Some Unexpected and Fantastic Features to Consider When Building a Custom Home
When you are building your custom home, there are so many different features and options to consider that it can simply get overwhelming. Whether you are thinking about expanding your kitchen, creating a his and hers master closet, or building an entire added wing to your home, there are almost too many options to think about that are at your disposal.
That’s why this list is important!
As you think about all the major decisions that you will ultimately have to make, it is quite easy to forget about all the decisions that you will have to make. While you surely expect to make decisions regarding the rooms of your home as well as the appliances that go into them, it can be easy to forget some of the decisions that you might end up wishing you made.
So, let’s go into it. Here are some of the unexpected and fantastic features that you should think about adding while Building A Custom New Home.
Cabinet lighting
If you’re building custom cabinets, you might as well go all the way and add in motion-activated lighting to go with it. In and under cabinet lighting is not only great looking, it’s also quite useful. That’s especially true for your kitchen cabinets.
While you can add this in later with adhesive strip lighting, built in options do tend to be brighter and have a better look to them overall.
You will have to choose from standalone bulbs or LED strips and then have them wired to the main switch so that you can easily turn them on and off manually.
As previously mentioned, motion-activated in-cabinet lighting is also an option so you can know what you’re reaching for as you head down for a midnight drink of water … or bowl of ice cream.
Heated floors
This is especially useful if you live in a place that tends to get quite chilly during the winter months. Heated floors are created by running warming coils under your floorboards that can be turned on with the flick of a switch.
They’re especially luxurious additions to bathrooms, kitchens, and other areas of the home that are built over slaves as opposed to the foundation of the home. If you live in a cooler climate and are looking to avoid having to wear slippers for 6 months out of the year, now is the time to talk to your designer and architect to see what kind of heated floors are an options for your custom home.
Heated driveway
Here is another season-specific option that could make your life a whole lot easier. Heated driveways mean that any snow that falls during the winter will simply melt on contact. This will not only make your life so much easier by allowing you to never have to shovel and plow your driveway again, it can also make your daily commute safer. If you’ve got a steep or long driveway, it can be quite treacherous to get in and out of your home! These heated driveways make all that go away.
It’s an especially good purchase for those who are a bit older or have a disability that makes shoveling or snow blowing even more difficult.
Integrating smart devices
These of course can be added later on, but if you are building a new home you might as well make it a smart home from the very beginning. Smart home additions including self-programmable and smart phone accessible heating and cooling systems, which can dramatically reduce the amount of energy and electricity your home wastes.
Beyond that, things like smart doorbells, door locks and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors can dramatically improve the safety of your home.
If you want to go the extra mile, smart entertainment systems and refrigerators will save you from ever have to look for your remote or heading back to the grocery store because you’ve forgotten something important!
Built-in sprinklers
If you’re something who obsesses over the quality of their grassy lawn, a built-in sprinkler system will save you a tome of time when it comes to doing yardwork. This is especially useful to home owners of a new home because sod, trees and plants typically need quite a bit more care and attention when they are just putting down their roots.
A built-in sprinkler system means that you can have your plants, sod, and trees watered daily without having to trot out to your lawn and water them every day. Your lawn will get all the water it needs without you ever having to get your hands dirty.
Extra outlets
This is certainly something that you will want to consider. There is nothing all that glamorous about adding extra outlets to your custom-built home, but that doesn’t mean there are not incredibly important.
When you are working on the final bits of your design plan, don’t forget to think long and hard about where added electrical outlets will be useful. The major reason is because it is a lot easier to have them added in originally then have an electrician come in and re-wire the whole home at a later date.
Take account of where you will spend your time, how many appliances and fixtures will be in a given room, and how many sockets you will need to have more than enough.
Additionally, if your family loves to celebrate the holiday season by setting up charming lights, don’t forget to include outdoor sockets on all sides of your home as well.
Expanded garage
Finally, you will likely want to consider adding to your garage. This not only offers you the potential to park an extra car inside should one of your children turn 16 and get a new car for their birthday. Expanded garages also serve as valuable storage spaces for bikes, snow sleds, and other sporting equipment for you, your spouse, or your children.
Just make sure to also take advantage of the best storage systems to make sure the garage itself stays clean and orderly!
