If you’re like most people, you’ll find it hard to look at house designs in a brochure or a 2 dimensional floor plan, and then to project the house in “3D” in your mind’s eye. Likewise, it can be hard to look at a floor plan and judge if there is enough space inside for your antique dressing table, or for your couch in the theatre room, or if the home design will work with the size and slope of your land. But it goes without saying, choosing your home design is a huge decision. One that you’ll live with for years to come. So it is important to get it just right.
Early in the planning stages of your new home, it’s highly recommended that you talk to someone with a trained eye for house plans; someone who is experienced in bringing plans to life to suit your land, lighting, and lifestyle.
This is something our New Home Consultants do every single day for Townsville new home owners, and they’d be more than happy to help you plan your perfect house design too.
To help you get the most from that discussion with a Grady Consultant, here are some of the first important considerations to take into account when designing your new home.
6 valuable tips for deciding on your floor plan and facade
1. Deconstruction
Start by ‘deconstructing’ the home you’re currently living in. What do you like about it, what do you wish was different, and what frustrates you?
Do you have enough storage?
Are there times you yearn for a quiet private lounge for yourself, or a separate rumpus area for the kids?
Do you have ‘hot box’ rooms because your home is orientated the wrong way?
Is there a feeling of light and airiness, or is it dark inside?
Again, what do you like? What frustrates you?
2. Walk Through
At Display Homes, carry the floor plan and see the homes as a 3D walk-through of the design.
When you enter a display home, imagine yourself living in it.
Is there enough storage in the kitchen for the Tupperware or the coffee machine?
Could you easily take the groceries from the car to the kitchen?
Are the bathrooms and toilets conveniently located?
Are there toilets located in areas you’re happy for party guests to be going?
Does the design have little quiet areas as well as family areas?
In short, run the ‘movie’ in your head of YOUR family living there!
3. Consider The Land
Look at your home site and the available service plans.
Having a good handle on your building site helps you factor in any special considerations. For example, will you need to ensure your home design takes into account easy driveway access, captures the breezes, and gives protection from the angle of the sun.
Your building site may be narrow or wide, or your covenant or council may have special requirements for property placement and front design on the block of land you have chosen.
4. Space
Check the plan space suits and fits your existing furniture that you’ll be taking to the new home with enough room to move around freely within the home.
Ensure that there’s not only adequate room in the Master bedroom for your bed, bedsides and a dresser, with enough room to move around freely.
If you have a couch and dining set, make sure the living spaces are wide enough to fit everything as you would put it in that room, with plenty of space to move around the furniture.
Which brings us to traffic flow …
5. Flow and Function
Trace the traffic flow through the home on your floor plan design.
What may look like ample space in a family room might not seem so big when your family members are taking short cuts through it to get to the kitchen all the time. So a good think about traffic flow when settling on a plan will overcome years of annoyance later.
By the way, Grady Homes Consultants have neat little tools to help you see if your furniture CAN fit in your new home design, and can even offer great advice you how a Grady home design can be changed to accommodate your furniture.
6. Street Appeal
Do your homework into how much you want to invest in the ‘street appeal’ of your home.
Maybe the double hung windows are what take your fancy, or maybe the painted timber in the gables or a fancy portico. What does your covenant allow? Are you having a large garden in the front yard?
A lot of people invest in fancy roof lines or features, but don’t take into account that they may not be visible from the street after the garden grows.
Before you decide on your final façade, take a look at all of our Display Homes and discuss your preferences with our Home Selection Consultants.
In Summary
It’s a great idea to list your likes and dislikes, based on these 6 simple but important tips. It’ll make the final selection of your home so much easier and you’ll get the home that is just perfect for you.
