Choosing the right floor plan: Future plans
FUTURE PLANS ARE A CRUCIAL ASPECT OF YOUR FLOOR PLAN DESIGN
Considering your future plans is crucial when designing a new house or renovating your current one. If you are planning to expand your family or downsize in the future, it is important to ensure that the design of your home can adapt to these changes. For example, incorporating flexible floor plans and multi-use spaces can allow your home to evolve with your needs over time.
For growing families, you may want to consider adding extra bedrooms or creating open spaces that can be easily converted into play areas or study spaces as your children grow. On the other hand, if you are planning to downsize once your children leave (haha, in this economy?), you may want to focus on creating a more compact and efficient layout that meets your changing lifestyle needs, or one that give you two separate living quarters, wink-wink!
Additionally, future plans such as aging in place or accommodating elderly family members should also be taken into consideration. This could involve incorporating universal design principles such as wider doorways, step-free entrances, and accessible bathrooms to ensure that your home remains functional and comfortable as you age. This is a very HOT TOPIC at the moment with new regulations and standards being introduced in Australia to accommodate our aging population. Be sure to seek advice from your builder or building designer to ensure you are meeting these regulations.
Start by considering these 3 questions about your future plans:-
DO YOU PLAN TO GROW YOUR FAMILY IN THE FUTURE?
ARE THERE PLANS FOR ELDERLY PARENTS OR RELATIVES TO MOVE IN?
DO YOU FORESEE ANY MAJOR LIFESTYLE CHANGES (E.G. SHIFT WORK, STARTING A HOME-BASED BUSINESS)?
Ultimately, by thinking ahead and considering your future plans, you can design a home that not only meets your current needs but also has the flexibility to adapt to whatever changes may come in the future.
