Everyone gets excited about building their own home. And why shouldn’t you? You will have spent years thinking about what way you’d have your kitchen, your sunroom, your back patio etc. You will have seen friends and families move into their new homes with a tinge of jealousy and making you even more eager to have your own home that will have your own specific imprint on it.
So here we will discuss a few things to consider when thinking about putting your own special house into construction, what to look out for and how to ensure you end up with a home you can be proud of.
There are so many ideas and different designs everywhere. There are endless magazines and TV shows with quirky designs and interior finishes. But the one thing I would always emphasise to any potential home builders, is the this is your house. Make it your design, your own unique mark that you want. Definitely look at other plans and other peoples houses, and I’d often suggest to clients to have a scrapbook, take cuttings of designs they like, make notes of things they see, take photos etc and compile a series of designs that they wish to consider implementing into their own home
One of the most important things in getting your dream house is to use a good architect who will listen to your needs. Some who are looking to get their house built will know what they want for their design so will just need an architect for their basic drawing skills to put their idea into print. But far many more will go to an architect with a blank canvass and want their input into designing what they want.
What I would urge to people using an architect for their design, is that they will give you great advice and give you great designs, but do not be afraid to challenge them and change things if you want. Never forget, you will be the one living here for potentially the rest of your life. Many times you will only get one chance to build your own home, so make sure it is what you want. But also remember, the architect is the professional who does this day in and day out so will know what they are talking about and should be able to recognise things that may work better which you may not have considered. In a later blog we will discuss the limitations to wanting everything you see, but for this one, we will focus on making sure you have it to your liking.
Another thing to consider is your own specific location and site conditions. You may be on a slope, you may be beside the sea, you may have mountain views. Make sure your design takes into consideration the specific site location and use whatever natural beauty there to your advantage. Have living rooms or main bedrooms with your chosen views. Study your landscape and picture the views from rooms and what you want to be looking out on.
A last consideration, and one which many first time builders do not have to worry about when making the design, is that your family may go from a couple to a family with children. And yes, you will think about your bedrooms and have enough, but one thing that is often left out is a playroom for kids. And whilst this may be a luxury in a lot of cases, but if a room can be given for a childs playroom, it can be invaluable! Trust me! An appropriate utility room/plant room/boot room is another room that is often tacked onto a build or shoved inside the back door, but is actually a hugely important area that deserves as much thought as the rest of your house.
Each and every one off home is unique. Its why the term “one off” housing is used. Even if someone uses the same plans, they will finish it different, they will landscape it different, furnish and decorate it alternatively and just put their own personal twist on things. Building your own home is not something that you do on a whim, it takes a lot of time and resources and a huge amount of effort to get it completed, so make sure you are happy with all the designs before you start into it. Take advice, but always remember it should be to suit your own personal tastes and situation.