6 Essential Tips for Building Your Dream Custom Home

Building a custom home involves many details and decisions, ranging from consideration of your family’s needs and interests to the style of home you prefer–and let’s not forget your budget. The ultimate success of any building project relates directly to the degree and detail of planning that goes into the project prior to ground ever being broken.

Home Building Design Tips

Plan your perfect home by following these guidelines.

1. Establish Your Goals

Make lists of features and rooms you envision in your new home. Make and share rough sketches with your home builder so that together you can create the perfect custom home design that meets your unique needs and preferences.

2. Plan for the Future

Build a home that will grow with you. Plan for an expanding family or having to care for aging parents. You might consider adding an unfinished basement, that can be converted to an office or living quarters in the future.

3. Capitalize on the View

Designing a custom home allows you to take advantage of the landscape already in place around the home site. For example, large picture windows could be incorporated into the room with the best view. If you are a late riser, you may not want the morning sun peeking in your bedroom windows. Instead, you can design the layout so that the bedrooms are on the west side of the home.

4. Prioritize Features

Establish priorities once you have your ideas on paper. Custom home building can quickly exceed a budget if every desired feature is incorporated into the plan. You may find that you have to choose between such features as top-of-the-line appliances or heated bathroom floors.

5. Focus on Function & Flow

Consider what type of floor plan you would like. Are you partial to an open floor plan or would you prefer a more traditional room arrangement? If your family entertains often, then you may find that having a large kitchen suits your needs best.

6. Lighting

Light sets the mood of every room. Are you partial to natural light? Allow for plenty of windows, placing them to best capture sunlight. Many custom home designs also have a custom lighting plan. You may want task lighting in the kitchen and ambient lighting in the bedrooms.

Find a Reputable and Experienced Home Builder

An experienced home builder will be able to assist and guide you through the home building process and ensure it goes smoothly. Many home builders have extensive libraries of floor plans; one of these existing plans may be ideal for your taste, budget and the land you select. If not, a custom builder can help you create a plan tailored specifically to your needs and lifestyle.

Verify That the Home Builder You Select has the Following:

• Experience
• Reputation
• A large selection and variety of floor plans
• Reliable warranty