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You’re raring to start designing your dream house, pore over plan books and visit furnished models. But not so fast.
You need to study your own nest first. The more precisely you can state what you like and dislike about each room in the place where you live now, the easier it will be to find a new house that meets your needs. And, the happier you will be when you move in. Nothing is worse than ending up in a new house that has all the shortcomings of your old one except that it’s bigger or smaller.
You should also make a rough sketch of your floor plan with the dimensions noted. That way you can make accurate comparisons when touring models or studying plans. |
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Can Land Planning Create a Sense of Community? |
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Architects and land planners say that a sense of community can be created if the conventional subdivision layout is radically altered with higher densities. The houses are close together and to the street, garages are accessed from a rear alley, and pocket parks are tucked into every neighborhood. These interconnected outdoor spaces are smaller and cozier and greatly increase the potential for casual socializing. |
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Home Stretch: Katherine Remodels Her Back Porch |
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You might think that earning an architecture degree, working as a designer in architects’ offices and reporting for years on home building would be adequate preparation for my own major remodeling project. You would be wrong. |
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Value Beyond Cost Per Square Foot |
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New home buyers’ insistence on evaluating quality in terms of the best deal and the lowest cost per square foot has consequences that they don’t’ appreciate. The builder who offers the biggest house for the lowest cost has most likely compromised quality at every step of the construction process. |
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House Planning Step 1: Read Widely |
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In reading books that have no direct relation to what you envision for your new house, you broaden your base for developing your ideas. I concluded this after reading several new books, including a historical survey of American homes; modern houses in Connecticut; family houses in a part of the country where I don't live; and elegant colonial furnishings from a part of the Caribbean that I have never visited. |
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Bringing Kids to the Design Table |
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When children are asked to participate in the planning of a new house, the design is often enriched. Although the parents worry that their children’s fantasies will be extravagant and expensive, architects said that the kids’ ideas are usually simple, easy to execute and almost never things that the parents or the architect would have suggested. |
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Managing the Stress of Home Building |
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Forensic architect Richard Rivin cites two often overlooked factors in successful home building projects. First, homeowners handled stress well. Second, homeowners worked with an architect who structured the decision making so that the homeowners felt confident with their choices at each step of the design process. |
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Good Decision-Making Process = Homebuilding Success |
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Couples therapist Tybe Diamond of Washington, D.C., says that a couple’s decision-making style can affect their ability to engage in a successful home-building project. In such an endeavor, all couples will disagree about some decisions. The problem is that many spouses do not feel safe arguing with their partners, so they don’t say what they really think. To build successfully, partners need to feel safe in airing positions. |
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'Whole Lotta Shakin' House Can Rock Exercise Plan |
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Two things can derail the best planned home exercise program: shaking and noise. The problem is not the equipment but the inherent flexibility of the wood used to frame the house. Before you buy anything, test the builder’s model. If it shakes unduly or is noisy, you can exercise in the basement or buy another house. If you’re building a custom house, engage a structural engineer to reinforce the floor of your workout room. |
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Behind Every Home Purchase: The Appraiser's Evaluation |
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Buyers know an appraiser stands between them and a mortgage, but few appreciate the appraiser’s central role in the mortgage underwriting process. The appraiser assigns a value to your proposed purchase, based on what other buyers have paid for properties that are similar in size, age, and location. The lending institution needs this information to verify that your house is worth at least the amount it is lending you. |
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What Home Buyers Do That Drive Builders Crazy |
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At some point in the home-building process, every buyer will say, "This builder is driving me crazy." The buyers can also drive the builder crazy. While buyers will complain to anyone who will listen, the builders are generally a more circumspect group. Most are reluctant to tell their side of the story. But offered the cloak of anonymity, a number from around the country offered their observations. |
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Watch Out for Cut-Rate Builders |
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A home buyer's idea of a great deal is "the most house for the least money" and "the lowest cost-per-square-foot in the city." A home builder thinks a great deal is "the best house for the money from a builder with a lot of repeat customers." What accounts for such divergent views? Many buyers do not understand what the cost-per-square-foot figure represents and what skills and experience home building requires. |
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Be Realistic About New-House Construction Standards |
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All buyers want their new house to be built with love — and perfect in every way. But this is not realistic. Their house won't be built with love; it will be built to the normal standards of the industry. A certain amount of imperfection is inevitable and acceptable. Defects would be considered part of the "character" of a resale house and should be expected in a new one. |
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