) location. If it is an acre lot on a busy street, the house goes farther back, maybe 2/3 front yard and 1/3 back. If it’s a 5,000 acre rural lot the house goes toward the front, maybe a hundred yards from the road. Right now we have an acre on a not-very-busy neighborhood road. The house sits slightly forward on the lot, giving us a back yard that’s a bit larger than the front, but enough setback to not be bothered by traffic noise.
Front. I want as far from the street and passersby as possible. For over 30 years I have been basically at the sidewalk and I will never get used to it.