How to Design a New Home
Designing a new home means keeping up with modern trends. It means including in your design all the latest appliances and design elements available on the market. A new home might include energy-efficient kitchen appliances, insulated windows and doors and sustainable flooring. It might also include low VOC wall paints, low-flow water faucets, geothermal heating and other elements that can stand the test of time. Today's new homes are built with the future in mind instead of just the present. The push for green building is constant and residential construction is helping to pave the way toward sustainable design. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Create your home's floor plan. Consider working with an architect, designer or contractor. He will be able to take your ideas and turn them into reality while following your local building code requirements. If you choose to create your own plan, consider using an online program like Small Blueprinter or Floor Planner. Small Blueprinter is very basic, but will get the job done. Floorplanner.com offers a free download of their basic software program. The basic version offers 2D and 3D designs with easy-to-use drag-and-drop tools. Choose to purchase the extended version for more design options. Realize that these programs are not specific to building regulations in your location. Use them if you wish, but consult a building inspector before implementing your plans.
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Design the interior room by room. Start with the basic rooms like kitchen, dining room, living room, bedrooms and bathrooms. In the kitchen, include energy-efficient appliances.When purchasing them, check the Energy Star rating. You can usually find this rating on a sticker on the box or on the appliance itself. In the dining room, include a table big enough to seat your family, plus additional guests. Purchase a table with leafs and extra chairs for when you have company. Make the living room comfortable, with couch, chair and love seat. Consider adding modern elements like a flat-screen television and surround sound technology. Modern families use the living room to entertain, eat and relax, so make sure your design is consistent. Design bathrooms and bedrooms to complement their usual inhabitants. For example, design a young girl's bedroom with vibrant colors like pinks and yellows. Hang a shower curtain in the bathroom that picks up colors in the room. Involve family members in the design process.
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Keep sustainability in mind. When purchasing faucets, install low-flow hardware to reduce water usage. Consider flooring options like bamboo or cork to reduce allergens in traditional floor coverings like carpet. Doing this will improve the overall air quality. Refer to the U.S. Green Building Council for additional sustainable design features.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit new home image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
