Gathering together your ideas for your new home – what to consider and where to go for inspiration.

Importance of good design

The advantages of good house design include:

• Making best use of space within the home.
• Making best use of the section.
• Making sure the right materials are selected (for function and style).
• Saving money by providing a home that is energy efficient and maintenance-friendly.
• Having a home that is harmonious to live in, comfortable, convenient, and aesthetically pleasing.
• Having a home that will provide a secure investment and be free from weathertight problems or other serious defects.
• Having a home that will be easier to sell.

Gathering ideas

Before you choose someone to design the house, you need to gather ideas of what you want.

Start collecting together ideas in a scrapbook or shoe-box. Every time you see something you like in a magazine or book, cut it out or photocopy it and add it to the collection. Visit shops and websites and get brochures and information sheets on products. Start a dossier of roofing materials, types of exterior claddings and interior linings, joinery, paint, wallpaper, ceilings, appliances, carpets, taps, etc.

Keep a note of prices as you go – this will help with budgeting later on.

To help with house design ideas:

• Visit show homes, home expos and open homes.
• Drive around new subdivisions and older areas for ideas about exterior design, materials and colours.
• Ask others who have been through this process for recommendations on designers and, if possible, visit homes they have been involved in.

A skilful designer will be able to work out from talking to you and discussing your ideas what you really like, turning your collage of ideas into a design. 

What to consider in the design

The critical point in the design process is preparing the brief to give to the architect or designer. They can’t design in a vacuum of information. When you brief a designer, tell them:

• How many rooms you want (consider the possibility of more children, or perhaps elderly relatives coming to live with you).
• What sort of living spaces you want. Do you entertain regularly? Do you want separate space for the children to hang out? Do you need an office or hobby room? What about decks and outdoor living spaces?
• What you want in the way of bathrooms and kitchen. Do you want ensuites? An industrial-sized kitchen?
• The size of the house. If it is too large to fit comfortably on your section you might have to consider whether you need to build upwards.
• Your garaging requirements.
• The importance of sun, particularly in the winter.
• To avoid features that will put the house at risk of leaking.
• To identify materials, especially claddings that will require lots of on-going maintenance.
• To make provision in the design to allow for on-going maintenance.

You also need to start thinking about design features and materials - heating, external cladding, or the shape of the roof, for example.You also need to consider costs at this early stage.