Dream Home Design MUST DO'S

Gah! A lifetime of dreaming and TWO YEARS of designing and this baby is FINALLY DONE!

Yes, you read that right... it took us TWO years to design this home. Hired and architect, fired and architect. Thought we wanted one thing, then we wanted another... Designing a home from scratch is HARD!! Luckily, we have been there, don't that and if your willing to be patient, go through A LOT of drafts, completely scrap ideas after months of work, research like crazy... then designing a home from scratch might be for you! Lol.

We have complied below some of our favorite ideas from our Colorado Modern Farmhouse.

1. GO HOUSE HUNTING!

Yes, you heard that right! We looked at probably hundreds of homes over the years stashing away ideas we liked and didn't like. We kept floorplans, took loads of pictures and even videoed walk throughs of homes. We talked about our dream home for YEARS! I kept everything in a folder until we were finally ready to build that baby!

2. CUT UP PLANS

Yup, just like what it says. I actually cut up floor plans you guys and tapped them to a large poster board. This is SUCH a great way to get a visual! Photocopy the floorplan first so you don't mess up the original and just cut up the copy! You can move rooms around, completely change up the layout and mess around with all kinds of ideas WITHOUT having any fancy design program. This is especially helpful if you are visual and can visualize spaces from a birds eye view.

3. HOME DESIGNER SUITE

If you are feeling super savvy or are somewhat digitally confident, a super easy and simple design program is Homedesigner Suite. Just get the basic version. I highly recommend this program to anyone starting out. It's super cheap and relatively simple to make your makeshift cut out plans come to life! You can add back yard elements, second stories, windows, ceiling heights and so much more!! I messed around on this program for months before taking it to an architect and having them professionally draw it up (which can save you thousands of dollars).

4. HIRE A GREAT ARCHITECT!

I can't stress this enough. You want to work with someone who will partner with you on your designs and help them come to life. I have seen so many houses fall flat because the architect just couldn't translate the home owners wishes and desires so they settled only to be disappointed. A great architect can truly make or break you dream home. Interview, do your due diligence, get reccomendations and make sure you have chemistry!

5. DESIGN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE YOURSELF

Ok, ladies let's be realistic here for a minute. Most women like the design aspect to home building and most men like the actual construction part of it. So, my suggestions to you ( as a female) come to the drawing table with as many design elements as possible. I would scower Pinterest, tour your friends homes, ask as many people as possible, and read blogs! Sit down with your partner and write out a wish list (this may take years!) Any time you think of something, write it down on the list! Every time you are home and something frustrates you, write it down on the wish list! When the time comes, sit down with your partner and prioritize the list! It helps if you say " this is my MOST important thing I want" and then he says "This is my most important thing I want." Take turns, compromise and make sure you BOTH get what you want!!

Compromise is KEY when designing and building your dream home! Make sure your hitting those top must haves before you stress or overspend on little things! Because I promise you, there will be SO much stress and overwhelm during the building process BUT if you are on the same page and making sure you are going down the priority list in order... it will help tremendously with anxiety and worry!