ning
your own home
e START ORGANISING
r CREATE A FLOOR PLAN
By this stage you will have started
formulating your own ideas about what
is going to work for you. Start compiling
your research in to a folder and edit
out anything that doesn’t fit. Subdivide
the folder into room categories as well
as elements such as flooring, lighting,
storage, external materials etc
There is plenty of good free software
on the internet that allows you to create
professional looking floor plans. You will
be able to place walls, doors, windows
and even place furniture in to your plan
to give you a better idea how well your
ideas will work. Working from your initial
drawings you can create a floor plan
which you will be able to refine further.
r SPEAK TO THE PLANNERS
Should you want to go a step further you
could consider using Sketchup, a free
and easy to use 3D modelling software
that will allow you to realise your designs
in three dimensions as well as start
adding materials and textures and
you can even place the model on your
building plot in your street scene.
Now you have an idea about design
direction it would be prudent to contact
your local planning department and
arrange an informal meeting to discuss
your intentions with your planning officer.
They will then be able to give you a
good idea as to what they would deem
acceptable in terms of scale and design
and what would be achievable in your
neighbourhood.
r PUT PEN TO PAPER
Invest in a pad of layout paper, pen and
pencil and start sketching out the layout
of your new home. Consider what rooms
you require, do you need a separate
dining room? How many bedrooms do
you really need? Will you work from
home and will you need a study? Can
you fit a separate utility area?
Don’t be scared to make plenty of
mistakes.