The architectural brilliance of home designs in Sydney never stops to astound me. There are so many different styles of architecture that inspiration is endless. Just walking around Sydney can give an insight into how people live or want to live and that is exactly the job of an architect, to make something beautiful but also practical – that meets the needs of the home owners.
The main purpose of a home is to be lived in and enjoyed, therefore when choosing your home you need to consider how you wish to use it now as well as in the future. To help consider what type of lifestyle you have and are looking for we’ve developed a few key considerations when choosing a house for your lifestyle.
What are your daily habits?
When choosing a new home it is important to write out how you and your family use your current space. Are there things that you love? Like the position of the sink under the window in the kitchen for instance, or the double doors out to the garden. It is beneficial to know what you like and dislike ahead of looking at design options for of the plan houses. The reason being is that if there is something that is missing on the designs it may we’ll be able to be added in and will save you money in adaptions later in life.
What do you wish you had more of?
It is just as crucial to think about what you don’t have or need more of. If it’s space, which is a common answer, what will the additional space be used for? Will it hold items you already own or new items you wish to purchase? Will it bring enjoyment to your life, such as a dinner table and chairs so you can have friends and family members over for dinner? Or what will the benefit of addition space bring to you?
By not only knowing your wish list but breaking this Wishlist down into rational and emotional reasons you know what is driving you in your purchase decisions and will have already mentally prioritised what you want to put first in your decision making.
What would make your life easier?
Making your life easier is a generic term but what we mean by this is are there times in your daily life that you find yourself taking more time that necessary to complete a task or waste time due to travel and lack of availability?
For some people it could be as simple as having a washing machine in their home rather than having to walk 20 minutes to get to a laundrette. For others it could be that you wish to exercise earlier than the gym is open therefore an at-home gym could make a massive difference to your daily routine.
What are your short term goals?
Consider what you want to achieve in the next 1-2 years, where do you want to be financially, personally, workwise and spiritually. Do these short term goals all work together? And, if so do they work within the house design you’ve chosen? Also remember to ask yourself whether the purchase of this home will help you achieve any of these short-term goals.
What are your long term goals?
Look a little further ahead and consider what you want in the long term. Are you looking to settle down and start a family in the next 3-5 years? If so, have you discussed how many children you would like and can afford to have? Or maybe you have an empty nest and are looking to retire in the next 3-5 years, therefore should your new home be smaller and designed to be minimalist? As this may help you reduce and downsize.
All of these questions will allow you to think about what you want your lifestyle to be and how you want your home to play apart of that. It can be easy to be swayed by fancy architecture and design but remember ultimately it needs to work for how you live and want to live in the future.
