When you want to build a custom home there’s nothing better than putting your own ideas on paper. Sketching rough concepts is the best thing you can do to help custom home builders Brisbane-wide construct a home that you’ll love for years to come. The only real challenge is figuring out what you want! Having complete design freedom can be rewarding, but it can also be a challenge if you’ve never designed a home before. To point you in the right direction, we’ve got our top 6 tips on how to draw custom home floor plans!
1. Create a Wishlist
The best place to start your design is to make a wishlist. The wishlist should include everything your house needs, as well as additional items that would be nice to have. Everyone’s dream home looks a little different, but you’ll need to think about the following:
- The number of bedrooms
- The number of ensuites and bathrooms
- Size and layout of kitchen and living areas
- Extra living, work, or study spaces
- Garage and workshop areas
- Outdoor entertaining areas
- Practical items like laundries, stairwells, and appliances
- Additional features like steam rooms and butler’s pantries
2. Pick Your Architectural Style
Some architectural styles are purely aesthetic, while others (such as minimalist, industrial, or farmhouse styles) can change the layout of your home entirely. If you have a certain style in mind then it’s a good idea to search the internet for inspiration and see what others have done. It’s also worth looking at the websites of custom home builders. They’ll have basic floor plans available that you can use to help create your own design.
3. Get a Sense of Space
It’s hard to design a home if you have no real idea of how big spaces need to be. A common mistake is drawing floor plans that have very oversized or undersized rooms. The easiest way to set your sense of scale is to take out a tape measure and measure your existing home. Taking measurements of room sizes, large furniture pieces and practical features like stairwells can give you a better idea of how big your custom floor plan needs to be.
This is also a great chance to figure out what you don’t like about your current home. If the rooms are too small or if there isn’t enough space to walk around the furniture like lounge chairs, you can use that information to design a better floor plan for your new home.
4. Draw Your Design
You’ve got your wishlist and a rough idea of how big your spaces need to be, so now it’s time to start drawing! There are plenty of apps for smartphones and computers that can help you create a custom floor plan. But the best starting point for most people is to use gridded paper and sketch your ideas by hand. The grid on the paper will help you keep your drawing in scale and create a practical design.
There are two main ways to get started with your design:
Design from the outside in –
If you’re working with a block that’s a specific shape or size then it can be helpful to draw your external walls first. Once you know how big the house can be, you can begin drawing internal walls and creating the rooms you need.
Design from the inside out
If you aren’t sure how big the house needs to be then you can start with the internal spaces. Begin by drawing your main kitchen and living areas and then work outwards from there. Remember that more complex houses cost more, so keep the layout simple if budget is a concern.
5. Add Useful Details
Floor plans don’t just show walls, they also show details that help to envision the space. You can add as much or as little detail as you like, but it’s a good idea to put thought into things like window and door placement now. Floor plans often show details like:
- Door and window placement
- Major furniture items like beds and lounges
- Kitchen cabinets
- Appliance locations
- Bathroom fittings
- Lighting and electrical sockets
The more detail you add, the better you’ll be able to figure out if the home will provide everything you’re looking for.
6. Ask Your Builder for Help
Designing your own floor plans can be a daunting task. It’s easy to spend countless hours working away at the design without getting any closer to the finished product. At that point, it’s worth asking your builder for help. custom home builders Brisbane-wide typically employ their own design teams that can help refine your ideas into a final floor plan. Not only can they hone your rough sketches, but custom home builders will also be able to offer ideas of their own and help you create a design that’s practical, affordable, and full of the features you want.
