Welcome back to the Before You Build podcast. I’m your host Carrie Barker (aka Caroline on Design), and today, in episode 90, we’re talking about the number one question you should ask yourself before you start planning your custom home.
If you’re planning your custom home for your family, I want you to pause browsing Pinterest boards and sketching floor plans for just a minute. Because there’s one crucial question that will determine whether you truly love your home for decades to come.
Listen to this episode or read the full transcript below.
Links Mentioned in this Episode:
Nervous about blowing your budget while building? Grab a seat in my FREE on-demand class, ‘The 3 Most Expensive Home Building Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them!)’.
Below is the full podcast episode transcript:
The # 1 Question Before Planning Your Custom Home
Hey there! Welcome back to the Before You Build podcast. I’m your host Carrie Barker (aka Caroline on Design), and today, in episode 90, we’re talking about the number one question you should ask yourself before you start planning your custom home.
If you’re planning your custom home for your family, I want you to pause browsing Pinterest boards and sketching floor plans for just a minute. Because there’s one crucial question that will determine whether you truly love your home for decades to come.
Ready for it? Here it is:
“Is this the view and location I want for the next 20, 30, or even 40+ years?”
Now, this might seem obvious to you, but I talk to people all the time who get caught up in the excitement of planning their custom home without seriously considering whether they’ve chosen the right spot to build it. And trust me, I get it. The design part is so much more fun to think about!
Why Location Planning Matters More Than Custom Home Design
When you’re planning your custom home, it’s so easy to get distracted by those exciting design decisions. Should you go with an open concept? What about that gorgeous kitchen island you saw on Instagram? How many bedrooms do you really need?
But here’s what I’ve learned after helping hundreds of people through this process: you can change almost everything about your custom home design over time. You can renovate kitchens, add rooms, and update finishes.
What you can’t change? The view from your kitchen window. Your neighbors. And that feeling you get when you pull into your driveway every single day.
This reality makes location the single most important factor when planning your custom home.
The Custom Home Planning Challenge Nobody Talks About
Here’s something most people don’t realize about planning your custom home: it’s incredibly difficult to start designing your house when you don’t know where you’ll be building.
Think about it for a second. How can you decide on window placement when you don’t know which direction you’ll be facing? How can you plan your outdoor living spaces without knowing what your lot looks like? How can you design your custom home layout when you don’t understand how you’ll actually live in that space?
This creates this weird chicken-and-egg situation that stops so many people before they even start their home planning process. They want to begin designing their forever home, but they feel stuck because they haven’t found their land yet.
And I totally get this frustration because I’m going through it myself right now.
My Personal Forever Home Location Journey
So I’ve been thinking about this question a lot lately because I’ve started casually looking for a lot or a renovation in an established neighborhood that I would LOVE to live in.
Ironically, it’s in the same general vicinity of where I grew up and where my parents still live.
I’m not looking for move-in ready … I want something I can either build from scratch or completely renovate to create exactly what we want … design-wise and what will work for OUR family.
But here’s what I’ve realized during my custom home planning process: every time a teardown house or an empty lot becomes available, I find myself asking the same question: “Could this work for us? Is this specific lot where we really want to be long-term?”
So far, the answer has always been no.
Here’s the thing … my oldest is leaving for college THIS week (!) and my youngest graduates from high school in two years. Ideally, I’d like to move when she graduates … but I’m not willing to just compromise and renovate or build a house that I don’t want to be in the next 30+ years.
I’ve never been the person to use the term ‘forever home’ because there’s so much pressure that comes with that, but at this point in my life, I don’t enjoy moving houses … it’s a lot of work, and I want to stay put for decades.
And I know the neighborhood where I want to live long-term. And, equally important, I know the parts of that neighborhood that I don’t want to live in. I know the area that excites me.
Nervous about blowing your budget while building? Grab a seat in my FREE on-demand class, ‘The 3 Most Expensive Home Building Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them!)’.
Custom Home Planning Tips: How to Evaluate Your Forever Home Location
If you’re planning your custom home or tackling a massive renovation, I’m right there with you as we are transitioning into our next phase of life which includes building again.
Here are the key questions I ask myself about any potential location … and you need to ask yourself too!
Consider Your Long-Term Vision When Planning Your Custom Home
- Will I love living in this exact location with this exact view for the long haul?
- Can I see myself hosting family and friends in this yard for decades?
- Does this location align with how I want to live day-to-day?
Think About Practical Daily Life in Your Forever Home Planning
- How will this location work with my commute and daily routines?
- Is this the school district that we want our children to attend?
- If it’s not in our desired school district, is there a private school nearby?
- What will it be like to live here during different seasons?
- How does this neighborhood feel during different times of day?
Envision Future Life Stages During Custom Home Planning
- Will this location work when the kids are older?
- How about when we’re retired?
- Does this area support the lifestyle we want in 10-20 years?
The Real Cost of Getting Forever Home Location Wrong
Here’s why this matters so much: choosing the wrong location when planning your custom home isn’t just disappointing … it’s expensive.
Unlike interior design choices that you can update over time, location is permanent. If you realize five years after building that you don’t love where you live, your options are really limited and costly.
Some families end up selling and starting their home planning process all over again, losing money on what was supposed to be their “forever home” investment. Others just resign themselves to living somewhere that doesn’t truly make them happy, which totally defeats the purpose of planning a custom home in the first place.
Home Planning Strategy: Start with Location Before Design
So, if you’re in the early stages of planning your custom home, I really encourage you to start with location research before diving deep into design details.
Believe me … it’s SO much easier (and more exciting) to plan your home once you know where that home will be located.
This home planning approach offers several advantages:
Better Custom Home Design Decisions
Once you know your specific lot, you can design your home to take advantage of views, natural light, and outdoor spaces.
Realistic Home Planning
Understanding your location helps you make informed decisions about everything from window placement to outdoor living areas.
Focused Planning Energy
Instead of spinning your wheels on generic design ideas, you can create custom home plans that work specifically for your chosen spot.
Moving Forward with Confidence in Your Custom Home Planning
The most important thing when planning your custom home? Trust your instincts about location.
If you’re looking at a lot or an existing home to renovate, and you and your spouse can’t enthusiastically answer “yes” to loving that location long-term, keep looking!
Building your custom home is one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make. It’s worth taking the time to find not just the right house plans, but the exact right place to build those plans.
Remember: you’re not just planning your custom home … you’re creating the backdrop for decades of family memories, celebrations, and everyday moments. Make sure it’s a backdrop you’ll love for years to come.
Ok, that’s all I have for you today.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the entire home planning process, and you aren’t even sure where to start, I’ve got you!
Download my FREE Custom Home Build Start Guide and learn my proven 4-step planning system to build a custom home your family will love for decades. 🙌
These four simple steps will set you on the path to building your home with confidence, clarity, and complete control!
