Planning new house - terrifying!

[Cherrypips]

I’m in the lucky position of being able to design and build a new home - a dream I’ve had for many years. We are a married couple with a 16 yo dd and our ds left for uni 3 years ago and will only be with us from time to time.
So, we bought a tip of a bungalow in a fabulous area. Opposite a park, close to the town centre, great orientation for the sun.
So, it should be easy. Think what you’d love in a home and, with a clever architect, put it on paper! But I have such fear of getting it wrong.... my priorities keep changing and I can’t seem to move forward.
Can anyone identify with this? What are the major considerations if could build your brand new house? My husband is so laid back and says what I want will be fine with him... argggh
Any tips, suggestions, advice ??? This is stressing me out and we haven’t even started!

How lovely! I would go for a light house, well insulated and cheap to run.

Are you going to stick with a bungalow or make a two or three storey house? Single floor living is more adaptable. A bedroom can become a lounge at some point for example.

I would also aim for a house that would be suitable for you as you get older, a wet room downstairs perhaps or an annex for a carer, or guests.

I would make the kitchen and living rooms larger and the bedrooms smaller than conventional homes, thinking about the relative time you spend in each type of of room.

You are lucky to have this opportunity.

I love pocket doors and would design house where rooms can be opened up, using sound proof pocket doors, to each other for parties.

Good storage and somewhere to dry clothes in the winter are both important. Think walk-in wardrobes and a good sized utility room.

Also a coat cupboard in the hall and a garden that is easy to maintain but beautiful with built in places to sit.

I'd start by visiting lots of new development's show homes. You will get a feel for what is current and you can be smug in the knowledge you have your own building site.

Look on your local council's planning portal to find others floor plans.

Having at least one bedroom downstairs with an accessible bathroom is sensible future proofing. In fact don't new builds have to have a downstairs bathroom?

Don't overlook your garden. I think i would want at least an outline plan for terracing or outdoor eating area.

Pinterest has loads of floor plans. So you can search using key features. My dream house would have a formal living/diner space and a separate kitchen/family/ breakfast area. Maybe with a butlers pantry / walk in pantry between the 2. Big doors opening on to a terrace. A big laundry / utility area with a door to the garden. More storage. Also downstairs - master bedroom with ensuite. Separate cloakroom. Upstairs rooms for teenagers with a den / study type area.

Windows on the East side to keep the house warm! Or West depending on the layout

Take into account views

I dislike open plan minalist unless there's a cosy room to hide in!

We're mid build - I'd say it's key to find a good architect who can help you prioritise. I started out thinking we'd get everything we wanted because we were building for ourselves, but we didn't of course - money being a key constraint. Things were a lot more expensive than I anticipated and it turned out that some things were must haves and others were less important. We talked to her about all the things we wanted and what we thought was most important and after a few rounds of designs ended up where we wanted to be.

Our priorities ended up a v large family room kitchen, a big utility/laundry and boot room area, and separate kids snug/TV room and a formal lounge. (At one point we had no formal lounge and no boot room but they both worked their way back in as we discussed initial plans.) We ended up compromising on upstairs space in bedrooms and also once we understood cost of floating staircase went for another design which won't be quite so wow but we like and will cost a fraction to manufacture. That allowed us to afford what we wanted downstairs which we decided was more important. It's through the process that you start to understand it. We were also happy with mid price kitchens/bathrooms.

Also a good architect will suggest things you hadn't thought of based on what you are trying to achieve ... so for us the overall effect of light and space.

If your architect is rushing things and not helping you think it through , I'd say meet some others before you choose one.

Agree that you need a really good architect who can help you prioritise and design a beautiful home.

I like lots of light and good proportions over more bedrooms and bathrooms.

Don’t visit show homes! You’ll end with yet another boring house! I’d go for a Huf House and pinch ideas from Kevin McClouds programme. Go for light and space. Make the most of the site and make it as eco as possible.

We are mid renovation, but bought house with plans done and adapted to suit our needs.
Make a list of what rooms most important, where you will spend time etc.
We looked at new builds to get an idea of rooms sizes and how where could lay out the rooms.

Thanks for your suggestions/ideas.
We already have a good few things sorted-
Eco friendly
Highly insulated
Solar gain
Living/kitchen/dining area
Doors to terrace area
Separate snug/place for the piano
Built in wardrobes
Downstairs master

The things I’m struggling with are...

• 3 or 4 bedrooms? I was all for four, but now feel 3 would be just fine, after all, number one son is unlikely to be back long-term and DD will be off to uni in 3 years.
• garage? I say yes, dh says not needed. Never park in anyway, but maybe an outside store would be fine? I like the idea of a remote door opener, driving in and walking straight into the house...

Now, we are trying to downsize and this is where we plan to grow old disgracefully!

Is there anything else anyone thinks is an absolute must?

It’s exciting, but I just so want to get it right!

A garage is a must! You might not use it but cars have stuff and all decent detached houses have garages.

What is solar gain? Do you mean panels? How are you heating and are you having underfloor heating? How many bathrooms? Three decent bedrooms is better then four smaller ones.

Who cares about gadgets? How the door opens is a bit trivial really! I would be more interested in gaining light, making sure you make best use of the site (yes you do need that garage) and looking at how you can use the garden as an extra room. Decide if you really do like traditional or whether you have more grand designs in your character! The two new properties that I know that are the latter are far more interesting than the horrid new “cottage” down the road from me. So Boring! Also, have a look at Flint House at Waddesdon Manor and see if you can pinch any ideas from that. It won awards. Also check out Jane Duncan Architects for ideas.

Bubbles - solar gain as in lots of south facing windows as we want to have as many passive house features as possible. With very high levels of insulation and using the sun effectively, we aim to have very low energy costs. We will be using a timber frame system.

I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned this, but make sure you've talked to your local council's planning department before you finalise your design with your architect. Knowing in advance what is or is not permitted can save you a lot of time & money.

I might have missed if you said whether you want to build a one or two storey house, but be aware that if there is currently a bungalow on the site, it might be that you can only build another bungalow there.

Friends of mine got caught out badly when they spent a lot of money on an architect who drew up plans for a fabulous house, only to get the design turned down by the planners. They still had to pay the architect for his work, even though they couldn't go ahead as so many changes would've been required. They ended up so disillusioned they sold the site and bought something ready built.

Also, make sure you and the architect have a similar vision and are on the same page regarding budget etc. It's going to be your home and the architect is working for you, to build what you want. Don't let them run away with lots of fabulous ideas that might not be affordable or practical.

Duckfart - the book is ordered, thanks for the recommendation! Thanks

Alpaca - we are hoping to have one half of the house 1 and half story and the other, just 1. There are all sorts of house types in the street at present and I thing the architect has a good handle of what will be allowed.

Oh good, it sounds like you have plenty of flexibility there. Best of luck with your project.

i have a open plan downstairs kitchen/dining/living room and ideally (and in hindsight) i wish we'd put in some sort of bi-folding door so we can section off the living room area.

If i were designing a home i mirror above and would have a unities room/drying room/clock room and lots of storage planned out.

We're mid-build just now. I agree finding an architect that you trust and can communicate well with is the most important thing. Your priorities will become clear from there really! We gave our architect a list of things we wanted and we're amazed at what he came up with.

My must have rooms/features over and above what you’ve listed would be -

A large(ish) boot room/utility room for all coats, shoes, umbrellas, hats etc and general detritus. Lots of built in storage so it looks clean and tidy but holds everything.

A laundry room on the same floor as the bedrooms, so for us that would be upstairs and with a covered outdoor drying area as well. Shifting laundry all over the house drives me crazy.

A snug/reading room/library because I love books and quiet space away from everyone else.

Then it would just be as much storage space as I could feasibly design, possibly a walk in wardrobe.

With regards to the garage, you may not use it but for saleability it would be a plus I think. We’d never buy a house without a garage. And I know you want to grow old there which hopefully you will but well just in case. Plus if DD or DD ever move back you might need room for their stuff too.

Good luck!

Obviously the proportions of the house and other basics are the most important, but I disagree with “who cares about gadgets” and “how you open the door is trivial”. Not that you should fill the house with expensive gadgets that don’t get used, but the odd well-chosen one will make you happy on a daily basis.

Some thoughts regarding 3 vs 4 bedrooms. If your children move back after university? When they are married and have children, and want to visit? Would one bedroom make a nice "hobby room" or are you likely to have enough downstairs space? Do you go in for big family Christmases or other occasions, will you want that to be practical in your new house in 20 years' time, or probably not?

I shouldn't tell you that my mother finally got the upstairs extension on my childhood house when we were already at uni (mind you I was still mostly at home at that point) - and ended up with a 6 bed house ... which came in very handy when we had friends and relatives staying when I got married.

I think a lot of the other things that would be on my list have been mentioned; I personally would want a number of flexible downstairs spaces that can be closed off from each other if need be.