Looking for a house designer can be hard if you’re not sure what you’re looking for. Creating a personalized house design takes thorough planning and knowledge. A house designer will work with you to come up with the perfect design for you and your family. There are a lot of factors the designer will take into consideration when creating your plans. Today, we will cover some of the things you can expect to discuss with your personal house designer.

How a House Designer can Help Choose a House Plan

The Best Tips for Choosing Your House Designer

All of this may be new to you, and you may find yourself wondering how to pick your designer. Choosing the right professional to hire might possibly be the most important decision you make regarding your new home. There are two main categories a house designer will fall under.

Residential designers offer the same services as architects, they just are not licensed, architects. They will work with you to draw the physical characteristics of a home and include detailed plans on how to build the home. They normally focus on the physical aspects of the home. Here are some tips for choosing the right architect for your housing project.

Architects draw up more detailed plans complete with dimensions. They use specialized tools to draw and plan the details of a home or building.

Rules and regulations vary from state to state, city to city, so you will need to be aware of this before you decide which one you will need to hire.

Before Designing A House Get a Location Analysis

This will be one of the first steps when working with your house designer. Plan on discussing design details that meet your needs and budget and how you envision your home on your property. They will discuss your plans with you, and see what you have in mind for the property. There are many factors he will take into consideration to work up a plan that showcases the advantages and disadvantages of your chosen location.

Some things to consider when Building your House:

• Access to the property
• Soil type
• Is it in a flood plain or flood prone area
• Slope and grade of the land
• Surrounding property comparison
• What direction will your home face and how will this affect energy consumption
• Zoning, restrictions and building codes
• Drainage plans
• Existing trees and buildings

After the analysis, the designer will talk to you about their findings and advise you on possible design solutions. If everything is worked out, and it appears you can go forward with your construction, it is now time to draw up the design contract.

When Hiring a House Designer: Come Up with a Budget

You should ask your designer to review your preliminary budget and see how that compares with their initial analysis. Your designer will normally create a brief that includes indicative costs for each sustainable feature and any recommended ones that may be relevant to your site.

How to Ensure your Home is Designed Realistically:

Many designers will prepare several concept designs based on your wishes and allow you to assess the pros and cons of each. They will compile these designs taking things like the size of your family, budget, pets and special needs into consideration. These options will be presented in the form of sketches, so you can envision the different routes your project could take. If you like what you see, you will give your designer the okay to move ahead with the next phase of the project.

Developing Your Home Design with your House Designer:

At this point, the designer will take the schematic design of your choice, along with any modifications you may have requested, and create the design. Everything will be worked out in greater detail, including structural, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems. Things like building costs, potential savings, and energy efficiency will all be discussed with you.

Designing a custom home may require a lot of compromises. There are certain things you may have your heart set on, that you may find out are impossible once your designer starts to create your plans. Rest assured, he will work with you to do his best to make sure all your wants are met.

At the end of the developmental phase, the architect will provide the client with drafted drawings that will illustrate the home as it would look when construction is complete. The drafts will specifically define the site plan, floor plans, and exterior elevations.

Final House Design Tips

This is the final draft of your plans which you will pass on to your chosen contractors. This is also the copy you will be taking to your city offices for approval to obtain building permits. Construction cannot start until this stage is complete and cleared by your local authorities.

This document will include important details such as:

• Floor plan
• External finishes
• Heating and cooling systems
• Construction systems
• Landscape design
• Lighting
• Interior design
• Major appliances
• Water systems
• Window sizes and designs
• Solar panels
• Natural gas or propane systems
• Property access
• Garage plans
• External structures (buildings, pools, fencing)

The Importance of a Reputable Home Designer

Every home design process is unique. It is important to pick a designer that is open to your ideas and listens to your wishes while offering their expert advice. This arrangement can work great, if you take the proper steps along the way, and if the person doing the design is patient and responsive to you. Picking the wrong designer can cost you a lot of wasted time and money. A great designer will be able to get you the best design for your investment. This may cost a little more, but the amount of value added to your construction project could be substantial.

For more architecture and home design tips on Stagetecture, click here.