Building a custom home is a great opportunity to not only have the space you need but also configure an ideal floor plan. In addition to placing bathrooms and bedrooms, consider other ways the floor plan can improve the comfort and efficiency of your home.

Basic Design

The basic design of a home will include choosing how many floors you want and the placement of different areas. When you have more flexibility in terms of the number of floors, you should consider not only your current needs but accessibility later in life. For example, you may decide to keep the house all on one level because it's easier to heat and cool the home or accommodate future needs. If you want to plan for an aging loved one or someone with physical limitations, you will want to have enough space to install a chair lift. For this to work, you will need stairs that are wide enough to accommodate a lift, if it's needed in the future.

Natural Light

Each home is unique in the direction and amount of natural light it receives. Not only is this information applicable to designing your landscape, but it can also make a considerable difference in where you place various rooms and the windows you choose for those rooms. You will likely want the living room or family room to be located in an area that receives the most natural light. Rooms that receive more natural light often benefit from having a bay window so you can have the option to utilize the natural light in colder months to help heat the area. The same window can be covered or have energy-efficient glass to keep the area cooler in the warmer months. If you do fine art or photography, having more hours of natural light is often desired.

Efficient Utilities

The configuration of your home may dictate the efficiency of the major appliances you install. If you plan to have a large home, especially one with multiple floors, having a single, large water heater is unlikely to be a good idea. In the instance of a water heater with a tank, the water will have to travel great distances to where it will be used. This typically means the water will be substantially cooler by the time it arrives. Larger homes may benefit from multiple, smaller water heaters. You may want a similar approach to heating and cooling by installing a zoned system. Instead of overburdening your system to heat or cool a large area, the zones can be adjusted as needed.

The opportunity to custom build a home not only allows you to have the house of your dreams but also to have a home that is efficient and grows with your family. To get started, contact custom home builders in your area.