It all starts with a good plan

Before you draw a single line, consult an architect, or buy that cool new software application that will do it all your dreams. At the very beginning of this process it’s not about square feet or floor plans. It’s about how you define your desires.

A good way to start is to visit your favourite neighbourhoods. There is a reason they are your favourites, and it’s most likely because you love the homes there.

Don’t consider price or practicality— yet. What you are looking for is what inspires you.

Look for homes for sale in neighbourhoods you love, and make weekend open houses a regular outing during this phase. Each of those will have features that inspire you, and features that will leave you unmoved. Make note of each of those: it’s just as important to know what you don’t care about, or dislike.

Take photographs. Shoot every angle of a building you like, inside and out. You’ll find more detail in the photos than you saw in person, and after visiting several houses they’ll be a great way to recall that thing you loved right at the beginning.

To get organised, get a sturdy, graph-ruled notebook and keep it with you until your home is finished. You can use it to tape or paste in photos, list quotes, contractors, numbers, and anything else associated with the project. Dedicate a couple of pages right up front to things that your house ‘must have’.

Dedicate another page or two to list of every feature and desire you’ve culled from your various resources, and call this your ‘Wish List’. This could be anything from a particular shape of molding to an Italian tile bathroom.

Now that you are getting specific about what you love and what you desire, it’s time to focus:

• Do you prefer urban or rural living?