Quote:
Originally Posted by KSigkid
3) Keep your own spreadsheet of costs, so that you know where your money is going. Even the best contractor can let costs get away from them at times, and you'll want to know where your money is going anyway.
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Yes!
And plan to spend more money than your original calculations. Even when building a new home, little, unexpected expenses can come about, and the last thing you want is to not be able to afford your new home.
Secondly, build your rooms around your lifestyle. If you love to cook and entertain, you'd obviously want a big kitchen. If you read a lot, or if you tend to take your work home with you, build a small library/study/office. If you frequently have family staying overnight, build a guest bedroom.. or two.
When it comes to outlets, have a lot of them, but also consider where you're putting them. My apartment has a good number of outlets, but the locations of some of them are weird. Think about where lamps, computers and televisions will probably go, and where you can place furniture to hide cords.
And if you're putting an island in your kitchen, think about whether you'd like an outlet on that, also.
When choosing colors... consider how clean you are (obsessive or laid-back), if you have, or plan to have children, if you have pets, etc.
Lastly, if you have the money, think about any added "bonuses" you'd like. For example, my mom and stepdad completely remodeled their house a few years ago. They have a central vacuum system. My mom (after watching MTV Cribs!!) decided that she wanted a small slit in the wall, adjacent to the floor, so that she could sweep, push the dust and dirt toward the hole, tap a button with her foot, and have the mess be sucked into the wall so that she'd never have to use a dustpan (it's the coolest thing!)
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