Have you ever thought, "if I could just change this, or that, then it would be perfect"? What if you were given that opportunity, every day? What would you do? What would you change? How would you make it "perfect" ("Perfect", after all, is only in the eye of the beholder. There is no such thing, really.).
Over the last few weeks, even months, I've been doing just that - to our home. I've been designing and redesigning floor plans, searching for ideas on the Internet, and in my overactive and creative mind. I've spent countless hours on designs, to make a floor plan that would be just right - for all of us in the home. It'll be adaptable to accommodate my husband's disability. It'll maintain the loft that I like to call my zen space (it's my quiet and creative space...and I just can't give it up). It will provide space for my boys to play, for my husband to relax and rehabilitate, and for me to work. It'll have space for guests to stay. I can see it in my head. It'll be "perfect".
Our lot's elevations present the biggest challenge in designing such a "perfect" space, at a cost we can afford. There are very few designs that I found in countless hours of research that deal with such sloping elevations as ours. And there is little we can do with our building footprint without getting into septic location issues and significant and unaffordable costs. We also have multiple levels in our home (as you can see from pics in previous posts), so an elevator will be essential to meet the current and future needs of our family (more on elevators in a post to come.). That certainly adds a very significant cost to the project.
If ever you're looking at redesigning your space (be it your home, your office, your garage or studio), I recommend you first ask yourself what you want. How would you make your space "perfect". Searching sites like the following will give you design ideas:
http://www.ultimateplans.com/Index.aspx
http://amazingplans.com/
http://www.lchouseplans.com/house-plans-advanced-search
http://www.loghome.com/category/floorplans/
http://loghomelinks.com/states/on.htm
http://www.summerwood.com/cdn/plans/index.html
Then, once you know what would be "perfect", talk to a local building contractor about costs, and how you can perfect your space within your budget. There are web-sites and resources that can provide guidance on costs as well, like those listed below.
http://www.allaroundthehouse.com/lib.repr.htm#H
http://www.ontariocontractors.com/costs.htm#2
Whatever you choose, don't be afraid to write down and plan out what "perfect" is for you. Dream away - doors may open, and opportunities may arise to allow that dream to come to fruition. The first step is to see it in your head, then get it out of your head and on to paper. So, go ahead - design and create "perfect" :)
