Designing a new house can be a lot of work, considering the entire process from architectural design to the final interior decor. If you are building a new home, you probably have a list of things you want to prioritize and those to avoid. This kind of planning will help you avoid late-minute surprises and unnecessary mistakes throughout the design process.
Below, we’ve rounded up the five things you should add to your design list to guide your new house design process.
1. Consider the House Location and Direction
More often, it’s the owner who will decide where the house will stand. Not many people pay attention to the location of their homes since all they have to do is point to some random corner on the construction site. And while this may work, it’s not always the best strategy.
One of the things you want to consider is the general landscape of the land. You always want to have your home in a location that’s easy and cheap to begin construction. If you are purchasing a parcel of land, be sure to consider conducting some soil tests.
Another important consideration is the direction of your new house. Most modern residential designs emphasize ambient space and natural lighting. So you should ensure the house is facing a direction that will allow the light to enter the living room, kitchen, etc. Where possible, the location of the windows should also allow the cool natural breeze to flow into the house.
2. Your Budget
This is perhaps what most people prioritize before anything else. The actual budget of your new house may not come out when you are in the initial design stage. This is because there are always lots of things that are hidden or unexplored in the design phase. However, having a rough idea of your ideal budget will help you stay within limits.
If you want your design to be accurate with your ideal budget, you should consider working with an architect from the very start. The architect will bring in an interior designer to help customize the design to meet your expectations.
3. Consider Your Family
When designing your new house, you want to keep your family members in mind. People will often go for what they want only to realize that the rest of the family members are in for something else. To avoid such incidences, you should consider the design preferences of all the family members. From here, you’ll agree on one design that makes the most sense.
While designing for the entire family, also consider the possibility of having seniors or children staying in the house. This will open up your mind to explore different design styles and options. The size and number of the rooms will also matter once you put your family in mind.
4. Design for the Moment, Build for the Future
Everyone wants their new house to be unique and beautiful, but this doesn’t necessarily mean going overboard. A modern home with a special touch of exterior and interior design elements could be an ideal home. You want a house design that speaks to your values and offers much-needed comfort and elegance.
That said, you don’t want to focus on designing a fantasy home with flashy decorations that are only good on paper but not achievable in the real world. The best way to avoid this design mistake is to consult an interior designer or architect before pursuing your final design style.
Once you have that ideal design, you should consider using durable and low-maintenance materials. This will help you avoid frequent and costly renovations in the future. Another thing is to understand the design limitations that come with choosing a particular material. For instance, your area may be prone to heavy rains hence affecting the choice of the roofing material. This will probably affect your overall home design, so you should have such information in mind from the very start.
5. Be Flexible and Realistic
Last but not least is to be flexible and realistic with your design. Every new design is always perfect until the architect comes with the final draft. Instead of holding on to your old design ideas, you should embrace new design concepts and styles. This is especially true if your original plan isn’t feasible or realistic from a practical perspective.
For interior design aspects such as the flooring type, lighting, interior décor, walls, and furniture, you should be flexible enough to accommodate new ideas. This, however, doesn’t mean you should neglect your taste and preferences.
Final Words
Designing your new house can be fun and adventurous or lengthy and hectic. It all depends on how you approach it. If you tackle it as a tedious assignment, you’ll get tired along the way. However, if you accept the challenge, do your research and focus on creating the perfect home you always dream of owning, the process becomes easy and engaging. Be ready to make mistakes throughout the design process. Similarly, involve experienced architects and interior designers for the best results.
