Now that you have decided to design a custom home, you are going to want to give the house some “touches” that will enable you to work your personality into the home. You will also need to look at some of the touches as practicality depending upon how you use certain areas of the house. For instance, a mud room would be a smart addition if your family is active and the kids often come home with muddy shoes.
Unique Custom Features
Your Entryway is Your Wow Factor
As we noted in the introduction, having a mud room may make sense, but that is just one entryway. For the entryway that your guests use, this is their first impression, and you want it to be a good one. Special lighting, a small nook… get creative to make it a welcoming feeling.
I also want to mention the garage here, as far too many people ignore this area. A shelving area that can serve as a catch-all for house and car keys is a great idea here, maybe a coat rack or hooks for book bags for the kids (and that mud room we talked about above). If this is the entrance that family members always use, this is also a great area for a message board.
Home Bar – Wine Cellar
For those of you that love to entertain, this is a great touch that will impress your friends when they come over. Having a full bar is truly a wow factor. If you don’t have enough room for a true wine cellar, a nice wine fridge can be used to store your wine for aging. Trust me, this will be a conversation piece for your guests.
Specialty Rooms
We have also covered various specialty rooms in our blog posts, with more to come, so I don’t want to waste too much time here. By this I mean a media room or home theater, gaming room, or a home gym.
Outdoor Living Space
Regardless of how much space you have, creating an outdoor space is always a good investment. If you don’t have the space for a pool, you can still add a small deck and sitting area for friends. Maybe a BBQ pit and a water feature for that wow factor outside. When the weather is nice, you want to be able to enjoy it. It is also a great way to keep the party out of the home and outside where people can do less damage.
Home Spa
If you have been reading our posts, you know I love this feature. This can be part of an extended master suite or a larger bathroom in the home. There is nothing like a soaking tub to wind down after a tough week. I think this is one room where both partners will not have a problem with a few extra bucks being spent.
Guest Room
If you have the space and have regular visitors, you may want to consider adding guest quarters to the home. This can be in the form of a small “cabin” out back or an extension to the home that will allow the guest to function on their own without having to bother anyone in the main house.
I have a friend that is older that had a custom home built with a second-floor guest area. At 70, they did not want to be walking steps, but for their kids and other guests, the second floor had two bedrooms, a full living area, a small but functional kitchen, and a small dining area. It was, in effect, an apartment inside the home. Point being, creating this space gives both you and your guests a bit more privacy during visits.