Mistakes to Avoid When Building a Home | Interior Design Advice

Hello friends my name is Jennifer and I've been designing for over 20 years and in part one of this video I shared with you several luxurious and essential upgrades you should consider when building a new house or remodeling but in this video part two I'm going to share with you some common mistakes to avoid when building that will save you so much time and avoid headaches in the future so let's jump into it [Music] all right so as a designer I frequently work with clients who are building homes and I have an ongoing list of things that I keep an eye out for to help my clients avoid headaches down the road the first one is allets oh my word this is so important I cannot tell you how many times I've worked with a client and I go to plug something in and there's no Outlet to be found so if you have an open concept home it is crucial that you put some outlets in the floor think about it if your sofa or chairs are going to be floating in the middle of the living room where are you going to plug your lamps in you don't want a cord reaching to a wall and causing a trip Hazard you need to have Outlet in the floor you also need to consider Outlet placement in the dining room as well often times Builders put Outlets every few feet which is great except in the dining room why because if you put a sideboard or Buffet piece against the wall and there are two outlets on either side of it then you're going to have cord showing that is not a great look you want one Outlet behind the furniture piece and in the center of the wall so that no cords will show consider this in the bedroom too although you need to do the opposite there if there is only one Outlet on the wall behind the bed you'll have to get an extension cord to reach both nightstands so you can charge your devices and plug in a lamp a much simpler and more organized strategy would be to put an outlet on both sides of the bed consider Outlets on your porches too why because when Christmas comes around and say you want to put Garland on your rails or your door you need an outlet to plug those lights in and don't forget about your outdoor mantle as well you'll need an outlet there as well as your indoor mantle too now the last thing I'll mention about Outlets is that you can now have your Outlets installed directly into your trim work rather than on the wall and I personally love this I think Outlets have a very utilitarian look so putting them in the trim work is a great way to disguise them another common mistake I see in homes is the floor vents I see this all the time Builders will put floor vents on either side of a window well why is this a problem it's an issue because when you hang your drapes the air flow from that vent inflates the drapes and makes it look look like a balloon not a great look avoid this by asking your Builder to move the vent over a few feet also I highly recommend selecting floor vents that are flush with the flooring if your Builder gives you that option it's a much cleaner look again avoiding that utilitarian look and if this is not an option or maybe you're modeling on a budget consider painting your vents to better match your flooring if possible here's a tip if you're going to paint your vents my very favorite paint to use is Rustoleum in a canned hammered metal in the color bronze we'll take those grates from a 1 to a 10 and it's Pennies on the dollar okay my next recommendation is a huge one make sure you are aware of where your thermostat is going to be installed my son bought a new home and the Builder had placed it in the center of a living room wall well that makes decorating around it incredibly tricky so he had to have it moved to a more appropriate place in the home so consider where your thermostat is going to be you don't want it in the middle of a wall you need to give some thought to how you'll decorate around it you can also hide it behind a picture if you really find a thermostat unsightly there are tons of ideas of how to do that on Pinterest if you're building a home I have recommend you choose your ceiling height to be a minimum of 9 ft not only does this add a luxurious Vibe but it will make your home feel larger as well I'm not going to say it's a mistake if you choose not to do this but it will limit you in your decor and lighting options for instance if you have an 8ft ceiling you may not be able to do a chandelier in say your bedroom most times the ceiling will be too low for that to be an option so consider taller ceilings in your new build home okay this next one is a big one Builders often put light fixtures in the center of the ceiling now why is that a problem well let's take the dining room as an example nine times out of 10 your dining room table will not be in the center of the room because you'll have a hutch or a sideboard against the largest wall that immediately puts the fixture offc Center over your table the same goes for the breakfast area as well there is usually space in a breakfast nook for a small Furniture piece but if you choose to do that then your light fixture is once again off centered so be sure that when you're looking at your blueprints or plans that you consider what furniture will be going in that space and measure for your light fixture accordingly speaking of light fixtures a common mistake I see that my clients regret is going with Builder grade light fixtures Builders usually choose light fixtures that are cheaper but more importantly they choose fixtures that are more well boring why because they want that house to be stylistically neutral for anyone who will live there my clients almost always want to have them replaced because they don't feel like those fixtures represent them at all so my recommendation is to choose your own lighting this doesn't have to be expensive designer lighting either Target and Amazon actually have great options if you're on a budget along those lines another mistake to avoid is bathroom mirrors you know what I'm talking about those full sheets of mirror that cover the whole wall well that is something you can avoid by picking your own mirror and asking the Builder to install it instead this will immediately give give you a custom look so to find a great mirror option look up vanity mirrors online and find something that speaks more to your style don't forget to change those vanity lights too you can choose something like sconces on either side to provide the best lighting if it's in a bathroom where makeup will be applied this is a fabulous look speaking of bathrooms if you're going to have a tub you need to make sure it has a sprayer faucet this is a big one if you've got kids or pets you're going to want to clean the tub and the sprayer makes that 10 times easier I know that may sound like a silly thing to mention but it's one of those convenient options that will make your life easier trust me so one thing that has become very common in newb Built Homes is custom built-in Cabinetry I think this is a fantastic addition to any home but one issue I almost always see is they're not lit up so avoid this by asking your Builder to install lighting to illuminate them oh and by the way adding wallpaper to the back of a builing is such a fabulous look go on Pinterest and check that out for some inspiration I just love it if you're building a home or remodeling you may be wondering what your design style is well I have two different videos that teach about different interior design Styles so you can figure out which one is right for you be sure to check check those out so whether you're building or remodeling by steering clear of these common pitfalls you can transform your space into a Haven of style and functionality remember good design is about expressing your personality while maintaining Harmony in your surroundings if you found this video helpful don't forget to like subscribe and hit the Bell icon for more tips and tricks on creating your dream home and I'll see you in the next video you [Music]