Are you looking for home decorating tips to start or even finish your home design project? The following are ten guidelines to help you on your way.
Do Your Home Design Homework: You must first decide what type of home to build. House styles today are as varied as those who live in them, offering you a banquet of ideas from which to borrow.
Create Your Home Design List : When creating a list of criteria for your home design, start with the basics: the number of bedrooms, the number of bathrooms, the number of family areas, the choice between a formal dining room or a more open, community eating area, porch or deck styles for your home’s entrances and the size of your garage.
Check Local Zoning Laws: Zoning laws can affect everything from house framing to yard fencing. Checking first to see what zoning laws your community has can save you many headaches.
Design Within Your Budget : Once your list is completed, compare it to your budget and adjust to fit. This is particularly difficult for first–time home builders.
One way to get a handle on your budget from the beginning is to invest in home design software that includes an estimator, which gives you a running total of costs as you design your home.
Design to Fit Your Plot: Your land is unique; each plot has assets and challenges. Keep these in mind while creating your home design. Use existing grades of your plot to your favor. If your lot slopes sharply to the side, consider a walkout side basement door instead of the traditional back door. Working with your land, instead of against, saves you excavating costs and retains more of your plots natural character.
Maximize Your Space Efficiency
When mapping out your floor plan, make sure there is a logical flow to your home design. You want to simplify life for your contractor while he builds and for your family while they live in it. Some things to consider:
· Design direct access to the kitchen from the garage
· Place your washer and dryer on the same floor as bedrooms (for two or more story homes)
· Make sure all doorways, hallways and stairways are wide enough to move furniture through
· Make sure that light switches are placed appropriate to traffic flow and that outlets are conveniently placed
· Design all your plumbing in one general area, reducing pipe distance
· Place your heating ventilation and air conditioning system as centrally as possible, allowing for better temperature balance throughout your house
· Bedrooms should be isolated to reduce noise and increase privacy
Plan for Expansion: If you can’t afford to build your entire dream house now, plan your home design so that expansion is not only possible, but easy.
Picture Interior Design: When putting together your floor plan, place furniture in the design to see how it all fits together. You can do this using graph paper, magazine clippings or by using home design software. Also, consider your lighting scheme, paint and flooring choices, and how your design will work for entertaining–planning for all your favorite activities will help you create proper seating, dining and socializing space.
Don't Forget the Sun: The position of the sun can affect your home design in many ways, depending on the direction your home faces. A south facing home will be warmer in the winter, but hotter in the summer. Place windows to take advantage of natural light, which allows for better energy conservation. And if you particularly enjoy sunrises or sunsets, then design places into the east or west sides of your home to spend time doing so.
Beautify All Sides of Your Home Design: Remember that window placement affects the inside and outside look of your house. Whether you live on a corner or in the middle of the block, the sides of your home are going to be seen. Design the look of your home so that you’d be proud to let anyone walk around it, putting small design elements here and there—whether they be architectural, "landscaping" or better yet—both. Work to create a pleasing, comfortable atmosphere wherever visitors may go.
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