Tips For Designing Your Custom-Built Home
Posted on: 19 June 2023
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Having your custom home built will be life-changing. You'll likely be excited when the builders start digging the foundation and when they put up the first wall. Walking into the structure for the first time is sure to make you smile. But before your builders even start digging or ordering materials, you will need to work with them to design your home. Here are some tips to help you navigate these early planning and design stages of the custom home-building process.
Look at plenty of photos for inspiration.
Give yourself plenty of time to develop the idea of what you want in a home. Look at photos on social media, in your builder's files, and in magazines. Create a collection of photos that you like, and make note of what you like about each one. It is often easier to show your builder what you want than it is to tell them in words. So, use these photos as references when you have design meetings with your design-build team.
Plan for the future.
Your goal should not just be to design a home that will serve your needs today but one that will serve your needs for as long as you live in your home. If you plan on having more kids, letting your in-laws move in with you, adopting three dogs, or anything like that, consider how those changes should affect your home design.
Pay attention to the costs of your finishing choices.
It's often the little elements of the design that put you over budget. For example, choosing stone flooring for the bathrooms and hallways can cost significantly more than using vinyl flooring in these spaces. If you and your builder come up with a design, but the cost is more than you'd like it to be, ask what finishes you can swap out to save on costs.
Think about traffic flow.
When designing your floor plan, think about how traffic will flow from room to room. For instance, you may want to widen the hallway in an area where three bedrooms are located. Or, you may want to move the kitchen island to the side if the only front door opens right up in front of the island.
With these tips, you can do a better job of designing a custom home that will serve your needs. Reach out to a design-build contractor near you for more information.