Working with a Custom Home Designer

The custom home architect offers many choices for people who want to spend extra money on the home plan they really want. As a process, working with the custom architect consists of multiple stages. Both parties must use clear communication, including asking questions and clarifying goals for the various rooms of the home. The final home plan should meet or exceed the goals of the customer.

If you want a one-of-a-kind flooring plan, it is worth paying the extra money for the services of a custom home architect. Your home will be a haven for family, a place where comfort can be shared in solitude. For the effort you invest in planning your custom home, you will want to stay as long as you can. This article offers several insights into the work completed by a custom home architect.

Site Plan

Two major limitations to the size of your house are your budget and your property measurements. Homebuyers who want a lot of square footage but purchase a small lot with a limited area for building can consider adding extra stories to the base model. You can choose to build your home with footers wide enough to support a second story even if you cannot afford this upper level in the beginning. A strong base with the right footers will provide the basis for an easy addition of a second story later.

Flooring Plan

Based on your budget and the cost per square foot your builder charges, you should have a ballpark number of square feet in mind during the meetings with the architect. The next question is how much square footage you want to allocate to each part of the home. For example, people with grown children or no children may want the most living space in common living areas, such as the living room and the kitchen. They might only design the home with two bedrooms and a den and devote most of the square footage to these common areas. Find custom home contractors who will finish the job today.

Roofing Planning and Design

Just like the footers, the roof design is a big consideration. You have options like eight foot ceilings versus nine foot ceilings and a flat ceiling versus a cathedral ceiling. Consider also how you want the home to look from the curb when designing the roof line. The architect has the skills to design almost any home as long as the construction fits modern design principles and adheres to your county’s building codes.

Custom Home Features

The whole point of building a custom home is for the homebuyer to get the opportunity to request custom features. For example, you might want window seats in every room, special windows designed for passive solar heating, a built-in bar in the dining room, and a skylight. Some of these features can be added later through home renovations, but it makes good financial sense to get them all wrapped up into your first building package. You can choose to complete projects like building window seats and built-in bars later, try to get the architect to incorporate as many features into the design as possible.

Green Building Considerations

Why are green building considerations like passive solar design and sustainable insulation so important to the discussion of the custom home? The answer is really simple. Homeowners who purchase stock homes may receive some energy efficient features and home building materials that have a reduced impact on the environment. However, they are limited in their ability to request that the home builder use certain features when designing and building the home. If you are going to complete the home building process after working with a custom architect, it makes sense to incorporate as many green building concepts into the design as you want.

Working with a custom home architect is your opportunity to request the features you really want in your home. If you take this process step by step, the final specifications the home builder will follow can produce a terrific home!