When you’re building your own home, you can design it to meet your needs and your tastes exactly. There are countless options for custom flooring, counters, trim, lighting and more—not to mention endless floor plans. But all those options can become overwhelming, and unless you have unlimited income, you can quickly overshoot your budget.
So the key is to pick custom options that truly add value (and maybe even save you time and money in the long run). Here’s a list of smart custom upgrades for your new home plan:
Quality Kitchen Cabinets
You’ll spend a lot of family time in your kitchen, and you may use your kitchen cabinets literally every day. So you’ll want to invest in quality construction that can withstand wear and tear, plus effective storage space that will meet your needs today as well as down the road.
Make sure the finish is not only something you like, but sturdy enough not to chip or peel in a few years. And spend a little extra on hinges, handles, and drawer slides—they’ll be getting a lot of use.
Durable Flooring
Thinking about carpet? Consider wool carpeting. It’s durable stuff that comes in a variety of colors, and it will keep looking great despite years of traffic. To further extend its durability, choose high quality carpet padding to go underneath.
Of course, wood flooring is durable, beautiful, and never goes out of fashion. It’s ideal for main living areas as well as hallways and dining rooms.
Reversible Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans don’t cost much, but they can save you money on energy in the long run. During warm weather, fans cool the room more efficiently than running the air conditioning on high. But fans can also save money during the winter. Be sure to buy fans with an option to reverse the spin direction—running the fan in reverse (clockwise) actually pulls cold air upward and pushes warm air back toward the floor.
Skylights
Skylights allow you to take advantage of (free!) sunlight and brighten a room 30% more than a regular window. Be sure to get the right window shades (manual or even remote control) if you’re concerned about a room getting too warm during hot months.
Flexible Floor Plans
Chances are you plan to live in your custom home for a long time. You can make your life easier down the road by anticipating ways you may need to adapt your home in the future. For example:
- Do you expect your family to grow? Include a main floor den that can be easily converted into a bedroom for when your children get older.
- Include basic plumbing and electrical outlets in your basement or attic, so you can add an office, studio, or small bedroom in the future.
- Keep in mind that extra space in an oversize garage could be walled off to create another room.
- Include plywood sheathing behind bathroom drywall so that if you ever need to install grab bars, you’ll have a much easier time than if you have to depend on the placement of studs.
With all the time and effort (and even love) you put into creating the perfect home construction plan, you want a home that will be the right fit for your family for years to come.
Looking for the perfect place to build your home? Check out land listings in Greenville: