A house plan has to fit more than your site -- it should be tailored to how you and your family will live in the space. Yet, many homebuilders often seek a house plan without asking the critical question,"What is my home for?" They begin looking at plans before they look seriously at their own requirements. It’s a little like buying a pair of shoes without knowing the size of your feet (except you can’t return the house).

What will it take to create the home you want? Following is a sample checklist you can use to pinpoint your ideals and select a stock house plan that "fits." It can also be brought to your first meeting with your architect or given to your REALTOR® if you’re shopping for an existing home:

Describe your style

If you live a traditional lifestyle, you probably want a formal home -- one with clearly defined, separate rooms for the living, dining and kitchen areas. Informality suggests an open plan in which areas for dining, family, TV and cooking may be located close to each other or even together in a great room.

If you do a lot of entertaining, the size of your living room, dining room and kitchen should be accommodating. Large dinner parties require ample counter space, an oversized refrigerator and a dining room large enough to seat several guests. But if your entertaining consists of Sunday football gatherings, you may want to trade in the oversized dining room for a living room large enough to hold a big screen TV and sectional furniture.

Start a ring binder (see the first article in this series) where you can capture design elements that appeal to you. It will be easier to identify what it is you like about a plan if you see certain elements repeated in your selections.

Which words describe the home you want to build?

Formal

Informal

Intimate

Contemporary

Playful

Natural

Other___________________

 

How often do you entertain one to four guests?

For dinner or dessert:  ____ times a month

For dinner: ____ times a month

For barbecue: ____ times a month

How often do you entertain more than four guests?

For drinks or dessert: ____ times a month

For dinner: ____ times a month

For barbecue: ____ times a month

Where does your family “hang out”:

_______________________

What functions do you want your home to perform?

Entertaining

Refuge from the world

Refuge from work

Home office

Place to raise a family

Place to retire

Are there architectural elements of which you are particularly fond?

Dormers

Towers

Balconies

French doors

Courtyards

Patios & Decks

Window seats

Exposed roof beams

Inglenooks

Bridges

Arches

Rounded corners

Thick walls

Built-in storage

Shutters

List and describe the rooms

This may seem a little obvious, but it’s important. If you’re reviewing stock house plans, go down the list of rooms to make sure they contain all the areas you want.

It will help you tremendously to start with the activities normal to your family and then translate these into rooms that house those activities. Breaking your activities down will help you imagine alternate uses for rooms with specific labeling on the plans you review.

Then, think about how you’ll be using the house, and how that affects the relationship of the rooms. Some of these relationships are obvious. For example, the kitchen should open to the dining room to minimize the number of steps you’ll take carrying hot plates or dirty dishes.

But what about the relationship of the dining rooms (or other entertainment areas) to the bedrooms? If you entertain at night, should a small child’s bedroom be some distance from the kitchen, dining and living rooms? The relationship of your garage to your kitchen is also important. Position the garage near the kitchen or incorporate a pass-through so you won’t have to haul bags across the house and over your beautiful carpeting.

Entry Foyer

Formal

Informal

Intimate

Living/Family Room

Formal

Informal

Intimate

Big screen TV/satellite

Stereo System

Floor plugs

Built-in nooks

Fireplace

Wet Bar

Piano

Pool/Game table

Dining Room

Formal

Informal

Intimate

Built-in buffet

Table dining for __ people

Wet Bar

Fireplace

Kitchen

Formal

Informal

Intimate

Center island

Pantry

Table dining for __ people

Booth dining for __ people

Counter dining for __ people

Counter Material

Tile

Corian

Granite

Butcher block

Laminate

Cabinetry

Solid wood cabinets

Laminate cabinets

Painted cabinets

Flush wood cabinets

Raised or recessed-panel

Glass cabinets

Open shelves

Hanging pot storage

Telephone/Computer Desk

Appliances

Stove Gas Electric Griddle/Grill	Oven Gas Electric Convection	Refrigerator Side-by-side Other	Microwave Conventional Convection
Dishwasher Gas Electric	Washer/Dryer Gas Electric	Freezer Upright Case

Master Bedroom

Stereo System

Cable/Satellite

Fireplace

Built-ins

Sitting area

Bed size ___________

Study/Office

Stereo System

Cable/Satellite

Computer

2^nd Phone line

Printer/Copier

Fax Machine

Built-in Bookcases

Other Rooms

(Attach separate sheet.)

Parking, etc.

Attached

Detached

Carport

Driveway parking

Workshop space

Garden shed

Boathouse

Swimming pool

Guest House

Special Features

Are there any other amenities you desire? One or two special features can make the difference between a cookie-cutter plan and the home of your dreams.

>>To Judi Heit's first article in the series
>>To Judi Heit's third article in the series
>>To Judi Heit's fourth article in the series