A blog discussing the benefits of pre-designed houseplans.
If you decide to build your own home there are two things you can do when trying to decide on a design: you can create completely custom houseplans with the help of an architect or you can choose from an array of professionally pre-designed houseplans. The obvious caveat here is that pre-designs will be much cheaper than custom, from scratch ones. The great thing about using a pre-designed plan however, is that you know it’s been done by professionals and it’s not set in stone.
Once you decide on the houseplans you like, you can discuss with your builder the potential of moving the location of a room, abolishing a room entirely or rearranging a room with pre-set fixtures (like a kitchen) to something that suits your personal style better. Just because you choose to use houseplans that are already drafted up, doesn’t mean you can’t add custom touches.
Houseplans will be a very important part of your home building experience so you want to make sure you choose plans or design plans that will include all your necessities. It’s also important to think ahead. If you intend to be in this home for the long haul, you’ll want to consider things such as an expanding family, room for guests, accessibility, storage and resale value. Although this may be your long term family home, once your nest is empty you might just find that it is far too much space for you to continue to maintain. If you think that you would like to stay in the family home well past your retirement years then you may want to consider things such as including additional major amenities on the ground floor. Having a master bedroom and ensuite-bathroom on the main floor will be an asset in later years if injuries, illness or infirmity make it difficult for you to climb stairs. Thinking about these things this far in advance will help you choose houseplans that suit you and your family throughout the various stages of life.
Your houseplans will also dictate your lot size or vice versa. If you have pre-purchased a plot of land to build on then you will need to choose houseplans that will be appropriate for that plot. If you bought a long narrow strip of land then building a sprawling mansion will be out of the question. Similarly, if you do want to build a large home, you will have to shop around to find the appropriate space for it. Urban developments are tightly packed, with neighbor’s just feet away so if you want big, you might have to build up, rather than out! If you would like to avoid the urban jungles that you will have to go rural to find land big enough to accommodate your home – the biggest issue with this is expense. The more land you need, the more you are going to pay for it. You also need to consider that rural land will need to be electrified and have a lot of prep work done well in advance of building unless it was previously used for a residence. Take all of these things into consideration when designing your home budget; otherwise you may break the bank before the foundation is even laid!