Building the house of your dreams almost always means designing it from the ground up. It is, after all, impossible to buy a premade project and expect it to be exactly to your liking. To match your expectations, it needs to have you involved in almost every aspect of planning. However, take into account that this means not only focusing on your favourite aspects but also on those you might consider less exciting. Below you’ll find a few of the more mundane but equally important things you should take into account when creating your perfect home.
First of all, determine whether you need a garage and if so, what form it will take. Then you might want to decide on adding retractable awnings to your future home. Don’t forget to plan for any alternative power sources and choose what sort of water heater you will install. Finally, ask yourself if a water sprinkler system in your garden is necessary. Explore these ideas below and learn for yourself that the boring parts of planning can be no less fascinating!
Is a Garage Necessary, and if Yes, How Should You Implement It?
Garages are very useful and will turn out to be an essential component of your home design if you own a car or plan to. But in case you don’t actually drive and don’t need as much storage space, spending money on a garage and then leaving it unused is just a waste of money.
Building the house of your dreams can be a costly process, and rarely there’s enough money to fund your every design choice. Maybe it would be better to use the garage money to make your porch nicer or to pave the paths around your garden?
But if you have a vehicle or want to own one in the future, a garage is absolutely necessary. Vehicles exposed to the elements break down faster, so you simply need someplace to store it safely. But even then there are different options.
If the weather in your parts gets rather extreme, you’d be better off with a traditional building made out of bricks or concrete, a sturdy garage door with high-quality parts from sources like Garage Door Nation, and proper insulation. On the other hand, if all you need to protect your car from is the sun, a carport is a better choice due to its much lower price.
Think About Adding Retractable Awnings to Your House
Retractable awnings are both trendy and practical, so you should definitely consider adding them to your future home. They come in many different designs and colours, so you’re bound to find something that fits your style perfectly.
A retractable awning will add value to your home in more ways than one. Not only will it make your outdoor space look nicer and make it easier to spend time outside, but it will also protect the furniture under it from UV rays.
Additionally, retractable awnings can reduce your cooling bills considerably. Because they’re usually mounted over windows, they’ll limit the amount of sunlight entering your rooms and therefore lower the overall temperature inside the house. In this case, the advantages far outweigh any possible drawbacks.
Consider Adding a Water Sprinkler System to Your Garden
If your vision of a dream house incorporates a beautiful backyard with a garden where you can spend time with your family, a water sprinkler system might help you to maintain that dream. As automatic sprinkler systems work uniformly, every part in their range gets a very similar amount of water, keeping the greenery lush and stunning.
What is more, it will allow you to spend less time and effort watering various plants in it. Some gardens are quite big, and even with a hose, it can take many hours to properly water everything. A sprinkler system can automate all that. You simply specify the time and length of operation and watch the magic happen.
Unfortunately, there are downsides too. One obvious disadvantage is that the water sprinkler system uses much more water than a hose. Depending on your region and environmental regulations, your bills might skyrocket to the point where it’s unsustainable in the long term.
Moreover, the installation process is both quite costly and invasive – after all, all those water pipes and sprinkler devices need to be put into the ground deep enough to allow for easy planting. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide whether it’s worth the costs.
Determine if You Want To Invest in Alternative Power Sources
These days, many people are concerned about the future of our planet. They don’t want to contribute to its pollution and prefer to limit the use of electricity produced by non-renewable resources like coal. Fortunately, there are plenty of alternative power sources that are both affordable and very efficient.
The most popular renewable energy source is solar power which can be captured through solar panels installed on your roof or on the ground. Solar energy is then transformed into electricity that powers your household.
You can also install a grid-tie solar system, which will connect your solar panels to the power grid. What this means is that you can have all the benefits of solar power without having to worry about the lack of electricity at night or in bad weather. The grid-tie inverter will ensure that your home is always connected to the power grid and can access electricity when needed.
Another popular alternative source of energy is wind turbines. They’re great for people living in areas experiencing strong gusts of wind, as that means electricity can be produced at very low costs. Their major advantage over the wind turbines is that they can continue to operate at night in full capacity – as long as there’s wind, that is.
A combination of both of these can even be used to make your perfect home practically independent from the grid energy if you also include batteries.
Select the Right Type of Water Heater
If you want to build the house of your dreams and want to enjoy every second of it, you need to make sure that your home has all the utilities you need. However, one of the most important pieces of hardware is often overlooked – the water heater. Water heaters come in many different types, and choosing the right one will affect not only your comfort levels but also your energy bills.
The first thing you need to decide is whether you want a tankless or a traditional model. The former has many advantages, including lower running costs and better safety than traditional gas-powered systems. On the other hand, tankless models can be more complicated to install and have a higher purchase cost. If you’re interested in a tankless model, it might be beneficial to take a look at the best tankless water heaters online.
Alternatively, you could go for a solar water heater. Although it’s a bit more expensive to install, it can save you money in the long run. These models use the sun’s energy in order to make the water piping hot, reducing your water heating bills in the long run.
Conclusion
Building the house of your dreams is an exciting process, and all those less exciting elements that you have to consider often get overlooked. However, it doesn’t have to be like that. If you take the time to explore all the options available, you can end up with a home that will not only look pretty but also is highly functional and comfortable to live in. After all, the most beautiful house is useless if living there is not a pleasant experience. Good luck!