Design Your Dream House: Turn Any Plan into Your Dream Home

All of us have a dream home. Well, maybe not yet. But we’ve all found ourselves lost in daydreams of living in our perfect home – hosting holiday dinners in the spacious dining room, watching the little ones run shoeless through the backyard during long summer days, and snuggling up for countless cozy nights by the fireplace. Of course, you could buckle down and do some serious house hunting but a cookie-cutter home is bound to skip a note. These houses weren’t designed with you in mind to make your home perfect. So are you willing to settle for a piece of your dreams? No way! Take the whole cake – and get everything you want. Start your dream house planning with The Plan Collection.

Whether you want a 10,000-square-foot luxury mansion or a modest 2,500-square-foot cottage, we will help you customize the home you’ve always wanted so you can design your dream house. there are infinite options for every budget. building a dream home is a journey of discovering who you are, what you want, and how you want to live.

Regardless of whether or not you win the grand prize, everyone who enters the contest is still a winner! All participants will receive a $25 coupon code to go toward their next house plan purchase.

Build Your Dream Home - Start with the Basics

A dream home starts with dream house plans. Begin by deciding whether you’ll hire a general contractor or take on the role of GC yourself and hire subcontractors for the job. If you opt to work with a pro, take the time to choose a contractor you trust. It’s critical to build a relationship with the contractor in the same way you build the house – from the ground up – because he or she will be the foundation of this undertaking. For starters, a contractor will help you to work out the numbers, consider the general style, and nail down the specs.

Next, you should have a pretty good idea whether you want a modern exterior or traditional architecture. Do you want your dream home design to blend naturally into the landscape? Or have a bold exterior? Or be similar to other homes in the neighborhood? Talk to your contractor, and then buckle up, baby. It’s about time to begin the build.

Dream home floor plans should fit the lifestyle of the designer (Hey, that’s you!). You want to consider what features will fulfill the current needs of your family – and accommodate your lifestyle as it continues to evolve.

• Do you need space for the kids, grandkids, in-laws, friends, and pets? Consider the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you’ll require.
• Maybe you want to build on the small side now and consider expanding as your family grows. You might build a house with a bonus room in this case.
• Is at-home entertainment important to your family? You may want to think about incorporating a media room, game room, or large recreation area – maybe with a wet bar – out of the way of the rest of the house, perhaps in a finished basement.
• Will you one day use the home as a rental property, vacation or otherwise – think VRBO or Airbnb? This phase could be very overwhelming, considering all the factors, but it’s important to think about the years to come. You don’t want to regret adding a guest bath or additional garage space – or not – after the building crew already packed up shop and it’s too late.

Build Your Dream House Wish List

You’ve got your floor plans roughed out. Now it’s time to bring out your dream home wish list and work all the nitty-gritty details into the design. This phase goes beyond the basics. It’s the moment you decide what features will bump an ordinary house up to your dream home with a real lick of character. Think room by room and have fun with it!

• Do you want a kitchen island topped with exquisite marble slabs and space for seating and eating?
• Why not throw in some stainless steel appliances and a walk-in or butler’s pantry?
• Like many homeowners today, you might yearn for an open floor plan, with a fireplace-equipped Great Room open to the kitchen and dining spaces.
• Do you have elderly parents to care for? You may want to include an in-law suite.
• Will you opt for a trendy in-home theater or stylish outdoor oasis for entertaining … or both?
• What about an in-home gym or – luxury of luxuries – an indoor pool?

This is your dream – whatever you say goes!

Building within Your Budget

Constructing a house is one of the best things you’ll ever do for yourself and your family. It’s also one of the most expensive. There is a home to be built for every budget, but you have to be mindful that changes mean your estimated costs have the potential to skyrocket. The price of lumber and other building materials has seen an average increase of 17% this year, making it safe and savvy to stick to the original plans after construction is underway.

And money aside, making changes isn’t always an easy process. Small changes aren’t a problem, but if a material impact is part of the equation, changes need permission from your town’s or city’s building permit department before you can build your home. Basically, the architect will have to submit detailed plans regarding the changes to the local authority.

The application can be approved or rejected. If it’s accepted, you’re back more than a few steps – and this comes with a steep price to cover the timeline extension, labor costs, and materials. If it’s rejected, well, it’s back to the drawing board and weeks or months of delay before you will be able to build your dream house.

Deck Out Your Dream House

The house is done. After months of dreaming, planning, and building, the moment has finally arrived – bring out your eye for design because it’s time to decorate! And it’s okay to feel like a total HGTV star about it.

• Paint your walls to get just the right mood for each room.
• Arrange your furniture to suit the comfort levels of your family.
• Bust out the boxes of family photos, accent pillows, and area rugs.
• Find the focal points, and accessorize.

The house becomes even dreamier with every personal touch you make.

Summary

A dream home is unique to each family. For some, it’s a mansion with all the trappings of luxurious living. For others, it's a quaint farmhouse plan that offers everything they want and need in a home.

Whatever it is you’re looking for when planning your home, The Plan Collection is here to whisk you off your feet and through the journey. From your daydreams to decorating, designing your home is such an empowering decision. In the end, you’ll be surprised your dream home is more than the sum of its bedrooms, living room, and kitchen. It’s the place you get to call home. And it’s completely and uniquely yours.