Tips when designing your new home.

Your new home plans are finalized, and now it’s time to choose the details—colors, flooring, countertops, cabinetry hardware, lighting, door knobs, and so much more. It can be a bit overwhelming if you’re unprepared, so follow these tips for working with Summit’s design process to get the look you’re going to love for many years.

Set a budget for upgrades. You can select choices among the standard features that Summit offers—type of color of flooring, wall colors, cabinets, lighting and plumbing fixtures, to name just a few. These are included in the price of your home. However, you will also be presented with choices for upgrades. Maybe you want quartz countertops instead of the standard granite option, or different doors for your kitchen cabinets. Before you meet with our vendors where you will be tempted with shopping made so easy, determine how much you can afford for adding upgrades to your new home. Be sure your design selections professional understands you have a limit and provides you with cost of each upgrade. We want you to love your home, but also be able to afford it!

Determine your priorities. Along with coming to our vendors with a budget, be clear about how you want to use those funds. Think in advance—before all those shiny choices are staring you in the face—what’s the most important to you? For example, can you live with certain fixtures in your powder room in order to upgrade the light fixture in the foyer? Consider which details will deliver more satisfaction in the long run—and stick with that decision.

Bring pictures and swatches. You probably have ideas in mind for your interiors. Maybe you’ve pinned photos on Pinterest, torn pages out of magazines, and collected fabric and paint swatches. Bring everything you’ve gathered so you can share it with the designer. Snap photos of furniture you’ll have in your new home, with measurements, too. You’ll be able to better envision your new space when you have all these details together.

Describe your lifestyle. When you meet with your selections coordinator, talk about the way you’re going to live in your new home. Offer details like how often you entertain, the age of your children (and whether your home is the “fun place”), and where you like to eat your daily meals. Do you have tiny dogs that are not potty trained? Maybe carpeting is something you need to discuss. The more you share, the better this pro can guide you toward smart choices.

Take your time. The decisions you make with our vedors will have a lasting impact on your new home. Don’t rush through them. It might be helpful to ponder some of the choices before you commit. Borrow the swatches and samples you need, look at them at different times of the day (bearing in mind it might be different in your new home), and then return to finalize the design details on your new home.

It's an exciting time and picking out the design finishes can be one of the most fun parts! We hope this helps you prepare for when it's your time to design your new home.

Are you interested in building in 2018? Search our website for all our available lots. Questions? Contact Chris Valentine at 816-326-2909 or at sales@summithomeskc.com.