Saving Space: Making Efficient Use Of Space When Designing A New-Build Home
by Floyd Dunn
One of the best things about designing your own custom home is getting to lay the home out however you desire. Of course, the larger the home becomes, the more it tends to cost. Therefore, it is often in your best interest to use space efficiently and design a home that's not any larger than is necessary to accommodate your needs. So, how do you do that? Here are some tips to make efficient use of space when designing a new-build home.
Opt for a great room, not a separate living and dining room.
If you include a large "great room" or central living space in your floor plan, you can often get away with using less space than if you were to design a separate living and dining room. Both a living room and dining room can start to feel claustrophobic if they're not large enough. But with a great room, you can get away with using less space overall. The walls won't be so close, even if you designate separate living areas and dining areas between that space.
Have two bedrooms share a bathroom.
You can often get away with including one less bathroom in your floor plan if you arrange the home with a bathroom between two bedrooms. Or, in a four-bedroom home, you can have two bathrooms, each of which is between two of the bedrooms. This layout also lets you get away with including only a half-bath in the shared or guest-accessible living space, whereas you otherwise may want a larger, full-bath with a shower in this area.
Stack your rooms that require plumbing.
If possible, try to place all of the rooms that require or incorporate plumbing next to one another. This will often mean your builder has to dedicate less wall space to accommodate the pipes and plumbing, which means more of your home will be open space — not walled off. As an added bonus, it will often save you on pipe materials, which can be significant as both pipes and the labor of installing them can be expensive.
It's important to lay out your home in a way that works for your lifestyle, but also in a way that makes for efficient use of your space. Consider the tips above, and discuss this topic with your builder. They can give you more insight into the changes you can make to your current floor plan. For more information, contact a company like Yellowstone Basin Construction.
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Welcome to a blog about the two C's. The two C's, as you might have already guessed are construction and contractors. These words are closely related. "Construction" refers to the art and science of building something. That something could be anything from a shed to a sidewalk. "Contractors" are the people who do the building. There are general contractors who do all sorts of building work, and then there are specialists who do work such as plumbing, electrical work, and drywall. Stop by and read a few articles when you have the time, and we promise you'll learn more about these two C's.