23 May 5 Secrets to Designing Your Dream House

Have you always wanted to build your own custom home, but weren’t sure how to even get started?  Designing your perfect dream house isn’t as daunting of a task as it might first seem, especially if you keep these 5 tips and tricks in mind along the way.

Tips for Designing Your Dream House

1. Put your family’s needs at the forefront

When you’re ready to start designing your house, you need to not only consult the available home design books and magazines, but also think about what kind of living space you and your family need to live the life that you want.

Ask yourself:

What works well for you in your current house? Which rooms do you love?

What doesn’t work for you in your current space? What is missing or unneeded?

You should also begin to track your family’s “living patterns.” Take note of things such as which rooms are most used in day-to-day life, and where there are “traffic jams” in the house when everyone is getting ready to head to work or school in the morning.

2. Create a livable and stylish home

While it’s important to keep your personal style in mind when designing your dream house, you should also focus on the lifestyle of your family.

Ask yourself:

What type of neighborhood suits everyone? Waterfront, a friendly suburb, or something else?

Will your new home be more refined and formal, or casual and laid back?

Do you plan to regularly entertain family and friends, or is a haven for relaxation more for you?

Does your family need more room for enjoying their hobbies or storing extra belongings?

3. Balance your style goals with your budget

When it comes to designing custom homes, one of the most common mistakes is not keeping your budget in mind, resulting in the cutting of corners later on in the project. You can avoid this problem by keeping your budget in mind from the start.

Ask yourself:

Will you live in this new house long enough for it to be considered a retirement investment?

What will your total monthly costs be with the mortgage, property taxes, and insurance?

What is a general estimate of the monthly cost of living in regards to utilities?

When you get a good grasp on your future home costs, you can work that into your home building budget and keep yourself on even financial ground.

4. Provide direction and scope for your builder

Once you have an idea of your family’s living needs and the home style that you are looking for, you can begin working with a professional and reputable custom home builder in your area to get your project started. To get the most out of their expertise, you need to give them the correct guidance and information.

Ask yourself:

How and when will you communicate with your home building professional?

Is everyone on the same page in regards to project planning and execution?

Is there a clear timeline for each stage of the house’s development?

5. Streamline the project by trusting the process

When you’re working on designing your house with a qualified builder that has years of experience in the field of building custom homes, your project should become streamlined and much less stressful.

Talk with your dream house building team about each step of the process to become familiar with what it is that they do, and then sit back and trust that they have it under control. Ask questions when needed, and don’t forget that you chose the custom home builder that you did for a reason.

Following these 5 steps to designing your perfect house will help you turn your dreams into a reality before you know it!

Interested in learning more about the process? Use this handy button for a Free Consultation to learn more.