Create a Project Description for Your New Home Design

Written by Cayl in Design,General Info

If you’re going to design a new home you’ll need to know what you’re going to design. Like taking a trip, you need to plan ahead to know how to get to the destination you want to go to. Writing a project description is a neccessary step to understand what your new home will be so you can get the dream home you want.

What is a Project Description?

A project description is a written document outlining what you need and want for your new home. ‘Need’ has to do with the specifics, primarily the rooms and spaces you’ll want for your new home. ‘Want’ has to do with aesthetics such as style and materials. Let’s take a look at these below.

Understanding What You Have

Before understanding what you need and want for your new home you’ll want to have a basis of comparison. The comparison starts with the home you have.

Your Current House

Your current home has a lot of information in it that you can use to determine what you want in your new house design. The home you live in now has a series of rooms and spaces of varying sizes in which you have furniture that you use in your daily life. These rooms and spaces have specific relationships to each other, good and bad, that have formed the patterns of your day-to-day routines. You’ll need to take a hard look at what you have and how you live in your current home in order to determine the changes you want for your new home.

The Rooms You Have Now

A good starting point is to look at and analyze the rooms and spaces in your current home. Make a list of each room and space and list what you do or don’t like about each one. Be sure to include all spaces, including closets and other storage spaces. Write down information about each room such as:

  • The size of the room
  • The furnishings in the room
  • The materials and finishes on the floors, walls, and ceilings
  • The spatial feel of the room – Does it feel too large, too small, or just right for everything in it or that you’d want in it? Is it a comfortable room to be in, or a space you don’t want to spend much time in?
  • The natural lighting in the room – Is the daylight comfortable? Does the room feel dark or too bright? Does it get direct sunlight, and if so is that bad or good? Are the windows large enough or too big or small for the space? Do the windows allow for any privacy you might want for the space? Is there enough daylight for daytime activities without needing to turn on lights?
  • Nighttime lighting – Is the current lighting good for it’s use in the evening? Is it garish or comfortable? Is there enough nighttime light for the activities in the room? Do you like the types of light fixtures, both permanent (fixed to the ceiling or walls) and plug-ins (such as lamps)?
  • Views outside – Do you like the views from each room? If so, what do you like, or what don’t you like? If you don’t like the view, what would you like to see in the same room of your new home?
  • Views to adjacent spaces – Do any rooms look into other rooms or spaces that you’d prefer not to see? For example, can you see into a bathroom from the living/family room, dining, or kitchen? Do you like seeing into the kitchen from other rooms?
  • Adjacencies to other rooms and spaces – Are there any issues or problems with the current location of the room in relation to other rooms? For example, is an open kitchen too loud for an adjacent family space? Are bedrooms too close to active spaces such as living, dining, and kitchen areas? Do washers and dryers make distracting noise in a nearby room? Is a bathroom too close to the living, dining, and kitchen areas such that noise and odors create a problem nearby?

Your Current Furniture

Knowing the size of your current furniture pieces is very important since you’ll need to accommodate these into the new rooms or spaces. This will help in determining the sizes you’ll need for the new rooms and spaces. Refer to the “Getting to Know Your Furniture” section of the “How to Create Room Layouts for Your House” article for more information.

List out each room and space and then list the furniture pieces in it. Then get out a tape measure for the width and depth of each piece. Also, get the height of any tall items such as bookshelves. Be sure to include everything that sits on the floor and taked up space, including such things as floor lamps (include the lamp shade size) and trash baskets (yes, that’ll be important). Be sure to also include the sizes when furniture pieces are fully extended such as for recliners, table leaves, and table chairs when pulled out for seating.

Be sure to include the kitchen, laundry room, bathrooms, closets, storage rooms, and mechanical equipment spaces. Note the types of cabinetry you have (base cabinets on the floor, wall-mounted cabinets, medicine cabinets, freestanding storage lockers) and measure the width depths and heights. Note the number of shelves and drawers for each.

For bathrooms be sure to list and note the sizes of the tub, shower, and toilet so you can be sure to plan for similar or larger versions in your new home.

Include all shelving and cabinets built into walls and closets, as you’ll need to account for everything stored or placed there.

Be sure to account for the garage(s) and spaces for things such as bikes, ski equipment, ATV’s, and boats. Areas for bulk storage, such as attics or basements, should also be included.

Also include such things as storage sheds, potting sheds, equipment sheds, etc. Though they won’t be built as part of the house you’ll need to plan for them on your new property.

Your Building Site

Every property is unique. In order to create the best design for your new home you’ll need to understand what makes your site one of a kind. This requires an investigation and analysis.

Analyzing Your Property

In order to create a detailed analysis of your site you’ll need to know of any issues, problems, or opportunities when you design and build your new home.

Get a copy of the site’s survey and use it as a base drawing for your analysis.

Your analysis should include all setback requirements, easements, utilities, and existing vegitation. You’ll then add such items as the path of the sun at the summer and winter solstices, primary wind directions by season, views, slopes, rock outcroppings, the primary approach to the site from a street or road, and any other items you notice or can obtain information on.

Understanding all of these elements of your property will allow you to determine where to place your home on the site and where you’ll want to place your primary rooms. You’ll also get a sense of how you could design your house to maximize winter sun and summer shade and how you’ll want to access the house from the street.

Knowing What You Need

Figuring out what you need is not just jotting down the names of the rooms you want and a guess as to their sizes. As mentioned above, you’ll need to know what you have in order to understand what you’ll want for your new home. There are a many things to consider in order to get a good floor plan for your new home.

The Rooms and Spaces You Want

Many or us often dream of having that extra bedroom for guests, a comfortable bedroom suite to escape to, or a special room for activities such as workouts, hobbies, a rec room, home theater, or a space to work from home. List out any additional rooms or spaces that you want in your new house. Be sure to list out all furniture you’d put in that room and the size of open area you might want for such things as exercise, yoga, or play activities.

Also be sure to consider space for such things as holiday decor, such as for one (or more) Christmas trees.

The New Furniture

List any new furniture you want in any room or space. Do some research for the types of pieces you want, select the most likely type and size of each piece and use those dimensions when designing the new house. This will be important for your floor planning purposes.

Also, be sure to think about the large appliances for your new home. You’ll want to make sure you have the sizes of each type based on what you have now or what you want new.

Your Outside Spaces

Another element you need to put thought into is outdoor spaces such as porches, patios, decks, swimming pools, etc. Treat each of these spaces the same as a room, figuring out the types of furnishings you want for each to get you a minimum size for these spaces.

If you want a built-in grill station or an outdoor kitchen be sure to determine the sizes and cabinetry you’ll want.

For swimming pools and hot tubs you’ll need to determine the general size you’ll want and then account for any paved areas around them for circulation and sunbathing. Be sure to account for the swimming pool mechanical equipment to be housed in a space, either as part of the house or part of a shed structure. If you also want a cabana be sure to include a size for what you want.

Also, be sure to include other separate structures from the house such as storage sheds, potting sheds, separate garage, etc.

All of these outdoor and separate spaces are just as important to keep track of as part of your planning efforts.

Diagram It

It’s best to use your preferred furniture layout for each space to determine the size of rooms you’ll need. Creating a simple diagram of each space is important. See our articles on this subject at https://hodeby.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-room-sizes/ and https://hodeby.com/how-to-create-room-layouts-for-your-house/

Sizing It Up – The Square Footage

You now have the information you’ll need to determine the size of your new home. Below is the step-by-step to determine this number. Below is an example of an outline you could use.

Rooms and Spaces

You now know all the rooms and spaces for your new home. List these out and then write down the size of each space based on the diagram you created for each room. Then multiply the length and width of each room and write down the square footage (or square meters) of each.

Add up all the room size totals. This number is NOT your final number but is the base number to determine other factors.

Circulation

Circulation will encompass hallways, entry spaces (if not already diagramed), stairs, mechanical spaces, and any additional spaces to move through or between rooms. A good rule of thumb is to take the total of the room sizes above and add 5 to 10 percent.

Framing and Structure

The room sizes are for the inside space of the room. You now need to add in floor area for the framing of the walls. Take the total of the rooms and spaces plus the circulation, and then add another 10 percent to that subtotal.

Contingency

A contingency is a set aside for what you haven’t yet accounted for or thought of. When you get to the actual planning of your new home there could be things you decide to add during the design such as bay windows, a grand gallery space, a sun room, or an opportunity for a new space to make the home nicer. Adding 5 to 10 percent to the numbers above is a good place holder.

The Ups and Downs

If you want more than one floor in your new home be sure to determine the size of the ground level. To do this you should determine each level as its own ‘home’ using the steps outlined above. The size of the ground level will help you in determining the minimum size of property you’ll need to build the house.

Knowing What You Want

Once you’ve determined what you need in your new home and have the target size of your house you’ll need to figure out what you want. What I mean by this is to determine the TYPE of house you want. This consists of style, things you want to make your house special and unique, and the types and quality of materials you want for the house both inside and outside. Please refer to our article “What is the Best Home Design” for additional thoughts.

Another thing to consider is the ‘feel’ you want for your new home. This is a more descriptive exercise, describing the home in more emotional terms. This could inlude the type of home you want to project to visitors (formal, casual, contemorary, etc.), the feeling you want inside your home (formal, casual, open and bright, quaint, cozy, etc.).

Also, be sure to write out the types of activities you anticipate in each space. This is important if you’ll have a variety of activities going on such as playing games, studying, celebrating, holiday decorations, etc.

The goal of figuring out what you want will go a long way in establishing a realistic budget for your new home project. See our article on creating a budget at https://hodeby.com/four-steps-step-4-determine-a-budget/.

The Style of Your New Home

Style can mean a variety of things. It can be the specific aesthetic of a home such as Cape Code, Farmhouse, Bungalow, Contemporary, etc. It can also be more descriptive. Do you want tall gables (the vertical triangular ends of roofs), a tall or low-slope hip roof (sloped surfaces on all sides of the house), or a flat roof? It would be good to research house styles to get a sense of what you like and want. Please refer to our articles on house styles at the following links:

“Ultimate House Styles – ‘A’ to ‘C’“

“Ultimate House Styles – ‘D’ to ‘N’“

“Ultimate House Styles – ‘O’ to ‘Z’“

It can also be the feeling you want to portray to others and/or the lifestyle you want. Do you want something formal and impressive? Do want something casual and comfortable? Do you want big and spacious, or cozy and charming?

Style can also encompass the types of use. Will this be a place that you’ll have a lot of casual gatherings with friends and family? Will you want as much outdoor living as indoor living? Will there be a lot of kids with their friends and cousins around all the time? Will this be a place of formal gatherings for business and socializing? Is this to be a place of seclusion from the world?

It can also encompass a lifestyle aesthetic. Do you want a surf and sand lifestyle on or near the beach? Do you want a place to retire in the woods? Do you want an urban chic lifestyle, or a country casual one?

All of these types of style are what you need to determine, as those will influence the overall aesthetic and materials for your home as well as the planning and design.

Making it Special

Once you’ve determined the aesthetics and lifestyle of your house you need to write down the things that will make it special to you. These could include such items in each space as:

  • A special entry feature such as a generous porch or two story entrance hall
  • Full-width or wrap-around porch
  • Tall ceilings (either throughout the house or in select rooms) or two-story spaces
  • Sloped ceilings or ceilings with special features such as exposed beams, wood trusses, or recessed coves.
  • Bay windows or window seats
  • A built-in bar
  • French doors to outdoor living areas
  • Walls of glass
  • Outdoor living spaces (porches/patios)
  • An outdoor kitchen and dining space
  • A swimming pool, hot tub, and maybe a cabana

Be sure to do some research on this. Look at home sites, magazines, and books. Maybe visit some open houses to see what’s out there. But, don’t get overwhelmed or too crazy. It’s just an exercise in knowing what you’d like to have.

The Materials for Your New Home

In addition to the physical form of your house, materials and their application make up the overall visual style of your home and lifestyle. Be sure to consider and write down what types of materials you want in each room (walls with paint, wall coverings, a wood base and cornice; woodwork paneling; wood, stone, tile, or carpet floors; ceilings with beams).

Also do this for the exterior walls and roof of the home and for any exterior spaces of your home (porches, patios, etc.). See our article “What Exterior Walls are Made Of” for more information on exterior wall types and exterior materials.

Higher quality materials (brick, stone, metals) will generally cost more and might be appropriate for some styles more than others. Lower quality materials (wood, vinyl, cement board products) can be appropriate for other simpler styles but can make some styles appear ‘cheap’. Be sure to consider materials appropriate for the style of home you want.

Be sure to include such things as driveway and walkway materials as those will have an impact on cost.

Windows and Doors

Windows and doors play a big part in establishing an aesthetic and level of quality for a home. You’ll need to decide what types of each you’ll want in terms of operation, materials, and style.

Windows can be described in terms of operation, such as double-hung, single hung, casement, hopper, awning, and fixed.

Window style involves how it’s put together and how it looks: simple single infill panel of glass, true divided lites creating a pattern in the window, divided lite inserts that allow for a single piece of glass but with an aesthetic of divided lites, arched windows, groupings of windows, walls of windows, etc.

You should also consider the material you anticipate or prefer for the windows. Do you want quality wood that you can stain or paint? Do you want exterior wood windows with a cladding material for protection, such as vinyl or metal? Do you want easy-to-maintain windows made from materials such as metals, fiberglass, or vinyl?

You should contemplate what you want for windows and include that as part of your project description. This will help a contractor or architect get a sense of what you’re wanting for budgeting purposes.

Be sure to review our article “The Great Window Guide for Your House” for more detailed information on windows.

Doors are one of the few items you directly touch with your hands on a day-to-day basis, and for that reason can establish the aesthetic and quality level of a home. Doors can also establish the personality of your home starting at the front door.

Like windows, doors can be described in terms of operation, style, and material. A door can be a simple plain slab or a surface made up of multiple components creating a pattern of surfaces. Doors can be lightweight or heavy and substantial. Doors can be made of finished wood, solid flat painted surfaces, and a variety of manufactured materials other than wood.

Be sure to review the article “The Great Door Guide for Your House” for more in-depth information.

Putting it Together

What you want plays as big a part as what you need in determining the quality of home you want. Together these will help to establish your dream. Be sure to include this information as part of your project description.

With a bit of research and a lot of contemplation you’ll be able to understand your dream in greater detail. Be sure to give special consideration to these items and write them down as part of your project description.

At this stage you DO NOT need a floor plan. However, it’s best to have a written summary of everything you’ve determined so far. This will include such things as:

  • Your list of rooms and what’s to go in them (excluding furniture) as built-in components. Be sure to include your anticipated lineal footage of cabinetry, quality level and number of large appliances, any built-in’s such as shelving, types of lighting, number of plumbing fixtures, any special electrical service beyond minimum standards, and any special systems such as security, intercom, etc.
  • Describe the types of systems you want for the home such as forced air heating and cooling systems, any radiant heating for floors, driveways, and walkways, any special electrical requirements beyond standard, any specialty systems such as security, exterior lighting, landscape lighting, solar or wind generation, and irrigation. Be sure to include any septic or water well requirements.
  • Write out what you want for the property such as a general description of the landscaping you want, materials for paving, fencing, etc.
  • Your square footage tabulation.
  • Your materials list by room (floor, ceiling, walls), house exterior, and exterior spaces.
  • Any inspirational material such as photos and articles.

Be as thorough as you can to describe what you want. Realize, though, that you won’t think of every little thing, and that’s OK. Each step of the design process will lead to more detailed information about what you want, and you can add those things to your project descritiption as you move forward.

Your project description should be put together in a format you’re comfortable with, whether it be digital, a print-out of the digital placed in a binder, or even hand written. Be sure to organize it in such as way that you can easily find information.

More Info

See these related articles for more information:

Note: All images by Cayl Hollis.

Recent Posts