Your budget is the most important thing to consider before you start to design your own house. Although this seems obvious, it is very easy to get carried away with your new house design plans. It is fun to put designs down on paper, but if you keep adding and adding to your design plan you will end up with something that is not realistic.
Designing your own house is difficult because of all the decisions that need to be made. It is like starting with a blank canvas and drawing a picture. Not only do you need to pick a house design but you need to cover all the backyard landscaping ideas as well. It is a great idea to ask all members of the family what they would like. It will, afterall, be everyone’s house and everyone is going to have to live in it. The more input you get, the more likely everyone will be happy with the end design. Try to narrow down the house design ideas to ones that are the most practical and affordable.
A great place to start for ideas is with a design book you can get in most any bookstore. This will give you some great starting points and ideas to work with. Once you have an idea of what you might want, you can use one of the many convenient online tools that are available. Most of them can be used for free or for very reasonable rates. You will be able to design your house in 3D and play around with all sorts of options.
Once you have a plan down on paper (or on your computer), you can take your design to a professional who will be able to make some changes. He will be able to make suggestions and to modify your house so that it will be structurally sound. Make sure you take advantage of this professional’s expertise and ask any questions you might have. Now is the time to find out if that sunken den or bonus room is something that is practical.
Moving houses, building houses, and designing houses are all some of the most stressful things you will ever do in life. It is important to go slow and try to not make rushed decisions. Designing your own house is something that you will most likely have to live with for the rest of your life so it is crucial you think it through carefully. Involve everyone and go slowly for a happy home in the future.
Filed under Remodeling by on Oct 31st, 2008. Comment. 
Are you looking to design your own house? If you are, here are some tips you might want to consider:
1) Shower stalls should be made wider than in years past. This is because more people are heavier than they used to be.
2) Radiant floor heat is healthier than the normal forced air heat that is in all new homes today. Radiant heat will increase the value of your home and it is best installed when the house is built.
3) Make sure you put the laundry room on the same floor as all the bedrooms. Many houses have the laundry room on the main floor and the bedrooms upstairs. Who wants to have to carry all the laundry up and down the stairs everytime?
4) If you must have the laundry room downstairs and the bedrooms up top, you might consider installing a laundry chute.
5) This is your chance to have all the built in speakers installed exactly where you want them. You might also think about soundproofing some rooms or the whole house.
6) Do you like wine and want a wine cellar? This is your chance to have one built just like you want it.
7) A large entry way is always nice and sets the whole tone for your new house. Make sure you make your entry way large enough to have a nice coat closet and room to greet visitors.
Designing your own house gives you the chance to also design the front and backyards. You will get to choose between all your best backyard landscaping ideas rather than be stuck with a premade yard.
9) Many new homes now have garages that are not wide enough for SUV’s. By designing your own house, you can make sure this does not happen. Also make sure your driveway is wide enough to accommodate any vehicles you might have.
10) If you plan in advance where you will want all your furniture and electrical gadgets to go, you will then be able to insure the right quantity and placement of all electrical outlets. Many times when you move into a new house, you will find the light switches and outlets are not in the places you would like them
11) Make sure you install new CAT5 wiring throughout your house for your computers. All new homes should come with the latest technology or you may have to lower your price when you go to sell the house.
12) Put two sinks in the kitchen instead of one. This is one of the advantages of doing your own house design – you can add a sink like this that would never come in a regular home built by a company builder.
Filed under Remodeling by on Oct 29th, 2008. Comment.
How to design your own house can be a daunting task if you don’t have a lot of ideas. Where do you go to find some great house designs that will help you figure out exactly what you want? You can look on the Internet for house plans but although they might be helpful, there is nothing like seeing a great houseplan live and for real.
If you want to get lots of house design ideas, a great place to get those ideas is by looking at other houses. By seeing things that you like in houses that are already built, it makes it easier to come up with your own house design plans. Getting in to see your neighbor’s house may be easy but what do you do if you want to view a whole variety of houses?
On Saturdays and Sundays each week, you will see lots of “Open House” signs on street corners in the residential neighborhoods. You can stop in to take a tour of all those houses you see open and you shouldn’t feel bad about not really being in the market to buy. Real estate agents would rather have lots of people looking even if it is unlikely that they will buy because it makes the house look more in demand if a real customer comes in.
This is not only a great way to see a large variety of different house designs, but also to see how they are furnished. The way a house is furnished is very important and it can make or break a great house design. How else are you going to get a grand tour of other people’s house all for free?
Once you are in an open house and are looking around, you might want to remember what you are seeing. A great little small camera such as a Flip Camcorder will fit right into your pocket and not be too obvious. It is small, lightweight, takes great movies, and is easy to carry anywhere. You can discreetly take a film of what you like in every house you go to! This is a great way to get some good ideas that you like and be able to view them later.
Make sure you go to different neighborhoods so that you can see all the various house plans that are in your area. Going from house to house allows you to see all types of house designs from different economic areas and price ranges. You may end up realizing that you like one idea from one house and another from a different house. This will give you lots of great ideas once you start to design your own house plans.
Filed under Remodeling by on Oct 28th, 2008. Comment.
Are you thinking you might want to design your own house? What steps do you need to do before you get started? Designing a house is a big project and you need to stay organized to insure you don’t get off track. Here are some of the things you should consider doing right from the beginning:
1) Look around at other houses to get a general idea of what you want. We have all driven by a house and said to ourselves “what a cool house, I wish that were mine!”. Try to find houses that have features you like so you can get a general idea of what you want. If you do find that cool house somewhere, stop your car and knock on the door. You might be able to let the owner give you a quick tour!
2) Look through as many home magazines and real estate magazines as you can. Again, this is to get ideas of what you like and don’t like. It always helps to see a real picture of something you like rather than just having the idea in your head.
3) Try to get get input from all family members to find out what they might want. By including family members, including the children, you get everyone involved and make everyone feel like they are part of the project. Designing your own house can be great fun if you involve everyone.
4) Once you have a few ideas, you can use an inexpensive 3D computer program to see them on your computer. With today’s technology, you can now actually see your ideas come to life in 3D and have a much better idea of what they will look like in real life. Many of these 3D house design software programs can be bought for under $100.00 and saves you from having to pay an architect the big bucks to draw up your house plans.
5) Once you have decided on a house plan, you will need to take it to an architect for some suggestions and modifications. He/she will be able to answer most of your questions that the 3D software could not such as a ballpark figure of costs.
These are some of the basic steps you can take to get started to design your own house plans. Remember, this is a big project which requires a lot of commitment from you. Many people start out to design their own house and realize it is just too much work. Taking these steps will give you a better idea of whether you are up for the challenge!
Filed under Remodeling by on Oct 27th, 2008. Comment.