Many people turn to building their own home because they simply cannot find the perfect match for their needs in the existing home market. Building your own home is the perfect solution to avoiding some of the pitfalls that occur from reluctantly buying a pre-existing home that does not meet your expectations. By customising your own home, you can build in all the features that attracted you to home ownership in the first place.
Knowing where to start can sometimes be overwhelming as it can feel like there are so many areas to consider. To help point you in the right direction, we've put together some key areas to focus your energy on in the initial planning stages below:
SEEK INSPIRATION
Of course, the first step is to determine all the specific features you would like to see in your dream house. If you know someone who has recently built a home, ask them for input on the home building process. Go to a few open houses for homes that look similar to the style you think you might like and try to visualise if the home's features will work for you. Visit some design centres and create a list of wants and needs from all the information you've gathered. It can be a good idea to keep a scrapbook of all your inspiration as this will make it easy to communicate your exact vision with your builder.
MASTER THE LAYOUT
The layout of your home is perhaps one of the most important considerations as it will have the biggest impact on the functionality of the home. This doesn’t relate solely to the position of each room but also room size, ceiling height, available storage and natural lighting in key rooms. It can be helpful to sketch up an outline of what you have in mind and take it to a home design consultant for advice on how to make slight modifications that will make a world of difference. Some builders such as Swanbuild even offer a complementary, obligation free consultation which you can take advantage of to make sure you’re on the right path in your home building journey.
PERSONALISE WITH FINISHING TOUCHES
Once the structural elements have been finalised, it’s time to move on to the fun part – colours and finishes! Deciding on a colour palette, flooring, window coverings, lighting and tapware that will work together exactly as you imagined can sometimes feel overwhelming so remember to take one step at a time! At Swanbuild, our customers can take advantage of one-on-one consultations with our home design experts who can help design a palette throughout your new home that provides essential continuity, while allowing for unique and personal touches that truly make you and your family feel completely at home.
When starting the process of designing your own home, don’t feel like you need to get it perfect first round. In most cases, home owners will continue to make changes at each stage of the process to arrive at a home they will love for years to come. If you're ready to book an obligation free consultation with one of our home design experts, click here to schedule an appointment!
