New Home Design Considerations

When designing and building a new house, it’s important to take into consideration what you really need versus what you just want. Sometimes the “need list” is smaller than you imagined and sometimes the “want list” must be cut due to financial constraints. On the other hand, if you plan to live in your house for many years, it’s best to take a long view of what you can afford. Remember that those special extras you put into your home will no doubt increase your enjoyment of living there, and if you live in the house for at least a decade, you can divide out the price by each year. By changing your perspective, you may find it’s easier to determine what’s worth spending money on.

Indoor/Outdoor Space

Creating a haven from the hustle and bustle of modern life could be a worthwhile expense. If you’re not a DIY gardener with lots of extra time, it’s best to add backyard design into the cost of your dream home. Consult with pool loan companies and landscape architects to help you create a perfect outdoor space that will flow nicely from your home via large sliding doors or beautiful picture windows. With the right design, your living room can connect flawlessly with a deck or patio overlooking a pool or garden to create a harmonious indoor/outdoor area perfect for entertaining others or even just yourself.

Extra Shelving

No one in the history of home design has ever uttered the words, “Well, I really have too much storage space.” You can’t go wrong with built-in shelving whether it is in a closet, living room or unused corner nook. Shelves at one end of a den can hold a TV or pictures or knick-knacks. Closet shelves mean fewer boxes get piled on the floor under the coats. Also, request a second set to be placed up high to store little used items like holiday decorations. Corner shelves are great for displaying specialty artwork or ceramics. While you’re adding them, request shelves in the garage. Start your time in your new home neat and organized.

Upstairs Laundry

Your movers may not thank you when they’re lugging your washer and dryer upstairs but having your laundry room close to the majority of the bedrooms can be a godsend. Multiply the number of occupied bedrooms in the home times the number of trips up and down the stairs with a full laundry basket each week, and you’ll understand why having your laundry room upstairs makes good sense. Plus, it will help eliminate ignored piles of clean clothes cluttering up the main living space.

Large Mud Room

You may need to sacrifice space somewhere else, but if you have a busy family, it will be worth it to have a large mudroom as the gateway into the rest of the house. With enough cubbies and shelves, muddy shoes, backpacks, dog leashes and yard toys need never cross the threshold into the rest of the house. If everyone in the family has their own space for their own coats and hats, the unavoidable heap of damp winter gear will never form. Consider installing a small bench along the wall as a place to remove shoes and boots.

Sky Lights

If you want your home to be light and bright, add in a few strategic sky lights. Not only do they open up a dark room, but they allow you to maintain privacy without curtains. Skylight technology has changed and improved over the years. A triple-glazed window directs light, but not heat, throughout an entire room. Solar skylights are great for small areas like bathrooms or hallways nearly eliminating the need for standard lighting. Many brands have an Energy Star rating and are impact resistant.

Everyone’s dream home is different based on their family size and interests. When building your dream home, you probably won’t get every single feature you want, but it’s smart to figure out what features will be useful to you over the years of living in the house. This kind of thinking might help you prioritize what extras are truly worth paying for.