Building Your Future: Things to Keep in Mind When Building a New Home
You finally made a decision to build your own home? Well, congrats! Building a house that is just your own is an amazing experience, but it also involves huge expenses and many important decisions that can be hard to make if you don’t have any experience. Luckily, the Internet is here to help with many tips, tricks and things you should consider when building a home. Take a look!
Go with passive solar design
If you don’t want the sun shining into your bedroom at 5 in the morning or turning your living room into a sauna in the summer, you must consider passive solar design. Use the sun to your advantage by positioning your home in a way that will allow you to reduce heating and cooling costs. If you’re living in a hot climate, reduce the number of windows on the south side to prevent overheating, add quality window treatment and provide plenty of shade from the roof overhangs and trees. Make sure to calculate solar energy into your design, and you’ll find yourself being very grateful in the future, especially when you get your tiny energy bill.
Choose the right HVAC system
Choosing the wrong heating or cooling unit will make your home much less comfortable AND cause potential mold and humidity issues. So, make sure to pay extra attention to your units and their power. If you choose one that is too small, it will not be able to maintain your ideal temperature, while a model that is too big will create a huge bill.
Invest in good floors
Real hardwood floors can be quite expensive, but they are worth every cent. They can be sanded and refinished many times and they only look more and more attractive with age. All the tiny scratches that come with use make wood veneer look shabby, while they only add style and history to wooden floors. However, make sure the wood comes from controlled and local lumber farms so that you don’t contribute to deforestation.
Think about the laundry room
Not many people think twice about where to put their laundry room and just opt for the basement. While this might work perfectly for some, other people will find this laundry room placement very impractical. After all, it’s quite a personal decision that should involve your lifestyle and habits. An upstairs laundry room next to the master bedroom is a great solution that is often overlooked, so give it a thought. Also, no matter if you’re building a custom home or getting a display home, talk to your constructor about this issue. There are some great project home builders who are very flexible with their designs and are ready to meet all of your needs. They might even have some amazing ideas that come with experience, so don’t hesitate to ask for opinions!
Consider your garage placement
Unless you want to have mud and dirt all over your house, make sure to place your garage strategically. For instance, it’s much easier and cleaner to place a garage near the kitchen or the mudroom so that you don’t drag dirt all over the living room while bringing in groceries or coming back from your kids’ soccer practice. Leave the dirt in the kitchen and the mudroom which are much easier to wipe and clean than your living room carpet.
Install plenty of outlets
Often we don’t even know how many electrical appliances and gadgets we own until we start running out of outlets. So, make sure to install plenty of power sources to avoid bickering over a phone charger! The best way to ensure you have enough outlets is to have a little energy audit with your electrician. Go around your home and listen to what professionals have to say. Usually, they have amazing ideas and tips you didn’t even think about—like an outlet in the pantry for charging kitchen gadgets or an outlet built into your kitchen island for juicers, toasters and sandwich makers.