People often consider work-life balance as the best measure of happiness these days. Just as important: whether your home construction makes spending time there relaxing and enjoyable. Arriving home should feel like a reward in itself, and spending time at home should be conducive to your priorities — be it easy maintenance, an ideal arrangement of children’s bedrooms, or options for entertaining and outdoor fun.
For many, new home construction is the best way to improve quality of life, by building living spaces around your habits and needs.
Start with a list of must-haves
The last thing you want is to build a “dream home” and then lament for years that you didn’t get the one feature you really wanted. Yet some requirements can get squeezed out as home construction plans progress, unless you make your priorities clear at the beginning.
Whether it’s as simple as a farmhouse sink in the kitchen or as elaborate as a walk-out basement that overlooks a pond, decide from the start which features will have you loving each day in the home.
Consider many available floor plans
There’s always a trendy layout, and for good reason — home layouts reflect contemporary life. However, if you are not enamored with the going trends, consider something more reflective of your personal preferences, your childhood home, or whatever suits you best. Trends change, so if you sell later you can always find a buyer who likes the layout, even if it wasn’t the trendiest kind at the time of home construction.
Storage solves clutter
Committing to a more minimalist lifestyle, or simply looking to simplify and keep your surroundings calm? Larger closets and built-in storage systems for the living room and bedrooms are the easier solution compared to adjusting all of your habits. Include storage at the time of home construction and you will avoid spending far more on large cabinet furniture and the clutter of small objects throughout the home.
Kitchens should be functional first
If you seldom cook and would prefer the kitchen to function more like a large wet bar, then by all means embrace that concept. For the serious chef, it may be better to commit to a working kitchen and build an outdoor patio bar or other hub for entertainment. After all, do you really want guests mingling a few feet from food prep? You can’t go wrong in planning a custom kitchen unless you fail to decide how you really want the kitchen to be used.
With the right planning for home construction, a large kitchen can easily allow for better cooking and better entertainment. Respect the “work triangle” of the kitchen or determine how “zones” will work best for the type of cooking you like to do. Then develop the layout for the right mix of cooking, bar stool seating, and kitchen dining that feels right to you.
Plan for growing children
If children are or will be part of the home, consider how their comfort and your parenting needs should be reflected in the plans for home construction. Size and number of rooms are not the only concern — privacy levels and distance from the master bedroom are critical for both toddlers and teenagers.
Natural materials for health and happiness
Eco-friendly home construction does more than save resources. Many conventional materials contain chemicals and glues that potentially hurt the air quality and allergen levels of the home. Look into non-toxic choices for both home construction materials and finishes like paint and floor boards. Contact us for more information on best practices and trends.