Are you worried about making the wrong choices with your new custom floor plan designs? Concerned that once the first concept plan is done you won’t be able to make any changes?
Building or renovating a home can be one of the most exciting and yet terrifying things you do, and when it comes to the initial process, there’s a lot to think about. There are so many things that can be overlooked in the initial stages, especially for those who have families to think about as well. And missing out on crucial aspects of your design can leave you feeling unfulfilled and regretful at the end of your project. So how can you make sure you include everything you need?
Beginning Your Journey
A lot of people already know what they want in their family home, but they are unsure on who to call first. So they get stuck in this place of toying with the idea of building or renovating and end up making no progress. They get stuck living the same flat lifestyle and the decision to renovate gets dragged out for months or even years, which can then lead to missed opportunities and price increases when they finally bite the bullet.
The solution? Call a builder and start your journey now! A report from CoreLogic showed that construction costs nationwide increased by 7.3% over the 2021 calendar year. Which is the highest annual growth rate since March 2005. So the best time to start your project will always be as soon as possible.
Designing Your Floor Plan
The design process should be something that you take great care in, you want your home to be a place where you can watch your family grow comfortably. You don’t want to get to the end of your project and be stuck in the same predicament you had before you began.
If you don’t nail the floor plan you could be left with an unfunctional space, feeling cramped and frustrated. So how do you make sure your design fits your needs?
Build The Right Team
Whether you’re building a new home, renovating or extending, building the right team will ensure you achieve the best result. Our suggestion is to find a professional builder first as they will be the glue that holds together the entire project..
From there, they can help guide you to an architect or draftsperson depending on your needs and will have their own network of professionals to assist in making sure you’re satisfied. A professional builder will advocate for your vision and will help you find solutions to building challenges that an architect or designer might oversee. They can also help you manage your budget and cost control your design so that you can actually afford to build it!
So now you know how to set the foundation for a successful floor plan design, it’s simple from here, right? Well, it’s easier said than done and we understand that the entire process can still be really overwhelming so here are some floor plan design ideas to help set you up and get the ball rolling:
Mudroom – A mudroom is an area where you can leave muddy shoes, wet coats, basically anything that you don’t want to be seen by your guests or that will dirty your home. It can be added anywhere in the house, but most often than not you will find them located near the front or back door, or even be an extension of the garage between the home.
Bigger Powder Room – Powder rooms are additional bathrooms that only contain a toilet and vanity. For larger families, adding that powder room can reduce the people-to-bathroom ratio, your children will have easy access to another bathroom source and it will decrease the foot traffic to the other areas of the home. And if you value your family’s privacy, your house guests won’t have to trek through your entire house to use your main bathroom.
Second Living/Playroom – Adding a second living area could be a game-changer for your new floor plan. Your second living area can evolve as your lifestyle changes too, whether you have young children that are in need of a playroom, or teenagers that can use the second space as their sanctuary. It can also mean a more contained area for mess, especially if you love to entertain but are time poor.
Open Plan Living – A very popular option these days, it is the combination of multiple areas of your home being brought together. Having a conjoined kitchen, dining room and living room allows for an easy entertaining space as well as easy supervision for young children. If you and your family love hosting dinner parties and brunches or having friends and family over to visit, then an open plan layout may just be what you need.
Laundry Chute – An addition for multiple-storey homes, having a laundry chute in your design is slowly becoming more of a necessity rather than just a luxury addition. It can mean saving that extra time you might not have to gather the dirty laundry from your family. Whilst you will need a little extra space in your design to include it, it can be built into a wall or inside a cabinet. And although it doesn’t need to be installed directly above the laundry, it does need a relatively clear pathway for it to enter seamlessly.
Additional Storage – A simple yet highly effective addition to your family home. It means you can keep everything organised and avoid any clutter. Adding extra storage doesn’t just mean adding more cupboards, it can come into play in the layout of your rooms, the functionality of design and even the hardware you select for your cupboards internal systems.
View of Your Backyard/Pool – Something you should consider with your family-friendly floor plan is if you are going to put in a swimming pool, then you will need to be able to view the pool from the kitchen. Children need constant pool supervision, especially at a young age, so you’ll want to make sure you can see the pool area and have clear, easy access to it.
If you’re working with a professional builder and have built a great team together, then your designer or architect will think of all these things. But if you’re still in the early stages of brainstorming your renovation, then these are just some small things you can consider including into your family-friendly floor plan design.
It doesn’t matter if you are building your family home or renovating for the seventh time…
Designing your dream home can be very overwhelming and not all the information out there is clear, which is why we’ve put together a free and simple guide: The 6 Essential Things You Must Do For A Successful Home Renovation. download our FREE guide here to find out more.
