If you are planning to design your own house, here are some tips (in no particular order) that might help you get the job done right:
1) Use vanities that are high so that you don't have to bend over every time you want to wash your hands or brush your teeth.
2) Put two sinks in the kitchen instead of one. This is one of the advantages of doing your own house design - you can add a sink like this that would never come in a regular home built by a company builder.
3) To make your shower stand out you may want to install a seat in the shower. Of course you would have to build a shower that is big enough to accommodate this.
4) Raise the ceilings in the garage to provide extra storage space. You might also make sure electrical outlets are installed in your garage in the places you will need them.
5) Use indirect lighting to create a better living room ambiance.
6) If you plan in advance where you will want all your furniture and electrical gadgets to go, you will then be able to insure the right quantity and placement of all electrical outlets. Many times when you move into a new house, you will find the light switches and outlets are not in the places you would like them.
7) Many new homes now have garages that are not wide enough for SUV's. By designing your own house, you can make sure this does not happen.
8) Make sure you install new CAT5 wiring throughout your house for your computers. All new homes should come with the latest technology or you may have to lower your price when you go to sell the house.
9) A central vacuum system is something you might consider. More and more new houses are being built with them.
10) If you design your own house, you can have a fireproof safe installed and hidden where you choose. This is something you will never get with a pre build home.
DESIGN YOUR OWN HOUSE TIPS
3D HOUSE DESIGN
Now that computers are everywhere you can get some powerful 3D house design software to help you design your own house. Never before has so much technology been available to the common person.
For the first time Punch! Home Design Studio™ Pro, for the Mac, makes your home design experience more powerful than ever! With this new software you can design your house inside and out. It includes a massive plant library along with our popular automatic growth tool, so you can plan spacing and see what your landscape will look like a few years down the road. Draw your design in 2D; take a 3D Hollywood-style walk through as your 2D creative changes auto-update in the 3D view.
For those that have a regular PC there is Punch! Professional Home Design. This is a software package that lets you design all of the critical components for your home. This powerful home design capability includes foundations, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, custom windows, custom roofs, and much, much more. You can turn layered drawings on and off for uncluttered viewing of your home design. You can combine as few or as many layers as you wish and spot potential costly design conflicts. Ordinary blueprints could never give you that level of insight into your home designs! This is the best 3D house design software available!