How To Design The Perfect Floor Plan For Your Custom Home

Designing the floor plan for your custom home is a BIG step in getting started.. here are some things to consider!

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[outbackwack]

After looking at HUNDREDS of floorplans online, I am convinced designers don't know what they are doing. Coming in through the garage and having to walk the entire length of the house to the kitchen, spare bathroom not accessible without entering a bedroom, kitchen pantry that holds hardly anything, master bedrooms that are only 11x11, half bath that requires guests to walk through other rooms to access, no coat closets for guests or owners, 2-car garage that won't hold 2 cars let alone a truck... the list goes on.

[chelin]

Only when you have the experience to have handicapped family living under the same roof, one thinks about how important is to have wide walkways, wider doors, bigger bathrooms with flat floors to showers, as many pocket doors as possible, and wider stairs with ample landings; all of them should be standard in every built, since the service they provide is well enjoyed by everyone!

[MyFiddlePlayer]

Please, everyone when you design your new home or addition, think about designing it so that you can add solar panels. This is not so hard...for nearly any location or house style, you can chose to orient your roof so that you have a large flat section facing south-ish, without decorative dormers or other complications of the roofline. Also, think about how to achieve passive ventilation of your attic and cross ventillation in your living space. Some thought put into the energy functionality of the house ahead of time will save you a little money each month going forward, adding up to a lot of money overall.

[citationpower]

I would add that no matter what size you build you should keep your floor plan simple, keep hallways straight, no dog legs, keep rooms square or rectangular and avoid angles or curved walls especially on external walls.
Another very important and often forgotten point is keep your kitchens bathrooms ensuite and laundry close to your water heater, nothing worse then waiting a minute to wash your hands with hot water.
3rd point is don't build to the minimum, use that larger 2 by 12 joist even if the engineer says a 2 by 10 will be fine, you don't want everything rattling in the house when you walk or when your children are playing.
And beef up your insulation even if you are in a warmer climate.
4th point make use of the sun, larger windows on your south side.

[BellydancerMaliha]

Thank you so much for this! I came here looking for answers after a house fire. You have a new subscriber. ❤

[milesdyson]

I need a Sigle ranch style type with 2 master bedrooms ? Where can I get some ideas ?

[drwhoeric]

Unless this is your true forever home, you want to avoid customization that may not be desirable for resale value. Also build appropriately to the property. If you have views, take full advantage of the design to obtain the best views. Most of all, look at other design plans as a starting point and make the best layout design your own with your modifications. Do the cost benefit things that would increase resale value such as a walkout basement on a raised foundation with a slope grade. These are all the things we did when we built our custom home.

[EveningTV]

We were thinking about putting in an elevator, or at least a shaft to install an elevator later. Do you have any information on in home elevators? We have elderly parents and an adult son so the future is hard to predict. Could be just the two of us, or all could end up here, so trying to plan for anything.!

[robertlindefjeld]

Many builders of custom homes have their own design departments. Is it better to use the builder's design shop, or is it better to retain separate designers and bring the plans to the custom builder?

[danjackson]

Hallway minimum width 48 inches. ALL doors minimum width 36 inches. Curbless shower. If the house is multi -level plan a place for an elevator shaft.

[jennifer]

Speaking as a middle class American, IMHO, building a house for your children (whose life in the home is only temporary) is a foolish waste of money. When they have a bedroom in which to retreat, and the outdoors in which to play, having their own additional space is a luxury, not a need. Why do parents today believe they need to accommodate their kids' every whim? The kids won't even know how to appreciate it. This is where a false sense of entitlement begins. Have you thought about the struggle they will endure (or the hell they'll create for others) when they go from having their own space to later being required to share a tiny college dorm room and an eventual apartment with roommates?

Until you plan to age in place, I'd refrain from building a custom home for a growing family. The design only meets your "needs" (wants) for a temporary amount of time before it loses its novelty. Instead, build a custom home for your life after the kids leave the nest, where you can focus the design on your needs as an aging retiree with a limited budget, and who is much less mobile than you used to be. You will get so much more out of that than a temporary home built for the kids.

[liesascott]

Your guestroom should be ensuite and be located somewhat separate from the main living area or bedrooms.
Have a big pantry close to the garage with enough space to unpack all shopping items and a garbage can to eliminate moving trash in and out.
If you have you primary suit far from the laundry room you should have a washer and dryer in one in the dressing room for all the quick fixes.
The primary bedroom should have a home office space to be used during the day.
Designing homes for retired people means to have his and her primary suit because most older couples want their own space.
So giant primary suits with two sinks are not useful.
The Glorious primary suite in general is only working for younger couples.
Keep also in mind that single men almost never buy houses but single women do.
So make sure there is a big walk in closet and possibly a bidet.
These things are being totally ignored because most home designers are men.