How to properly design your house

Building a detached house is a major project, whether it is a traditional house, a villa or a contemporary house. Which arrangement should you prefer? What materials to choose? How not to miss structuring elements? You have to successfully juggle your wishes, the technical constraints defined with your home builder and your budget. Here are the questions to ask yourself to properly define your house project.

What type of house to choose?

When choosing the house, check whether there are any architectural constraints with the town hall. Also find out about the local urban planning plan (PLU) . This document will allow you to learn about the architectural rules to follow when building your house, such as the type of roof, the type of walls , the materials, the density rules. The choice of the type of house depends on tastes, the budget available for construction , specific constraints, etc.

The traditional house , whether made of concrete , brick or stone , will have charm for some and not for others. Please note that its main advantage is that it offers excellent thermal insulation . This type of construction also guarantees incomparable robustness and longevity.

A wooden construction is not left out in terms of insulation, mainly on a thermal level. If you opt for this type of individual house with a wooden frame, plan for effective sound insulation, particularly for the floors of your wooden house. These can be cork, wood fiber, or even cellulose panels.

There is also the industrial house, which is part of contemporary houses, with metal partitions or metal frames. The elements are manufactured in the factory, then assembled directly on concrete foundations according to the house plans.

How many people will live in the house?

Is this a family home? How many people are in your household? Do you have young children? Or are you planning to have children in the near future? Your children are grown up… Will they soon become independent? Would you like to welcome loved ones regularly? Do you ever telework or do you need to provide a dedicated space for your professional activity? All these questions are essential to calibrate the size of your house with the right number of rooms, their destination and the necessary equipment or arrangements . This will have an impact on the budget of your construction project.

What is the budget for building a house?

If the size of your land allows you to have sufficient living space to design a single-storey detached house , know that these constructions have the advantage of being accessible for everyone  : if your children are still young, or if you are getting older, the modern or traditional single-storey house is perhaps more suitable, and allows all members of the family (children, seniors, people with reduced mobility or PRM ) to move around in complete safety. If you plan to stay in your home for the long term, this is an interesting option allowing you to have all spaces accessible, even in the event of loss of motor skills .

The other option is to design your house on two floors. It often gives a feeling of space, as is the case in villas. In addition, it makes it possible to clearly delimit the functions of each level: the living rooms are usually provided on the ground floor, and the upper floor is generally devoted to bedrooms and bathrooms.

However, we advise you, if you plan to stay in the house for the long term, to have a bedroom and a bathroom on the ground floor. You can stay at home if you have mobility problems. Another point of vigilance, if your children are small, make sure that the stairs are designed for them, in compliance with safety standards (NF E85-015): height of the steps between 16 and 21 centimeters and installation of a guard -body of 90 cm minimum height, as well as a landing every 25 steps (recommended).