Table of Content
As you collect information, you can slip it into the tote bag holding the pertinent binder and file it when you get home. As you begin the laborious task of having your home designed and built or remodeled, it is imperative that you take time to get organized. Getting organized at the outset of the design process will save time and money while reducing stress and headaches.
Using plastic sleeves, organize photos and tear sheets into categories and place them in this binder. One group of photos represents items you currently own that will be used in your home. These photos should include the dimensions of the item and the name of the room where you want the item placed. The other group of photos and tear sheets represents your wish list.
WHEELED LUGGAGE
It also will contain brochures and specification sheets you have collected while selecting items for your home. These pertain to such items as appliances, hardware, fireplaces, lighting, paint brochures, plumbing fixtures, roofing, windows, and so on. Use your three-hole punch on the brochures and use plastic sleeves for specification sheets and other information on the products to file in this binder.
Zippered plastic bags are a convenient place to keep samples in the wheeled luggage. As the homeowner, you play an important role in the design process. The more forethought and preparation you dedicate to this, the more satisfied you will be with the finished product. Ultimately, it is your level of satisfaction that determines whether you have the home of your dreams. Along the way I have worked with some outstanding people in the home design and building businesses who shared their knowledge with me, most importantly, John Blankenship of Custom Cabinetmakers in Dallas.
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The good news is that you don’t have to go to the school of hard knocks to obtain this knowledge, because I already have! I’ve spent the last 20plus years developing plans, working with builders, and compiling notes on what works (and what doesn’t) in the real world of homebuilding and remodeling. If you invest your own time and effort by completing the checklists and forms in this book, you will need fewer design and building revisions, which means saving money and time. Once you have filled out the Existing Contents of the Home Checklist , file it in Binder 6.
I recommend using a simple system of tote bags, binders, and wheeled luggage to keep everything you need at hand. The tote bags are lightweight and the contents can be easily identified; the bags serve as a portable file cabinet. The binders are easy to use, easy to update, flexible in size, and serve as portable file folders. The wheeled luggage is an easy way to organize samples and carry them around. We wish that we had had a copy of this book when we built our house. Everyone who plans on building or remodeling their home should review this incredible book.
Designing Your Dream Home : Every Question to Ask, Every Detail to Consider, and Everything to Know Before You Build or Remodel
Create cover pages and spine strips for each of the 12 binder names. These can be inexpensive tote bags made of a soft material, the type often given away at conventions or events. Bookshop.org needs to review the security of your connection before proceeding. Later, once you begin completing these forms, you will transfer them to different binders, as explained in the following pages. Use a piece of wheeled luggage with a pull-up handle to hold samples such as stone, tile, brick, carpet, hardware, and paint colors.
Learn about membership options, or view our freely available titles. Additionally, purchase a box of heavy-duty plastic sleeves, a pack of plastic sleeves that hold business cards, and a plastic zippered pouch to hold receipts, all three-hole punched. This book will have fulfilled its goal when you have your own thank goodness I read this book moment. With Designing Your Dream Home, everyone will be able to use Susan Lang’s gifts and skills to help them create the home they want.
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Write on each photo, tear sheet, or the plastic sleeve you have placed it in what appeals to you about this photo or tear sheet. A1 Answers to the questions you asked when taking the potential architects and/or builders to the site. (Create your own list of questions using the suggestions on pages 28 and 34 as a guide.). In the following pages you’ll find recommendations for the contents of each binder. You can decide which binders you want grouped together in the same tote bag.
Remodelers and renovators will also find value in these tips and suggestions. Also provided is such vital information as terms, symbols, abbreviations, measures, and dimensions that are often unfamiliar to the layperson. You’ll find helpful forms and checklists that will keep you organized and assist you in clarifying your needs. And if you’re worried that building your dream home might turn into a nightmare, Designing Your Dream Home covers the most common mistakes that homeowners make and shows you how to avoid them. You'll find helpful forms and checklists that will keep you organized and assist you in clarifying your needs.
A1 Notes taken when viewing property with realtors and potential architects and builders. Numerous times I have shared various lists from this book with family and friends who were either remodeling or building their dream home. One in particular was about to place an order for kitchen cabinets in her newly remodeled kitchen. When she compared the size of her plates to the size of the cabinet shelf, she realized the plates would prevent the cabinet doors from closing. She called me with heartfelt gratitude that I had raised the question about the size of her dinner plates. This comprehensive guide walks you through every decision and addresses all the details that most homeowners don't even know to consider.
Designing and building a home can be stressful and expensive, but knowing what to consider ahead of time will save you stress, time, and money. Beginning with the questions to ask before you purchase land all the way through your final punch list, this guide addresses the entire process. With this step-by-step and room-by-room guide, the design process will come together in the most efficient way possible.
The size of the binder and the size of the tote bag will determine how many binders will fit. First, I want to acknowledge my daughter, Suzy Foral, who believed in my book from the first moment she read a chapter and was my number one supporter. I drew perseverance and determination from my son, Hastings Puckett.
Susan Lang is a personal home building consultant who works with projects as small as $3000 and as large as several million.
