Building your own home is a significant investment. Whether you’re looking to construct your dream house, a retirement getaway, or an exclusive place to raise your family, you should devote the time and energy necessary to make your dream a reality.
As a first step, you should establish a clear vision of your ideal home. List your property must-haves, record your design preferences, and don’t forget about your layout.
According to most homeowners in-the-making, the layout is the most critical part of a home. Despite its importance, many people find it challenging to pick the right house plan for their family’s needs.
To ease the process, here are seven crucial questions you’ll need to ask yourself to help you make the right decision regarding your house plan and help you build a home you’ll love for years—even decades.
How much square footage do you need?
Whether you intend to build a spacious or quaint home, square footage is usually the first and most significant decision in your home-building process. Consider your family’s size and space needs, before setting the foundation of your home. You should also factor in your lifestyle needs, future plans, and your notable hobbies to help you land on the right square footage decision.
Generally, a larger floor plan is ideal, if you regularly host parties/events, have a larger family, or intend to stay in the house for a long period of time. On the other hand, a smaller home can be a great choice, if you want a house with lower costs, in terms of construction and maintenance.
How large is your lot?
Choosing the right lot size is as crucial as choosing the right square footage. You should measure your lot size carefully to ensure it fits your home’s greater purpose.
To choose the right lot size, you must account for site limitations, the surroundings, and property-use restrictions. The lot size you select for your home is closely related to its purpose. For instance, a bigger home may require additional space for patios, backyard cabin, a pool, or playground. With smaller lots, your opportunities for sports courts or in-ground pools will be limited.
How many bedrooms and bathrooms do you need?
Once you’ve finalized square footage measurements and lot size, you won’t want to sabotage the success of your construction project by glossing over simple calculations. You’ll need to pinpoint the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you can fit within your layout.
Ideally, larger houses will need multiple bedrooms and bathrooms for convenience and a flexible (and livable) environment for you and your family. You should also consider your household demographics, including who will be using the facilities: adults, guests, young children, the elderly, or a wide range of age groups. All these factors will give you a clear idea of the number of bedrooms and bathrooms best-suited for your needs.
Do you want stairs in the house?
Many homeowners love having multi-level floor plans that feature grand staircases. Whether these stairs lead to private rooms or upper floors, constructing the right staircase requires proper planning.
First off, you’ll need to determine how and when your stairs will be used. Then, you can customize your staircase with your own personal taste in mind. But remember, statement-making staircases demand close attention to detail and precise measurements. One wrong calculation and your set of stairs will be an accident waiting to happen.
What are your must-haves?
One of the advantages of building your own home is that you can design every detail from kitchen hardware to light switch covers, with your personal taste in mind. Your floor plan is a blank canvas, ready to be painted and wallpapered.
Not only can you customize your home’s design aesthetic, but you can handpick the features and fixtures you want to be showcased in your home. For instance, you can include a fireplace, home office, wraparound porch, or a three-car garage. Click here for more customized house plans and specifications you can use to add an element of comfort to your home.
It’s important to remember that your home’s style informs your floor plan and visa versa. Your square footage, lot size, number of bathrooms/bedrooms, and personal home decor aesthetic are all pieces of a larger puzzle. They aren’t mutually-exclusive entities. Instead, they work together to form your dream home.
What’s on your wishlist?
As mentioned earlier, the best part of building your dream home from scratch is that you design it any way you want. You can add additional closet spaces and built-in storage that can make your everyday life run effortlessly.
For instance, you can include an additional kitchen island to enhance your cooking experience and streamline your six o’clock dinner. For convenience, you can include built-in entertainment centers, laundry chutes, or even a reading nook to amplify your homeowner experience.
What’s your favorite house style?
Your home style has a massive impact on your home in-the-making, so don’t rush the style selection process. If you love ranch-inspired or farmhouse style, there are plenty of designs to choose from. Other styles include craftsman and modern-inspired designs.
Before you get the ball rolling on your home construction project, you should peruse your style options and compare each style’s pros and cons, before selecting the style that best suits your needs, budget, and lifestyle. To better understand your own personal taste, you can explore surrounding neighborhoods, flip through catalogs, or conduct a quick search online. An inspiration board can help standardize your design vision.
Final Thoughts
Building your own home from the ground up will require months of hard work and a sturdy understanding of your personal taste. At first, you may feel ambushed with the hustle and bustle of contractors, designers, decorators, and a seemingly endless list of decisions-to-be-made. However, once you’ve invested the time, energy, and funds necessary, you’ll be left with the home of your dreams.
