What’s happening in your world? For me, I’m not very motivated and the kids spend much of their time playing on one device or another. I’m feeling annoyed that I’m more of a short-order cook than an architect or a mom. But last night something happened while I was scrolling Facebook. I came across the Spanx CEO’s Masterclass and in it, she advises her students to always remember their ‘Why’. Especially when things get tough, it helps you to persevere and keep working toward the goal… It puts everything in perspective! Why am I at home with my kids? Why am I not at work? Why are the kids not in school? The answer is easy, it’s for our health and well-being and for the health and well-being of our planet and those we love. When I remember my ‘why’, the stress and anxiety really does melt away. So in today’s blog, I think it’s important to talk about your ‘why’ when building a custom home and how it can help you to enjoy the design and construction process.
Building a custom home involves hundreds of people to plan, design, and build your home; hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for it all; hundreds of hours of manual labor; and hundreds of questions that need answers. With that much going on in any project, it’s obvious that not everything will go to plan. Surprises are inevitable and they won’t always be good ones! And when these surprises happen, it’ll be easy to get frustrated and disappointed and that’s when you remember your ‘WHY’.
The ‘WHY’ is your reason for embarking on this journey in the first place.
Below are a few questions to ask yourself to get started. Also, compiling images that invoke the same emotion you want to feel in your new home is a great way to set the intention for your WHY. I’ve included a few sample photos below as well.
Is it a forever home or one you’ll sell in a few years?
Do you entertain and host parties often or will you enjoy solitude in the middle of nowhere?
Is it a gourmet kitchen for entertaining or is it small and functional for warming up take-out?
Will you have kids growing up in the house or will your in-laws potentially move in or maybe both?
Is there an outdoor living space or do you prefer more natural surroundings?
How will you use the yard, is there a pool for lounging or flower and vegetable gardens, maybe a pond for fishing or a forest to explore?
Will you work from home or do you have creative kids that need somewhere to spread out?
Will you be near the city with restaurants and shops at your doorstep or do you want a gated community with a golf course and an HOA (Home Owners Association)?
Now that you’ve started asking some questions and looking at pictures, it’s time to put it into words. When writing your story, think of it as if it has already happened and be as descriptive as possible. Here are a few sample stories to help get your juices flowing.
“Our Little Slice of Heaven is a modest sized house with space for a future addition, if we ever need it. It’s a beautiful farmhouse that’s also energy efficient. It’s perfect for our growing family of kids and pets. The library adjacent to the open living room/ kitchen/ dining room is the perfect place to read, do crafts, and home-school the kids. When we’re not inside we enjoy our large screened in porch, which opens up to the barn and vegetable garden. Down the long drive is plenty of yard space for everyone to run wild or potentially, even build a new house for one of our parents.”
“Our Mountain Paradise is located in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by acres of trees and hiking trails. The house is situated toward the view with porches on all sides of the house. The walk-out basement stores all of our outdoor equipment, like the ATV and camping gear. When we’re not at work, we’re enjoying the mountain views from our screened-in porch or exploring the creeks and cutting new trails around our property. The interior is big enough for the occasional overnight guests, but for the most part it’s our own private retreat to enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature.”
Whatever your WHY, it’s uniquely yours, just as your custom home will be like no other. If you put in the work on the front end, I promise you, the many choices in designing the home and the long road of construction will be worth your energy. And with your WHY in hand, you’ll know how to enjoy the process!