Posted by on Mar 2, 2018 in Travel & Real Estate | 0 questions

When you sit and think about your dream home, mansions with swimming pools, numerous bedrooms and acres of outside space might spring to mind. And admittedly, that kind of property would make a dream home for most of us. However it doesn’t have to be so unattainable, on a practical level your dream home is simply a place you’re happy in and plan on staying in for the foreseeable future. A new home is a big investment, and so it makes sense that you’d choose carefully and find something that really is right for you. But what exactly is it that makes a brick and mortar structure a ‘dream home’?

It Works For You

For a house to really be considered a dream home, it has to work for you and your family. If you like to tinker with cars, bikes or motorbikes for example, it would have a large garage. If you own a lot of clothes, beauty products and accessories it would perhaps contain a good sized dressing room. It would have enough bedrooms, bathrooms and overall space so that household members could live comfortably without feeling cramped.

It doesn’t have to be excessively large, but to really feel like your home is right for you, space plays a big part. When you’re searching for a property, importantly it doesn’t have to look exactly as you want right now. However it does need potential. If you want to extend, does it have a large enough space outdoors? Are there any building restrictions, or are any of the walls you would like to move load-bearing (and therefore much more expensive to move?) These are all things to take into consideration before putting in your offer, having a survey done to check that everything is as it should be. That way you know that any plans you have will be able to be executed and it will will help you to avoid disappointment. You have the option of extending into the loft, down into the basement, outwards with brick extensions and conservatories. You could even have a garden room setup, which would give you a separare office, hobby room or spare bedroom outside of the house.

There are plenty of options for adapting a house with potential, but be clear what your deal breakers are from the start and make sure your plans can be made into a reality. Another option would be to have a house built yourself to your exact specifications, I Live Up shows how. It’s a big project but is actually a lot less complicated or expensive than you might think. Because everything is being built from scratch, you don’t have to worry about moving walls, uncovering asbestos, pests or repairing bad wiring. There’s no cost or time needed to remove things from the home like rubble from walls and ceilings that have been taken down. You have the chance to get it right from the get- go. A great way to achieve your dream home.

Image credit to Pexels.com

It Feels Homely

A dream home is somewhere that you genuinely want to spend your time. Somewhere that you’re excited to get back to after work, and enjoy relaxing in when you’re free. To achieve this, it needs to feel homely. To make any properly feel light, bright and airy, having all of the walls skimmed smooth and then painting them a light neutral colour is a good choice. Upstairs go with soft carpets, the same neutral colour throughout will create flow and make the home look bigger. Downstairs go with hardwearing flooring that will stand the test of time, solid wood will last twenty five years plus or something like marble and other natural stone will last pretty much forever if it’s taken care of. This gives you a good blank canvas to work from.

From there, you can add colour to any of the rooms if you want to using accessories. Soft furnishings will make the place look cosy, and good quality furniture will feel luxurious and last you for a long time. Spend a little more on fixtures and fittings, things like modern radiators, taps, plug and light switch covers and lighting will all help to tie the home together and make it feel cohesive. A good kitchen as well as high quality bathrooms are also worth the investment. If you don’t have the money to do all of this right away, take your time and go room by room. Sites like Pinterest are great for design inspiration, especially when it comes to things like subtle, good looking storage solutions and decor themes.

It’s in a Good Location

A dream home isn’t just about the property itself, but the location too. Think about it, you could have the best house in the world but if the area isn’t up to your standards you’ll never be happy. Look into things like the crime rates, and speak to neighbours about the area before putting in your offer. Is there a railway line or an airport nearby which will mean noisy transport going past multiple times a day? Is there a busy road that could be noisy or dangerous? What are the local schools, parks and transport links like?

These are all things that you need to take into consideration, it’s easy to fall in love with a house and want to overlook the rest but this will be something you regret later on if you overlook it now. If you want to sell later down the line too, you will have trouble if the areas isn’t great. Chances are the houses will have a ‘ceiling price’ meaning regardless of the work you do to it, you’re capped on what you can sell for. Things might change later down the line, and so having the option to sell and get your money back is always useful, even if it is your dream home right now.

Are you in the process of looking for your dream home? Which route would you take to get it, renovate or build from scratch?