The Drawing Board Studio

The variable that most people determine as the cornerstone of designing their home is square footage. This is a tough variable to base your layout on. Most people think that the more square feet a home has the more money the home will be. While in most cases this can be true, the known facts are kitchens, bathrooms, theaters and laundry/utility rooms are the most expensive rooms in the home. You can add a few hundred square feet for less cost than upgrading your bathroom fixtures throughout the house, if it is done wisely.

Material, fixture, equipment, and appliance prices fluctuate tremendously. This is where the most money can be saved by selecting a better bargain than using the most expensive line, without compromising the integrity of the home of course.

When sketching out a layout for your new home don’t let the size scare you away. When the price becomes an issue weigh all the possibilities, before turning your bedrooms into closets.

The hard thing about floor plans is most people don’t figure in the square footage needed for walls. It is a lot more than what people may guess. For instance, on a typical 2400 sq. ft. home using 2×6 exterior walls instead of regular 2×4 exterior walls you will add about 44 sq. ft. (Assuming all interior rooms remained the same size.)

Typically when designing a home that an owner has drawn out on paper, with all the spaces they desire including room dimensions and such, they turn out near 200 sq. ft. larger than what they had envisioned.

Also, many spaces can serve multi-purposes. A craft or hobby room can easily double with a laundry room. With the growing demand for media or theater rooms, most family rooms, great rooms, or offices can be converted to high quality theaters with the touch of a button. Then of course bedrooms can be converted or even double as an office or study. There are many possibilities if square feet remains to be the leading variable.

The good news is in the end you will have the perfect plan, it just may take some more thought and consideration of different aspects, but the perfect plan is worth the endurance.