ke a quick sketch and note measurements. This may seem trivial to you, but unless you specify otherwise, contractors use standard measurement for everything. This makes the contractors' job easier, but if you happen to be 6 foot 6 inches tall then the standard 33-inch counter is going to feel low to you. Specify what you want. It is your home.

You may have to pay a little more for customizations such as counter height, (although not much, a

Consider that in any structure, there are communal, private and service spaces. When considering the basic layout of the home, think about the separation of these types of activities. At a gross level, you know you do not want the water pumps in the living room! Try drawing a circle to represent each space, overlap them, and use arrows to understand and work with the relationships. For example, the kitchen is often closely related to a dining room, yet it would probably be best if well removed from sleeping areas.

Makes lists of the activities, feelings and atmosphere you might enjoy in the home. Things like "bright open space" may perhaps come to mind. Or, thinking of the children's communal area, you might feel "loud and boisterous", "parties!” "video games" and other activities that your children might do. Do you or other family members need a quiet place to read? Unless you specify it, you will find that most pre-planned homes do not even include bookshelves, much less a library space. How about quiet areas for work? For study? For computer use? Do you have need of a formal dining area for those fancy parties, or are you more of a BBQ picnic type family?

Keep foremost in your mind that there are not wrong or right answers to these questions and just try to imagine you and your family living in the perfect space for you. Include the whole family in the process to make it vibrant and productive for all. Children will often come up with wonderful ideas you might never have considered. Let them join in!

A neat trick to tell you, if you have really just begun this thinking process about a home, is to ALWAYS carry a tape measure and pad with you. That way, when you are in someone else's home or in a public setting and you see something you like, you can make a quick sketch and note measurements. This may seem trivial to you, but unless you specify otherwise, contractors use standard measurement for everything. This makes the contractors' job easier, but if you happen to be 6 foot 6 inches tall then the standard 33-inch counter is going to feel low to you. Specify what you want. It is your home.

You may have to pay a little more for customizations such as counter height, (although not much, an

m, yet it would probably be best if well removed from sleeping areas.

Makes lists of the activities, feelings and atmosphere you might enjoy in the home. Things like "bright open space" may perhaps come to mind. Or, thinking of the children's communal area, you might feel "loud and boisterous", "parties!” "video games" and other activities that your children might do. Do you or other family members need a quiet place to read? Unless you specify it, you will find that most pre-planned homes do not even include bookshelves, much less a library space. How about quiet areas for work? For study? For computer use? Do you have need of a formal dining area for those fancy parties, or are you more of a BBQ picnic type family?

Keep foremost in your mind that there are not wrong or right answers to these questions and just try to imagine you and your family living in the perfect space for you. Include the whole family in the process to make it vibrant and productive for all. Children will often come up with wonderful ideas you might never have considered. Let them join in!

A neat trick to tell you, if you have really just begun this thinking process about a home, is to ALWAYS carry a tape measure and pad with you. That way, when you are in someone else's home or in a public setting and you see something you like, you can make a quick sketch and note measurements. This may seem trivial to you, but unless you specify otherwise, contractors use standard measurement for everything. This makes the contractors' job easier, but if you happen to be 6 foot 6 inches tall then the standard 33-inch counter is going to feel low to you. Specify what you want. It is your home.

You may have to pay a little more for customizations such as counter height, (although not much, a

ify it, you will find that most pre-planned homes do not even include bookshelves, much less a library space. How about quiet areas for work? For study? For computer use? Do you have need of a formal dining area for those fancy parties, or are you more of a BBQ picnic type family?

Keep foremost in your mind that there are not wrong or right answers to these questions and just try to imagine you and your family living in the perfect space for you. Include the whole family in the process to make it vibrant and productive for all. Children will often come up with wonderful ideas you might never have considered. Let them join in!

A neat trick to tell you, if you have really just begun this thinking process about a home, is to ALWAYS carry a tape measure and pad with you. That way, when you are in someone else's home or in a public setting and you see something you like, you can make a quick sketch and note measurements. This may seem trivial to you, but unless you specify otherwise, contractors use standard measurement for everything. This makes the contractors' job easier, but if you happen to be 6 foot 6 inches tall then the standard 33-inch counter is going to feel low to you. Specify what you want. It is your home.

You may have to pay a little more for customizations such as counter height, (although not much, a

r you. Include the whole family in the process to make it vibrant and productive for all. Children will often come up with wonderful ideas you might never have considered. Let them join in!

A neat trick to tell you, if you have really just begun this thinking process about a home, is to ALWAYS carry a tape measure and pad with you. That way, when you are in someone else's home or in a public setting and you see something you like, you can make a quick sketch and note measurements. This may seem trivial to you, but unless you specify otherwise, contractors use standard measurement for everything. This makes the contractors' job easier, but if you happen to be 6 foot 6 inches tall then the standard 33-inch counter is going to feel low to you. Specify what you want. It is your home.

You may have to pay a little more for customizations such as counter height, (although not much, a

ke a quick sketch and note measurements. This may seem trivial to you, but unless you specify otherwise, contractors use standard measurement for everything. This makes the contractors' job easier, but if you happen to be 6 foot 6 inches tall then the standard 33-inch counter is going to feel low to you. Specify what you want. It is your home.

You may have to pay a little more for customizations such as counter height, (although not much, and remember that everything is negotiable), but if you are planning to live in this space for a long time, it will be well worth it to make it as comfortable for you as possible.

Find the time to study design and architecture a little. Take a class, investigate options on the Internet and hit the library. There are many resources available today. When you know what is meant by the terms "core design", or "clerestory house", you will have enough working knowledge to help your designer, architect and builder create a beautiful place for you to live in for many, many years.