Home Design Philosophies

In addition to your site, your project delivery strategy, and the functional and aesthetic aspects of your new home, you might also be thinking about other design philosophies or approaches for your new home such as...

Why be guided by a home design philosophy?

Using one of these home design philosophies can help by:

giving your home design direction
providing guidance on home design decisions.

And don't forget, the more informed you are about the design philosophy you're using, the better you'll be able to engage with your project team about aligning the design of your home with that philosophy.

Will it cost more?

One of the first questions that's likely to come to mind is will using one of these design philosophies cost more?

Of course that's a question best answered by doing a bit of research, but as a rule of thumb, yes it will cost more to build, but not necessarily that much more and the benefits are generally worth the cost. It's more a question of putting in the effort at the design stage. Working with qualified professionals will help you realize your design ambitions in the most cost effective way.

For energy efficient design, find out if there are any grants or rebates available that can offset the costs.

Sustainable home design

Most building codes and regulations now stipulate a standard which new builds or renovations must meet, so your new home is bound to be somewhat sustainable. But there are benefits to the environment and to you if you choose to design and build your home to a standard above and beyond the basic sustainable home requirements.

Have a read about sustainable home design to find out more about the benefits and standards.

Healthy home design

We spend lots of time living and breathing in our homes so it makes sense to make them a healthy environment.

It's a common saying "At least I have my health". It's well worth putting in the effort to learn about healthy home design to make sure that your future home supports your health rather than working against it.

Universal home design

Universal home design can be known by other names such as accessible home design or aging in place design.

Essentially it's all about making your home design functional for you when you're less mobile or use a mobility aid.

This will be more important for your if you're aiming to live in your home as you become elderly. And it's not always just when you become elderly. Think about how you might live in your home if you're unfortunate enough to break a leg!

A good designer will be well versed in the principles of universal home design and, as always any research you do yourself will pay dividends towards designing your home so that it suits your lifestyle, now and into your future.

Eastern traditions in home design

Fung shui and other eastern traditions in home design aren't for everyone. My own personal experience in researching eastern traditions is that they have much in common with good design principles used in the west, with one exception and that is the dimension of what home design means to your prosperity - might be worth looking into after all!

Getting the right team on board

If you decide to follow one of these philosophies for your home design, it's important to take this into account when you're choosing your team. Some of the philosophies listed here have certification programs for design professionals and builders.

You'll get the best result for your new home by hiring professionals that are equally as passionate as you about the approach you want to take and have experience in designing and building using that approach.

You could also consider hiring a specialist to consult with your architect or designer if you have a particular architect or designer in mind.

If you want your home design to be guided by any particular design approach, update your mission statement and be sure to include it in your design brief.