Tips for Designing Your Dream Home
August 14, 2020
Designing your dream home in Oklahoma City, OK is an exciting (and occasionally overwhelming) prospect. When you can have just about any home you can imagine, how do you know what’s most important and what can be left on the cutting room floor?
Working with a home design contractor will go most smoothly when you come to them with a good idea of what you want, from how many bedrooms and bathrooms to plans for the materials, architecture and special amenities. Here’s how to focus on what matters:
- Start with the basics: When you’re considering a custom home, chances are you probably already know how many bedrooms and bathrooms you want, but write these numbers down anyway—and give some serious thought as to why you’re choosing those particular numbers. It’s important to know what you want and where you can be flexible, so if you decide that tenth bedroom puts you over budget, it’ll be easier to nix.
- Consider your future plans: What does your family look like now, and what might it look like in the future? Will you have aging parents moving in with you—or are you yourselves the aging parents? That might warrant designing a home that is aging-in-place friendly. If you have kids in college, consider that they might need to move home for a while from time to time. You might also consider guest rooms, home offices, craft rooms and media rooms, depending on your lifestyle and career choices.
- Work with what you’ve got on your lot: Maximizing your lot is another important part of custom home design. If you’ve got a great view, you’ll want to make the most of it, whereas other features (less-than-ideal views, noisy streets) can be minimized with careful design. Talk to your designer about what you love and what could be improved so you can create a design that plays off the best parts.
- Decide between features and amenities: Next, think about which features and amenities are non-negotiable, and which you can live without. Is the double oven a must-have or a “well, it looked nice in that home and garden magazine” sort of feature? Do you want hidden appliances and heated floors? Prioritize your choices so you can make smart decisions when it comes time to determine what to keep and what must go.
- Keep natural light in mind: Considering how natural light will affect your design requires taking a couple things into account. First, homes with a lot of natural light seem open and airier—but the downside is that too much natural light can heat your home and cost you a lot of money in air conditioning bills during the summer. Talk to your designer about windows, skylights and other ways to let light in without racking up giant bills.
- Prioritize function and form: Finally, think about how your family will use each room as you’re designing the home. Consider your gathering, entertaining and everyday life habits to help prioritize which amenities are crucial and which can go.
For help with designing house plans in Oklahoma City, OK, contact Perry House Plans today.
Categorised in: Home Design