This is one of the first questions for the family who is thinking of building their dream home.
25 years ago, before building a home, I bought four or five house plan magazines to get ideas for the layout and style for my next home. I discovered that, after looking at three or four magazines, I began to see the same plans! It seems the same goes for on-line plan sites these days. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it causes me to ask the question:
How much time should I spend on finding “the right home plan” if I don’t know where I will be building?
Even in typical subdivisions, there are easements and setbacks that determine the house footprint. And you work with your designer or builder to choose a plan that stays within that footprint.
In the last eight years, my wife and I have purchased two properties and designed homes to fit on those particular properties. The first was on a secluded sloping hillside. We wanted only one story, so a primary consideration was the depth of the home. You can view more pictures here.
We sold that home about two years ago and purchased a very flat property with some drainage problems. I am now in the process of getting costs together and hope to begin construction before June this year. Here are some progress pictures. Future blogs will be related to this project, so stay tuned!
There are lots of plans out there, but the plan you fall in love with may not fit the property you settle on.
When you begin looking at plans before you have the land, Better Homes and Gardens suggests asking these questions regarding How to Pick a Home Plan.
- What does this home offer that you don’t have now?
- Will this home be big enough — or too big — in five or 10 years?
- Does the home’s design coordinate with your proposed building site?
- Are there windows where you want the best views, and which rooms will get morning and evening sun?
- Will this home fit in with surrounding homes?
- Will extensive changes be required to make the house you want, or might a custom design be better?
- Are the rooms you’ll use the most sized appropriately?
- Are amenities more important than the size of the home?
- Will the home’s level of openness work with your tastes in decorating?
- Are there spaces for special-interest rooms, such as hobby areas or exercise rooms?
If you decide to find your land before your plan, here are U.S. News and World Report’s Do’s and Don’ts of Buying Vacant Land.
- Do work with a pro who knows land.
- Do consider the value of homes in the neighborhood.
- Do take utilities and road access into account.
- Do consider incentives.
- Don’t expect to get a loan.
- Don’t skip the survey or environmental tests.
- Don’t talk to the neighbors.
- Don’t assume you can have property rezoned.
After you find your land, then you are ready to pick a home plan as discussed in the 10 steps above. Here’s a good Houzz thread on this subject.
Start with your dreams. This Dream Sheet might help you answer the question “What will my home look like?” Here are six items to keep in mind:
- Dream big, then scale back if you have to
- Separate needs, wants, don’t wants, and dreams
- Decide which rooms are most important (prioritize)
- Rank interior and exterior features in order of importance
- Have a plan A and B (at least) so you have options
- Start a picture/reference collection of what you like (and don’t like)
It is very important to understand your total project.
The process of selecting and building a home is a big undertaking. After dreaming for a while, you might want to use this checklist to do a Reality Check. There will be questions that your designer, builder, and lender will need to know like:
- What is my total project budget?
- When do I want to build and move in?
- Where will I build?
- What will my home look like?
Based on my knowledge and experience, focus on Items 1-3 in the Pre-planning Checklist and don’t get too bogged down in Item 4 until you begin to zero in on the property. Once you have your property locked in, be informed and get to work on your plan with a designer or builder.
If you have good or bad experiences on this subject, please contribute to this blog post. You could help others as they begin this process. Thanks for reading. If you like what you read, please continue to follow it.