Planning the Perfect Home Design

There are various reasons why someone would choose a custom home design, but they all point to the same idea: to realise a dream home.

Have you shopped for a house and just ended up frustrated because of the following reasons?

• All the plans look the same
• None of the plans seems to fit your personal or family’s needs
• None of the plans seems worth the time, money, and pain of moving

If these things hold you back from buying your own home, then this article can help you navigate the crucial process of designing your custom house plan from scratch.

The planning stage often determines whether your custom-built home will fulfil your dreams. This phase also happens to be one of the most difficult challenges a custom-built home presents.

However, as long as you’re willing to put in the work upfront and think through your wants and needs, you can still end up with the house of your dreams.

At the end of this article, you’ll be able to:

• Share your vision with a house designer, architect or builder
• Decide with confidence whether the people involved in the project can—and will—do what you want.

Read on for tips on how to optimise and design a floor plan that will make your dream home come true.

Start by pouring your ideas out on a piece of paper

You don’t need fancy software to begin making decisions for your custom home plan. All you need is a pencil and a piece of paper to jot down your ideas, brainstorm and sketch the features you want for your home. These are enough to help your home design team understand what you want.

Make sure you have enough of storage

Consider having a good-sized pantry, closets and other storage areas, because there’s nothing more annoying than having no place to put your stuff.

Although you might not have that many items to store at the moment, it’s wise to be prepared as early as now, since there’s a chance you’ll be accumulating more stuff later on You’ll realise that the extra space is definitely worth it.

Future-proof your home

Think about where you’ll be ten to twenty years from now.

Are you planning on having children in the coming years? Do you have ageing parents? If so, you’ll need to think about accommodating their space needs as well.

Additionally, if you’re planning on transitioning from an office job to working or operating your own business from your own home, your custom home design should include an office or flexible space.

Put simply, now is the time to consider and include features you will find handy in the future.

Highlight and maximise your lot

If you already know where you will build your home, be sure to consider the topography, size and best features of the lot.

If your lot overlooks a beautiful landscape, you might want to face the living room toward the feature, so you and your family members can watch nature in action.

Likewise, if you have a brook or stream running through your property, you might want to place bedrooms near these waters, so you can enjoy the relaxing sound of running water while you sleep.

Alternatively, think about which windows should face the home’s best views, especially if the land is sloped. A custom home design for a sloping lot will look very different from a design for a flat lot.

Also, efficiently managing the installation and maintenance of these windows is essential for long-term enjoyment and functionality. Properly installed windows not only maximize views but also contribute to energy efficiency and insulation. Moreover, on a sloping lot where weather conditions may be more challenging, ensuring the durability and resilience of window installations becomes paramount.

This underscores the importance of partnering with reputable Glass Installation & Repair Services in Tacoma, WA, who possess the expertise to navigate the unique demands of sloped terrain and provide tailored solutions. By prioritizing quality craftsmanship and attentive service, homeowners can relish the stunning panoramas while maintaining the structural integrity of their custom-designed abode.

Prioritise features

Once you’ve laid out your ideas in rough form, move on to prioritising the essential features for your home.

You might find yourself going beyond your budget if you go wild on your fancies, so it’s important to sort through the most important aspects of your design.

Take into account function and flow

Consider how your final design will flow, and how your family might function in each space as you and your designer begin playing around with where various rooms should be located.

For example, it’s wise to place bedrooms away from the communal areas of the house to reduce noise in sleeping areas.

Alternatively, an open floor plan with easy flow between the living room, kitchen and dining area will suit you well if you’re the kind of family that loves to gather around the kitchen.

Perfect lighting is everything

Light has a powerful influence on humans, and it figures in the placement of rooms in a custom home plan.

For instance, if you want to enjoy natural morning light in your kitchen, it would be wise to face it east where it will catch the morning sun.

You might also want to consider how the electrical lights in your home will facilitate comfort. A custom home designer would suggest installing bright task lighting for kitchen countertops to facilitate food preparation.

Lighting can also create a mood, so you can consider installing dimming sconces in the bedroom to create a sense of romance or peace.

Coming up with the perfect home design is not an easy task to accomplish. Families are dynamic, and how you interact with your space somehow changes year by year. Still, how you play with your home outline is variable.

The key principle is utilising a process that will keep you focused on your personal or family’s needs and preferences, while avoiding the temptation to design a house plan you can’t afford.

It will help you find the right custom home builder to work with so that you can keep your dream alive and not fall prey to outside influences that could derail you.
This is where Preferred Homes can help. We’d love to bring your vision to life—to help you create a beautiful and functional home that you and your family won’t ever want to leave. Get in touch with us today on 0408 788 351.