Most homeowners dive into home remodeling without using a whole house design guide, confident in the sketches and blueprints they have to guide them. And while there’s nothing wrong with this, we’re in an era where the home is just as much a statement piece as it is a place of safety and comfort. If you’re going to remodel the whole structure from top to bottom, you want to get it right the first time. That’s what the whole house design guide is for.
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What is a Whole House Design Guide?
As the name suggests, a whole house design guide is essentially a detailed proposal of what your dream house looks like and, consequently, what must be changed in your current house to achieve it. It’s different from a blueprint in the sense that it’s more personal and more preference-based. Depending on the design-build company that provides it, a whole house guide can be divided into several sections based priorities, goals, preferred style, etc.
Below, we cover 5 reasons why having one is so important.
It Makes the Whole House Design Process Less Complicated
Home remodeling can be a pretty extensive process. The thought of remodeling one or two bedrooms is already pretty daunting—how much more the thought of tackling your whole house?
Some feel like remodeling an entire home is much like building a house from the ground up because there are so many things to think about even before the project starts. The truth is though, they are very different from each other. If anything, some say a whole house remodel is actually harder than building a home. There are at least a dozen things to take into consideration and a dozen more to keep track of before, during, and after the remodeling process.
Having a whole house design guide helps keep everything organized, simple, and straightforward. As mentioned earlier, it’s a way to take note of every change you want to make to every room, hallway, and floor of your existing house. This ensures you’re not overwhelmed with trying to remember every little detail.
It Helps You Identify Your Priorities and Preferences
An important aspect of the whole house design guide is the Priority List. Even if you’re aiming to redesign your whole house, some areas will obviously need more work than others. For instance, you might be happy with the size of the master bedroom, but the shared bathroom down the hall is way too small for your three kids.
In this case, the bathroom would take precedence over the master bedroom.
By listing down which rooms you absolutely must change and which ones aren’t so dire, you’re able to better allot your time and resources.
It Assures That Both Fashion and Function Will Not Be Compromised
Most design-build companies and contractors will work with you on your whole house design guide. Your answers will tell them the role each space of your home plays in your life, and how they consequently fulfill—or fall short of—your needs.
Once they understand what you want to achieve, they can give you professional advice regarding the best options for each and every space. Their experience and expertise in this particular industry means they know which energy-efficient windows are within your budget, which type of air conditioning unit will complement your living room the best, and which area rugs are easy to clean and match your aesthetic.
It Helps You Draw a Realistic, Sustainable Budget
And on the topic of budget, it’s no secret that every home remodeling project needs a budget. Most homeowners simply settle with a figure that seems reasonable, and their subsequent their purchasing decisions are made based on that number.
If you want to get the most bang for your buck, you need to be smart about your budget. It can’t be an educated (but rough) guesstimate; it has to take into account average industry prices, professional fees, the hours of labor required, the scale of the entire remodel, the non-negotiable areas, and the areas that are more flexible.
Having a whole house design guide can help you and your design build company create a budget that is realistic, sustainable, and won’t compromise your priorities.
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It Assures That Nothing is Missed
Lastly, your whole house design guide is the ultimate checklist. It lists every area in your home and every change that you plan to do for that area. It details, for instance, how many rooms will have air conditioning units, or how many windows the kitchen will have. It lists how many rooms you’re planning to convert into bedrooms or, alternatively, how many bedrooms are getting converted into home offices or playrooms. This makes buying furniture, materials, and other supplies much easier.
All in all, a whole house guide is the ultimate must-have for anyone investing in home remodeling. It’s smart, it’s useful, and it assures you that you’re getting your dream home, exactly the way you envisioned it, without wasting resources or compromising practicality.
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