Making changes to your dream home’s designs

Can you change your mind after the designs have been drawn and permits have been secured? Absolutely. Sometimes it’s hard to identify your vision completely until after the project has begun to come to life. Count on your architect to let you know what’s possible and create the solutions to your adapting desires.

Designing a dream home is as much about brilliant architecture and design as it about creating that bomb pinterest board. But what do you do if your vision changes over the course of the project? Well, if your vision changes, the designs can change as well – with some limitations. There are just a few considerations to keep in mind.

Major structural changes

Your architect goes to great and thorough lengths to ensure that loads are properly balanced and all designs are structurally sound. What this means is that if you’re considering major structural changes, you should address these in the design phase, not the construction phase. Once construction has begun there are certain changes ­– the major structural kind – that simply won’t be possible. Your architect can let you know what types of modifications can be made during the design process and what will be possible once construction has begun.

Changes that can be made after construction

Many changes can be made to your project, even if major structural changes aren’t possible. It all depends on the scope of the change and how it will factor into the overall design plans. For example, if you want new roofing or siding materials, that is typically no problem. However, if you want to go from a lightweight roofing material in the original designs to something heavy like clay shingles, you may need to add in more structural support.

Other changes that are fairly straightforward after construction can include the layout of fixtures, but you’ll want to do this before the electricians or plumbers arrive. Kitchen and bathroom cabinetry can also be changed, you just may need to go through another design process.

The cost of modifying the design

Modifications are all unique and will vary from project to project, as well as the scope of the change. If new designs prove complicated, you could expect a redesign fee, as well as new permitting fees. There could also be new construction and materials costs. An additional cost could be the loss of time. If you were planning to move into your home in March but changes pushed back the project until May, this could upset some of your other plans and logistics.

Timing is everything when it comes to making changes. For instance, if you decide you want new windows after the builder has already ordered the windows, you could still end up paying for them. As we already mentioned, there are changes that simply can’t be made after construction has begun, so make sure your architect knows of any major changes during the design period.

Count on your architect to give you accurate information on what modifications might cost you.

The main takeaway from this post is that changes are possible and following your vision is a good thing. Your architect or designer will let you know what’s within the realms of reason and give you a good idea of the potential cost. 

If there are designs and visions you absolutely must have, don’t be afraid to speak up about making the necessary change. You only get to build your dream home once. Make sure it’s everything you could ever want it to be.