Practical Home Design

Now that you have a rough idea of how large a house design you can afford, you need to decide how large a house you need, and design it to fit on your lot. You should know where utilities will enter your property and therefore your home. You will eventually need to coordinate this with your local electric, telephone and gas suppliers, preferably using the same trench to reach your home. You should already have determined where any sewer and water connections will be made, or the location of your well and septic system.

But before you can stake out the house you need to know how big it is. Determine the living area you need.

How many bedrooms?

How many baths?

Family room and Living room or just a Family room?

Do you entertain a great deal? Need a Dining room?

Study or home office?

Playroom for children?

Library?

How big a garage?

Basement?

Remember you must stay within the limits set by the local municipality. These may include setbacks, height restrictions, floor to area ratio, (floor area of the house divided by the lot area), or a set square foot limitation on your lot. Check with your local building authority for home design codes in effect in your area.

There may also be a limitation on impervious area (buildings, driveways, patios, sidewalks or anything else that rain water cannot seep through). A wood deck with spacing between the deck boards can be a way around this as long as water can enter the ground below the deck.( i.e. No concrete under the deck.)

If you have a septic system, the soil type may limit the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you can have. It is important to verify this information with your local health department before designing your home. If you don’t, you may find that you have gone through the trouble and expense of developing plans for a home design that cannot be built on your lot!

It is also important that you consider the value of your home design on the open market. None of us know what the future will bring. To be safe, resale value should play an important part in the design of your home. A very unique design may be exactly what you want, but may be difficult to sell. A home design that does not “fit” in the neighborhood may have a lower resale value even if it is clearly the best in the surrounding area.

Here are some general guidelines of home design building codes; (But not all of them required)

Every habitable room must have a window or mechanical ventilation.

All ceilings must be at least 7’6″ high.

The total height of the home is often restricted.

Stairs usually have a minimum width and not be too steep.

There are usually fire restrictions on your home design. Check with your local building authority.

Plumbing codes are very specific and you should check with a local licensed plumber when designing your home.

Heating and electrical equipment must be designed with safety devices.

Chimneys and fireplaces have a fixed set of codes, as well as fuel tanks.

Some municipalities will not permit you to do certain types of work on your own. It must be done by licensed contractors.