Don’t make these mistakes! 5 things to do before building or remodeling!

Building your first home is a wonderful and exciting experience, a lot of work, yes, but very rewarding if you do it right!

Pay close attention to every detail and you will have many stressful moments wishing you had put this wall there instead, had a ceiling light there, added those sliding doors, or wish you knew the sofa needed to go on that wall. …

My husband and I built our first house in the late 90’s. It was a middle class, middle income house which at the time we thought would just be a stepping stone. Fourteen years later, we’re still here, and we wish we’d planned things a little differently.

Sure, some things can always be added later, but some can be very expensive or not conducive to structure.

Here are 5 tips to avoid stupid and costly mistakes when building or remodeling a home:

1. Hire an Architect and a good builder
2. Consult with an interior designer/decorator
3. Consider furniture and location.
4. Have a good indoor and outdoor lighting plan.
5. Have an energy saving plan

Hire a good architect and builder

Does the house have enough windows? Are there too many windows? Window treatments are expensive. My clients are always surprised when I give them the cost of their curtains.

Are the windows big enough? Nothing worse than short stubby windows!

Are they lined up correctly on the outside of the house?

I see houses all the time where the windows don’t line up and look choppy and unprofessional. (I know of a newly built house with a beautiful huge half round window in the front of the house that doesn’t line up with the front door. They put it off center and it looks ridiculous! How are they going to change that? They probably won’t!

My advice: consult an architect before building from scratch. Although it may look good on the inside, it should also look good on the outside. A good design will have balance.

Most new build/development homes have several options, building lots, and floor plans to choose from, so you probably don’t need to hire an architect yourself if you go this route, you’d be buying from a developer or builder who already has consulted. with an architect for design plans.

Hire a good architect and builder when starting from scratch and buying a building lot. Ask to see the houses they have built so you can see their work and ask for their references.

With all the decisions you’ll face with new construction, even the best builder or architect won’t fully understand your specific needs to live comfortably in your home and make it work to fit your personal lifestyle. You may not really know either. It’s easy to overlook important details in the construction phase that can affect your lifestyle and comfort level later on, and that brings me to my #1 top tip…

Hire a decorator or interior designer

This is such an important tip! This will save you a lot of money and time. I can’t count on my fingers the number of clients who come to me to help fit their new oversized furniture into too small a space, or wish they’d known they needed an entertainment unit so they could add a wall for it on the plans. of construction…

Your designer will assess how you will live in the home and help you with:

Find and optimize your design style
All necessary furniture/furniture dimensions/furniture placement
The best options available to you
a lighting plan
An art plan and accessories

Why is it so important to know your design style?

Knowing your decorating style and staying true to it will give your new home a cohesive, finished look. Your designer will help you choose the right furnishings and choose the right finishes and accessories so that your new home has the right flow, balance and comfort to match your lifestyle.

Your Designer will help you choose in advance all the elements that will make your house a home. He will make many decisions that his designer will guide him through. Here are just a few of the build options you’ll determine (possibly for each room):

· Pavements
windows
door styles
cabinets
roof tile
Turning on
accessories
hardware
accessories
paint colors
roof texture
trim and molding

Have a good lighting plan

Each room should have 3 types of lighting:

Ambient-Lights throughout the room (for example, ceiling lights, sconces, wall sconces)
Task: Focuses on a specific task (for example, under cabinet lighting, reading lamps, light over an island…)
Accent – ​​Highlights certain objects or areas in a room (for example, lights over a painting, an illuminated tree or plant, china cabinet lights)

Consult a professional exterior lighting consultant to enhance your home’s curb appeal and draw attention to design details and landscaping on your home’s exterior.

Have an energy saving plan

How to save a package on the go:

Add your solar heating…radiant heating…organic insulation…under construction
· Research energy saving and green options.

There are so many new products available. Your builder may not be aware of the latest products, but you can introduce them yourself and save yourself a lot of money in the future. The DIY channel is a great resource for the newest energy saving and green home building concepts. Any ideas…

Added an instant hot water faucet in my sink love it
· Instant hot water for the whole house. I wish they had it when I was building!
Whole House Water Purifier
solar heating
・Attic fan
“green” insulation
very good windows
Windows with roll-up screens
Attic stairs
Ceiling lights in each room.
exterior garage keypad entry
outdoor landscape lighting
Hardwood floors throughout, even if you want carpet in your bedrooms
glass shower enclosures
· All white bathroom fixtures: white will always be in style, colored fixtures will look outdated in ten years!
Upgraded Bathroom Fixtures – Builders Grade Depending on Home Price Range Can Be Pathetic – Opt for the Upgrade
Side lights (windows) on the sides of my front door to bring more light into my foyer
Perimeter ceiling lights in kitchen, dining and living rooms.
solid surface countertops
Good quality cabinets that go up to the ceiling, some with glass doors to display beautiful glassware and dishes.
Pocket doors, especially on small vanities – the door will take up too much space
closet systems

What should you say absolutely no to?

Popcorn ceilings! You will hate them. They are very difficult to repair, paint and disassemble. Whatever you do, don’t let your builder put them in! (Do they still make them?)

cheap windows! Get an update; buy the best windows your money can buy. My screens are constantly falling off my windows. To fix the problem, we need to replace all of our windows!

Other considerations:

Is the fireplace in the best place in the room to see and place the furniture?

How about the design of your kitchen?

Again, work with your interior designer or a kitchen designer on a good kitchen footprint. Your builder is not a professional in this matter and will often do what is easiest, which is not always the best option for the function:

My builder put in a peninsula dividing the dining room from the kitchen. It was only big enough for 2-3 stools. We then had to place a dining set in front of it, which was awkward. I then cut out the peninsula (literally MYSELF) and turned it into an island by removing the dining set and opening up the space.

Work as much storage as possible.

Instead of having empty space above the upper cabinets, opt for taller cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling or add small cabinets all the way to the ceiling. Just have a footstool available (those library stairs are to die for!)

Add sliding doors where needed. I have a small powder room off my foyer where I should have built a sliding door instead of the door swinging open taking up precious floor space. You can’t add pocket doors later without breaking the walls.

On my site you will find much more free help with decorating and beautiful and inspiring interior design images.
Kitchens 2011 What is fashionable? Visit my site and check out new trends, get free decorating help on my interior decorating forum, and discover your style by taking the interior decorating style quiz there too.

I hope I have helped!
Good luck with the house of your dreams!

Send me your dream home photos and I will feature your home on my website. You will have bragging rights! interior-decoration-diva.com

maria recorded
Your diva of interior decoration.