New Home - Designing Yours
In this article we're going to discuss the painstaking process
of designing your new dream home.
After you've selected the site you want to build on, which can
be hard enough by itself, next comes the process of actually
designing what you want your home to look like. The experts say
that you shouldn't get a fixed idea in your head of what you
want your home to look like because a lot of the final look will
depend on the surrounding terrain and the restrictions that you
may have to work under.
The actual design process involves more talking than doing. At
this stage you'll make evaluations of the home's floor plan.
Maybe you'll review some preliminary designs and prepare some
drawings and specifications for the actual building of your
home.
The first thing that you have to understand when designing your
new home is that you have to design it within the budget that
you've been allowed. You may want that 20 room mansion but if
your budget only allows for a 6 room ranch then that's what you
have to keep your design down to. Being realistic about what you
can actually do is the first step.
Unfortunately, it's not the overblown plans that become a
problem. The problems begin when designers try to stretch their
plans just a little. Soon, your $150,000 home has become a
$175,000 home and that extra $25,000 isn't going to magically
fall from the sky. This is a very common pitfall that designers
get trapped in which is why it is always a good idea to
underestimate your plans. Chances are, things are going to cost
more than you originally thought anyway, especially with
materials costs rising all the time.
On the other side of the coin, many designers try to cut corners
on materials and supplies. This is also not a good idea. The
last thing you want to do is design a home that is going to fall
apart on you. Design the home to last and be safe, even if it
means you have to do without that indoor pool.
There are four things a designer need to keep in mind when
designing a home that is going to end up being a place where
you're going to want to live. The first is structural integrity.
The last thing you want is the house to collapse around you.
Build it to last. The second thing is how the home is actually
going to look. You want the appearance to be such that people
will enjoy looking at it both on the inside and outside each
day. So get that more expensive paneling. Don't skimp. The third
is actual design errors. You want to minimize these as much as
possible. If there is a flaw in the design that could set the
actual construction, not to mention your budget, back a ways.
And finally there are the change orders. By carefully designing
the home you will have less of these which also add to the cost.
By doing all of the above you can be assured of a home that is
well designed and most likely will be built to last.