Large house in Ul'dah and Gridania need to have access by the front.

[Eraden]

That is...bizarre. For all the Gil that is required to purchase such a plot and given how few of these plots exist, you would think they would have been set up properly.

[Jojoya]

That is...bizarre. For all the Gil that is required to purchase such a plot and given how few of these plots exist, you would think they would have been set up properly.

There's nothing wrong with the way the plots are set up. The layout works just fine with older skins and can lead to some very creative yard design that you can't achieve when the entrance to the plot is in a direct line with the front door.

It's the newer skins that aren't following the standard skin layout that are causing issues. It's something for buyers to keep in mind when deciding what plot they want to purchase and which housing skin they want to use.

[Solarra]

There's nothing wrong with the way the plots are set up.

Sorry, I'm going to have to disagree. There are a lot of things wrong with the way the plots are set up and not having a choice about which way your house faces is one of them.
It's not really valid to blame the skins. Those skins are made in-house and hopefully run past quality control... hopefully... Yet, I often see skins clipping through stairs and walls depending on where the plot is. It's not good enough to tell players to stick to the old skins unless they have a prime plot with the house facing the gate, or to just suck it up.

And as to deciding which plot to buy, that's a good one! On most worlds you take what you can get when you can get it. Choice?!? Maybe you're thinking of a different game.