Five Things to Consider When Purchasing Home Plans
Choosing house plans can at times feel like a daunting task, with thousands of choices in floor plans and house styles even the most experienced person may at times feel lost. Here are five things to consider when looking for your next home plans that can help you narrow down your search and find the best design to suit your needs.
1. Budget: It is always good to start with a budget for your project and how much are you able to spend on the construction of your home. Make sure to factor in expenses for site servicing, landscaping, appliances, home furnishings, moving, and all other costs associated with the build of a new home. Check with a few different local contractors to see what the average cost per square foot is to build a home in our area. Make sure you give them an idea of the quality of finishing that you would like to have as the price can vary greatly between low and high end finishes. Not all areas will cost the same to build so ask about the cost of finishing basement areas, main floor areas, second floor areas and garages. Once you have these prices you can use some simple math to find out how many square feet your new home can be.
2. Site: Check with your realtor or local municipality planning department to find out the required setbacks for your property to determine how wide and how deep you can build on your lot. Consider the slope of the lot as well to see what type of home will best suit your property. Find out if you have any easements, covenants or other subdivision or municipal restrictions that will affect the size of the building pocket.
3. Size: Consider your personal needs, how many bedrooms and bathrooms you require, whether or not you need other rooms like a mud room, pantry, storage room, theater room, den or the like. The size of rooms you are accustomed to now and whether these could be bigger or smaller. If you want a garage or carport think of how many cars you want to keep and whether you need workshop space or storage space for bikes, kayaks, or tools. Make a wish list with minimum and maximum room sizes and list which rooms are optional and which are absolutely necessary.
4. Style: Choose an architectural style of home, this is generally a personal preference, however you may want to contemplate some other things in this decision. Find out if your subdivision has a building design scheme that requires a certain architectural style or any specific architectural features. Look at the neighborhood and give thought to what style of home will complement the look of the existing homes, even a nice house can stick out like a sore thumb if it is too unique. Find out what trends are popular with home styles and try to pick a style that is not on its way out, like fashion trends, home styles don’t stay popular forever. Remember your budget when selecting a style of home as certain features and styles are more expensive than others.
5. Plan ahead: It is very important to choose a home plan based on whether or not you plan to stay in the home for just a few years or long term. If you are going to sell the home you will want to make sure you pick a plan that will appeal to the future potential buyer in the neighborhood you are building. Building an expensive home in an area suited to families may leave you with a home you cannot sell. On the other hand if you plan to stay in the home for many years you want a design more specifically suited to your needs.
These are just a few main things to consider when purchasing your next set of home plans. The key is to give it some good thought before you begin your search, this will help you avoid becoming overwhelmed by all your choices. With good planning and a good search engine hunting for your next house plan can be fun rather than frustrating.
