Having a home built to your specifications by new home builders is obviously a complex task, and you will have many challenging choices to make regarding the form and design of your new home before you can move in. One of the most complex choices you will have to make is the arrangement and placement of your new home's individual rooms.
Poor room placement can lead to high levels of ambient noise, poor natural lighting and other problems. As such, you should always consult with builders of new homes on the placement of rooms and dividing walls before the work begins, as they will possess the professional knowledge required for optimal room placement. However, you can assist in the decision-making process by keeping the following guidelines in mine when designing the interior layout of your new home:
Bedroom placement guidelines
Bedrooms are probably more reliant on room placement than any other room in your home, and placing your bedroom near obvious sources of noise that can disturb your sleep is a big no-no. As such, you should ensure that bedrooms are not located near roads or busy pathways or noisier rooms such as kitchens, laundry rooms and living rooms.
You should also be wary of the ambient noise generated by your homes fittings and fixtures -- HVAC systems, hot water pipes, gas-fire boilers and other fittings can generate a surprising amount of noise during operation -- so your bedroom should be placed in a location as far away as possible from larger fittings. If your bedroom has an en-suite, try to ensure that water pipes are routed underground or through exterior walls to prevent excessive noise.
The direction your bedroom faces is also a concern, particularly when it comes down to window placement. East or west facing bedrooms are likely to allow too much sunlight into your bedroom during sleeping hours, so opt for a north or south-facing bedroom instead.
Garage placement
Probably the noisiest and dirtiest room in your whole house, a garage should not be placed next to living rooms or bedrooms for obvious reasons. Ideally your garage will lead into an open hallway where equipment, footwear and other dirty items can be stored effectively. However, if space constraints make this impossible, adjoining your garage to your kitchen will keep the dirtiest areas of your home confined to one area.
Kitchen placement guidelines
The kitchen of your home is likely to be your first port of call whenever you come home, particularly if you come home carrying heavy groceries. As such, it should be placed close to the front or back entrance of your home, an approach that will also help keep the kitchen well-ventilated and free of excessive humidity.
Similarly, adjoining your kitchen to your dining room is always advisable to make serving food easier. However, you should avoid placing your kitchen in such a way that you have to walk through a living room or bedroom to reach it -- the kitchen receives more foot traffic than most other rooms in your home, and forcing you or your guests to walk through different rooms to reach it can intrude on your privacy and wear out carpets and fittings.
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