Before deciding on the choice of your dream home, you need to be very clear about what it should be and what should be next to it.Again, the house may not be in the city center, but located closer to nature, for example, in a forest.
Or maybe you prefer to have a wonderful plot of land next to your house where you can plant and grow delicious vegetables and fruits. After all, everyone’s preferences are completely different, as are hobbies. Therefore, try to fantasize a little and imagine what the house of your dreams is like, what is it like? And in order to facilitate this task, it makes sense to travel to different places and see what people have at home. Or just try to fill your imagination with pictures of different beautiful houses, such as these:
What to look for when choosing a home
There are several criteria by which you need to make a selection of the house you need. Here they are:
- the house can be made of different materials, for example, brick or wood, each type of material has its own advantages and disadvantages, for example, brick houses are stronger, you cannot argue with this, but wooden ones retain heat longer in winter, and in summer – cool, because they breathe, although less durable;
- the house can have a completely different appearance, as well as a different number of rooms and floors, including rooms can be located even on the roof of the house, and also, you need to decide whether you need a garage and the presence of a bath;
- you should also take into account the fact how long it will take to get to the bus stop, what kind of institutions are around (schools, clubs, etc.), i.e. what kind of infrastructure is there;
Close your eyes and imagine what your house looks like
This is a very good way to define more specifically what your dream home should be. To do this, try to close your eyes and imagine in your head the desired house as clearly and in detail as possible, as if you really already have it and you live there. Try to see how it looks from the inside, how it looks from the outside, how many floors and rooms it has, whether there is a garage and other details. By the way, this method helps not only to better imagine your home, but also to materialize and bring this event closer. And if you go through all this in your head every day with maximum details and even the feeling that you are inside a house, then the likelihood that this house will appear on your way increases dramatically. Visualizing desire is a great and powerful technique. Don’t believe me? Check!
Consider the location and architecture of your future home
Whether your home will be comfortable and beautiful depends directly on the correct location and architectural features. In this regard, it is extremely important to think as much as possible about such things as illumination and the surrounding view of the territory, as well as the characteristics that the acquired plot has (if necessary), because if the land for the construction of a house is not chosen, then there can be no architecture and speech, because its planning is carried out only in conjunction with reference to the level of groundwater, to the relief and other features.
What is architecture? This is the exterior of the building. The choice of its forms today is simply unlimited. Of course, a rectangular or square shape of a house, proven for centuries, is considered a Russian classic. And also a gable roof with a minimum of indented roofing and facades and a minimum glazing area to retain heat. What you personally choose is up to you.
I would like to note a few more points regarding the location of the house. Orientation should be made to the cardinal points, because the sun illuminates the house and the area around it at different times of the day sequentially: from the east, south and west. And if this factor is not taken into account, the house runs the risk of being not only dark, but also energy-intensive..
Large windows (especially to the floor) with double-glazed windows with access to a terrace or garden, besides being spectacular and beautiful, they also bring considerable benefit, providing a good microclimate in the house.
What is better to build a house from?
It is extremely important to correctly calculate the vapor permeability of the house so that the optimal microclimate is maintained both in winter and in summer. In such a house it will always be comfortable to be and breathe easily. And it is not at all necessary that such a house should only be made of wood. The most important thing to observe here is not to use vapor-proof materials in the structures of the external walls. Also, the resistance to the ingress of water vapor in the direction from the room to the outside through the walls should also decrease. Simply put, a brick wall with polystyrene insulation does not breathe at all. And if, for example, you use non-combustible basalt wool, in this case, water vapor easily and completely diffuses outward. And if, for example, a material such as stone, tiles or facade panels is used for cladding facades, then it is imperative to provide an air gap between the cladding and the wall of the house in order to effectively remove moisture. It is possible in cold weather the appearance of condensation, which can lead to damage to the lining as a result of freezing.
Of modern materials for the construction of external walls, a good corpulent clay red brick.
In general, when choosing this or that material, it is necessary to take into account the correspondence of the life of the house to your understanding. You should not save on the quality of materials, otherwise the service life can be much reduced. In addition, there is such a fact that the deterioration of the building occurs unevenly over time. Due to shrinkage and shrinkage, as well as uneven soil settlement, the highest wear rate is achieved in the first year of operation. Sometimes there is a need for post-shrink repair. But further on, the process of wear is already slow and intensifies only at the last stage of the building’s operation due to the loss of structural strength and aging of materials. In general, the lifespan of buildings falls into three categories:
- the first is the highest and is more than 100 years old;
- the second is medium, the building has been serving for 50 years or more;
- the third is the lowest, is 20 or more years
How to calculate the area of a house
Usually these calculations are made based on the number of family members, each of whom should at least have their own separate room, plus there should be a common large room (hall or living room). If your family consists of four people (a standard family consisting of a husband, wife and two children), then in this case you will need: a matrimonial bedroom with an area of 15 to 20 square meters, two children’s rooms (if children of different genders) at least 12 square meters each, one living room with an area of 25 to 30 square meters is at least. Those. the total area of the rooms is around 70 square meters. At the same time, special attention should be paid to the kitchen and living room – the places where we spend the most time. By the way, it would be nice to combine them. Or the kitchen is combined with the dining room, occupying about 20 square meters of total area. The bathroom can be about 5 square meters and the hallway is about 6. If you wish, it’s a good idea to make a veranda with an area of 15 – 20 square meters, adjacent to the house and overlooking the garden. Plus a porch in the area of 4 sq. meters. In short, the house will come out with an area of about 130 sq. meters. But this is all to a minimum, so to speak, compact, but at the same time, a very good option. If desired and the availability of funds, of course, everything can be done on a completely different scale..
How many floors should the house have
Immediately, we hasten to note that all above-ground floors, including the basement and the attic, are also included in the definition of the number of storeys, if the top of its floor is at least 2 meters above the ground. What are one-story houses? In most cases, they are based on a compact planning scheme, which includes a small number of rooms, because the land must be distributed sparingly so that the large building area of a multi-room house does not complicate the organization of a personal plot.
In addition, such houses have a simpler constructive solution, they are easier to build and subsequently repaired. Rooms located on the same level have good interconnection and provide convenience primarily for the elderly. Well, one cannot but attribute to the advantages the fact of the possibility of completing the extension if necessary, which can be done completely without problems.
Two-story houses and more provide the possibility of dividing the house into day and night zones, where the second floor, as a rule, is used only in the evening and at night. But on the ground floor everything you need is located: a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, a bathroom, an entrance hall, an office, a boiler room (if it is not possible to place it in the basement). Well, on the second floor there are usually such premises: bedrooms, bathrooms and dressing rooms. With regard to the garage, we can recommend its placement, adjacent to the house or completely detached, but not built into a residential building.
Attic floors are made of light partitions, due to which the design is simplified and it becomes possible to redevelop the premises. For example, as the family grows, more rooms may be required, and an attic house is very easy to make. «growing». Due to the fact that the rooms are hidden under the roof, one gets the impression of a house with small external dimensions, although in fact its living area is quite large.
What should be near the house
Also widespread are two-story houses, where rooms are located with a difference in levels or with the organization of basements. Usually, a similar technique is used in construction on terrain and forms a very original planning scheme..
Usually the construction of a house is started on a large plot. Therefore, there will be enough space for the implementation of any of your plans, if the total area of the adjacent territory is divided into separate sections.
If you wish, you can build a cozy gazebo, playground, place a wonderful pool, summer kitchen, recreation area, garden and much more..
If there are neighbors nearby, it is good to fence off with a high capital fence. For this, you can use concrete, brick or natural stone..
By the way, a very spectacular look will turn out if these barriers are landscaped with climbing perennials. Ideally, your personal area near the house should not be heavily blown by the wind, but there should also be places where you could hide from the strong scorching sun.