5 Ways We Advise Clients To Prepare For Designing Their Home

As the year comes to a close, do you spend time in reflection on the year and planning for the next? Reflection work is a key part of our Springhouse process and we guide our clients to do the same. This is a time of year all about transition and renewal, so taking stock of the past year will help prepare you for the next. This applies to your everyday life, your business, and your home.

Yes, believe it or not, the prep work you do to set yourself up for a successful year ahead is very much the same prepping you need to do when getting ready for your new custom home. Here are the 5 ways we advise clients to prepare for a new home:

1. Think About How Your Home Serves You Right Now

I often ask clients to think back through a full year. Go through the past year’s calendar, month by month, and think about how your current home served you through those seasons. How would your niece’s baby shower have been different? Or how well accommodated were your in-laws when they came to town? How about those Sunday nights with just the two of you making dinner and relaxing? How did your current home affect these experiences?

2. What Will Your Life Look Like in 5 Years?

Think about your life in the near future. What will you be doing? What will you need in your home? How about in 10 years time? Will you keep your current furniture? How do you foresee your needs changing over time (if at all)?

3. A New Home Involves More Than A New Design

We all know a fresh start with a new home includes all of the fun, pretty stuff: new light fixtures, counter tops, flooring, etc. However, you should keep in mind that you are also starting new with all of your mechanical systems. Your options for these have come a long way. Now is the time to research what is the most important to you and where it makes sense to spend your money.

Should you choose a high efficiency furnace or use geothermal energy? Consider if you want a commercial gas water heater with an integrated loop or an on-demand recirculating system. You may even want to weigh the pros and cons of solar.

4. Use A Vision Board

A vision board will help organize your thoughts and dreams for your new home. You can create one by pinning images onto a pin board or go digital by collecting inspiring images on pinterest or Houzz.

Start with broad strokes first; just save everything that appeals to you. Then, after just one night on the couch looking through your gorgeous pictures, you will start to notice a pattern. The next night, go through those photos again and save the ones you love the most. This serves two purposes: 1. It narrows your focus  2. It communicates to your architect what is difficult to put into words.

5. Be Open To The Process

Designing and building a new home is a very transformative process. You are saying goodbye to an existing home and neighbors. You will go through a exhaustive process of making every selection for your new custom home. There will be delays and setbacks but there will also be amazing moments of excitement. Take everything in stride knowing that by the end of the process, you’ll have a home that is perfectly suited to who you are and who you will be.

Interested in learning more about the custom home process? Read this article: Q&A With Your Custom Home Architect: How Can I Match My Vision With My Budget?