Before you choose a house plan, take some time to sit down with the people you live with, and consider the space you occupy right now. When you find out how each of you feels about your present home, you’ll make better choices when planning your new home.
What you learn may be things you’ve heard many times before, but haven’t thought about. And, because it has an impact on planning your next home, you may learn something new. So ask these questions of each person who will occupy your new home:
- What do you love and appreciate most about our current home?
- What is the most convenient feature of your current home?
- Is there something you wish this home had that it doesn’t have?
- Is there some feature that really annoys you?
- Is there some feature that’s a small but constant irritation?
You may learn that your daughter loves and appreciates her south-facing window or that your son loves the little nook under the stairway. And you may learn that the cook absolutely hates those can lights in the kitchen ceiling that shine in the wrong spot.
You may find that you’re not the only one who wishes your garage was just a couple of feet wider, so it would be easier to wrestle the groceries out of the car and into the house. You may learn that someone in the house is dreaming of a shower with water coming from the ceiling, or has a yearning for a bay window with a window seat.
You may learn that your family would prefer a pantry over a powder room, or that your daughter would be happy with fewer square feet in her bedroom if she could have a walk-in closet.
Little things make huge differences in how much you enjoy your space, so take the time to really think about and discuss the little things. See how many dreams you can easily incorporate into that new home – and how many old annoyances you can eliminate.
Now is a good time to begin the compromise process, too – because as you proceed there will be times when you won’t all agree on choices.
