Nashville Home Plans: Our guide to creating the perfect new home | Shapiro & Company Architects

Building a new home for the first time is an exciting and complex process that not everyone gets to enjoy. The process, however, can quickly become overwhelming when scrolling through endless home plans. Trying to imagine your family in the spaces, being unsure of where to sacrifice and where to go big; even a preset home plan can create a lot of uncertainty.

When you’re building a new home, the last thing you want is to be unsure of your decision.

If you’re planning your forever home or a home to live in for the next few years, one unsure decision can drastically affect your day-to-day life. And as a new home is one of the biggest investments a person makes in their life, you want to make sure you’re going to be happy with every decision you make before it’s built (and it’s too late).

In your consideration of a new home plan, an architect might seem out of the budget, but having peace of mind that every detail is aligned with your lifestyle might just be worth the investment.

Below, we’ve included a list of services an architect offers that make them so valuable in a new home build.

Builder Introductions and Selection Guidance

Choosing a builder is a huge decision in any home project. Beyond the price, your builder needs to be someone you can trust, who understands the final outcome, and who can keep your project aligned for the 1-2 years it typically takes to build a home.

With long standing relationships with builders, an architect can help identify the ones who are a good fit for a particular project, based on the scope, budget, complexity, and working style of the client. Every builder approaches a project differently, and the right fit can have a significant impact on the experience and outcome of the project.

Because architects regularly work with builders across different types of projects, they can provide insight into a builder’s strengths, communication style, craftsmanship, and experience with projects similar to yours. And, when it comes time for builder interviews, it’s good to have the guidance of someone who knows what questions to ask.

Lifestyle-Centered Design

A home is felt in everyday living, and the best way to describe that is in the little things. Maybe the clean laundry always piles up on the couch to fold, or the kids’ sports equipment ends up on the kitchen floor. A home should reflect how your family moves through the house, where you spend your time, and what is or isn’t working in your current home.

Through conversations about your routines, priorities, and long-term plans, an architect can identify opportunities to make the home more functional and intentional. This might mean rethinking the relationship between the kitchen and living spaces, thoughtfully placing storage where the piles normally end up, or designing spaces that can adapt as your family changes.

For the investment it requires to build a new home, it’s worth it in the long run to have a home designed around the way you live rather than a floor plan that simply checks all the boxes.

Investment Advice

In most home projects, not everything a client wants is feasible within their budget. For first timers, it can be challenging to navigate what to splurge on, and what you can save on without sacrificing a home you’ll thoroughly enjoy.

Certain finishes and materials might be replaced by less costly options without losing the charm or functionality, especially on a large scale, but knowing which finishes to make the swap on can be tricky.

An architect’s experience from their relationship with clients 5-10 years after their home was completed gives them a unique insight on what they’re happy they splurged on, and what they wish they had saved on.

Building a new home is usually the biggest investment a person can make in their lifetime, in both time and money. Getting it right is a complicated task, and you don’t want to risk making a decision that ends up costing you stress in the long run.

If you’re looking to create a home that you’ll absolutely love, that matches your lifestyle, and is worth every investment, it might be time to talk with an architect to make sure the home you build is just right.

You can learn more about our process, our values, and our firm’s experience at this link. If you have any questions, you can visit our FAQ page for helpful insights.

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