When preparing your home design plan, you have either put a ton of time into it, or you may have hired a professional to design it for you. Either way you will want to take a step back before finalizing the design and truly gather your thoughts. A new home, or simply a modern design for your home, is a lifetime investment that you need to take time to plan, execute, and finalize.
Sit down in a comfortable, private place and start going through the checklist provided below. Do not sign off on a plan until all seven points below are checked off.
- Enclose Your Porch or Patio: One thing that you may have not even considered is enclosing your porch, or patio. It may seem like a great idea to leave it open so you can soak up as much sun as you can, but that is dependent upon how much sun you will actually get throughout the year. Plus, when you get overheated, you may want to move into a cooler spot. Having your area enclosed, or at least a roof over the top, will help you in all weather conditions.
- Sunshine to Brighten the Day: When you are designing your home you should consider the fact that the sunshine can help heat the interior of your home and give you some amazing light. Figure out which direction the sun will give you the most light and design extra windows facing that direction. If you are leaning towards creating a way to sustain your own power, you will also need to consider where you can place solar panels to maximize your own energy production.
- Plenty Of Clearance: Another aspect of the home designs that you may not have considered is head clearance. Stairs need to be built in such a way as to allow easy access and usability, and the ceiling above needs to be high enough to give plenty of room for people to go up and down. You also need to remember that you will be hauling things up and down the stairs, including large furniture and boxes, so clearance levels should be high.
- Plenty of Space in the Master Bedroom: One of the most important rooms in your home will be the master bedroom. Not only will you be sleeping in it, but you will be using it as a dressing room, unless you want a separate room for that as well. One big point is that you will want to have easy access to a bathroom. If you have a ton of clothes or shoes you will want big closets. You get the point. Think about what you will need and do not settle for anything less (within reason of course).
- Plenty of Room for Storage: One of the biggest problems when moving into a new home is that there is not enough room to store extra things, such as bath towels, pots and pans, fine China, and anything else that does not need to be out all the time. Make sure that your home design has plenty of storage for anything that you may need.
- Laundry Room Separated: Another aspect of the design that you should pay close attention to is the laundry room. Many times, there is enough room for the washer and dryer, and maybe a folding table. Like it or not you will spend time doing laundry. You will want to make sure that the room has plenty of room to maneuver and to do what you need to do.
- Plan Ahead: This may seem like a no brainer put it is important to plan ahead. Maybe you are wanting a bigger family in the future, or maybe you will want to have a separate set of living quarters for children or renters. Think ahead and make sure that your home plan works for you.
These seven things need to be checked out, and checked off, before you agree to any type of home design. Your home is a big part of your life, and as such it needs to meet your needs, and the needs of your family. Not just your current family, either. Remember that you need to plan for the future when designing your home. It would be a shame to get the house done and find that it does not work for you. That is why it is so important to make sure that you are set for the rest of your life, and beyond if you plan to hand it down through the family generations.
