How to design your dream home

Are you dreaming of your perfect home? From room size to layout, house plans to décor, there is so much to plan when designing your dream house. So how do you know where to start? What will your builder want to see? And how can you be sure your dream is brought to life? Here are our top 5 tips on how to design your dream home, and see your plans turn into reality.

1. Keep a record of your favourite plans

A good place to start when designing your own home is to check out the norm for house plans. There are plenty of home designs online that you can look at to get a general feel for what you like and don’t like in a home. Do you want it to be one storey, or two? Have you thought about where you want the bedrooms in relation to the living areas? How do you feel about a long, thin house, versus a traditional wider façade?

You’ll find that by looking at existing house plans you’ll discover preferences for your layout and may discover features you hadn’t even thought about. If you already know the builder you’re going to work with, ask to have a look through their catalogue of house plans so you know what’s possible. If you’re still shopping around, it doesn’t hurt to look at different websites – just keep in mind that we (and most other builders) would never build another’s design, but we don’t mind you showing us your inspiration.

2. Use a grid book

Remember back in maths class when you’d draw diagrams and graphs on grid paper to keep it all to scale? You’ll want to do the same thing when you’re sketching out your house plans. Sure, you may not be an architect yourself, but even basic drawings can help you visualise how your dream home might look.

Keep everything in proportion by using a 1cm grid book – 1cm on paper = 1m in your home. This is especially useful when you’re comparing room sizes. A huge open-plan living area is excellent, but how do your rooms fit around that area? How big do you need your master bedroom to fit an ensuite and a walk-in robe? How small are you willing to go in your other bedrooms? Make use of the graph paper and it’ll make much more sense than in your head.

3. See your design in 3D

We love a good set of house plans, but for many people, nothing beats seeing a house design in 3D. When you’re first designing your home, one of the best things you can do is visit as many open homes and builder’s display homes as possible. Take the opportunity to compare real house plans with display homes so you can see how the 2D space translates to real life. You might be surprised how some smaller rooms can feel big, or how much a window or fixture makes a difference to a space.

When it comes to your own house plans, there are lots of apps that can render your home in 3D. They can be a little fiddly to use, but if you’re someone who likes to visualise a space off the page, they can be a great option to help put things in perspective. Even fun design games can help you see what’s possible in the room sizes you’re looking at, and help you plan for how you might style a room and what furniture will fit where.

4. Pinterest is your friend

Speaking of style, it’s a good idea to start thinking about your overall décor and style early on. Whether you’re interested in traditional décor or modern, light colour schemes or dark, you’ll want to make note of anything that captures your attention so you can come back to it later. One of the best ways we’ve seen to do this is by using a Pinterest board.

When you download the Pinterest app or browser extension, you can save any image you like with one click, no matter what page you’re scrolling on. You can also look through other’s boards on Pinterest for inspiration and save their pins to your own board. To start with, we recommend saving anything and everything that takes your fancy… soon, you’ll develop an eye for the style you most like and will be able to check your board for whether new ideas complement or clash with your style.

5. Create a vision board for each room

To hone in on your style choices, keep a vision board for each room, as well as your Pinterest board for the whole house. You can continue to do this on Pinterest with a separate board for each room, or you can go old-school and collage pictures into a book or piece of cardboard. This is your opportunity to nail down the details and see how your overall style is reflected in each space.

As builders, we love seeing Pinterest and mood boards of styles you love. This helps us to visualise what you’re after and talk through the style aspects you’re most excited about. When you share your photos with us, we’ll also discuss our experiences and recommendations – like how certain colours might clash, or some fixtures last longer than others. We can then work with you to bring your dream to life, in a way that brings you long-lasting joy.

Designing your dream home is an incredibly exciting period of your life and something we love being a part of. At CRJ, custom homes are our bread and butter. Talk to us today for a no-obligation chat about how we can help you in the design process and bring your dream home to life.