by Wm. David Waterman

Created on: May 18, 2008

The most important part of any construction job, is to design the project. A comprehensive design that includes all of the details that you want in your project is essential to completing a project with minimal glitches, hitches, and mistakes that can cost time and money.

The first thing to do before anything else is to write down the features that you want to include in your design. Take the time to turn the house you are designing into your home. Your personal wants and needs should be addressed at this time. You like a separate shower in the bath? Write it down. Want a kitchen that is tailored for your cooking pleasure? Write it down. In short, take each room that you want in your house and list the things that you want to include in that room.

Look for ideas for your home. A trip to the magazine stand to browse the Home and Garden magazines and the builders and shop magazines that showcase woodworking and home remodels and the new home projects are excellent sources for ideas. I have one other source for ideas that few people think of doing. Check out new home designs in Real Estate directories and in the real estate ad magazines. Try visualizing yourself in the house that you are viewing. Think about how a design you are considering will fit your lifestyle.

At this point you are ready to start doing some simple schematic drawings. I like graph paper and using a scale that allows for plenty of room for notes. While you are in this particular phase of the construction design, it is a good idea to measure the rooms of the house or apartment you are in now. One area that you will want to consider is the hallways and the entry doors. Also pay attention to the distance between you kitchen counters and the open space in your bathrooms and laundry areas. Remember that the majority of your time at home is in certain areas and you will want comfortable working space in those areas. If your present home is restrictive in certain ares make notes to yourself listing the changes you would make to those areas.

After you have started your rough design phase you can either go all the way by drawing the design out in traditional drafting, or you can purchase a home design software program and design the house on your computer. At this point you need to consider the cosmetic issues of the design. If you are not at least able to perform good clear rudimentary drawings of your project, the home design software is the best way to render your ideas and get them on paper.

In the construction

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