| Design Hints When designing your home or cottage there are some basic things to keep in mind. By following the suggestions below, your final plan will conform to your personal requirements and be functional as well. Before drawing your final floor plan on graph paper, start by making several rough sketches until you feel you have it just the way that you want, 1) Establish a realistic budget. Consider how much you can afford in mortgage payments, then plan your home accordingly. 2) Consider your lot; its dimensions, access, slope, view, etc. Make your house fit the lot. 3) Try to orient your home so that most of the window area faces south, in order to maximize the benefits of solar heat gain. 4) Consider your present and future needs. Don’t over build or under build. 5) Start with the kitchen. It is the most used and the most expensive room in any house, and it deserves careful planning. 6) Try to imagine yourself living in the house you have planned. Can you move from room to room in a logical way? Will your furniture and appliances fit where you want them? 7) What kind of foundation is best suited to your needs and to the ground conditions of your lot? 8) Eliminate unnecessary corners a rectangular building is easier and cheaper to build than a L or a T shaped one. 9) Concentrate plumbing fixtures in one part of the house, if possible. Try to line up bathrooms one above the other on each floor to eliminate long runs of water supply and drains. 10) Choose and position your windows for lighting, view, ventilation and heat loss or gain. 11) Plan your entrances. Do you want to receive visitors directly into your living room or into a foyer? 12) Decide on a heating system now. If you require chimneys for oil, gas or wood, make sure you allow space for them to pass though each floor. 13) Will the furnishing of your choice fit into the rooms they are intended for? 14 Allow for plenty of storage space. It’s hard to have too much! 15) Plan your roof style to suit the rest of the house. You can get pre-engineered trusses that allow you to have lofts, dormers, cathedral ceilings and gambrel roofs. |