Guest Author - Donna Coogan

Building your own home is one of the most exciting things you can do in your lifetime. It is your opportunity to create a place that really fits your lifestyle and is an extension of your personality.

When you are building your own home, take your time. Study magazines, home plans and decorating books. Tour open houses and model homes. Visit kitchen and bath design centers and home shows. Research the Internet for styles you love. Don’t rush the building process. A true designer home can easily take a year or more to build.

Designing your own home means you will choose how the interior and exterior of it looks. There are many things to consider, many questions to ask and many decisions to be made. At times you will want to bang your head against a wall, but stay focused on the goal and in the end you will have a home you love.

Do you know what architectural style is your favorite? Craftsman? Tudor? Southwestern? Farmhouse? Do you like modern contemporary styles or more traditional looks?

Do you want a one story or two story home? Perhaps you’d like a sprawling ranch? Do you love brick, stone, wood or vinyl facades? What style windows do you like? Do you want a porch or a garage?

What about the interior of your home? Do you want it to marry the exterior in design style? This typically makes a home more pleasing to the senses. Do you need specific rooms like a home office, media center or art studio? Or a main floor master bedroom or extra storage space?

Will you be doing a lot of entertaining? Do you like open floor plans or high ceilings? Have you considered traffic flow and the needs of all the other house occupants?

What kind of flooring do you prefer? What about kitchen cabinets, appliances and bathroom fixtures?

When you design your own home, you will be deciding everything from the colors on the walls to the lights in the ceiling to the style doorknobs in every room. Just thinking about all the questions can be mind-boggling. But, determining the answers will ultimately narrow down your preferences..

Consult with several home improvement professionals such as an architect, interior designer and a landscaper. If you can’t afford this, don’t despair. Keep researching on your own until you have a good grasp of your specific design style. Share this information with a reputable builder that you can afford to create the home you want.

Once you start the building process, many decisions will be made at different segments. It’s important to stay in touch with your builder and be ready to provide answers when they are needed. But, most of all, have patience and enjoy watching your home go up one stick at a time!