Planning The Details Of Your New Home

When you embark on the journey of building a home, you probably spend a lot of time thinking about architectural styles, neighborhoods, framing materials, and floor plans. It can be very easy to spend all your time on these choices and handle most other decisions as an afterthought.
While it's true that things like paint and floor coverings can be reconsidered down the road, there are other things that you should really try to take care of during the initial construction of your home. It's the cheapest, simplest, and most effective time to handle them.
Set aside blueprints and color swatches for a little while to free up some time for some other important factors.

Plan For Safety
During the excitement and enthusiasm of home construction, it's probably the furthest thing from your mind to think about a burglary or fire. Yet that's the very time that it's best to consider home safety.

Getting a representative from ADT to discuss installation with you before construction begins will get you the best possible system design and the most integrated installation. It will reduce the number of wireless components required and will keep you from having to damage walls and ceilings with a retrofit later on.

There are also options such as residential sprinklers that you can consider. These systems work the same as in commercial buildings. They can contain a fire until the fire department arrives, reducing damage and protecting escape routes for your family. Because these are essentially another plumbing component, it's essential that a sprinkler system be installed during construction, so give careful consideration to including one before construction advances too far to accommodate it.

Utilize Utilities
Most homes can easily accommodate the current state of technology. The builders and various subcontractors know what to do to ensure that water, gas, sewage, and internet are properly routed throughout the home. There aren't a lot of surprises in the process of including these services.
But just as a classic Depression-era home didn't include phone lines, our homes today may one day be outdated as well. No one foresaw internet cable as a need in homes built even as recently as the 1990's, but then it became essential--before the advent of wifi made it irrelevant.

What might come along for retrofit in today's homes? We have no idea, of course, but there could be adjustments to current utilities. If you presently utilize a septic tank or other on-site wastewater system, you might think of discussing with your plumber about making provisions for an eventual municipal hookup.

Look Long-Term
There are two general types of homeowners: Those who plan to sell, and those who hope to stay put for decades. The more you are doing to customize your home, the more likely it is that you fit into the latter group. As you plan your home design, make sure that your mortgage isn't the only thing designed for the long haul.

Our needs change as our lives change. If you're in your thirties and building a two-story home with all the bedrooms upstairs, consider making accommodations now for a first-floor bedroom and bathroom for your golden years, when those steps won't be as appealing. If you have an unfinished basement, have the water and wastewater lines installed for a future bathroom down there. You might even consider running a 220-volt line for a basement kitchen.

You get the idea. Try to design with the flexibility to do other things down the road so that you aren't trapped with current features when new ideas come along later.


With so many decisions to make during construction, it can be very easy to overlook certain provisions. But if you take the time to examine the requirements of these specialized components of your home, you may find yourself feeling really good about the decision in ten years or so.