Whether you are searching for a home in Wilderness Shores or planning to build a new construction house on some acreage, selecting a floor plan that is functional for you and your family is important.  When I take clients on showings, it can be easy for them to fall in love with a home because it has a beautifully redone kitchen, and try to overlook the fact that the home is missing a separate office space that is needed.  The floor plan of a home should always trump design elements.  After all, you can easily repaint walls or add decorations, but changing the layout of a home isn’t cheap or sometimes not even possible.  To zone in on what you really need in a floor plan, here are some questions to ask yourself before you start your search for homes in 22508.

Where will the people living in the house spend their time?

At different stages in life, people will use a home differently.  Families with young children will value a room for children to keep toys in and play, but families with teenagers and young adults may prefer individual bedrooms.  If you plan to live in the home long term, then a first floor bedroom may be better. 

People who enjoy entertaining may prefer to have more of the square footage of the home dedicated to the kitchen and living room spaces and might be okay with smaller bedrooms.  If you work from home or have a small at home business, you will want to have a dedicated office in the room that is away from other activities in the home.

Having a clearer understanding of how you will use the home in the next few years, or beyond, will help you determine what spaces are most important, the minimum number of bedrooms you need, and also what you are willing to compromise.

How do you want the rooms arranged?

Do you want the primary bedroom to be on the same level as the other bedrooms in the home?  Is it okay if the bedroom is near the living room or will the noise from the living room make it difficult for the person in the bedroom to sleep?  Does the office need to be a separate room with a door that will close or is a loft space okay? Do you want an open concept living area where the kitchen flows into the living and dining rooms or do you prefer some separation?

Thinking about your ideal room arrangement will help you eliminate homes that have a layout that you don’t like.  Some homes have flex spaces in them, but you still have to make sure that the flex space will work for the purpose.  For example, changing a formal dining room into an office might work great for someone, but for another person who needs a space away from the main activity center of the home, this arrangement would not be ideal.

Does this home have storage space where I need it?

Consider your current home.  How many closets are there?  Is there any area that is lacking?  You can use this information to help you during your home search.  For example, maybe you really would like a linen closet upstairs for towels because keeping them in the primary closet takes up a lot of room.  Maybe you would like a bigger pantry in the kitchen.  While you can organize the space in a closet more efficiently, you can’t always add a closet to a home.

Can you move easily through the home?

It is important to think about how accessible different parts of a home are to you.  For example, when you bring in groceries through the garage, are you near the kitchen or will you need to walk to the other side of the home.  Is there a spot for children coming in from outside to put their muddy shoes?  Can a family pet be easily let out into the backyard or will this involve walking up and down stairs?  While walking down a set of stairs or putting a mat out for muddy shoes may be solutions to the problem, considering how easily or not you can flow through a home may help you decide between several options.

Will it fit?

Buying a home and moving is an expensive process, so most people don’t want to also add new furniture to the list.  When you look at a home for sale, think about whether your furniture will fit in the space.  If you are downsizing, you may realize that it is time to let go of some pieces.  If you are upsizing, know that it’s okay to have some rooms that are empty for a bit.  If you have difficulty visualizing the space, you can take some measurements of the room and compare it to the same room at your current home.  You can even lay out some tape to mark the dimensions of the room to visualize how well your furniture will fit inside.