Building your own home means making a lot of decisions for the builders. It also means deciding what features you want to incorporate, whether for convenience or to save space. Remember that optimal use of your home's footprint is the most efficient use of your construction budget. As a result, there are some things that you should think about when you're building your home.

Make Smaller Rooms And Spaces White

When you're choosing the paint, trim, finishing material, and other features for smaller rooms and compact spaces in the house, consider white for those areas. White is a clean, crisp, bright color, and when it's used in its entirety in a room, it can make the space feel brighter, lighter, and larger than it might actually be. Just remember to opt for white in the trim around any windows, floorboards, doors, and ceiling as well. That way, there's nothing to break up your vision and disrupt the perception.

Add Shelves And Cabinets

One of the features that many homeowners underestimate is built-in cabinets and shelving. Floor-to-ceiling shelves in certain areas, like the pantry, can provide you with ample storage and organizational space. The same is true for dens, libraries, children's rooms, and more. In fact, built-in shelving in the children's bedrooms is a huge safety plus as well, because those shelves can't fall over on your child the way that standalone shelving can.

Use The Space Under The Stairs

The space underneath staircases is perhaps the most under-utilized space in home construction. Don't make this same mistake. Talk with your builder about the different storage features that you could incorporate in your under-staircase space. Everything from shelving to drawers and cabinets make viable options. You could even turn the space into a small reading retreat with a daybed, light, and bookshelves.

Appreciate Adequate Lighting

As you finalize your builder's plans for your home, one feature that you may not give adequate consideration to is the lighting. Built-in lighting is an important investment in your home because adding lamps to every room can be not only costly but also impractical. It's in your best interest to incorporate as much versatile lighting as possible, including features like dimmer switches, zoned lighting, and selective fixture illumination. This is a great way to ensure that you have the lighting that you need when you need it without having excess light in the space when you don't want it.

Talk with your builder about these ideas as you're working to finalize your home plans. The better prepared you are, the happier you're likely to be with the final product.

For more information on custom home builds, contact contractors near you.