Assuming that you have already selected the lot for your home you are ready to begin the actual planning of your dream house. First, take a blank sheet of paper on which you write the items that must absolutely be in the new house. Then make a second list of the things you would like to have if the budget, or other relevant considerations, makes them possible.
When rooms are mentioned, write down the approximate size desired, either in square feet or give the desired dimensions in feet. These will be only approximate, as they must all eventually be fitted into the completed plan.
You might begin with something like this:
Living Room
- 350 to 400 square feet
- carpet floor
- fireplace
- large picture window
- space for grand piano
- wall space for furniture
- quiet corner for reading
Continue the list until you have included the things you consider essential to a satisfactory house for you and your family. Other people would have different lists. A statement of this kind would be of much more help than a partially drawn plan in case you decide to get a professional planner to assist you in making your final plans. If you draw your own plans, you will find the list indispensable. You can check your drawings against the list to find out what you are omitting in time to correct the plan.
The second list of things that would be desirable should be consulted once in awhile to see if any of those items can somehow be included in the plan. Possibly a few luxuries will not carry you too far beyond your budget.
Adapting the Plan to the Lot
Every successful house plan is made to fit a specific lot. First consider the approach to the property; how will the driveway and the car affect the arrangement? Consider the view; don’t let the garage obstruct it. Think of the drainage, the utilities, the use of the land, the public lawn, the private outdoor living, the swimming pool, and all the features desired in a modern up-to-date establishment.
Where is the best view from the kitchen window? Which is more important, to be able to supervise the play yard from the kitchen window, or to get a view of the lake, or can both features be included in one kitchen? Is there a view, or must you create your own view by wise and careful planting, to shut out the undesirable by a row of tall evergreens, and to create a scene of beauty by a considered choice of shrubs and flowers?
How are you going to control the sun to get the light and heat where you want them and to shut them out from places where they are unwelcome? Do you want the living room on the back or at the front? Does your pattern of living call for large outdoor areas, or do you live mostly in the house?
Then you will need to decide how much room you need in the house. Keep it as small as you can be comfortable in, as every square foot costs money, and it all has to be kept in condition. Instead of attempting to keep up with the neighbors, build what you yourselves need and build it well, making it beautiful both inside and outside.
We may not need quite so much house as we think we want. After all, it must all be kept clean and in order, heated, lighted, painted, and the taxes have to be paid on the assessed valuation. Let us try to keep our house within reasonable bounds. It is an equally egregious error to fail to build enough house to make living easy and gracious.
Plan carefully at this stage and you are much more likely to end up with the type of house you really want.
Tags: dream house, house, house plan, living room, new house, plans