Things to Consider When Designing Your Dream Home

You’re eager to find your forever home. At this point in your life, you may even want to design it yourself. This can be a wonderful and rewarding process, so enjoy it! As you begin, here are a few things to remember to get you going right.

Interior Features

You may be eager to get to one of the really fun parts, designing your interior, and that’s fine. You can choose any theme you want, from picking a color motif to replicating time periods to bringing the setting of your favorite novel to life in your home.

For example, you can get creative even on features as routine and basic as your home’s doors. Consider using glass pantry doors, where words or images are etched into them; French doors leading into your office, with curtain panels that are tied in the middle; or a sliding door the length of your whole back wall, turning your family room into an indoor-outdoor space on demand.

Location and Lot Size

Putting the fun design stuff on the back burner for now, the most crucial thing is to select your location carefully. While there are many things about your home that you may be able to change years down the road — including your interior design — the location you choose will be a permanent fixture.

Considerations may include things like which school district your kids will be in; how close you will be to work; whether there are undesirable features nearby, such as a waste processing facility; and even how big your parcel is.

Granted, that last one — parcel size — may be modifiable later on, if you happen to pick a parcel adjoining other land that becomes available by the time you are ready for it. However, if a large property is something you know you will need or want eventually, don’t count on being able to expand your lot years later. Adjacent land may cease to be available, may never come available in the first place or may be cost-prohibitive due to things like high demand or existing improvements on the land.

Floor Plan and Rooms

The next thing you want to be as thoughtful about upfront as you can be is the structural design of your house. Although this is something you may be able to modify down the road if your needs change, planning ahead can save a lot of headache and costs.

For example, you may not have kids yet, but if you plan to in a couple years then making sure you have extra bedrooms in your floor plan will avoid costly remodels or being forced to move as your family grows. Likewise, if your dream is to start your own furniture-making business and leave your day job, you might consider designing your garage or basement with space for a workshop, storage and adequate ventilation.

As with location and lot size, changing the bones of your house later may prove costly or impossible for you. If you truly want this to be your forever home, a little effort now can save a lot of trouble later.

Outdoor Features and Landscape

To cap off your beautiful new home, don’t forget landscaping to give your exterior as much comfort and elegance as you’ve put into your new interior. You can do this in a variety of ways. For example, water features such as fountains can create a sense of serenity. A small island of trees and shrubbery in the middle of a large patch of grass can break up the monotony. Even necessary features, like walkways, can be done in a manner that adds beauty: a winding brick path lined with solar lights, or gravel with smooth and colorful larger rocks running alongside.

Designing your dream home is an exciting prospect, but also a challenging one. Taking the time in advance to contemplate what you and your family will need later may help you get your dream home designed right the first time. By the time you’re done, you may truly be able to call it your forever home.