How Do We Plan Our New Build?

For three years we have been driving our Realtor Jen Weber CRAZY with visiting many pre-owned homes in our area. When that wasn’t working out, we turned to looking for land. After a few failed attempts, we found a perfect lot in Colden, which is now ours!! Of course now that means we are on our way to building our first home! The two other homes we have lived in were pre-owned and perfect for where we were in our lives at that point. But building? Eh, that’s a bit new for us!

So we have perused so many house plan books, websites and the like, but every time we would find one we liked we would change so much around that it wasn’t the “original” plan anymore! I became frustrated when, after months of looking, the same house plans kept popping up in my searches! Weren’t there ANY interesting, different house plans out there??

It didn’t seem likely. So when at the Library every Monday and Friday after school with the girls, I looked at House Design books instead of House Plan books. We knew we wanted something Craftsman-like, but not with heavy craftsman influences inside. We wanted to build something that wasn’t just a house, but a home. Someplace comfortable to go after school and work, where we could relax, make memories, and live.

Not too soon after I started looking, I came across a book entitled “The Not-So-Big House” by Sarah Susanka. And I fell in love. It was the EXACT philosophy we felt we couldn’t find in any other plan. Her designs were modern, yet could be traditional too. They were open concept with little nooks and hideaways to get away from a busy kitchen or noisy movie marathon. The pictures inside just felt like….home.

Not being an architect, but knowing I had to see what I could do with this exciting new outlook, I found a plan I liked in her book and went to work!

First, I bought Planner 5-D and started to learn how it worked. Then I studied the room layouts I really liked in her book, and have been playing with them ever since! I have added furniture, windows, doors, and even a roof! Every time I walk through the downstairs in the program, I can just imagine it in real life and get so excited to see our house built.

Next we meet with builders, and get some bids for the project. We are so far off from this being complete, yet so much closer than ever! I just hope the architects and designers who will see my “masterpiece” don’t laugh too hard!