Designing a Custom House Plan

Designing your first custom home plan can be daunting. You want to include everything you want in just the right way, combining the things you've loved about your previous homes while correcting the problems you've encountered. It can be hard to envision a space you've never been in before, so you may need to consider things you've never had to think of before in order to create the floor plan of your dreams.

Make A List - We encourage all clients to write down everything you love about your house, houses of friends and families, and even pictures you've seen in magazines. Then write down what you don't like about your house. You'll soon see some trends. The key with this step is taking your time, this isn't just one session, you should write your initial list and then set it aside. As you go through your daily routines you'll find other things you don't like, or things you want to include. Minor things like having outlets where you need them, or wanting doors that open the opposite direction can make a huge difference in a home, even though we usually concentrate on things like granite counter tops. When you are designing your own home, the possibilities are endless, so take your time.

Land - Whether you already own your lot or you are just beginning the search, it's important to spend time there considering how your home will affect the land, neighbors, and how you can take advantage of your lot. Visit during different times of the day to see how the light travels. Plot out different floor plans with string to see the views that will appear through windows and how you can take advantage of passive heating. Make sure you know what may be built near you in the future. If there are empty lots next to you, make sure you think about what may be in your view in the future, you may want to choose window placement so that there is no possibility of someone being able to peer into your private spaces if something is built next door in the future.

Room Usage - Not only do you have the opportunity to build your new home around specific furniture or appliances you want, you can really think about how you use space to determine the best placement of doors and passageways. Would built-ins work better than furniture, where do you need storage, how will the room function with more than one person in it? Bathroom usage is a huge factor with children and guests, especially if you are trying to downsize into a smaller home. How many bathrooms do you really need, would a jack-and-jill bathroom work? Try closing off rooms if you want to see if you can live in a smaller space.

Future Changes - Planning for the future is often hard, but it is something you need to think about when designing a home for long term living. If you are a couple just starting out, how will your needs change with the addition of children? If you are going into retirement, think about how your home usage would need to change with health issues. Planning in advance can save money and headache.