Planning Your New Home’s Exterior Features

Building your own home is something that many people never get the opportunity to experience. It’s incredibly exciting, and opens up a whole new world of customized possibilities. One of the best things about designing your home from scratch is that you can pick and choose the features that you want. When we buy homes that were already built, and have gone through several owners—we have to sift through the remnants of years of combined design schemes. This means trying to make changes to interior materials, colors, and structural features. But, all this can be avoided by sitting down with a professional home building company and designing your own home from the ground up. Once you’ve chosen the layout, basic design, materials, appliances and amenities, you may feel like there’s nothing left to do but wait. This is when you should start thinking about your home’s exterior.

A good homebuilding company can tell you that the home isn’t finished until the landscaping and exterior areas are complete. There are structural components that may need to be included when planning the build. If you’re considering an in ground pool or a full-sized outdoor kitchen, it’s important to plan these out along with your actual home’s construction plan. There are times when the construction of these types of amenities can require additional plumbing or leveling of the area around your new home. It’s almost impossible to install any type of expansive water feature if the ground isn’t lined and level. Many luxury homes are installing things like outdoor ponds, large swimming pools, and even fountains that require special attention.

With such cultural diversity and growth in Melbourne, these are important things to consider. Some cultures come from places where they may spend the majority of their time outdoors. Or, they may need a quiet and peaceful place to come and to connect with their roots. There are excellent home building companies that can provide specialists from Pakistani builders in Melbourne to others who specialize in Chinese design. Whether your needs are based on cultural comforts or you just enjoy spending time outdoors—it’s definitely worth it to speak to your home builders about exterior features. These are just a few suggestions for choosing the best options for your outdoor space:

How Much Do You Spend Outdoors?

Anyone can tell you that if you hate to swim and fresh air sends you into a panic, it may not be worth it to build outdoor areas. In ground pools, water features, and pavilions can be very expensive when done correctly. While they definitely bring up the value of your home as a whole, they can also cost money to maintain them. Think carefully about what you’ll use and enjoy before making any major decisions.

Consider Liability and Insurance

Anywhere there’s an accessible body of water on your property, there’s also a responsibility. If you plan on building within city limits or as a part of a community, be sure to ask the local and city governments if they have rules and regulation for things like this. Some require fences around pools within so many feet of other homes. This is for the safety of children among other reasons. You need to be sure to consult with your homeowner’s insurance before installing anything. Pools, outdoor kitchens, and other things can drive the cost of your insurance up. If it’s not in the budget, don’t do it.

Think about Maintenance Costs

Filtering, filling, and general upkeep for swimming pools and manmade ponds can add thousands on to your yearly budget. Keep this in mind when planning.