Home Building - Design
The design phase is where everything gets started. It's a must, so don't even think about skipping ahead.
The Big Picture
Design starts with all those ideas that have been floating around in your head. Maybe you're just thinking you need a little more space for a growing family. Or maybe you have every detail honed to perfection. Either way, those ideas have to get documented before they can become real changes to your home.
At RandomSPACE we like to start with the big picture. Follow these steps if you are just getting started:
- Think of everything you want.
Ideas are cheap. Don't start second guessing the budget before you've even started. Instead, write down everything you can think of. Create a list that completely defines your dream home. Sure, some stuff will probably disappear before you break ground, but you should at least start like you can have it all. With everything in the list it's much easier to complete step 2.
- Prioritize
You've listed everything, but certainly those things don't all mean the same to you. If you have to start cutting things from the project, you'll want to know what matters the most. Go back through your list and prioritize it. You can do this in different ways. Our recommendation is to categorize everything first, then prioritize stuff within those categories. It will help keep those dreams to a manageable number.
- Get Visual
A picture really is worth a thousand words. And you can't have too many pictures when you are talking about your dream home. So hit the news stand. Grab those magazines and your scissors and start cutting. If you are more electronically oriented, then go surfing. There are countless places on the Internet to find great examples of anything you want from the killer cabinets to the perfect toilet. Gather them all. Pick and choose. Find the style that really works for you. Find the stuff that's on the edge. Find the stuff you fight about with your spouse. Now's the time.
- Draw It
If you have the touch, start free-hand. Sure, you can use a napkin, but paper is OK too. Draw blobs for rooms or scratches for elevations. Play with as much or as little as you can handle. And when you've done the best you can, start thinking about people that do this sort of thing for a living.
- Get Help
This is your dream home, right? Well, what better time to get some professional help? Depending on the size of your renovation, you are likely to need the assistance of a few different professionals during the design phase.
First and foremost is an architect. These folks are all about taking your thoughts and wishes and creating practical plans that can be built. Architects specialize in this stuff. They are worth every penny you pay them.
Next comes the engineer. We want this thing to stand up. Architects are good at this stuff, too, but engineers are better. Besides, your city is going to want to see the engineer's stamp eventually anyway. Like architects, these guys went to school for this stuff and are going to make sure your house is built to last.
You might also want to use the services of various other designers. There are kitchen designers and interior designers and colorists, and historic finishes specialists. Pretty much anything you want to do is represented by somebody who has made it their life's work. You can get the names of these people from your architect or from us.
RandomSPACE can help you with all these steps. Don't know where to find an architect? We do. Not sure what kind of engineer to use? We are. You can always give us a call to get connected with the right resources for your job.