Moving Along - A few Tips in Planning - House Stuff

Other Things With The House

We were given so many ideas and tips by people it was incredible.  Filtering through them is a bit harder as some of the ideas were really valid and logical and others were personal preferences.  So my tips on navigating this mine field:

1.   The big No 1 - the house is yours, you have to live in it and the people you have to please are you and those who are going to live in it.  So if you want ideas and suggestions by all means ask for them but ensure you only ask for them from people who are not going to get all offended if you do something different.  I was lucky and none of my "suggestees" are like that but I have seen situations with friends who have had to deal with this and when you are in the middle of all the "house" stuff the last thing you need is to deal with some offended person who thinks you don't value their opinion.

2.   There are heaps of great things and ideas in display homes and magazines.  By all means view a million of them and write down or take photos of what you like - but - before you get all wrapped up in the designer ideas remember they are designed to sell a product and may not suit your lifestyle.  Also beware a lot of the display homes (if not all of them) look fantastic because of the "extras" that they have in them.  These can rapidly add up and I have been told that some of them will put up to $100,000 of extras in to make the house look fantastic - and thats on a $150,000 - $200,000 house.  If you see a house you really like get the salesman to walk through with you and tell you what is an extra - common things include stone benchtop upgrades, feature walls, high ceilings, additional light fittings, nooks and wall features, patios under the main roof, upgraded fittings like doors and taps, fitted out walk in robes,  upgraded flooring etc.

3.   Now before you get all carried away and then disappoint yourself with what you can't have confirm what your budget it.  Plan to spend about 70% of your budget on your plan and the "must haves".  The balance can then be used to initially cover off on the "unexpected" expenses and towards the end of the process you can use anything left over to get those little luxuries.  This way you won't end up with a huge budget overspend.  A key to this is getting the builder to tell you up front what the "basic" house is and the cost of each of the different types of extras.  Then also cost up things such as any government or councils duties, taxes and fees that will be payable, fittings like lights and curtains, security screens, landscaping, driveway and any other basics that might not be included in your build. 

4.   Consider how you actually live your life - and be honest with yourself - perhaps you have young kids so you need to consider how their safety can be managed in some open layouts, or the kitchen may be a minimalist one with open benches and not much cupboard space - but you might need the storage space or be like me and if you don't have "somewhere" to put "it" you end up with all your precious treasures (and pieces of paper) everywhere.  Consider what you use key living areas for and be honest with yourself.  A couple of examples:

a.   A lot of houses have a "media" or "theatre" room - great idea, posh etc but lets get real.  In our family we chat through TV shows and movies, we watch the TV while doing other family things including cooking etc.  So for us the idea of a separate room for the "movie theatre" experience is just a waste - its not how we live our life nor how we ever would.  What we needed was a space for the kids where they could do their "own thing" and potentially a games room (this was a nice to have not an essential).  So the idea of having a room off the main living areas to watch movies did not fit our needs.

b.  We needed a study which we use HEAPS but we also needed a space for guests to sleep when they visit but the reality is we only have guests a couple of times a year and then only for a week at a time.  So once again a dedicated guest room that would be used 2 weeks a year was a waste.  So rather than having two average size rooms, to accommodate guests and the study, it was more logical for us to make a big study that could fit a double bed in it and give us space for extra shelving etc in the study.

5.    Also think about the longevity of your house and how your lifestyle is going to change over time.  Do you plan to grow old in the house?  If so it might be an idea to keep it single story so you don't have to deal with stairs when you are 70.  Or you many anticipate having adult children at home with you in which case you need to think about their future privacy needs and perhaps things like extra garage or carport space.  Also think about future proofing your house, if you can afford it consider things such as data and smart TV points.

6.     When you have thought about how you live and you have your great ideas folder filled up the next thing you really need to do is prioritise what you want that is over and above the basic needs.  Work out what are your "must haves" as opposed to your "nice haves".  For example you might have "must have" four bedrooms and a "nice to have" might be a study as the reality is you can put desks in the kids rooms and work at the dining table yourself.    Also consider "must have" vs "nice to have" in terms of room sizes.  It may be you cook a lot so a large well laid out kitchen is a "must have", whereas a hotel size bedroom might be a "nice to have".