So you bought a piece of land and you want to build a house. Congratulations. Now come hundreds of decisions.
Before you worry about floor plans, countertops, pools, garages, or rooflines, answer the most important question:
Why are you building the house?
There are two very different philosophies.
If you are building for yourself, you are probably not doing it because it is the cheapest possible way to obtain shelter. You are doing it because you want something customized around your life. Maybe this is your forever home. Maybe this is where you raise children, entertain, retire, work, or simply enjoy the next twenty or thirty years.
If that is the goal, the design should begin with your life. Do you cook? Entertain? Work from home? Need a workshop? Spend most of your time outside? Want a large pantry? Boat storage? A pool? A private office?
A custom house lets you design around your life instead of somebody else’s idea of what a house should be.
The second philosophy is building to sell. Then the house is a product. Your preferences become less important than the market. What bedroom count sells? What garage size is expected? What kitchen style appeals to the likely buyer? What features will buyers actually pay for?
Most people are somewhere in the middle. You may build for yourself while knowing you will probably sell in five or ten years. Customize it, but not so aggressively that the house makes sense only to you.
Ask three questions before serious design begins:
- How long do I realistically expect to live here?
- Which features materially improve my life?
- Which of those features will still have value to another buyer?
The objective is not simply to build a beautiful house. It is to build the right house for the reason you are building it.