Too big. Too small. Just right!

Nearly every floor plan available lists room dimensions. Yet many continue to struggle with grasping the “feel” of the room. Will the bedroom be too large or too small; what about the kitchen, is there enough cabinet space? Is the dining room table that your great-grandfather built still going to fit in the dining room? It’s not a nearby spec home so how can you tell what the overall feel of the house is? Those just some of the questions that being to float around as you look at floor plan after floor plan. Here are some suggestions.

First, measure every room of your house and write those dimensions down. Then find the floor plans that you like and take note of the room dimensions. Information in hand, occupy the rooms in your home that serve the same purpose as the ones you’re considering in the new floor plan. How does your room currently feel? What are its dimensions compared to the one on the floor plan? This quickly rules out all or parts of floor plans that contain rooms that would be too big or too small. For those that are left, wait for a parade of homes. When the next parade of homes happens, see if you can find homes that feature similar layouts so you can test the “flow” of the rooms. This is particularly important with kitchens. We have seen many people start off wanting a kitchen island for example. However as the project continues, the island is removed. For this reason, it’s very helpful to take note of your living style. Some people need a home that allows for their “come and go” lifestyle; others have a “sit a spell” lifestyle. Realizing what your lifestyle is will answer countless questions about size, layout, and feel in a new home design.

We realize it’s not always possible to match floor plans in the way we’re suggesting; we offer in-house design services in those cases. This stage in the design process is what we refer to as “sketch stage”. With the sketches, we can provide a basic outside view of the home from several angles. This lets you grasp the rough curb appeal of a home. In certain cases, we can also provide a very rough view of what the interior of the home might look like. At this current stage in the process, we don’t want you to invest money in a detailed floor plan that won’t meet your needs; so our sketches don’t contain tremendous detail. Hopefully this advice can help keep your project moving along. If you’d like more information or additional assistance from us, give us a shout. We’re happy to help!

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