Dreaming, Designing, Planning

Dreaming, Designing and Planning

Developing your vision for your new home will likely happen in stages — first a dream, then a design, and finally a plan — each one more detailed than the next. Use these tips to organize your thoughts during each of the development stages:

Dreaming

The sky’s the limit as you brainstorm and imagine exactly what you’d like your new home to be like.

• Visit open homes – Tour homes for appealing layouts, designs and materials. Bring a camera to take pictures of anything you’d like to include in your plan.

• Browse magazines and books – There are plenty of periodicals and books on home design that can give you ideas and expose you to the latest trends in today’s homes. Find pictures that show features or designs that you like.

• Find examples – Collect samples of paint, fabric or flooring materials that appeal to you.

• Use technology – Many new home Web sites include virtual tours and pictures that can provide you with additional ideas.

Designing

As the various elements are joined together and fine-tuned, your ideas must now be translated into a realistic plan or blueprint that a builder can follow.

• Find a floor plan – You don’t have to pay an architect to design a home from scratch. There are many sample floor plans and designs online, as well as in books and magazines. You might find a plan that works well with your ideas with some slight modifications. One of my favorite websites is www.mascord.com

• Research local building codes – Check with the local building inspector to find out about zoning laws that might restrict your design. In some areas, for example, homes cannot exceed a certain height, must have a sloped driveway, or include a preset distance between the house and the road.

• Think about utilities – Do you want to connect to local water and sewer facilities, or will you install a well and a septic tank? Will your home be wired for Internet connectivity, cable or satellite TV?

• Commit to conserving energy – While you’re planning heating and cooling, think about designing your home to provide savings on heating and air conditioning bills while helping the environment. The government backed Energy Star program contains ideas, guidelines, and links to local resources and builders that can help you conserve energy without sacrificing comfort or features. Visit http://www.energystar.gov.

• Work with an architect – Even if you purchase a standard building plan, you might need an architect to modify your plan to comply with local building codes. A licensed architect can also make any modifications you want, suggest ways to economize, and supervise the construction effort. If you’re acquainted with any local builders, ask them who they work with. You can also get references from the American Institute of Architects or the American Institute of Building Design.

• Consider resale values – It sounds strange to discuss selling before your home is even built, but someday you’ll want to recover the money you’ve invested. So be sure that you don’t over design for an area. The largest home in the neighborhood might be more difficult to sell.

Planning

During this phase, it’s time to deal with realities of budgets and timeframes for building your dream home.

• Building a budget – Once you have plans, you can begin estimating the cost of building and completing your home. Because costs may vary with the season, and from other factors, allow some flexibility in your budget.

• Establishing a schedule – How long will it take to build your home? That depends on the design you’ve selected, the availability of your contractors, weather conditions in your area and many other factors. Industry averages differ, but most say not to expect to be living in your new home for anywhere from six months to a year. To establish timeframes for your home, talk with your architect and builder and get estimates from each of your subcontractors. You might be able to shorten the time frames by having some work, such as electrical and plumbing, done at the same time. But realize that delays are inevitable during the construction process.

• Getting organized

Before long, you’ll be awash in paperwork.  You’ll need somewhere to file the permits, building plans, surveys, financing records, inspection schedules, and payment schedules. If you want the work to progress smoothly, be sure that you’re paying your contractors and suppliers on time. Consider investing in some filing and office supplies, as well as  some bookkeeping software. You might also consider a separate checking account.