Choosing a House Plan for Your Dream Home
Choosing a House Plan for Your Dream Home
First things first, when choosing a house plan you must first
find the land that you will be building on. Not all designs will
look right or even fit on certain lots, so in order to insure
that your
dream home will be a good fit for your lot, you must first
purchase the land on which you will be building.
When purchasing the lot, you have several things to consider.
Location - As the real estate agents say - "location, location,
location". Whenever you are dealing with Real Estate, the
location is a very important factor in deciding for or against a
particular lot. You will of course want a lot that is within a
reasonable distance from your place of business. If you have
children or plan to, you will want to research the schools as
well. Also, you will want to make sure that the land that you
are investing in is going to rise in value. Investing in land in
an
area with upward growth potential is a great way to insure the
value of your property will rise.
Budget - Your lot must fit within the budget you have set for
yourself. You must also take into consideration whether you are
purchasing "raw land" or whether the lot has already been
prepped for building. A piece of property can initially seem
like a bargain until you later find out that allot needs to be
done before you an get a permit to build.
Community - You want to choose a community that has zoning laws
that allow you to build the type of home you are planning on.
Some communities have home owners associations that may need to
first approve any improvements you want to make on your land. If
this will bother you, you nay want to seek
out a lot that is not under the jurisdiction of such
associations.
Once you have purchased the land that you plan to build on, you
are ready to select a house plan for your dream home. If you are
looking to purchase a pre-made home plan, you may have to make
some small compromises as your ideas may not fit into what is
available. Another alternative is to purchase a pre-made house
plan and later have it modified to suit your particular needs
and tastes by a architect. Do know that this will not be without
a rather sizable expense, however it may still be more cost
effective than if you were to have a plan built from scratch.
When choosing a house plan, you will want to keep in mind
several key points...
Your Families Needs - If you have children, you will have
additional considerations than singes or retired people. You
will need to know how many bedrooms and bathrooms your family
requires. Do you need a playroom for your children? Do you or
your partner need a home office room? Now is the time to think
towards the future and the upcoming needs of your family. When
in doubt, build bigger. Nothing could be worse than building the
home of your dreams only to find ten years later that it no
longer is suitable for your growing family. Talk with your
partner and decide now what your family needs may be and plan
accordingly.
Building Code - As with anything, you can expect to face a
significant amount of red tape as you plan to build your dream
home. You need to talk with your contractor and make sure that
the house plan that you choose will not conflict with your local
zoning laws and home owners association rules and regulations.
Budget - You should know by now how much house you can afford.
Don't sway from the initial budget that you have set for
yourself. There is a wide selection of unique and
architecturally stunning house plans within every size range.
Style - You probably already have in mind the style of home that
you want. If not, browse thru some pre made house plans to get
an idea of what type of style you and your partner like the
best. Try to picture the different styles on your lot. Does it
look like a good fit?
As you can see, choosing a house plan for your dream home is a
fun, but serious matter. Try to plan ahead at all times and
think towards the future. It takes allot of work before you even
break ground, but in the end it will all pay off when you are
left with your own dream home.