Building a new home can be a very complicated process. And if you don’t have the right kind of professionals in your team, it can be very difficult to stick to initial project timelines and cost estimates. This is where you will spend the rest of your life or a good portion of your life. So you have to take the time to go through the whole process and educate yourself on the particulars.
The first thing you need to decide is whether you are going for a readymade design or a customized design according to your special requirements. There are many home builders that do both and you can visit Canberra builders to get an idea of the costs involved in both processes. You can also go for an architect and a home builder both or for a home building company that has designers on their team. This way everything will be done in-house by the company and there is a larger grasp of control when it comes to project timelines. You can ask around from people who have purchased readymade designs and built custom homes about their perspectives of the whole process.
You have to be clear about what you want for the new home. These ideas need to be communicated to the designer or architect so that they are aware of what parameters to stay within. The basics you have to cement in the beginning are the number of rooms and the size of your house. Customization will take place from then on. It is not just enough to plan for your current requirements. You have to think about the future. Maybe you want space for a family or you are thinking of renting part of the home. These things need to be decided in order to have a home that caters to all your requirements. You can look at house designs that you like and make a folder so that you can show your preferences to the builder.
Make sure that the builder or the architect is fully aware of the bigger context; where the house is located along with the corresponding wind paths and orientation. You have to orient your rooms and plan the house according to the direction of the sun path. Think about which rooms need the most natural light. Heat is another factor you have to think about from the beginning. Large windows will capitalize on the light coming from the outside and you can install these for the common areas.
It is important that you think about building an energy-efficient house so that you don’t spend more on energy bills than you have to. Spatial planning and zoning of the house need to be efficient. This is something that you can work with the architect or home builder. Material selection is also important. You can look at what materials can be sourced locally. This can contribute to the cost-effectiveness of the project. Also, you have to see whether the construction technology for the material you choose is widely available and practiced by the building company that you choose.