When building a custom home, it’s in your best interest to get the most value from your budget. This means building the best possible home without compromising on what you can afford to spend. Consider the way your family lives and the features that are important to you. While things that are important to one family might not be important to the next, there are some universally preferred that are worthy of considering. To help you as you’re making your choices, Alair Homes offers the following tips.
Worthy Upgrades to Consider for your Custom Built Home
- Add an extra garage: Adding a whole new garage can be expensive. But, it’s totally worth it. Storage space and resale appeal both increase if you have a home with two, three or even four garage bays.
- Extend wood flooring into high traffic areas: Hardwood floors are a beautiful and durable choice for any custom built home. Hardwoods withstand foot traffic better than carpet, and they add value in a way that vinyl and tile typically don’t. So, budget permitting, consider extending your wooden floors to hallways and other high traffic areas.
- Raise the ceilings: Raised ceilings are a perk on their own. They add space and can even be mood enhancing – stimulating our brains and encouraging free thinking.
- Go for granite countertops: Granite countertops are expensive. That’s no secret. However, they are also adored by homeowners and buyers. Why? Because granite is both beautiful and durable. You’re guaranteed a return on the investment.
- Go for a larger kitchen island: The island is the center of activity in any modern kitchen. It serves as a storage area, dining space, cooking area, and an entertainment center for kids. Pick an island that enhances your kitchen space without overburdening it. In general, however, the bigger the island, the better.
- Install under-cabinet lighting: If you can do it now, why wait? An even wiser idea would be to have an off/low/high switch for the lights so you can choose the degree of light emitted for different occasions. Purchase or build cabinets to include trim and hide the lights.
- Add a walkout from the basement: This might not be an option for all prospective homeowners. But, if you can have it, your basement is easier to use as an extension of your outdoor living space or even as a separate mother-in-law suite. If you can’t add a door, consider adding a window at the height of the door.
- Consider skylights: For a custom built home to stand out, lighting is paramount. To this end, consider skylights for rooms that are poorly lit such as upstairs bathrooms. Remember to discuss this with your builder though as lighting can be boosted in many other ways.
- Add a basement heat source: Winters in Canada can be pretty cold. The cold conditions get even worse when spending time in the basement. If you’ll be using the area frequently, perhaps as a home office, it would be a good idea to invest in basement heating. Two solutions come to mind; a fireplace and heated flooring.
Learn About Other Worthy Upgrades
These are some of the most functional upgrades you can make to your custom built home, but there are many others. Depending on your floorplan and the way you intent to use various spaces, some will make more sense than others. Discuss your options with your Alair Homes project manager. We’re here to help simplify this process and build you a home that your family is certain to love.