Think twice, build once
Home Design October 26th, 2009
As an architect, I always recommend living in your home for at least a year before you embark on any major renovations. This way you’ll have experienced the place through the seasons, through different light conditions and through your daily life, and you’ll come out knowing what your renovation priorities truly are.
No matter how keen you are to get started, plan, prioritise and then plan and prioritise some more.
Unfortunately, it’s not so easy when you want to buy land and build a new home. I liken it to buying a computer. Even though your needs may be quite conservative, you’re so easily sucked in to buying the model with all the bells and whistles, even though you know you’ll never use them.
Going through project and spec homes is interesting. Sometimes you really have to stretch your imagination to envisage how all the odd little nooks and crannies could be used. And what about those places that have three or four separate sitting areas plus a parents’ retreat? All that open floorspace might look impressive at first but, be honest, do you really need it? And just think about the heating and cooling costs.
When I design a new home for a client, I constantly keep them up-to-date with the costs because it’s so easy to overspend. I’ll ask if the project is in keeping with their original priorities and their budget. For instance, travertine tiles in the bathroom would be stunning but are they really needed? And how essential is that $6500 cooking range from Melbourne? My aim is to avoid disappointment when the tender prices come in.
If you want to get a really good idea of what it costs to build a new home, go to the easy-to-use construction cost calculator. It just might save you a heap of time and heartache.
Of course, when building from scratch, or even when renovating, you have to find a compromise between what you need and want and what the marketplace will need and want when it comes time to sell. But there are some steadfast basics that will always ring true. You’ll find them all outlined in Seven deadly sins of home design. Each one of the sins is equally deadly in terms of the success of your project and the impact upon your pocket.
But if I had to choose one piece of advice above all others, it would be don’t rush in. Take plenty of time to draw up and mull over your list of priorities and don’t be afraid to make change upon change. Then, when you’re really sure, the house you build should truly be the house of your dreams.
