You have decided to build the home of your dreams. There are few things in life that can bring as much pleasure and satisfaction as building a home. Most people have very definite ideas as to how they want their home to look both inside and out. And, given the opportunity to actually make this happen requires a lot of thought and much consideration. It is vitally important to take plenty of time to think through each aspect of the way you want your home to be constructed and what will best suit your needs and your family’s needs.
Here follow some helpful strategies to make your dream come true:
- Take careful stock of the area where your home will be built. Is it rural, city, suburb, village, or town. You want your exterior design to make a statement for eye appeal yet blend into the architecture of the community around you. Spend some time driving around to see the dreams of other folks. Sometimes, if your budget permits, you can design you home first and then find an area best suited to your choice in which to purchase the land.
- Depending on how long you hope to stay in the home will greatly influence your plans. For example, if you are just starting a family, you may want several bedrooms while if your children are grown, you may choose a smaller home.
- Do you want a ranch style home with no stairs or do you prefer a two-story home? Often the cost of land will determine if you can build out or must build up. However, if you are older, you should give thought to how difficult climbing stairs can be as a person ages.
- Do you like lots of space in a room or do you prefer smaller rooms? Again, children will play a significant role in determining the style of rooms and how many you might need. A master bedroom with its own bathroom is almost always a must-have and depending on the age and sex of the children will determine the total number of bedrooms and bathrooms.
- Kitchens should be designed to make cooking easy by arranging appliances, cupboards, and drawers in such a manner as to allow for easy and convenient access. Make sure you have the refrigerator open in the right direction. Will you have an eat-in kitchen or plan to use the dining room? Center islands and bar-like counters with stools are very popular in many contemporary homes.
- Do want a family room, an office, a TV/game room, a living room, a work-out room, and so on.
- If you will need stairs, what style will you want and will they be plain or carpeted?
- Windows come in many styles. Take time to decide if you want windows that open, that need window-dressings, and how easy will they be to keep clean?
- Closets and storage areas are very important, so be sure to consider their placement.
- Doors, too, need consideration as to type, style, and locking
- Will you have a basement, single or two-car garage, yard for play or just for looking at?
There are many things to consider when planning your dream home. Take the time to think things through carefully. Make a list of all you hope to achieve and then prioritize that list. What are your must-haves, hope-to-haves, and would like but can do without? When you have made the big decisions, it is time to think about smaller choices such as flooring, kitchen appliances, bedrooms, bathrooms, window treatments, lighting fixtures, furniture, and bathroom arrangements. Paint colors both inside and out must be chosen as well as roof design and outside wall construction. This series will continue to look at some of the choices that must be made and questions that must be answered if your new home will be a dream come true or a nightmare of things that didn’t work out the way you had hoped for.
