While designing your own custom home may be the dream of most homeowners, many feel that such a dream is out of reach. Contrary to popular opinion, however, building your own custom home may be more affordable than you think. Here are 5 tips from Alair Homes Aurora to designing your custom dream home to get you started.
Start simple
There are a number of apps and programs ranging from the very simple to the very complicated that can help you actually design everything about your dream home, ranging from the layout and floor plan to even decor. The best way to start, however, is just to start small and simple. Make lists of what you do and don’t like about the home you currently live in, as well as any homes you have lived in in the past. Draw up simple sketches of what you would like the layout, design or exterior to look like. Once you begin to brainstorm and narrow down what you want your dream home to look like, you can start working with professionals that can begin helping you make your dreams a concrete reality.
Balance style with comfort
While there is nothing wrong with wanting a home that looks like it belongs on the cover of an architectural or country living magazine, just keep in mind that you actually have to live in this home. Giant walls of glass may look great on a magazine cover, but may not be as practical for your preferred lifestyle. Of course you want a beautiful home, but make sure it’s also a home you can live in as well.
Location, location, location
When planning your dream home, don’t forget to think about what kind of location you want to build your home in. Many times, the surrounding topography will determine a number of different factors about your home, such as the style, number of floors and features like a basement, deck or 2nd floor patio. You may be in love with Cape Cod style architecture, but it may be out of place if you want to live in a more woodsy area.
Scale for your budget
One of the things to think about when designing your dream home is whether this is your “now” dream home or “forever” dream home. How long you plan to live in your dream home will go a long way to determining the size and scope of what you want to build, which will have a direct impact on price. If you want high-end luxury but don’t have a huge income, you may want to scale down on size to keep the luxury features. If you want a large home, with plenty of room, you may want to build the size of home you want now and upgrade down the road as income allows.
Find a great builder
Possibly one of the very most important aspects of a custom built home is choosing the right builder to work with. You want to make sure that your builder is both trustworthy and will shoot straight with you when it comes to lining up your expectations with your budget. Alair Homes Aurora can help you design the home of your dreams on a budget you can afford.