Designing your own home is a rewarding experience as you get to create a living space that’s perfectly suited to your preferences and lifestyle.
However, if you have never done it before, it may be a bit overwhelming at first. Building a house is no easy task as the entire process involves completing many steps that ensure everything is in place.
From getting the proper permits and hiring the right contractors to creating your floor plan and decorating the interior, there are so many things you need to consider.
For that reason, we have created the ultimate guide consisting of five essential steps you need to follow to help you in your journey and build the house of your dreams successfully.
Table of Contents
Prepare your site for building
Whether you are planning to build the house from scratch or take down your existing home and rebuild it, you need to prepare your site for construction.
This job involves hiring licensed contractors from reputable excavation companies such as Don Mann that will arrange for soil testing, excavate the area and pour your new home’s foundation.
As they are placing the foundation, think about house placement. Consider factors like energy savings, drainage and sewage lines, entryways, additional buildings on your property, and most importantly, the view. Work closely with your contractors and consult with them about what will be best for you and your budget.
Hire the right contractors
After you have set the foundation of your new home, the next step is to design the exterior. This is another important step of the home design process, which also requires you to hire reliable handymen with construction experience so you can avoid unexpected and costly repairs later on.
For example, your house needs to have a functioning gutter system to channel water from your roof and divert it away from your foundation. For this project, you can look for local gutter professionals to properly install your gutters so you can protect your property from water damage.
Choose the style of your home
As you are designing the exterior of your new home, you should also think about the style you want for your house.
For example, many homeowners hesitate between choosing a traditional home design and a modern one.
In general, homes with traditional architecture are usually made with materials like brick, wood, stucco, or stone and are characterized by tall, pointed roofs with gables. The windows are rather small and the colors are rich.
On the other hand, modern houses typically have muted colors, large windows, and clean lines, and use materials like reinforced steel or concrete.
Besides this, the two home design styles also differ in their floor plan. The space in traditional homes is divided into separate, single-purpose rooms. Modern homes mainly have open concept floor plans with fewer dividing walls and rooms that serve multiple purposes.
Other popular home styles you can consider include contemporary, mid-century modern, Mediterranean, and country French.
Create your floor plan
When creating your floor plan, you have two options to choose from to give to your architect or builder.
For example, you can draw your floor plan by hand on a piece of paper. Even a quick, simple sketch will give your architect an idea of what you are looking for. Make sure you include the number of rooms, their size, and any other features you want to include.
A more modern way to make your house plan is to use home design software. Here, you can draw the outline of your home with precise measurements and even get a 3D model of what your house is going to look like at the end.
Decorate your new home
Decorating your new home is probably the most exciting part of the home-building process as you finally get to design the house to your liking.
From choosing the right color palette to buying the perfect furniture pieces, there are so many things to consider when decorating the interior. You can do this yourself or consult with an interior designer to help you maximize the space and create a home that suits you and your family.
Start by figuring out your decorating style and designing one room at a time. For example, you may want a modern living room, but a traditional bedroom. If you choose to mismatch the styles, be sure to add a unifying element to all the rooms for flow.
Final thoughts
There is no denying that designing a home can be an incredible opportunity, but it can also be quite intimidating. The entire process involves completing several important steps for which you must be well prepared ahead of time to ensure everything goes smoothly.
From preparing the site and hiring the right contractors to creating your floor plan and decorating your new home, make sure you follow the steps from our post and build your dream house successfully.
