Designing your dream home? What are the starting points?

 

When taking on any project there is a lot to consider and when you're thinking of designing your own home there is even more! Firstly you need to think of where you want to live. This sounds simple enough but getting the right plot is sometimes harder than you might expect. You will have to think about locality and whether you would get permission to build your home. In order to do this you will at least need to know what type of build you would like and then choose an architect, one that you trust and work well with, to complete your drawings. Obviously there are many more steps in the beginning but this is just a very brief summary. The biggest part of getting your dream home is in the design.  You need to know what you would like  from your build. Will you be employing green technology? If so, what? Eco living is often seen as a given these days especially when building from scratch. Why wouldn't you use the technology available to you? We have come so far with technology and compliances to ensure that we really can build the best. You need to know what you want from your home, so essentially you have to be able to set up your brief and get it right. Take a look around and see what is about. It is far better to know what you would like from the outset. It will be an expensive job to make alterations down the line, especially if construction has already started.  When you talk to your architect provide all the information that you can, extra if possible. Do you have a model, pictures or even sample materials? If not then you should really try to get these or at least some of them. Look at what the materials can do for you, look at what they can do for your build and look at what the aesthetics are like. What design do you want to achieve? There are plenty of ideas out there, you just have to be able to narrow them down. What will the layout of your home look like? What do you need it to provide? Check and check again that your build will be able to give you the space, room and light that you want. This is your home so don't let anyone else tell you or influence you otherwise. Yes it is a good idea to get advice and feed off the knowledge of others but don't be swayed by someone else's opinions and desires. When you choose your architect you need to ensure that you both have a similar style as this will help with the design. If you're reading from the same page it makes the whole process a lot easier, believe me. You also need a budget and timescale and they must both be realistic. If your timescale goes over, then your budget will be affected. If your budget goes over and you run out of money your timescale can be affected. They work together and need to be thought of as a team. Designing your own home is more than just the 'drawing', it is the idea, the passion and the dream.