Worksheet for the first discussion
A house can look excellent on a drawing yet feel awkward in everyday life. Where do you put the shopping? Can you open the wardrobe beside the bed? Where will laundry dry when it rains?
You do not need every answer at the start. Use these questions to note your priorities before talking to the designer.
1. Start with habits, then rooms
Imagine a normal morning, a family evening and a day with visitors. Who gets ready at the same time, works from home or needs quiet?
Write down three frustrations with your current home and three things you want to keep. This is more useful than collecting unrelated photographs.
2. Put furniture on the plan
Draw furniture at its real size, including pieces you will keep. Undersized sofas, beds or tables make a room look more spacious than it will be.
- Living room: place the sofa, television and table, then trace a clear route to the terrace.
- Bedroom: check access to the bed and the opening of wardrobes, not just whether the mattress fits.
- Office: allow for the chair pulled back, light on the screen and your video-call background.
Plan wall-mounted furniture before closing the walls. Mark kitchen wall units, bathroom cabinets, bookshelves and other fixed items. Give their position, dimensions and estimated loaded weight. In a timber-frame house, the designer must establish supports, fixings and any reinforcement before wall closure. Coordinate these areas with electrical and plumbing routes; the visible finish alone does not show where or how items can be fixed.
The plan must accommodate people moving, as well as objects.
3. Check doors and routes
Follow the route from the entrance to the kitchen carrying shopping, then imagine carrying laundry or moving furniture. Check whether doors collide or block cupboards. Draw dining chairs in use. If there are stairs, discuss how bulky furniture reaches the upper floor.
4. Plan the kitchen around an ordinary meal
Rehearse preparing dinner: take food out, wash, prepare, cook and clear away. Where do shopping, dishes and waste containers go?
An island is useful when it fits the space and your cooking habits. Check access with the dishwasher, fridge or drawers open. Reserve worktop space for the coffee machine, kettle and toaster used every day.
5. Make room for what photographs leave out
Where will the vacuum, mop, suitcases, shoes, linen, decorations and winter clothes go? Place storage near use: coats by the entrance, towels near the bathroom and provisions near the kitchen. Consider washing, drying and putting away laundry together.
Open your current cupboards and list what needs a home in the new house.
6. Consider daylight and privacy together
What do you see from the table, sofa or bed? What can the street and neighbours see inside? Where do you want morning light, and where do you spend evenings?
Discuss windows, shading and ventilation with the designer. Keep the walls needed for furniture; windows, furnishings and lighting should be considered together.
7. Plan sockets around activities
Mark where you work, charge phones, vacuum or read by a lamp. Add television, internet and kitchen appliances. Give this list to the electrical designer, who establishes the technical solution. Explain how each area is used so everyday activities need not depend on extension leads.
8. Think about future needs
A room may become an office, guest room or space for a family member. Discuss what you should be able to use comfortably if stairs become difficult.
Outside, check connections between kitchen, terrace and garden. Sketch outdoor furniture, paths and storage for tools or bicycles.
9. Separate essentials from later additions
Make three lists: needed from the start, important if the budget allows, and possible later. Request clear inclusions and exclusions in quotations. Discuss transport, installation, finishes and site work separately, with a contingency appropriate to the project.
10. Things worth noticing before moving in
- “We hear everything in the bedroom.” Consider the television, washing machine, staircase and bathroom in relation to sleeping areas. Discuss quiet zones and acoustic construction details with the designer.
- “A lovely bathroom, but nowhere to dry washing.” Follow the whole laundry cycle, including days when outdoor drying is unavailable.
- “We chose wall cabinets after the walls were finished.” Discuss locations and required supports before wall closure. If furniture is undecided, agree the zones and requirements; do not assume any later position will work.
- “The sockets are behind the wardrobe.” Overlay furniture and services plans; check everyday access to sockets, switches and controls, including beside the bed.
- “Daylight is great, but evenings lack privacy.” Imagine the lights on and curtains open. Discuss sightlines and space for curtains, blinds or shading.
- “Shopping and shoes always fill the hallway.” Provide somewhere to put bags, keys, wet coats and shoes while keeping the route clear.
- “Maintenance means dismantling the furniture.” Agree access for servicing and equipment replacement with designers and suppliers before enclosing it.
- “The terrace feels small when chairs are pulled out.” Draw furniture in use and check the route from kitchen to table, open doors and people passing.
You do not need to enlarge the house for every issue. Start by discussing alternative furniture, storage or room arrangements with the designer.
The five-minute check
- Is furniture drawn at its real size?
- Have wall-mounted furniture positions and supports been discussed?
- Can doors, drawers and chairs be used comfortably?
- Is there a place for everyday belongings?
- Can I describe an ordinary day's routes through the house?
- Have I separated actual needs from things I only like in a photograph?
A good plan fits your life. Take these notes to the architect and review the uncertain areas together.
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