Building Designs for Your House

Conduct Adequate Research

• Figure out the basic shape of homes you find appealing. You might, for example, prefer two-story traditional brick homes, all-glass high-tech homes or A-frame cottages. Create a home design that you would build if money were absolutely no object. Scale back to fit the real budget by using some of the best features of your ideal house. Plan, for example, to build a two-story brick with sharply pitched roof angles, large windows and beautiful landscaping.

Define the Basic Style You Want

• Learn the basic shapes and designs available in house-plan books. Home design books will help you become familiar with bungalow houses, ranch houses, colonial styles or high-tech homes. Plan to construct a cottage-style structure, Western-look home or high-tech house with lots of glass, as possible choices. It's important to note that it costs more to construct a home with multiple roof lines versus a basic ranch roof, for example, because of the labor costs. Lots of glass for large windows and walls will cost more than brick, too.

Draw Your Dream Home

• Interior features will factor into any home. Plan a house with a full staircase leading to the second story, for example. Envision how the house will look from the moment you step in the entrance foyer. Plan to build a house with vaulted ceilings in main living areas and the master bedroom, as possible choices. Make sketches of closets, storage areas, shelving and cabinetry you would like in an ideal plan. Create lots of details, such as dormer windows in children's bedrooms, so that your final plan will come close to your ideal plan.

Include Well-Planned Auxiliary Spaces

• Garage space and basement space will affect the design. Select a house plan with a drive-under garage on a lot with at least one sloping side to accommodate this drive-under area. Build a basement with high ceilings of 9 or 10 feet if you want a roomy basement for converting to living space later on. Use high basement ceilings for better ventilation, too, if you will have a workshop or painting area in the basement.

Finalize Exterior Planning

• Figure out exterior additions that might improve the home. Choose a house plan with large porches, which can later be enclosed, as one option. Build a house with a well-made screened porch that might be converted to a sunroom later on. Build a two-car separate garage that might one day become an in-law's living quarters, as a possible choice. Think outside the box to create good spaces that you can renovate in the future when your children or parents are older.