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The Online Magazine of Pamlico County North Carolina
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Contents Advertisers
From the Ground Up
2nd In A Series
by Judi Heit
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| Judi Heit is a Sales Associate with Mariner Realty, Inc. Like most, the Heits were drawn here in 1989 by their love of boating and dream of living in a warmer climate. When corporate downsizing resulted in Judi’s job being eliminated, they decided to "start over where they were going to end up" and headed south to their lot on Brown Creek. The following year was spent designing and building their home, which Judi contracted herself. This is the second in a series of articles sharing ideas that made their building project run a little smoother. |
A house plan has to fit more than your site -- it should be tailored to how you and your family will live in the space. Yet, many homebuilders often seek a house plan without asking the critical question, "What is my home for?" They begin looking at plans before they look seriously at their own requirements. It’s a little like buying a pair of shoes without knowing the size of your feet (except you can’t return the house).
What will it take to create the home you want? Following is a sample checklist you can use to pinpoint your ideals and select a stock house plan that "fits." It can also be brought to your first meeting with your architect or given to your REALTOR® if you’re shopping for an existing home:
Describe your style
If you live a traditional lifestyle, you probably want a formal home -- one with clearly defined, separate rooms for the living, dining and kitchen areas. Informality suggests an open plan in which areas for dining, family, TV and cooking may be located close to each other or even together in a great room.
If you do a lot of entertaining, the size of your living room, dining room and kitchen should be accommodating. Large dinner parties require ample counter space, an oversized refrigerator and a dining room large enough to seat several guests. But if your entertaining consists of Sunday football gatherings, you may want to trade in the oversized dining room for a living room large enough to hold a big screen TV and sectional furniture.
Start a
notebook (see the first article in this series) where you can capture design elements that appeal to you. If will be easier to identify what it is you like about a plan if you see certain elements repeated in your selections.Which words describe the home you want to build?
How often do you entertain one to four guests?
For dinner or dessert
For dinner
For barbecue
____ times a month
____ times a month
____ times a month
How often do you entertain more than four guests?
For drinks or dessert
For dinner
For barbecue
____ times a month
____ times a month
____ times a month
Where does your family "hang out?" ________________________________
What functions do you want your home to perform?
Are there architectural elements of which you are particularly fond?
List the rooms
This may seem a little obvious, but it’s important. If you’re reviewing stock house plans, go down the list of rooms to make sure they contain all the areas you want.
It will help you tremendously to start with the activities normal to your family and then translate these into rooms that house those activities. Breaking your activities down will help you imagine alternate uses for rooms with specific labeling on the plans you review.
Then, think about how you’ll be using the house, and how that affects the relationship of the rooms. Some of these relationships are obvious. For example, the kitchen should open to the dining room to minimize the number of steps you’ll take carrying hot plates or dirty dishes.
But what about the relationship of the dining rooms (or other entertainment areas) to the bedrooms? If you entertain at night, should a small child’s bedroom be some distance from the kitchen, dining and living rooms? The relationship of your garage to your kitchen is also important. Position the garage near the kitchen or incorporate a pass-through so you won’t have to haul bags across the house and over your beautiful carpeting.
Entry Foyer
Living/Family Room
Dining Room
Kitchen
Counter Materials
Cabinetry
Appliances
Stove
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Oven
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Refrigerator
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Microwave
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Dishwasher
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Washer/Dryer
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Freezer
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Master Bedroom
Study/Office
Other Rooms
(Attach separate sheet)
Parking, etc.
Special features
Are there any other amenities you desire? One or two special features can make the difference between a cookie-cutter plan and the home of your dreams:
To Judi Heit's first article
in the series
To Judi Heit's third article in the series
To Judi Heit's fourth
article in the series
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