How to Design Your Own House
You’ve been dreaming about building your own house (or having someone build it for you), but the thought of actually designing a house is a little daunting. I get it - I’ve been there! I’ve designed and (had) built two houses from scratch, and while I absolutely love the process, I totally understand that it can be a bit overwhelming even just thinking about designing your own house!
But don’t worry, designing your own house can be really fun - and, pro tip: if you’re not having any fun then maybe it’s time to hire an architect!
I’ll walk you through the basics of designing your own home. If you’re looking for a ready-made design, this isn’t the place. What I want to do is help you create and execute on your own vision!
Speaking of vision, that’s Step 1: Vision. Maybe you’re like me and you always have a ton of fun house design ideas swirling in your head. Maybe you don’t. Either way, the first step in designing your own home is to figure out what you like so you can figure out what you want in the home. Even if we’re not talking about designing and building your dream home, you can still implement your own vision on any budget (sometimes you can only do certain aspects, but believe me having an idea of everything you want is helpful).
Where do you go to form your vision? These days Pinterest is a darn good place. I recommend starting boards for all the different pieces of house design - exterior, kitchen, bathroom, stairs, you name it. You can always add more, so don’t worry about creating boards up front, but if you find yourself going down the rabbit hole of, say, front door colors, then create a board for it!
Even if you have no idea what you want, after a while, you’ll start to see trends emerge. And sometimes you’ll be surprised. I used to think I wanted a really sleek, modern, streamlined house. But in the end, little cabins in the woods really spoke to me and that’s what we ended up building as our forever home.
Once you have a certain style that you know you love, pick up a couple books filled with beautiful inspiration. It doesn’t matter if you want to build a tiny house, a mansion, or live in a cave - there are books for everything! Why am I telling you to buy books (or get them from the library!) when the internet is at your fingertips? Because books are something tangible, that you can hold and feel - just like the house you’re designing. I find that bringing the concept into the “real world” is super helpful. PLUS, if you’re able to commit the $18 for a book then you are one step closer to committing to actually building that house.
The next thing you’ll want to do is Step 2: Inventory. What do I mean by inventory? Well, when you design your own house you are given the freedom (and burden) of designing a space that works for your family’s individual needs. So write down everything you want to have in your new house. Love cooking? Big kitchen. Watch movies every night? Cozy TV room. Entertain often? Large dining area.
Realistically you may not actually get all the things on your list, but look at it this way: if you don’t write down what you want in a new house, you definitely won’t get it (in case you couldn’t tell, one of my philosophies is, “if you don’t ask, the answer is always no”).
Put everything you can think of onto your list, and then keep adding to it. I keep a list in Google Keep so I can update it any time I think of something.
And that brings us to Step 3: Design. Much easier said than done, actually designing your own house can be really stressful. What if you miss something? What if you have no idea how much space a kitchen cabinet takes up? Where do you put the stairs? And on and on and on…
But my biggest piece of advice (which, by the way, applies to just about every aspect of life) is to just start. Use a pencil or a free trial of house design software, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes!
Start with the room that means the most to you, and plan the rest of the space around that. For me that room is the kitchen, so most of my house designs start with the kitchen. Then I’ll branch out from there, putting the dining area nearby and making sure the entrance makes sense for carrying groceries to the counter.
Every time some inspiration strikes, break out the graph paper and make a quick sketch. Sometimes you might just be sketching one room, sometimes it might be a whole layout.
Don’t worry about making any of these sketches perfect - the important part is that you are continually building on your vision and narrowing down exactly what you want and need in a new house.
I’m assuming that if you’re reading this, you don’t have any formal design training - which is totally fine! Don’t let the design process intimidate you. Every time you sketch something you will be honing in on the details that matter.
Maybe your first few designs have the scale all wrong, but they help you see which elements you really want. Like you keep adding an island to a 6ft-wide kitchen. Sure, there’s not actually space for an island in a 6ft-wide kitchen - but if your vision includes an island, then once you figure out the scale issue you know your kitchen is going to have to be bigger to accommodate the island.
In my latest house, we did everything we could to maximize the kitchen without adding square footage to the overall plan. So we ended up with what many people would consider a very small living room. But for us it works, because we spend way more time cooking than we do sitting on the couch.
A couple tips for this part of designing your own house:
Give it time. Don’t line up a contractor and then sit down to start designing your house. Think about it for weeks. Sketch for more weeks. Maybe months.
Always carry a sketchbook, preferably one with graph paper in it. You never know when inspiration will strike.
Always carry a tape measure. If you go to someone’s house whose kitchen you admire, you can ask to take a few quick measurements so you have an idea of the scale that makes sense. Or you might find yourself in a small bathroom that just feels “right” - and I can guarantee the size and proportion of things like the sink play a huge role in that feeling.
So let’s say you’ve got a design you really like. Maybe you have a few you really like but aren’t ready to commit to yet (this is actually what I prefer - don’t get your heart set on any one thing just yet). What’s next?
Budget. Sure, you may already have had an idea of your budget. But now that you know what you want in your house design, it’s time to sit down and really think about your budget and what might be possible.
The cost of building a new house varies dramatically by region, so I won’t offer advice on that, but you can easily google “new construction cost” in your area and get a ballpark estimate. Usually those ballparks are a range of dollars per square foot that you can expect to pay to build a new home.
Often, those ranges are pretty big. Let’s say the range in your area is $100 to $200 per square foot, which means that if you’re building a 2000 square foot house, you can expect to pay $200,000 to $400,000 for the build.
Lots of things impact how much it will really cost to build your new house, from big ones like the foundation (the more corners you have in your floor plan, the more expensive the house will be from the ground up) to little finishes like faucets (enough times spending $300 instead of $60 will add up quickly!).
So think about your vision and what things may need to be adjusted in order to include all the things you truly need and, next, want in your new house. Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who can afford to do whatever you heart desires, but more likely it’s time to start adjusting your vision to accommodate your budget.
That being said, don’t give up on the things that are truly important to you! No, you may not be able to afford an extra wing on your house devoted to gift wrapping and pet shampooing. But you can probably still have that reclaimed wood accent wall - it just may need to be made out of stick-on tiles that look like wood, rather than the real thing.
Alright, now that you’ve formed your vision, inventoried your wants and needs, designed your house, and taken an honest look at your budget and adjusted your vision and design accordingly, it’s time to go out and get some estimates.
This is where things get really real. Ask for recommendations from friends and anyone whose house you love. Check out credentials. Ask for references. Basically, do your homework. You aren’t committing to working with any specific person when you get estimates, but you’re about to.
So pay attention to the vibe you get from the people or companies you contact for estimates. Because once you do choose someone to actually build your house, you are going to need to trust them - and trust yourself to be able to communicate your vision to them.
Alright, that’s where I consider the process of designing your own house to leave off (you’ll be working with your chosen contractor to move forward). Remember to give yourself space and time to be happy with your vision and design before committing to actually building.
And, if all of this still feels a bit overwhelming, shoot me an email and we can see if we’d be a good fit to work together on a design.