It may sound like a really daunting idea and one may think that to design your own house is an impossible task. One may think that years of training and experience may be needed before you can design any kind of house. However with modern software and the internet, it could be easier than you think to design your own house.
Websites such as SmallBluePrinter.com or Floor Planner.com, can help you in your quest to design your own house. The first website offers you a choice between a blank and a sample plan, along with tools to create a house plan, to view it from above, even take a walk through it and then print it.
The second website also offers you tools to design your own house with their drag and drop tools to create a floor plan. You can use these online services to plan out what exactly you are looking to create.
The first step to design your own house is to find the inspiration to make a start. Look at various different homes, look at pictures in books, magazines, online and elsewhere to get an idea of what you want your dream home to look like and the kind of layout and rooms you want it to have. You should not only be looking at house and plans, but you should also be learning about different aspects of houses, if you are to design your own house. Also consider your budget, the area of land available, and so on.
Make sure that your dream house is also a realistic possibility – the design and scale should be realistic given your resources, the amount of area available to you, and the legal limitations and so on. Before you design your own house, it is best to make a trip to the city planning and zoning office to try and get an idea of what you are allowed to build, how high you can do, or if any compliances or formalities are need to be completed.
Make a list of the requirements that you think your house must have, and then make a sort of wish list to see if certain additional features can be incorporated into the design and layout. To design your own house, you have to consider the sort of scheme that is best suited to your needs and then develop a design.
You can create a preliminary plan using one of the many available tools online and then approach a professional with your ideas, requirements and plans. It is important to involve a professional since they will be able to give you an idea about elevations required to balance slopes and to make cuts as required.
If you wish, you can approach a professional right from the beginning to help you design your own house. A residential architect will be able to bring their experience and insight into doing the job. They will also be able to help to see that your requirements comply with provincial or state codes such as building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and fire codes so that you can easily obtain the building permits required – not just to design your own house but also to see it reaches fruition.
