When you design your own house you embark on an exciting journey of self-discovery, unlocking creativity you never knew you had and relish the opportunity to customise every aspect of your dream home.
Understand your land
Get to know your neighbours. You can learn a lot from them since they have been living there for many years. For example you could find out if there are any trends in wind or if a cool breeze hits from a particular angle at certain times. Therefore you could adjust the windows on that side of your house to capture that cool breeze in the summer months.
Discover the views and look at where the sun sets and sunrises so you can adjust your rooms, windows or balcony accordingly. Know where the noise comes from in your neighbourhood so you could sound proof that side of the house.
 |
Residential zoning regulations
Learn about what you are allowed to build on your land. This is an important step to take before you design your own house. You don’t want to spend time on this to then find out that it will get rejected. Research online for publishing residential zoning laws in your local region and contact your local building inspector.
The key aspects that you will need to know is the style of home you can create, the setbacks from the street, the height and the percentage of land your house is allowed to cover.
 |
Outdoor spaces
You might want to resist the urge to go straight into designing your floor plan, however you need to consider how it will connect to your garden and driveway. Especially if you have kids you’ll want to locate their play area so you can ensure you have a clear view on this from inside.
 |
 |
House planning
Give every member of your household a notepad and pen and ask them to list their living requirements. This will help you when drawing your floor plan.
– Room use
– Quiet reading area
– Playroom
– Bedroom facing the morning sun
– Open plan to connect what would have been multiple rooms
– Who will be using which room
– The dimensions
– Lighting
– Sound
 |
 |
Draw house plans using bubble diagrams
Design your own house using bubble diagrams to draft the different floors of your home. You can play around with different room positioning and how they might interact with each other. Mark small bubbles for door entrances. Determine how the traffic will flow through your house.
 |
 |
Exterior house design
Assess different roof types.
– Gable roof
– Hipped roof
– Barrel roof
– Flat roof
– Mansard roof
Experiment with colour to trick the eye. You could paint your front porch in bright white to draw attention to the entrance for example. Wooden cladding is a popular choice for decorating the upper floor walls. If you observe modern homes today, many have bi-fold doors that open up and connect you more to nature outside. Larger long windows let more natural light in and provide a sense of freedom.
Design your own house using these tips and you’ll be one step closer to the home you have always dreamed of.
