Seven Floor Plan Mistakes To Avoid In Your Home

** In Collaboration** 

Making your floor plan work for your house and your family is important, and will help your home flow properly. You’ll enjoy your house more and can make it work more efficiently for the whole family. 

1. Don’t choose floor plans that don’t work for you and your home. It’s easy to forget to picture how your family will live in the space; for example imagining how your family use the living room or considering how your bad knees will manage the three flights of stairs you’ve planned. Consider what you like, like an open plan or individual rooms, or single or multi story home? 
2. Don’t get blinded by fancy upgrades in a model home. Walking through a developer’s model home can be very helpful to help you picture how different floor plans actually feel. If you do this be careful not to be pulled in by the upgrades put in to show off the home. Whether it’s upgraded carpets, expensive fittings or beautiful furniture, imagine the house without it so you can get a better feel for the layout. 
3. Don’t panic if you can’t make head or tail of the floor plan. If you’re not used to looking at architectural drawings or floor plans, they can look confusing. If you can’t figure out what the symbols mean, or can’t work which way the doors go or where the stairs are, just ask. It’s normal to find these drawings confusing.
4. Don’t choose features that work out costing you more in the long run. It can be easy to get excited by something on a 2D plan that doesn’t actually work in a practical way. Details like floor to ceiling windows, two story hallways or skylights look beautiful, but can have quite an impact on the costs of heating and cooling your home. Make sure you factor these extra costs in. 
5. Don’t assume the planned rooms are big enough. Reading the dimensions of a room on a plan is one thing, but it can be hard to picture how big that room actually is. Measure your furniture first before you finalise the floor plans to make sure that everything will fit properly.  
6. Don’t forget to allow for many people you want to fit into your space. When considering the floor plan, think about the kind of entertaining you like to do.Do you host board game nights for all your friends? Do you have the in-laws to stay over the summer? Do you want to throw large parties? Think about how much space you’ll need for those events to take place comfortably. Plan to make sure there’s enough room for all the people to fit without it feeling crowded. 
7. Don’t forget to factor in the safety of the children in the house. If you have young children, think about how safe your home will be for them. Avoid balconies, glass shower enclosures, stairs without railings or other features that look chic but should be modified for families.