General Contractors and All They Do

Three Upgrades To Consider When Planning A Custom-Built Home

One benefit of working with a custom home builder is that you can take all of the things that you don't like in your existing home and make plans to ensure those issues don't continue to be problems in your new home. Here, you'll find a few ideas that can help you plan for convenience as well as efficiency in your new custom-built home.

Laundry Issues

One thing that you can count on is always having laundry to do. So many homes hide the laundry room in the basement far from where the clothing is actually needed. Rather than having to haul all of the dirty laundry down the stairs and the clean laundry back up, consider locating the laundry room in an area of the home central to the bedrooms.

If you're building a two-story home in which the bedrooms are mostly on the second floor, a second-floor laundry area would be ideal. Think about how much easier it would be for you to slip through everyone's bedrooms to gather the laundry and be able to quickly toss a load in the wash without having to go down flights of stairs – way more convenient!

Flooring

The flooring in your home will likely take more of a beating than the other elements of the home. Carpeting will need to be replaced, hardwoods refinished and grout cleaned and resealed – so which flooring option will last the longest?

If you have pets, carpeting probably isn't the best first choice. Opting for tile is a good long-term solution, but you will have to have the grout tended to from time to time. One product to consider upgrading to if you choose tile is epoxy grout. Unlike traditional grout, it does not absorb moisture and will not stain. So, you get the durability of the tile without the problems associated with grout.

Exterior Materials

Roofing, siding, and windows are all important to the efficiency and durability of your home, so you don't want to skimp on them. If your new home is located in an area prone to nasty weather, choosing the building materials designed to withstand the abuse will help in two ways – reduce the damage from weather and reduce your homeowners' insurance premiums. High-wind materials may cost a bit more, but they will outlast the traditional materials by years.

Talk with your custom home builder about building your next home.