The Functionality of a HomeDecember 31, 2020

A new home is exciting, and, if it’s a new construction home that you are purchasing, that excitement can become tenfold when uncovering the endless options available to cater your home to your needs. While the finishes and aesthetics are important, the functionality of a home is the most critical aspect to consider.

With enough planning, your new construction home can be both beautiful and highly functioning; it is when these two aspects intersect that your spaces will serve you best. There are some general guidelines that serve as a foundation for working with your home builder. Let’s explore them!

1. Properly planning the house layout:
Your home should have clear and intentional spaces, and rooms with an unobstructed flow. An open floor plan will allow for more seamless transitions of space. This creates a sense of ease of movement, especially for high traffic areas, such as the kitchen. Likewise, are they spaces that you want to keep separate?

Proper planning of home
Mud Room option

2. Rooms can serve dual purposes: Is the ‘sitting room’ in the primary bedroom best for unwinding from the day, or is it better suited as a home gym center? Perhaps the laundry room has a mudroom component, where dirt is removed, preventing it from entering your home.

3. Use Empty Spaces: Climbing the stairs to the second level? Maybe the family dog’s ‘room’ is nestled into the stairway. Extra space at the window by the mid stair landing? Let’s turn it into a window seat to transform this space into a cozy reading nook!

Storage mid stairway
Storage under window

4. Storage Areas are a necessity: Having a place for everything helps create clutter-free living. Consider adding built-ins, cabinets, and shelving to places like family rooms, bathrooms, kitchens, and bedrooms, in order to maximize your storage capacity. Most people find that organization of a home equates to ease of mind.

5. Consider the future: How can your new home grow with your growing family? Your kids might be toddlers today that need a playroom, but how will that change as they grow? The rooms in your home that can be transformed over time will offer longevity in supporting your family’s needs. Perhaps the playroom has a full bath and kitchenette area that, in time, will serve as a mighty game room or in-law suite down the road!

Movie Room
Lighting in Kitchen Natural

5. Lighting: Is there enough natural light entering the home through strategically placed windows? Plentiful natural light in a house supports the organic flow of daily life. Transom windows, skylights, and two-story foyer windows allow natural light to flood an interior of a home, making the transition from day to night and back to day again smooth and harmonious.

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