The Tiny house Blog

Things Home Designers Consider When Designing a House Floor Plan

By
Jason Francis
Designed and built over 100 custom tiny homes, lived on a sailboat for 9 months, and loves to live life to the fullest with his wife and their 4 kids.
Updated on:
April 2, 2024
Things Home Designers Consider When Designing a House Floor Plan

Image Source: Canva

The creative and thrilling process of designing a bespoke house begins with careful consideration of available space. The floor plan is the backbone of a home’s appearance, therefore, designers should be careful to create unique floor plans that reflect their interests, lifestyle, and everyday needs.

They can maximize the use of available resources with the aid of a well-designed floor plan, which allows for plenty of natural light, makes the most of home space, and caters to the needs of the homeowner. Here are some important things to consider when designing a house floor plan. 

Your lifestyle

Your lifestyle is one of the crucial things designers consider when creating the perfect floor plan for your house. The way you live should definitely be reflected in your home design. Just as the team behind a custom home builder company states, your home should be as unique as you, and keeping all your needs in mind is the sure way to a perfect floor layout.

Do you usually welcome guests and friends? Do you work from home? Are there any pets in your household? When deciding on a layout, designers will keep all of these things in mind.

Consider an open-concept layout, for example, to give your children and pets plenty of room to run around and play fearlessly. In contrast, your home office has to allow you to work in peace and quiet, and this is also taken into account when trying to fit everything together to make a perfect floor plan. 

Space planning

Proper space planning is essential for a well-designed floor plan. Think about the following questions to determine how much space you need. How much space do you need in your kitchen? Would you prefer a closed-off eating area or an open floor plan?

How much open area do you want in your house, and how much do you think should be enclosed? Make sure there is enough space to store everything you have when working on your adequate floor plan. Designers will think about how much storage space your house has, such as closets, pantries, and cupboards.

Also, they will make sure there’s enough room in the garage to park all of your cars, as well as your tools and equipment. 

Storage

When deciding on a floor plan, designers will think about your storage needs. Always keep in mind the kind of storage you want in addition to any built-in storage options, such as cabinets and pantries. Having too much storage space is usually better than having too little. It may be challenging to include more storage space in a home’s floor layout, particularly when aiming for a more compact design.

Keeping your house neat and tidy will become a major challenge when you don’t have enough storage for all of your belongings, so this factor is crucial to consider before making the final decision. 

Cost

Everyone would like not to have worries about money constraints, but unfortunately, this is not always feasible. The financial resources and expectations of each family are unique, so homeowners should set reasonable financial goals when working with designers on creating their floor plans.

If you want to reduce costs, there are some options available. For instance, you can go with some less expensive flooring, cabinets, and other amenities in exchange for somewhat greater floor space. 

Not factoring in the price of your new house might put you in serious trouble later on. Excessive spending isn’t the only thing that causes difficulties, by the way. Spending less than you should will lead to rapid dissatisfaction. In any case, you can maximize your budget by working with an experienced and knowledgeable designer. 

Your future needs

It is crucial to consider your future demands when selecting a floor layout plan. Even if it is hard to predict what will happen a year or two from now, it is always better to be safe than sorry, and details like the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and living space should be carefully considered. For example, you might be thinking about starting a family or having a lot of visitors around.

Then maybe you might consider drawing out a design with more rooms to make your future home as comfortable as possible. Also, some floor designs are much more difficult to maneuver for those with mobility issues.

For example, elderly people may not thrive in a house with three flights of stairs, so you need to think about your possible future limits as you construct your forever home. These are all reasons why you should ask a designer to make an accessible floor plan that will suit all of your needs, both present and future. 

Flexibility

This one is closely connected to satisfying your future needs, as you never know what changes you might need in the years to come. For example, a guest room that can easily become a nursery, a gym, or an office is one example of a space that serves various roles.

No matter how long you live in the house, an expert designer will take all your needs into account and look for a floor plan that can easily fit your wishes. Space needs aren’t the only thing that may change. How long you plan to stay in the house can also determine the layout. 

Image Source: Canva

Size

The total and specific square footage of the house is among the crucial things designers need to consider. When deciding on the right size, it’s important to consider the number of people using the area, the sort of furniture already there, and the space’s intended use.

This factor is extremely important, equally for large and tiny homes. Just imagine that living in a home with an inadequate floor layout can make you feel claustrophobic, and, on the other hand, if your floor plan is too large, you will end up spending more money on utilities and maintenance for areas that are not being used. 

Environment, bills, and building setbacks

Everything from the local climate to factors like window placement will have an impact on your floor plan. It may be necessary to have a roof with a significant slope for safety on sites that get a lot of snow. Having a south-facing, floor-to-ceiling window may significantly increase the temperature inside your house during hot summer days, especially if you live in a hot climate.

However, the same well-insulated window may make dwellings in colder climates warmer during the winter. Before making a final decision, the designers will investigate the impact of various floor designs on your utility expenses. 

Also, you may not be able to build the kind of house you want on your property because of lines, utility easements, or drainage easements. Both the design of your house and a lot of research are of the utmost importance.

There may be easements that make it almost impossible to construct certain floor designs, regardless of how much space there is. Designers will take this into account when going for the perfect floor plan to avoid any inconvenience. 

Accessibility

The rooms shouldn't be too intricate or difficult to enter. Also, there needs to be a seamless transition between spaces. Open floor plans with bigger doorways and corridors are characteristic of accessible design, which aims to maximize room for movement.

A perfect floor plan for your house may be customized to include amenities such as handicapped ramps and no-step entrances, as you never know what you or your family members may need in the future. 

Natural light

When planning a floor layout, designers should consider how much natural light will enter the space. Take into account the orientation of the windows and the quantity of natural light that will enter each room.

Using this information, designers may zero in on the ideal floor plan for your house. Having wide windows on many sides of the room, or even just one, can let in a lot of natural light, so keep that in mind while searching for the perfect design.

At midday, the sun’s rays will reach their maximum intensity through south-facing windows. Avoid floor designs with few windows or those that face north if you want a house that is lit up by natural sunlight. 

Traffic flow

The home's traffic flow is another important factor to think about. Give some thought to the layout of your home's hallways and doorways, as well as the accessibility of items like coat and shoe storage at the entrances, the flow of shopping to the pantry, and the amount of wasted space in corridors.

Expert designers should devote a great deal of time to thinking about typical traffic patterns and space use. A livable design should have that "right" vibe, where you don't have to think too hard to do even the most basic of everyday duties.

Finally, a floor plan illustrates the relationship among all the rooms in your sweet home. Since this is the foundation for the building's construction, the homeowner may verify the exact placement of each room. An important first step in constructing a house is drawing out a floor plan, as this will help you see any problems with the layout of the house and give you time to fix them before construction starts.

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