• Designing your home can be stressful.house blueprint and house model studio isolated image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
  
  Designing your ideal home from scratch can seem like a very appealing prospect. Designing a home, rather than purchasing an existing house, offers a range of flexibility in terms of use of living space, décor and structure. However, designing your new home can also be stressful if you fail to address important aspects of your home's construction.
  
  

Basic Design List

• Create a list of the qualities you value most in a home. Start with basic aspects such as number of bedrooms and bathrooms, choosing between open-plan living or separate dining room and lounge, and decking style for the entrance of your home. You can then go on to plan the décor of individual rooms. Once you have selected the color scheme and layout, you can move on to more intricate requirements such as electrical outlets, and TV and Internet connections.
  
  

Paint Colors

• Buy sample pots of paint from hardware stores before choosing what colors to use for the interior and exterior walls of your house. This will allow you to see how different colors appear on your walls and how to react to sunlight and shade. Make sure you wait until the paint dries prior to deciding which color to go for. Paint usually appears darker once dried. There are also several DIY and home decoration websites that provide color charts that can help you plan out each area of your home.
  
  

Use of Space

• Aim toward simplification when planning the design layout of your house. Consider putting your heating and air conditioning systems as close to the center of your home as possible. This will make for a more consistent temperature balance throughout the building. Bedrooms should be fairly secluded from general living areas to inhibit noise and ensure privacy. Ensure all doorways and hallways are constructed large enough so you can move any bulky furniture through them.
  
  When making your floor plan for each room, include furniture in your design. You can do this by using computer software or by cutting out bits of magazines and fitting them together.
  
  

Sunlight

• You should consider whether the position of your house is designed to catch sunlight. Homes that face south tend to be warmer during the winter months, but may suffer from too much heat in the summer. Position windows to benefit from any natural sunlight. This will help heat your home and protect the environment by conserving energy.