For many families, constructing a home, planning for it from the inside out, represents the most unique opportunity to get everything they need and want from a custom-built habitation. Yet just because it’s such a fun opportunity does not mean that people often enter at first jump with success – especially without mistakes – very costly mistakes that impact quality of life. Unfortunately, many of those mistakes come in the early phases from failings of recognition as what’s aesthetically pleasing at the moment but not what’s practical down the line. Yet once families know what mistakes are most often made, they can get on the same page for what construction opportunities and plans will work best for them.
Generally speaking, those mistakes happen because families think about how rooms/spaces look on paper as opposed to the actual functioning in a fluid, busy, human environment. They either think they need more space than they do or don’t account for natural traffic flows and patterns that ultimately will create spaces that drive families crazy instead of making them happy. Instead, there exists a balance between aesthetics and common sense that recognizes these custom-living scenarios can only function well if people are able to live in them practically.
Sizing Rooms Properly From the Start
The size and feel of rooms will primarily impact how functional they can be down the line/how comfortable they feel right now, yet too many families underestimate or overestimate what’s necessary. For instance, when it comes to a master bedroom it’s one thing to put a king-sized bed in there with two nightstands, a dresser and a couch – but when it’s all in there and people have to edge their way through to get between the bed and the closet, it comes clear that there’s not enough space. The same goes for living rooms/dens where people think it’s just big enough for conversations across the room (once considering sofa lengths) but ultimately forget about coffee tables when projection costs come into play.
With kitchens, one of the best (or worst) parts of new construction is size: they’re rarely too big when it comes to working units; they’re always too small if there’s just enough space to get by with prepping; there always needs to be enough room for eating and casual entertaining at minimum. If a kitchen is too small it’s cramped between stove and sink; if it’s too big, people feel like no step is ever one step closer to any appliance.
But when it comes to bedrooms, an oversized master bedroom is seen as even bigger once the furniture is in play. As people are likely to have king-sized beds and their nightstands and dressers and designated seated areas, sizing rooms based upon real-world sized realities instead of imaginary sized possibilities will save mom and dad headaches down the line.
Traffic Patterns That Make Sense
Poor traffic patterns will annoy everyone living in said house on almost a daily basis. For instance, narrow hallways are too tight; doors opening into high-traffic areas are worse; rooms needing to be accessed through other rooms (instead of being standalone opportunities) make homes with nice looking interiors into nightmares of dysfunction despite aesthetic appeal from the outside.
Yet working with custom home builders in St. George, UT, professionals understand what good traffic patterns can do as they have been in the industry long enough to know what’s decent placement for best efficiencies – and a little leeway adjustment so access that at first seemed complicated now gets easy access.
Most often, these good traffic patterns help open floor plans best where there are no walls separating units so access is easily allowed unless furniture placement or obstructed paths get in the way – or proper planning can allow access and then route safe access from the outside.
What You Will Need For Storage (And Why No One Wants To Assess That)
The biggest mistake people make about storage is thinking that they won’t need much or they’ll have enough – or there are certain things that require season or specific use choices for optimal storage options. Holiday decorations; winter clothes; exercise equipment; seasonal sports-related items all take storage when we switch our closets over; household supplies take up plenty of space on the inside.
Either way, garages usually need built-in storage devised over time – the kids bring their hockey sticks home today; mom brings her bike home after work tomorrow – people hope that they have enough room inside but instead built-in overhead/latched solutions are far cheaper than punched later on.
In addition, storage needs to be accounted for better post-construction than square footage and measuring per se; depth should have a layered approach beyond just attached space – hanging space optioned for closet depth versus widths for linen closets in kids’ bedrooms, adult sections even garage closets – prettier attached options for easier access outside better made than punched in after the fact.
Electrical Needs We Did Not Know We’d Need Then
With most newer homes running on modern electrical systems as opposed to older systems meaning limited options where necessary, it’s safe to say that subpar option acquisitions provide homes that aren’t even worth living in – or retrofitted – which means too little or too much post-construction.
Every room needs plenty of outlets – and if not rooms charge enough minors/adults alike – we need electric access provided based upon technological advancements and devices that haven’t even hit store shelves yet. For instance, kitchens need small appliance circuits besides food related power; under-the-counter access is necessary; islands need power if casual use is implemented or we should all be aware of single-stove options if we ever want to venture back or forth between units.
If anyone wants a home office (and most people do), computers need power; printers suck electricity; networking setups require dedicated circuits while task lighting demands controlled supply as well; without proper provision for efficient energy use, visible electrical strips make it all look like a mess.
Lighting Necessary For Daily Function
Natural light promotes energy efficiency AND quality of life; without appropriate window allowance (and proper collaboration with window layout and skylights) homes can feel like dungeons. Business-only based areas need south facing windows – but do we want eye-level windows? Over-the-counter windows? The bedroom appreciates western windows – but does it appreciate windows giving us visual access at bedtime? Sunsets are nice – but viewing them at night detracts from our ability to see inappropriately is frustrating when we should be winding down.
At night we appreciate artificial light – ambient vs task-focused vs accent opportunities must have appropriate circuitry allocation – or else multiple-purpose rooms throughout the day effectively become useless because one bulb isn’t sufficient enough coverage for everyone until morning.
Outdoor lighting extends how much time we can enjoy our spaces – but minimal electrical access means bad luck if we didn’t put that in there beforehand. Exposed patios 24/7 need pathway lights; lanterns are necessary for walk-throughs while LEDs are integrated within gardens (although those could be purely aesthetic later).
Home Kitchens/Bathrooms
Kitchens revolve around work triangles – sink/refrigerator/stove – in an effort to maximize culinary potential; however, when other features open up behind islands or next to walls due to multi-faceted designs we find ourselves having to maneuver more than necessary unless we looked at what had performance potential from the outset. Islands become passthroughs while counter heights aggravate shorter residents – and they must all be part of the plan instead of assumed practicality along with humility thrown in.
Bathrooms don’t require accessibility so much as practical application surrounding storage expectations – for cleaning supplies vs beauty products vs linens – dedicated significance keeps children from accidentally wetting themselves because toilet wipes aren’t on this side of the house over there – and ventilation comes into play rendering moisture-related decisions crucial for consideration due to finishing maintenance health issues that cannot be neglected.
Ultimately this is how your dream home gets constructed properly during design/building phases – not by assessing what gets constructed but how it will be lived down the line by your family. Get on the same page with smart professionals; consider your lifestyle during accommodations, thus easy decisions postponed until months after you move in because you were too busy worrying about how it should all look. Instead, it became easy functional happiness instead of mistakes you’d forever regret avoiding this far.
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Meet the blogger behind Life In Velvet – Bec, a mum of 4 currently living on the US East Coast with her kids, husband and numerous pets. Bec shares her favourite things on this award-nominated lifestyle blog – especially recipes and baking, crafts, home and interiors, DIY, her love for all things seasonal, and a good motivational quote!