Now that you have somewhere to put it, let's talk a little bit about designing your home. You'll need to make lots of decisions, and you'll need plenty of time to make them. Are you ready?

Hiring an Architect

There are all kinds of ways to come up with a plan for your custom home. You may decide to purchase a plan through a magazine or web site. Or you may find a plan that you like, but think it might need some modifications. Or, you may have an idea of the perfect home in your head, but need some help putting it on paper.

If you are going the first route, you probably don't need an architect. But if you are choosing to go one of the latter two routes, you may. If you have lots of experience and some time to invest into design, construction, and building codes, then you may want to tackle the entire process yourself. In most cases you'll have a life outside this project, however, and hiring an architect might be one of the best decisions you make. If your state requires an architect for submitted plans, you'll obviously have to hire an architect. And if you have no idea how a home functions, lack vision when it comes to what your home will look like, or are building a home that requires complicated structural engineering, then hiring an architect is the way to go.

Architects aren't cheap. As a matter of fact, the price tag of your architect may make you gasp and decide to give the whole things a shot yourself. But before you do that, consider that the experience an architect brings to the table often saves you money in the long run.

You can find an architect for your project by trolling neighborhoods whose homes you like. It's easy to find out who the architect is. Or ask family and friends who they have used. When interviewing architects, make sure their aesthetic vision matches yours, and ask them about their experience and local knowledge. The more experience they have with local municipalities and planning boards, the better.

For an agreed upon fee, you can expect the architect to supply you with construction documents, landscape plans, mechanical and electrical drawings, plan copies, soils report, structural engineering, surveyor, and the architects time. You'll need all of these things before you begin the permitting process.

Did you know? Some companies today design and build your home for you. These are called "design-build" firms. These firms comprise architects and contractors, and can give you an all-in-one experience.

If you choose not to hire an architect, your alternatives are to design your home yourself, purchase a floor plan from a book or online, or hire a home designer. Home designers are not licensed architects, but provide many of the same services.

Where Will You Put Your Home?

Before you decide the size and shape of your home, you'll need to figure out where you want to put it on your lot.

No lot is perfect. In most cases you will have a limitation or two that will give you some guidance when it comes to placing your house on the land. In the end, however, chances are you'll have more than a few options. So how to decide where to put your home? Think about your preferences. How sunny do you want your home to be? Are there any views that make your decision easier? How much sun do I need in my front, back, and side yards? What temperature do I want my house to be? Where does the wind normally come from? Does noise come from one direction more than it comes from others?

You'll also want to take the natural elements around you into consideration. We've already mentioned views. Are you near water, and if so how do you want your home situated in relation to the water? You'll also want to take things like trees, rocks, mountains, and foliage into consideration when deciding how to situate your home.

The Size and Shape of Your Home

When you plan the size and shape of your home you'll need to take three main issues into consideration: your needs in terms of size and aesthetics, what you can afford, and how to ensure that your home will be built in a way to retain its value.

The first thing you'll need to determine is how many square feet you want your home to be. When deciding how big your house needs to be, think about your family's needs. How many people are living in your home? What special considerations are there? Do you want the master bedroom on the same floor as the kids' rooms, or do you want it separate? How many bathrooms do you need? Are you a cook who requires a special kitchen? Do you want walk-in closets? Do you need a playroom? You get the picture. When designing your home's floor plan be sure to take into consideration your lifestyle, foot traffic, storage, door placement, window placement, accessibility, convenience, and whether or not you have plans to expand in the future.

The second thing you'll need to consider is any zoning regulations or neighborhood covenants. There are often rules regarding how big or how small a house can be on a particular lot.

Finally, you need to make sure your house's square footage gels with your budget. Sure, you may be movie buffs and your dream house may have an 1100 square foot home theatre, but can you afford it? It's hard to know where to start, so how about starting with the house you want . . . at least on paper. Then see if it fits your budget, and make modifications accordingly depending upon priorities. Figure out what a home in your area costs per square foot, and do the math. If you have a budget of $250,000, and the going rate per square foot in your area is $100, then you can afford a 2500 square foot home.

When it comes to the style of your home you may have carte blanche, or you may have some neighborhood covenants that must be adhered to. Neighborhood covenants can dictate things like how tall your house is, what it is sided in, what color you can paint it, etc. The goal when designing your home is to not only pick a design that you love and will enjoy for years to come, but to pick a design that has some resale value. Make sure your home's design has mass appeal, even if you think you'll never sell it.

Your home's exterior will also affect its price, so be sure to take into consideration how you are planning on siding your house, as well as whether you want features such as balconies and porches, dormers, or fancy roofing materials.

The Details

Once you figure out the square footage and general layout of your home, as well as its exterior, you'll have to start paying attention to the details. And there are a lot of them! You'll want to figure out what kinds of cabinets and countertops you want in your kitchens and bathrooms, as well as how many you'll need. You'll want to determine your flooring in each room. Do you want special features like wainscoting, beadboard, or chair rail? For your kitchen you'll need to decide what grade of appliances you want and how much money you'll allow for them, and the same rings true for the bathroom. How many doors do you have planned, and what kind of wood will they be made of? Windows? You'll also want to take into consideration things like hardware, fixtures, and paint. And don't forget your technology needs. If you want wireless technology, for example, be sure to include that in the budget.

So, why are you thinking about all these things now, before you've even begun the loan process? Well, it's always best to select materials as early as possible. It prevents your contractor from building your house based upon estimates. Having an allowance for the details almost always means you are either going to go over budget, or you are going to end up putting in something of lesser quality than you want. Or you could spend a little time attending to the details now, and have exactly what you want in the end!