The aspect of your new house is very important, and you must get to know your house style preferences and limitations before designing it. If you don’t have an exact look in mind, you might want to try finding your inspiration elsewhere. Drive through neighborhoods, take pictures of homes that strike you, and then compile an image that suits you best.
If you can’t find a variety of homes nearby to photograph or aren’t impressed by the homes you come across, head to your local bookstore to stock up on a variety of magazines and books for inspiration. Look for general home magazines, specialty home magazines, regional magazines that cover your area, or books that help you identify architectural styles. When studying them, take note of what speaks to you: Is it a particular color or material? Window size, shape, or grouping? Shutters? Dormers or roof shape? Collect your clippings in a three-ring notebook or expanding file folder. Soon you can define your own personal style.
Another important thing to be considered is your local house style, as regional house styles typically evolve as a sensible response to a local climate, making them wonderful guides for what kind of buildings will work and what kind won’t. Even if you want your custom home to be unique and make a bold style statement, you don’t want to own the neighborhood laughingstock.
Furthermore, legalities, in the form of covenants, conditions, and restrictions, can significantly impact your home, so do your homework before buying land. You must read the CC&Rs’ fine print before you buy your lot. Policies set out by homeowners’ associations or local jurisdictions could restrict many aspects of your home, such as:
- The height and size of your building
- Its proximity to a body of water
- The building materials you can use and your home’s exterior colors
- Your ability to raise livestock
- The types of vehicles that can be parked on-site.
Some associations strictly enforce their restrictions. Others are more lenient. The upside of these kinds of restrictions is that they apply both to you and to your neighbors. If you don’t like these kinds of rules and regulations, you’d better buy your land in a different neighborhood.
Professionals to Help with Your House Style
If you still can’t decide on a house style, or you and your spouse can’t agree on a house style, it’s time to call for professional help, that is to ask for input from an architect or designer. This person will ask questions about your lifestyle and then suggest a house style that’s common to your area or make the case for something more unusual. When talking to such a professional, you need to:
- Openly discuss your budget. It wastes your time and the designer’s if you hedge about how much you want to spend on your home.
- Offer honest feedback. If your designer seems to be veering off track, say so. The goal for everyone involved should be to create the best possible home.
- Keep an open mind. Don’t dismiss an architect’s suggestions without giving them some consideration.
If you decide on hiring a designer or architect, you must ask yourself if you can afford their charges. The fees these professionals charge typically fall in the range of 10 to 15 percent of your project’s total cost. If you can find a plan in a book that suits your needs as well as your lot and your neighborhood restrictions perfectly, you don’t need an independent designer. However, they can act as your advocate in a confrontation with a contractor, can save you from spending money on a product or material that simply won’t work in your area or in your home, and can create a home that truly fits your house style and the land you worked so hard to find.