Custom Home Pre-Design Questionnaire
We have put together a list of questions to help you articulate your vision for your new home. Think of this form as an “icebreaker.” We crafted it to help you navigate initial conversations wit your Home Designer and Builder.
As you go through the questions, keep a few things in mind:
- Dream big, then scale back. Don’t be afraid to think about and describe what your “perfect world” would be like. As things move forward you can adjust these ideas to the budget, zoning, timeframe, land, and other realities.
- Separate the “needs,” “wants,” “dreams” and “don’t wants.” The needs in your home you cannot live without. The wants in your home are realistic and easily obtainable. The dreams for your home are more difficult to achieve and require immense resources. The things you don’t want in your home are equally important to imagining your home’s image.
- Rank your desired features in order of importance. This may help you make difficult concessions later on.
- Don’t try to solve the problem, just express your desires. Even if your problems and desires seem at odds with each other or impossible to obtain, keep moving with your design and focus on what you want. If there are differing opinions between you and your partner, include the opinions. It’s important to address everyone’s concerns in order to create something that works for everyone.
- Describe what you why you like or don’t like. Think about things you’re opinionated on in your own home or other homes. Give examples and use as many descriptive words as you can.
- Collect some images of features or things that you’re into. Houzz and Pinterest are great places to find inspiration. Magazine clippings work great, too. Consider floor plans, architectural features, and building materials that you like, or ones that create a certain mood or feeling.
If a question is not relevant to your situation, just skip it.