Things to Consider when designing your custom home. The wonderful homes you see on tv and in print are most likely custom designed. They are the creations of professionals who have the experience to explore unexpected possibilities.

If your dreams are more modest, and your taste moves toward traditional, the builder you choose may also offer to design your home. You will be asked to select house styles, floor plans and even appliances from a catalog. Other details like lighting and plumbing fixtures, crown moldings, bay windows and other architectural elements will be chosen from a menu of options. Your home will be pieced together from these standard resources. Going this route will save you the cost of a designer and may simplify the building process. Builders can work more quickly and economically when they follow familiar plans. The results, however, may be disappointing unless you have the time and skill to participate in the design process. You will have limited options from which to choose. The builder may be unwilling or unable to accommodate special requests and is often unlikely to suggest interesting or unusual features–indeed he/she may even try to talk you out of yours.

The alternative is to hire a professional home designer. Home designers specialize in private homes -- not office buildings or shopping centers. For this reason, a home designer may actually have more experience designing houses than some licensed architects. A good home designer can create a customized home well suited just for your family. If you desire a home that is one of a kind, then you'll need to hire a home designer. Even if you are working within a tight budget, it never pays to cut corners on design. I can help you avoid costly mistakes and assure that the home you build suits the way you live.

The more "homework" you do on your own, the easier it will be to proceed into a good design solution. My design experience will help you to make decisions and choices that you may otherwise not consider. My job is to make your home as enjoyable and usable as possible...and, do it within your budget. You MUST be realistic and work with me closely. I want you to get as much house as possible for the money.

People vary greatly–your home should fit your needs and lifestyle, as well as the site. Lifestyles, family sizes, present and future plans, activity preferences, tastes and style choices–all contribute to the need for an individual design. When laying out your home visualize yourself actually living in the plan. At first, think only about space layout and use. When a workable plan emerges, it must finally be married to a style such as Rustic, Victorian, European, Southwest, Caribbean, Contemporary and so on.

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BEFORE the conceptual phase begins, we'll spend time talking to determine how your family will use your space in your "day to day". Families are as different as their interests, so the living space should reflect how a family interacts with those interests. Typical questions may include:

• Where does your family spend the most time?
• How important is a formal dining room?
• How much entertaining does your family do?
• Is your bedroom a place to sleep or your own private get-away.
• Do you work out of your home and need an office?
• Does the home computer need to be in a location where children can be supervised?
• What do you dislike about the house in which you're now living? What do you love about it?