Building your dream forever home may seem like a huge challenge but with the right advice from a Calgary custom home builder, and an idea of what vision you would like to achieve, it is possible. While the process will be complex, and at times challenging, the end result will be well worth it. You will have a home at the end of it that will serve you very well for the next 10 or 20 years or even longer.
There are many more considerations to think about with a forever home because you not only have to think about a home that will meet your needs in the short term, you have to look longer term and explore how the house will evolve as your family grows and you start to age. In this guide, we have put together a series of helpful points to guide you through and make the process a little easier.
Thinking About The Future
It’s so easy to take for granted little things such as going up and downstairs, having a bath, or using the back yard, but these little activities may become a challenge, if not an impossibility in the future, without the right design features in your home. Mobility adaptations, and the associated equipment, can seem unappealing, and they are often an afterthought, installed when they are needed, but being proactive now can save you from many problems later on. A usable, adapted home can reduce falls and make everyday tasks much easier.
As well as adaptations, think about how your rooms will be used. Once children grow and leave for college, or they start a family of their own, rather than have their room as an empty, unused space, transform the area into something that works for you. A second lounge, a hobby room, home gym, or a reading room. All of these are great options. Your house should be customizable to fit the changing needs of you and your family over many decades.
Build Your Lifestyle Into Your Home
We all have hobbies and interests that take up some of our spare time. Whether it is crafts or fitness, stargazing to a hobby-based business, all of these activities need space. So why not incorporate your lifestyle into your forever home. Think about storage spaces for equipment, a soundproof room if you like music, a custom studio space for something creative, or a workshop for woodworking. Whatever your interests are, with a custom-built home, you can make it work for you. Also think about practical items, as well as space, to carry out your hobby; you will also need space for equipment storage such as books, tools, accessories, and more.
Once you have an idea of what the space will be used for, you can then work with your Calgary custom home builder to create a perfectly sized space and work it into the design of the building. The layout of your new home is important because it can affect things such as privacy, traffic flow, and how guests and residents in your home come together and interact.
As well as hobbies, also think about how you want the flow of the house to fit in with your requirements. Things to consider include:
- Open plan or separate rooms
- Formal or informal living areas
- What rooms will be on which levels?
- How many entrances to the home would you like?
- Are there any rooms where you would like to have a doorway on the outside of the house such as a workshop, guest room, or studio?
- How do you want the inside and outside of your home to blend or do you want them to be quite distinct and separate from each other?
- Which rooms should be placed together, and which rooms should be quite far apart?
All these questions are important to think about and this is why it’s so important to seek the expertise of a qualified and experienced custom home builder. When choosing your forever home builder, select a builder that has a strong warranty process in place.
With a good idea of what it is that you want in terms of rooms, layout, and design, and you have hired your architect, it’s time to think about hiring a contractor to carry out the work. The custom home builder is the person who will bring the plans and your ideas to life so it is important to get the right team on board from the outset. You must have complete trust and faith in the custom builder you choose because this will determine whether you are happy with the result.
Finding the right contractor should be a carefully researched process. Find trusted, local partners through authoritative sources to find the best one for your project. Ask friends, family members, and co-workers, and do not overlook your architect who may have some great contacts to refer you to. Before you hire your custom home builder, speak to previous clients, ask to see photographs of previous projects, ask who will be working on the project and find out about suppliers.
Selecting Smart Home Features to Make your Life Easier
Many changes can take place in 10 or 20 years, so you want to make your home as future-proof as possible. You may consider incorporating technology into the design. Current smart home features worth considering include:
- Controlling Your Home – How do you want your home to be controlled with technology and how will it connect with your devices. Light, heat sources, security cameras, and remotes can all be controlled from an iPad or iPhone
- Smart Mirrors – Just like a TV screen but features a touch screen that functions as a weather app, calendar and allows you to see breaking news. Voice-activated and linked up to Alexa or Siri
- Thermostats – Controlled through a smartphone device and pre-programmed with a series of commands and temperature controls
- Showers – Activate the shower with voice control, setting shower length and start/pause times to conserve water.
- Eco-Friendly Systems – Reduce your carbon footprint with features such as rainwater collection systems and solar panels
Bring your home to life with a variety of creative tools and technologies which can all be incorporated into your forever home design when working with Sunset Homes.
At Sunset Homes, we are here to help you realize your dream custom home. Ready to design and build your forever home in Calgary? Contact Sunset Homes today! We would love to learn more about your custom project and prepare a class 3 summary budget for you.
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Too Long Didn’t Read (TLDR)
When planning your forever home, don't forget to think about the future - add-in smart technology and adapt your custom home to your future needs.
