The design considerations when building a custom home, are a critical part of the overall process. After all, you’ll be living in your dream home for many years to come and you’ll want to be sure you’ve considered the changing needs of your family, as time progresses. There are a number of home design ideas and considerations that should be made with the goal of creating a home that will enhance your lifestyle and also provide the most value for your budget or investment.
In our experience, the following home design ideas and considerations will help you allocate your square footage, priorities, and budgets accordingly:
- Design Services – A qualified interior designer can help you maximize and allocate your budget, find unique one-of-a-kind items, and help you make selections that will allow your home to be uniquely yours. Our own client concierge can also assist with the selection process, scheduling showroom appointments, and more.
- Kitchen – This is the focal point of the home. Whether you love to cook (or not), the kitchen is the gathering place and center of activity for meals, homework, holidays, and entertaining. I don’t think we have ever had a client say their kitchen was “too big, had too much storage, or too many features.” In addition, your kitchen can also provide the biggest return on investment, for resale value. Avoid skimping on the space or budget for your kitchen. You may choose high-quality cabinets, appliances, and countertops – these are always a good investment. You may consider adding unique design elements in the millwork, lighting, and special features to make your home uniquely yours. It is definitely the most used room in the home!
- Family Room – This is the area of your home that will accommodate family and guests every day, at all times of the year. Be sure to oversize and leave plenty of room for furnishings and cozy lounging. If you have to sacrifice space or square footage, don’t do it here! Make concessions in other areas of the home, but leave the kitchen and family room big enough to accommodate your largest gathering. You’ll be glad you did!
- Bath Rooms – The more the merrier when it comes to bathrooms, as everyone in the house likes to have privacy and creature comforts. Depending on your budget, we often suggest making concessions on the size of the bathrooms in order to have more of them.
- Bedrooms – Be sure your bedrooms are not only designed to accommodate your family now, but your family’s needs down the road. If you plan on staying in your home, after retirement, be sure to consider a first floor master suite. You can use it for guests now, and as an aging-in-place accommodation later. You’ll also want to plan now for the furniture you desire – leaving plenty of space for the bed, dressers, armoire, etc. It’s good to remember that spacious bedrooms are luxurious, but if the budget is limited, this space may be better utilized in other areas of the home. We often recommend using the additional budget or space you save with a smaller bedroom for the other rooms on this list.
- Roomier Closets – Spacious walk-in closets, dressing rooms, and designer-inspired display shelving make an ordinary closet extraordinary.
- Fixtures – Quality lighting, hardware, and plumbing fixtures often provide the perfect accent to a room’s overall design scheme. A beautiful lighting fixture, for example, can really create the atmosphere that enhances your furnishings and other design elements.
- Storage – Most homeowners accumulate ‘stuff’ and when building a new home, may underestimate the amount of storage they need. Be sure to consider your current and future storage requirements and discuss these with your architect/builder. The costs are minimal to add unfinished areas for storage.
- Exteriors – Curb appeal, landscaping, and architectural design can have a great impact on overall aesthetics and resale value. Don’t skimp on the exterior of your home. A landscape architect can help create an outdoor oasis for family fun and entertaining as well as exterior design.
By making these design considerations when building a custom home , you’ll be sure to be happy in your home for many years to come. These considerations may be the impetus for further thought or discussions with your family. Home design ideas and considerations will be directly tied to your budget, so be sure you’ve reviewed your lifestyle and design preferences with your design team too. We are a big proponent of collaboration early in the design process. We have found the happiest customers and the most beautiful homes are a direct result of the collaboration between the builder, architect, designer and landscape teams.
If you are thinking about building your once-in-a-lifetime custom luxury home, be sure to download our FREE ebook: “Designing & Building Your Custom Dream Home: How to Create an Experience You’ll Love to Remember.” Are you ready to get started? Contact Mueller Homes today, and let’s schedule a discovery meeting.
