Tips for Designing Your Dream Custom House Plan

Looking to custom design your dream home but lacing ideas? Well, you’re not alone. Designing a dream tiny custom house plan is very demanding. You need to put a lot of factors into consideration to bring your dream home into a reality.

Where do you start to design a dream custom house plan? You need a plan that a builder or an architect can follow. You need a professional to bring his expertise into your plans.

In the article, I’ll show you simple steps through which you can design your dream custom house plan. Continue reading below.

Tips for Designing Your Dream Custom House Plan

Every person has a clear vision of how they want their homes to look. The biggest challenge is bringing the design in your mind into the paper where an architect or builder can implement it.

In most cases, you’ll have to consult with an architect of a builder to actualize your plan. Even before you start the designing process, there are a few questions you need to answer. First, why build a home instead of buying one?

If you’re looking to save on costs, building a barndominium is highly recommended. For example, a barndominium in Florida construction will cost way less as opposed to buying a traditional house. That’s a good reason to design one.

Secondly, you need to understand the room sizes and the need for those sizes. Knowing the accurate room sizes will be crucial when coming up with cost estimations.

What are the current room measurements in your home? Do they meet your needs? These questions will help you come up with the correct room measurements. It’s crucial that every detail of your home design plan matches your family’s lifestyle.

The layout of the structure, rooms, and exterior must suit your family’s lifestyle. Do you enjoy BBQ outdoors with family and friends? If yes, then this must be considered when coming up with a plan. You can include a plan with a sheltered cooking area outside.

Some homeowners love open kitchens that connect to dining rooms. Such designs ensure they can keep in touch with guests and friends while cooking.

Let’s see the steps through which you can design your dream custom house plan.

Steps To Designing A Dream Custom Home Plan

Set A Budget

The first thing when you design a custom home plan is setting a budget. A budget will go a long way in determining the plan. It’s the least fun part when designing a home. However, it’s a crucial one that will affect every step of planning.

Expenses can add pretty fast for custom designs. A budget will help you eliminate unnecessary items. Here are some areas to budget for:

• Architecture fees
• Foundation
• Framing
• Permit fees
• Site work and inspections
• Exterior and interior finishes
• Plumbing, electrical, and HVAC
• Deck and driveways

In addition, you need to set some extra money aside for unexpected problems. For example, bad weather might damage previously finished work.

Placement

Next, you must think and decide on a suitable location. If you’ve already acquired land, then you need to decide on the exact spot to build.

How will the house be oriented? This is important as you need some areas of the house to get more light. For example, you want the bedroom facing away from the sun east where the sun rises.

Are there restrictions on where you plan to build? This is a good time to familiarize yourself with local building codes. Location is crucial and can affect drainage and energy savings.

If you’re building in cool areas, then choosing a location with direct sunlight is important. In warmer climate areas, consider building in areas where you enjoy the shade.

Are you looking to add more structures to your house? If yes, think of where they will fit and how they’ll affect your building.

Put Family Needs First

When coming up with any custom house plan, you need to put the family’s needs first. What is the ideal living space for you and your family? Ask family members for ideas.

Start by finding what you love most in your current home. Go ahead and include the ideas in the plan. What were you missing in your current home? Include it in the plans.

It’s important to understand your family’s living patterns and design a home that will put their needs first. Which rooms create a traffic jam when everyone is at home? Design such rooms in a way that they can accommodate every person.

To put it in the simplest words, you need to match your home to your lifestyle. For example, how many bedrooms you design depends on the family’s needs. Create a spacious living room or kitchen if family members love to congregate there.

Do you need closets in the bedroom in a different storage room? You can decide on such issues depending on your family’s lifestyle. Here are a few things to consider:

• The size of the home
• Need for rooms to be connected 
• Type of furniture to be added and appliances like ovens or fridges.
• Silence levels are needed in the rooms (especially for sleeping)
• Amount of light needed

Answering all these questions and creating notes on the same will help you come up with a clear custom design.

Choose A Style

With a clear understanding of what you need, you can now choose a style for your home. Do you want a traditional home design or the barndominium home style?

For example, an open-style home is great for homes that need a lot of space. Barndominiums offer spacious rooms as opposed to traditional homes.

This will help you create suitable floor plans. If you host friends and family regularly, then consider a style with spacious living quarters. Consider modern home designs with fewer dividing walls. Some of the common styles you can consider include:

• Farmhouse
• Craftsman
• Colonial
• Contemporary
• Mid-century modern
• Cottage
• Ranch

You can search for samples of styles online and choose one that speaks to your heart.

Write A Brief With Your Builder Or Architecture

With every detail taken down, you need to write a brief with your architecture. You can have a sit down with your architect and go through the plan together. For your home plan to come as envisioned, you’ll need to explain the plan in detail.

In some cases, the architect might give you a questionnaire to fill out. This is aimed at getting a clear understanding of your custom design and coming up with a professional design.

Remember to ask questions that you don’t understand. This is your custom design and it must come out as you’ve designed it.

Bottom Line

Well, that’s it from me! Designing your dream custom house plan is a lot easier when you know what to do. I know designing a home from scratch can be intimidating. However, it’s also fun and exciting knowing you’re creating and fulfilling a dream home. 

Follow the steps above and you’ll soon build a dream custom home.