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A lot of self-build enthusiasts love the concept of designing their very own home. You make the blueprints yourself, design every little detail, then find a builder to put it all together. What we’re interested in discussing is if this is a) possible, and b) a good idea.
Could you design your own home? If so, should you bother doing it? Let’s find out…
Designing your home from scratch
Thanks to the internet, there’s no shortage of home design inspiration out there to explore. You can spend a whole week doing some design research, easily able to come up with a general idea for the layout and feel of your home.
The tricky part is taking this visualization and turning it into a set of genuine blueprints for someone to follow. Again, thanks to modern technology, this is easier than it has ever been before. There are software programs available for anyone to download and use that help you create your own 3D home design. You can make 2D floor plans and import them into the software, immediately getting a 3D version to look at.
So, yes, it is technically possible for anyone to design their own home and create a 3D model of it. The only question left is if this is something you should consider.
The case against self-home-design
Are you an architect? Most of you will answer no, and therein lies the main problem here. Yes, designing your own home is beneficial in the sense that you get to decide exactly how your house looks. However, top architects, like David DeQuattro, have spent years in the industry, honing their skills, gaining qualifications, and earning certain licenses needed to be an architect. All of this means that they’re in a position of knowledge, knowing things that the average person simply has no clue about.
From the outside, designing a home seems simple – it’s just like The Sims, right? Completely incorrect! Designing a home involves thinking of everything from the terrain it’s on to the materials used during the build. It is a deeply complex and tricky art, which is why people hire architects. The simplest way of summing things up is that there are more chances for things to go wrong if you design a home by yourself. This can lead to a massive loss of money, so it’s best avoided.
The compromise
Don’t worry, there’s a compromise to be had! While you shouldn’t design a home all by yourself, you can have a huge role in the design process. Go through the steps mentioned earlier: find inspiration, draw up some 2D designs, and possibly even create a 3D design. Then, instead of taking the designs to builders, take them to an architect. They can refine your drawings and ideas, ensuring you have a home that can actually be built and stand upright.
This way, you get the best of both worlds. You have still played a significant role in designing the house, but an architect has taken your work and made it plausible.
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