Welcome back to the Before You Build Podcast! I’m your host, Carrie Barker (a.k.a. Caroline on Design), and today in episode 10, I’m going to share 3 common mistakes people make that lead to design regrets … lots of regrets, unfortunately. I see these mistakes far too often and I do NOT want you to make these mistakes.

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Are you preparing to build a custom home and you’re feeling a lil bit nervous that you’ll make design decisions you might later regret? Maybe you’re looking for guidance on how to avoid making the ‘wrong’ choices. 

You’re in luck because I’m about to let you in on 3 common mistakes that lead to design regrets. Believe me … if you avoid these mistakes, then you will be well on your way to building a home that you absolutely LOVE! 

3 MISTAKES THAT LEAD TO DESIGN REGRETS WHEN BUILDING A HOME

MISTAKE #1: STARTING THE HOME DESIGN PROCESS WITHOUT A CLEAR VISION

The first mistake is starting your home design process without a clear vision.

As with any large project, it’s important to think about the end goal and to define your future home vision (in crystal clear detail) before you ever start making design decisions.

If you start the home design process WITHOUT a clear vision or an understanding of the big picture of your future home, you’ll likely end up making design selections room by room without taking into account the big picture of how your design will flow throughout the whole home. 

Unfortunately, this approach can lead to a choppy design that does NOT have a cohesive flow and rooms throughout your home that don’t tie together.

MISTAKE #2: MAKING DECISIONS BASED ON WHAT IS CURRENTLY TRENDING RATHER THAN WHAT YOU LOVE

The second mistake is making design decisions for your home based on what is currently trending rather than what YOU love.

Trends are fun, but they are just that … they’re trends. They come and go … and some trends are out of date before you even move into your home.

When you choose selections based only on what is currently trending in design, you end up with a trendy (not a timeless) home that might not even be YOUR style. And this can lead to some serious design regrets.

So, be sure to choose design selections based on what YOU would still love regardless of whether or not it’s the latest trend.

MISTAKE #3: MAKING DECISIONS IN ‘REAL TIME’

The third mistake is making design decisions in ‘real time’.

Home builds move very quickly once you break ground. However, you need plenty of time to research your options before making design decisions, so it’s important to be thinking about your choices ahead of time. 

Believe me, by the time your builder needs you to choose a certain finish, your build will be moving so quickly that you won’t have time at that point to thoroughly think about your options or weigh the pros and cons.

Making design decisions for an entire home is not something you want to procrastinate on or else you’ll have to make snap decisions without giving them enough dedicated thought. And making design decisions this way (that is, in ‘real time’) is one of the biggest factors that can lead to design regrets.

THE 3 SIMPLE KEYS TO DESIGN YOUR DREAM HOME WITH CONFIDENCE

Ok, now you know 3 common mistakes that lead to design regrets when building a home, but what are you going to do about it? I assume you’re feeling kinda excited about *avoiding* these mistakes.

If you are feeling excited and ready to take steps to avoid these mistakes, I invite you to my *FREE* on-demand video training that not only dives deeper into these 3 mistakes but will also teach you the ‘3 Simple Keys to Confidently Design Your Dream Home … without second-guessing your decisions or making costly mistakes you’ll later regret’. 

You can learn more about this free training or go ahead and snag your seat for this absolutely FREE training!