3 Things to Consider When Designing a New House

Designing a home can be a challenging and rewarding experience. Most individuals and families begin their building experience with a list of must-haves, but the reality of building a home can sometimes derail even the best laid plans. And sometimes when building, elements can be left out of your design that you regret later on down the road.

At Harkraft, we’ve been helping families to finish their dream homes for over 50 years. As such, here are just a few of the features we recommend your keep in mind when designing a new home.

Forget the Entry; Build a Mudroom

Entries are the hallmark of a well-designed house, but one space that’s frequently overlooked is a good mudroom. Custom mudrooms cut down on clutter and provide guests with a logical place to put their things (no more draping coats on the back of chairs or purses disappearing into a guest room). Keep the mud in one area; not smeared all over your home.

Freestanding mudrooms are endlessly customizable. If you don’t like the way the room is organized, you can quickly change things around. It can grow with your family’s interests and evolve as you use the space. The downside of freestanding is that it looks temporary. You may never achieve an entirely “designed” look because built-ins are what anchor a room.

Built-in units aren’t as flexible, but they do give you a solid, anchored look for your guests and family. If you aren’t sure how to design your custom mudroom, you can consult one of our experts for ideas.

Utilize Custom Storage Solutions

You know you want a pantry in your kitchen, but have you thought through its design or functionality? Don’t just throw in a closet space adjacent to your kitchen and deal with it later. Install shelving into your custom pantry space (we recommend wire shelving) and consider odd areas such as the back of the door or building sliding shelving between cabinets and refrigerator spaces. The more you design the pantry space, the more likely you are to stay organized in the long run.

Closet spaces are similar to pantry spaces. You can’t just build a walk-in closet and leave things bare. Consider how modular shelving can transform your closet from an apartment style walk-in to a high end, designer home custom closet.

Again, if you aren’t sure where to start with your custom designed storage spaces, you can find plenty of inspiration online, or you can consult with one of our experts when considering your needs.

Why Not Spring for a Home Wine Cellar?

Only television billionaires have wine cellars, right? That’s not quite true. If you’re designing your dream home, why not add a space to store your favorite wines without taking up valuable kitchen real estate? These additions can be easy to add to your final design and will add loads of resale value.

Wine refrigerators are meant for short-term storage. If you invest in wine for long-term storage, you’re going to lose your bottles as they age in a wine fridge. Wine cellars maintain the perfect temperature and humidity for wine to age gracefully and develop different notes over time. You can’t just build a basement and call it a day. Designing this storage has to happen from the beginning to get the full benefit.

Another downside to storing wine in the kitchen is that vibrations disturb the sediment. As wines age, the sediment settles. If the bottles aren’t perfectly still, it can ruin it pretty quickly. You don’t want to worry that every time you turn on your garbage disposal, you’re slowly ruining your investment. Wine cellars keep your wine still and out of the way until you’re ready to serve it.

When preserved in a specialty cellar, wines can act as an investment piece. They appreciate in value as they’re stored properly, so you can invest in cases to save money and know that they’ll appreciate in value through long-term storage.

Wine cellars are also a huge plus in today’s market. If you think you’ll eventually sell your house, wine aficionados may pay considerably more for a well-designed wine cellar that’s ready to go.

Let Harkraft Help You Design Your Dream Home

Not sure where to start? Harkraft can help you nail down both the dreams already on your list and make suggestions on what you should add. We can help reduce the number of times you say “If only I’d…” after moving into your dream home. With custom shelving solutions, we can make any house feel like home. Contact a member of our team today to get started.