Custom homes are a huge investment. They require time, planning, and money from you as the home buyer. With a little extra thought, though, your dream home could stay your dream home…forever. Here’s how to design a home you can live in for the rest of your life.
Flexibility
The first key to designing a home you can love forever is flexibility. As you consider the style and layout of your home, you’ll want to evaluate how each option will serve you and your family moving forward. Your needs now are not the same as they will be in five or ten years, so don’t pigeonhole yourself into a lifestyle-specific design. A second-floor master bedroom away from your kids may seem like a good idea now, but what about in a few years when they’re out of the house? Every feature of your home should be designed to age with you—and to serve people of all ages. For example, before you have children, you may design his-and-hers offices with closets and ample room to accommodate children you may have in the future. Keep an eye toward what the future you might appreciate, like not having to climb stairs to reach the laundry room or master bedroom).
Space
At first, you may think of your space needs as related mainly to the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you want in your new home. While those factors have a major impact on the amount of space your custom home needs, they aren’t the only considerations to keep in mind. For example, to accommodate family members who may eventually need to use a walker or wheelchair, your home should have doorways that are at least three feet wide, hallways that are at least four feet wide, and a turning radius of at least five feet. This ensures that everyone can maneuver through your home with ease. Designing your home with intentional space for ease of movement will help you and those around you age comfortably in your home.
Accessibility
Designing a forever home means accommodating all levels of mobility. While you could slap a ramp up to your front door one day in the future, an intentional porch design with a gradually sloping ramp looks much more visually appealing. If you do decide on a two-story design, be sure to include at least one bedroom and bathroom on the main level.
Location
You’ve heard it before: location is everything. This concept certainly rings true with a forever home. Here are a few questions to consider when planning the location for your custom home:
- How close is this location to the resources I frequently need (grocery store, gas station, pharmacy, etc.)?
- Is it in a good school district?
- Would I have a manageable commute to work from this location?
- Can emergency services reach it quickly?
- How safe is this location?
- Is it in a developing area or a well-established subdivision?
- Would I have easy access to major highways?
If you’re having trouble answering any of these questions, go through a typical day in your mind. Then, consider how that day may be different ten years from now. A good location will work in either situation.
Safety
Safety is crucial to being able to comfortably remain in your home over the long term. Safety for a family with young children might mean a built-in alarm system with sensors on all windows; for an older couple, it might include a walk-in shower with grab bars or a safety rail on both sides of the stairs. A forever home should accommodate all of these and more. In planning for safety ahead of time, you can seamlessly incorporate the features into your home’s design without unwanted stigma or hassle.
If you’re ready to build a home you can love for years to come, contact Homes by Brill. The experts at Homes by Brill will walk you through each step in the process of building a custom home. From start to finish, you’ll be designing your dream home—for today, tomorrow, and the many years ahead. You can trust Homes by Brill, a revered name among Des Moines home builders, to design your forever home.
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