I read an article recently in Houzz that really resonated with me. It was written by Bud Dietrich, an architect in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, and he thought there was a perception out there that when you build a new home, you’ll never get it completely right. There will always be something you forgot, or something you’d do differently if you’d have another chance. People just believe that the house they build just won’t be 100% right.

You know what?  It’s simply not true! I’ll share with you the steps he wrote about and the ones we live by too, that will ensure that your new home will be perfect, with no regrets.

Know Thyself. Who are you? What do you like? What do you hate? What is your ideal living space arrangement? What’s your typical weekday? What’s your typical weekend? What do you enjoy doing? (We get to know you with questions like these in our own Design Outline, a step-by-step, room-by-room outline that helps you help us create the perfect home.) So yes, while we all share a lot of common traits, we are also quite unique. You can begin with a room count, square footage and a style, but then take that to the next level by tailoring the perfect plan to you and yours.

Hire a Professional. Just like there are benefits to hiring a lawyer rather than representing yourself in court, or going to a doctor to diagnose and treat an ailment, you’ll benefit by hiring professionals such as a design/ build home builder, an architect or an interior designer. They will help you in countless ways including:

• Helping you get to know yourself and what you want
• Guiding you to the best solutions for your particular issues
• Asking you things that you never would have thought about

Make sure you hire the right professionals though. Doing your homework to find the right person is well worth your time. They are not all equal. An experienced professional that listens to you and whom you can work with will save you time, money and grief throughout the project.

Think Big. Don’t think “big” relates only to size; it doesn’t. Think about how your home relates to and becomes part of the landscape, and how a home is a reflection of you and who you are. Remember that “big” is what gives your home its uniqueness and defining character.

Think Small. Designing and building a home involves making many, many decisions. Some of these will be big, but many, many more will be of the small detail variety. It can seem daunting, but with the guidance of a design professional, having a universe of options available will mean you’ll select the perfect detail.

Think In-Between. From the scale of the big idea to the smallest detail, it all comes together somewhere in the middle. This is where you’ll live; where you will enjoy the outdoor sights and sounds from the screen porch, loving that the counter is at the right height, contemplating the morning vista from your bedroom window, and more. You don’t want to skimp on the amount of time you’ll spend planning and designing this middle ground.

Enjoy. It’ll take longer than you thought, and you’ll invest more than you expect. But in the end you’ll have a home like no other. The details… You’ll revel in the touch and feel of everything. You just can’t wait to be home to enjoy how the light fall across the wall, or how that little extra storage makes all the difference.  You’ll have a place that you won’t feel you need to change, to expand, to redecorate, to remodel for many, many years to come, if ever.

Welcome home!