How to build your (future) family friendly home
Building a home can be one of the most exciting projects we undertake in our life. For those building for the first time, there are many things that can be overlooked in the initial design stage, especially when designing a family friendly home.
As a parent you want your house to be a place for your children to grow, learn and be nurtured. Whether you are planning a family, currently have young children or teenagers, it is important to design a house that you can call a home in years to come.
Open plan kitchen
An open plan kitchen will provide you with plenty of space and storage especially when there’s little feet in the house. If space is not issue, a scullery in your kitchen is a great way to keep it looking clean, tidy and highly functional. A scullery will provide you with additional storage and allows you to keep unwanted mess from food prep and cooking out of sight.
Breakfast bar
When building, check the size of your breakfast bar including the projecting bench top that a chair sits under. Ensure there is ample space for several people to sit comfortably. This is a great place for the whole family to gather and feel connected.
Create a teenage / kids ‘zone’
An important space to consider when having children is a specific zone allocated purely to your kids and/or teenagers.
If you are planning on building a single story home you can zone you home to accommodate for a private adult wing with the master bedroom, office and home theatre with the remaining bedrooms located in the wing on the opposite of the home. This will provide maximum privacy and space for all members of the family (link to home).
Alternatively, if your space is limited on the ground floor, why not build up? Building a second storey is the perfect way to add more space and get your teenagers out of your hair! Whether you decide to have the kid’s rooms upstairs or create an upstairs parent’s retreat, the extra space will allow your teenagers to entertain friends, play music and hang out without intruding your space!
Along with creating zones in your home, you may also consider incorporating a ‘multi purpose room’, which can be an activity room or teenager retreat, and when your children move out, it can become a home theatre or adult games room. Multi purposes rooms should be diverse with allowances for things like good lighting, plenty or PowerPoint’s etc. allowing it be easily changed.
Backyard configuration
As your children grow so will their needs. When planning your outdoor area, factor in what (future) outdoor play spaces and toys such as trampolines, cubby houses and swings may go. You may also wish to add a swimming pool at a later date. To enable your children to enjoy spending time outdoors consider ways to maximise available outdoor space for the future placement of these large scale items.
If you have teenage children, you may consider incorporating a spacious alfresco into your backyard design seamlessly connecting to your internal living areas to provide seamless entertaining.
Here are some additional considerations to ‘future proof’ your home:
- Hobbles showers to make it easier as people age and also safer for kids getting in and out of the shower.
- Spend a bit extra on electrical to run additional cabling for things like lights, speakers etc. as you may want to add these later and will save a lot of money by spending a little bit more money up front.
- Opt for wider doorways that have wheelchair access, again for old age and also make the home feel bigger, same goes with wider hallways.
- Pick floor surfaces or colours that age well – family homes get lived in a lot so pick items wisely so the home ages well as it gets lived in.
- Pick a paint that washes off easily for kids that like to draw on walls.
- Sensor lights in hallways to save energy.