Home Improvement Tips and Tricks

Posts Tagged ‘Design’

This exquisite new floor plan features a spectacular two-story foyer, a spacious sunken family room, and three-car garage. A secondary privacy staircase leads from the deluxe kitchen to the upstairs area featuring four bedrooms with four full baths. www.tollbrothers.com

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Purchasing a home is something you will forever cherish and remember for the rest of your life. It is by far one of, if not the largest purchase you will ever make in your lifetime. For this reason, it is vital you have a home that contains everything you had hoped for. The best way to accomplish this is to have the perfect home design planned out.

Planning the design of your home can be a steep task even for professionals who do it for a living. While the final plans may take weeks or months to complete, the planning process that preceded this may have taken years to develop. As we live in our first or second home, we discover the things we like and dislike about the design. Over many years of fitting your lifestyle to the design of these homes help to shape and fashion your concept of what you want in your final home design.

When searching for a company that can design plans for your home, you want to find someone that has pre-designed homes already ready for you to choose from. This allows you to fish through the countless options available to find various amenities and features you had hoped for.

The ideal company will have pre-designed homes with enticing and creative designs and functional floor plans. Everyone has a different picture for the dream home. Some prefer a luxury home, some want a typical suburbia home, and others want a simple country style layout. There should be a number of different blueprints and designs for you to look over.

Many times what you will find is a collection of blueprints and house designs a designer has accumulated over time while working with several different clients. Typically, they are designs that were most popular while having a wide range of styles to choose from. The more options you have to look at the more likely you are to find something intriguing to your wants and needs.

Some of the styles and designs you may find include ranch style homes, 2-story plans, luxury, Traditional, Classical, Colonial, Craftsman, and French country designs. There are a plethora of styles and designs you can base your home off of which makes it all the more important you search for a company that offers the ideal blueprint for you.

In addition, it is important the company offers house designs for various sizes and prices. You should be able to choose from blueprints for petite 1,000 square foot homes all the way up to the 14,000 square foot mansion. This accommodates everyone’s needs giving something for everyone to choose from.

The last thing you want from a company when plotting out the perfect design for your dream home is the ability to make modifications. Because everyone has their own idea for the perfect home, you should be able to alter various aspects of the home to make it your own. Uniqueness is what will truly create a home design that is built specifically for you. From the bathrooms to the living room to even the railings, you want to have every detail just the way you want it.

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When exploring options of building a new home, many individuals have a preconceived belief that their only affordable option is to settle for stock house plans rather than have custom house plans provided for their dream home.  Buying and building a new home will generally be the largest investment a person will make in their lifetime, so it makes perfect sense to have house plans generated for their ideal home which caters to their needs, offers design alternatives and is the ultimate reflection of who they are.

By purchasing stock house plans, these future homeowners are quite possibly compromising their needs by settling for home designs which were developed to fit the needs of a particular large group of the general public.  Unfortunately most individuals are unaware of affordable options to have custom house plans produced, which ultimately give them design alternatives to compromising their needs with stock house plans.

In every city there are plenty of competent home designers that can produce a set of custom house plans for literally thousands of dollars less than what is anticipated and generally costing about the same as some sets of stock house plans.  All available forms of communication these days also make it easier than ever to have custom house plans completed by home designers that could literally be thousands of miles away.

Unfortunately the general public is led to believe that a custom home design and house plans have too many disadvantages to make this option feasible.  Along with the obvious positive element of having a home truly adapted to their needs, there are several myths that need to be dispelled allowing all individuals the opportunity of having their own custom home design and house plans.  These so-called disadvantages can be proven as a misconception and actually be utilized as a positive consideration for building a new home.

The first misconception has actually been mentioned previously, which many people believe there are no qualified home designers that can generate the desired house plans.  There are an abundance of home designers which are more than capable of providing home design services and producing house plans.  Many of these home designers have countless years of experience in not only home design, but also in the project/construction management of custom homes.  It only takes a little time on the internet to locate these reputable designers.

Most individuals also believe that it will take too long to have their custom home designed.  Obviously it does require time to produce house plans, but most home designers will prioritize each individual project based on the customer’s needs and time frame.  These designers are eager to please their clients, and many put in long hours to accomplish this task of providing a custom home design service.

The belief of never-ending meetings is also a huge misconception.  By utilizing a CAD (computer-aided drafting) system and email, most communication can be accomplished by using the computer and phone.  Even if an individual’s schedule is too busy for any meetings at all, experienced home designers can provide these services with ease.  This leads into the next misconception of the necessity for making countless decisions.  Although having a truly custom home does require some choices, an experienced home designer utilizes years of experience to provide solutions and ideas which would not be resolved in stock house plans.

When considering to build a new home, the biggest misconception of having custom house plans drawn is that it costs too much.  All things considered, a lot of home designers can offer their services at relatively the same cost as some stock house plans.  By utilizing their knowledge and efficiency, these designers are more than qualified to provide design alternatives to stock house plans while also being very economical. 

In reality having a new home built should be the most exciting and positive experience an individual should have, and the development of the house plans should be the most enjoyable part of the whole process.  This stage is where all dreams and desires are incorporated into an individual’s ideal home which could be lived in for the rest of their lives.  It’s important to reiterate that building a home will indubitably be an individual’s biggest lifetime investment, so it makes sense to get the custom home they desire.  The time and money an individual invests in obtaining custom house plans pales in comparison to the many years of living in their ideal home. 

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Although there are many considerations during the process of a custom home building project, Design Alternatives suggests that selecting the right home builder is one of the most important steps.  Many individuals find the whole process confusing and overwhelming; but along with offering custom home design services, Design Alternatives’ vast experience allows them to make builder recommendations or even work with a custom home builder as a consultant/project manager. 

While there are numerous methods of researching home builders, Design Alternatives has always recommended starting with word of mouth.  By talking to friends, family or neighbors who have recently completed a custom home building project, you can find out what home builders were used and which ones have high recommendations.  In addition to talking to acquaintances, Design Alternatives not only suggests asking business related professionals for an opinion but has often recommended custom home builders and even worked with them during the construction process.

Another quality resource for finding local home builders is real estate agents.  Custom home builders often work with real estate agents to help increase new home sales especially in new home developments.  Real estate agents often know which home builders to consider and which ones to avoid.  While doing consulting work for some real estate agents specializing in custom home sales, Design Alternatives has noticed that some can even get you into a few of the finished homes built by the recommended home builders.  Although real estate agents are a great source of information, custom home designers which work directly with home builders are probably the best source for obtaining recommendations.

A custom home designer can see first hand how a home builder approaches and completes a project.  Generally a custom home designer will be somewhat involved as a consultant during the construction process.  After working with clients to achieve their ideal custom home design; Design Alternatives has not only recommended a home builder, but has also provided consultation and project management services to these clients during construction.  Design Alternatives has over twenty years of building relationships with local home builders and knows who can build a quality home along with maintaining a strong bond with its customers.  As you can see a custom home designer is a major source of information when it comes to recommending a quality home builder. 

While selecting the right home builder, Design Alternatives also suggests considering some important questions and tasks to help with your decision.  Although it’s a simple question and often not addressed, ask home builders their availability to start your home building project especially if you need to proceed right away or have a mandatory completion date.  Also knowing if the home builder has the skill and experience with your particular type of custom home will help with your decision.  Design Alternatives obviously recommends doing reference checks and visiting sites of their completed home building projects.

When you find prospective home builders that you are comfortable with, the next step would be starting the bidding process.  Either a description of the home design you desire or construction drawings of your custom home design will then be furnished to the home builder.  As part of Design Alternatives services, construction drawings are included with the complete package a custom home designer should offer.  Home builders then use these drawings to develop a formal bid for your new home.  This bid should include the total cost, construction timeline, payment schedule, specification of materials and what work may be subcontracted out.

Evaluation of the bids you receive is the next step, and much care needs to be given during this review process.  Due to the difference of home builders and the materials which they use, bids can vary by substantial amounts.  Variation in bids can also indicate what amenities are included or not included as the case may be.  A custom home designer such as Design Alternatives can offer assistance during this sometimes overwhelming process.  By accumulating vast experience in the home design and building industry, Design Alternatives can provide insight to details that may have otherwise been overlooked.

Once the initial review process from prospective home builders is complete, you need to narrow your selection down to two.  Set up a meeting with each of those home builders to review the bid and go over any additional questions you may have.  Ultimately you need to know exactly what is included or not included in the bid.  In addition to meeting your budget concerns, determine which home builder is most responsive to your needs and willing to work with you.  Obviously the one that is most willing to accommodate your needs, come within budget and meet your timeline is the best choice for your home building project.

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Today shopping for furniture is getting harder and harder due to the lack of funds. We have to tighten the proverbial belt and choose wisely when buying. But; that is not so bad, Why? Because if we are tightening so are retailers. They are feeling the squeeze just like us and they want – perhaps need is the word to sell their products. As the products sit on the floor they loose money and can’t make room for newer shipments. This is definitely good for you – the shopper.

The most important thing to have before going shopping is a budget. This will keep you from overspending.

Many stores are having sales and this is the time to take advantage of these to purchase the furniture you need. Of course; don’t be foolish and go out and furnish your whole house (unless you really need to) since his is just the time for getting what you really need. Here are a few tips that may help:

1. If you have a tight budget splurge on a good sofa. This is where most people will be comfortable.

2. Leave room; when purchasing furniture or add more items later.

3. Put items in a room hat are personal and have stories in them to tell your guests.

4. Don’t buy a coffee table – be creative by using and old trunk or bench.

5. Don’t fill a large one with one giant seating area. Make several smaller ones for more intimate arrangements.

6. Antique pieces give a room personality…but don’t overdue.

7. Old furniture can be recovered or slip covered to update its look.

8. Have a common color to unite the room and pull everything together.

9. Matching pieces is not always necessary as long as the scale is the same.

10. Monochrome palettes make rooms look larger; so keep this in mind if you have a small room.

Once you find what you are looking for you should “make a deal” with the salesperson. The salesperson just wants to make their commission and many times are allowed to make deals. If not; they will check with their manager to see exactly what they can do to make the sale.

Another way to save money on purchases is to see if the floor model can be purchased. Some stores need to get rid of floor models to make room for new merchandise. Some times the store will forgo the delivery fee to move stock. This can help you save more money if it is offered along with a good sale price. If not; you need to decide if the sale you are offered is within your budget. Remember; you can always go to another store to see what deals they will make.

Be creative when shopping. It is not always necessary to shop in retail stores. You will be surprised the items you can find in garage sales, thrift shops and flea markets today. Many people are looking to make money by selling pieces they don’t really want or need. You have the chance to find the items you want and a great price. Be a smart shopper.

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