Why buy an old home with its potential problems and face extensive renovations when you can just start from the ground up?

Building your dream home will cost about $154 per square foot. Drawing up a thorough building plan with a total cost breakdown is the first step of this project, but it may be the easiest one. The next 6-12 months will be long days of work that inevitably include some obstacles. 

To find out the top 5 most important things to look out for, check out the list below.

1. The Floor Plan

The floor plan is not only important for your day-to-day practical needs, but future resale value. For example, an open floor plan is what many homebuyers look for today. 

The average bedroom size in an American home is 219 square feet. Take some time to measure and explore different sizes of different rooms in other homes to figure out how much space you will need for each area of the house. Make sure to plan in enough storage place in areas where it’s conveniently located. Consider the flow from room to room.

You can check out new home builder lots to see how much total size you have to work with. Infrastructure and the yard will eat through square feet quickly!

2. Placing the Master

Placing the master bedroom is a little more tricky than it seems. It needs to be a good distance from the busy area of the house, like the garage or kitchen. It needs to be a quiet oasis away from the center of the home. 

Make sure the master is not above the garage or sharing any walls with main living spaces. Ideally, it will be at the furthest end of the house. If you’re still confused about what to do with your master bedroom, check out these master bedroom oasis ideas first.

3. Kitchen Placement

The kitchen is another room that needs thoughtful placement. As the conventional wisdom says, the kitchen should be the heart of the home.

Families will spend a lot of time here cooking, eating, cleaning, talking, and even studying. This is why many new home buyers look for open floor plans so that anyone working in the kitchen can spend time with family or other guests.

4. Garage Location 

The garage tends to see some heavy traffic. The best garage location is near the kitchen and the laundry room. 

When placed near the kitchen, it makes lugging in groceries less of a chore. When placed near the laundry room, it makes it easier to get dirty kids’ clothes, vacation clothes, and other items clean. 

5. Light Sources

Planning out plenty of light sources for the interior of the home is crucial. Try to plan at least one window in every room, designing them as large as possible. 

You may also consider adding skylights to the home, especially if a window isn’t possible. Of course, light fixtures help, but natural light is best.

Starting a Dream Home Project

Building your dream home is a huge project, but with the right budget and enough free time, it’s certainly possible. However, make sure to spend enough time in the planning stages to adequately address these 5 considerations. The last thing you want is to end up with a home you are not happy with.

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