A custom-built home is a dream of many home buyers because there is no limit to your design, and designing your floor plan is often one of the most exciting parts of building your home. It can be challenging to design your home but following a few tips will ensure the design process goes smoothly.
Know There Will be Adjustments
Managing budget, size, and quality requires balance. Because your resources are likely limited, you may need to make some compromises, such as making it a few square feet smaller or getting less expensive appliances. If limitations like your budget make it hard to get everything you would like, there are other options.
Good designers can often come up with design tweaks that still satisfy your requirements while staying within budget. Another option could be to look to taking out a personal loan. A personal loan can help to get your finances in order, or it can be used to pay for aspects of your new home. It’s important to do your research if you are thinking about taking out a personal loan. If you are interested in this route, you can review a blog with articles on personal loans to aid in your decision and help answer any questions.
Assess Your Needs
It is not uncommon to follow popular design trends when building a home but take some time to think about whether they will benefit your lifestyle. The beauty of a custom-built home is that you can make it fit your family instead of having to make your family fit in your home. Consider those you will be having in the home, including those who will live there full-time and those who may stay briefly or live there part-time.
Empty nesters with grandkids will have different needs than a family of four. When you better know who will be spending time in the house, consider your current lifestyle. If you plan on having formal dinners with family and friends, you will need space for a table large enough to hold everyone. On the other hand, if you place more value on a space for entertainment, you may not need a large dining room.
Take Size into Account
Resist the temptation to build your home to be a certain size just because that’s what everyone else is doing. Think of the types of activities you will be doing in each room and consider the number of people in one space at any given time. If you spend a lot of time in the family room, you might not need a large kitchen. If you spend most of the time outside, you may want to devote a large portion of your budget toward a pool, hot tub, or fire pit, and create a design that seamlessly flows to the outdoors.
Consider a Lot’s Position
The way the house is positioned on the building lot is just as important as the location you choose to build on. Factors like the lot’s size, area’s climate, and overall size all determine the best way to position the house. If you want a bright, sunny kitchen, you will need to make sure the kitchen has plenty of windows facing the southwest side of the house.
On the other hand, if your area experiences harsh summers, you may want to limit the number of windows on the sunny side of the house. In this case, you would want to keep any larger windows on the northern side of the house. If you have a nice view from your lot, then you will likely want to ensure the new house has many spots to enjoy that view.
Have a Plan
If you haven’t spent much time on the design of your home, you might not know exactly where to begin. Ask your builder for guidance in this area. Many builders offer standard floor plans you can tweak, and some may allow you to create a truly custom plan from scratch.
You can work with a home designer to create workable construction documents from the plan you came up with. Your builder may be able to recommend a reputable designer, or you could do external research to find your own. No matter who you go with, you will be working with them closely to make final tweaks to your design throughout the process. You should be comfortable with them and make sure everyone is on the same page.
Work with Professionals
You don’t have to be an expert in interior design or construction to design your dream house, but you also can’t do everything on your own. You will want to make sure you are working with professionals who have built luxury houses in the past. It’s also important to work with reputable builders. Make sure they have verifiable work and read through their reviews. They should have experience building the type of house you would like.
Some may tell you it’s impossible to do certain things, but they sometimes only tell you this because they feel it is too hard for them. If you get pushback from one of these professionals, learn if they have a legitimate reason and don’t be afraid to get a second opinion. Ask plenty of questions during the process and be prepared to learn a lot along the way.
Show What You Are Looking For
If you want specific finishes, colors, or materials, talk to the builder or designer about them. Showing pictures and drawings will help you get your point across much better than if you were to describe them. Start saving photos of layouts and homes you like so you can easily give the designer more information.
Being able to show what you are looking for will help you create a design that is truly yours. You will receive guidance from the architects, designers, and builders, but this will be your home, and the final design should reflect that. Consider each idea and whether it makes sense before running with it.
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