Custom Homes - What You Should Know (pt.2)

Once you’ve chosen a builder to construct your custom home, and decided on whether or not to hire an architect and/or interior designer, the focus turns to the style and design of the home. Aside from aesthetics, think about the needs of your family and what you want to get out of a custom home. It is wise to set a budget range, and adhere to it when choosing the details. View the design choices you make realistically, considering your budget in each choice. If you are going for a brick exterior and granite countertops you’ll need a higher budget then if you simply want vinyl siding and Formica. Whether these details matter to you one way or another, they will certainly vary the total price of your custom home.

The phrase “it’s all in the details” rings true when designing a home from scratch. While you may need some assistance with all the major and minor touches, it helps to visit showrooms, and model homes and home expos to brainstorm ideas. Take pictures, grab brochures and test swatches and get the names of companies with products that appeal to you. The names of manufacturers, and samples of their work, can go a long way. Even if you don’t choose a paint color or a counter top until your home is almost complete, it helps to have these samples and swatches to refer to later when it’s time to make a decision.

When considering what floor plan is best for you, think of what style will nurture and fulfill your family’s needs and way of living. Do you want an open floor plan where cooking, dining and watching television are all wrapped into one open area? Where do you intend on entertaining? Do certain members of the family need private, secluded spaces, for example, if a family works from home? It may seem redundant to review your family’s routine in this sense, but it really does help in designing a customized floor plan. If your family is currently in a more compact style home, but doesn’t need extra square footage, open the rooms up to create the allusion that you have a larger home. Give careful consideration to your furniture. If you intend on using your current pieces, take specific measurements and keep these in mind when determining room size and wall structure. Obviously if you plan on purchasing new furnishings for your home, you have the freedom to choose them according to the floor plan you select.

A designer, decorator, or architect is not an entity to creating your custom home. There are many resources out there to give you just as many ideas as these experts provide; however, it may take a little more patience and research. Again, keep a strict budget in mind, if you can factor in the charges for one of these design experts, your design and floor plan choices will certainly be easier, yet more costly.