We wish that we all keep our homes simple and true to us, and let our homes speak to our WHY.

Home is a feeling that tells the story of ourselves. It resembles who we are and what we cherish in life. A house may be the bones of a home, but it can’t capture the soul. That’s what makes a home. There truly is no place like home because home is what we make it be.

Creating a home is a personal endeavor. It’s is less about the building and more about the emotional connection and sense of comfort we have with it. Homes should reflect us and our idea of what a perfect home should be. They should be honest and true to us.

Let’s start by setting good project goals for our projects to help us prioritize what’s truly important to us. And letting those goals guide us through the home creation process.

Let’s hold onto ideas, designs, and possessions that are important to us and not worry about those that aren’t. Let’s not worry about keeping up with the Jones’s or let societal pressure convince us we need certain things in order to fit in. Let’s create homes that uniquely speak to us and to our why.

We wish we all find the right amount of home we need. Not too big, not too small.

When a house is too big there’s a lot of underutilized space. There are more rooms to furnish and more things to buy. Your mortgage payments, taxes, and insurance are higher. And it takes more money, time, and energy to maintain (more space to heat and cool, more cleaning, etc.).

When a house is too small, you don’t have the room to effectively grow as a person or as a family. You may feel confined and lack the ability to explore and try new things.

When it comes to building a house, it’s about creating beautiful, multi-functional spaces that suit your needs now and ones that can adapt to a changing lifestyle. Let’s create homes perfectly sized for us to live, play, and grow in — and enjoy for years to come.

We wish that our homes are affordable, whatever affordable means to you.

A house is not a home unless you can enjoy yourself in it. And you can’t relax and de-stress when you’re worrying about how you’re going to afford it.

Let’s be deliberate in our home designs so that we budget appropriately for what we can afford by spending the necessary time to properly set a project budget before getting too far into the design, or worse yet, construction.

And then, let’s be thoughtful in our site planning, floor plan layouts, material selection & detailing, energy efficiency, and construction process to ensure we create a home design that meets our budget.

We wish that our homes bond with the land upon which they sit and create powerful connections to nature and the outdoors.

All well-designed homes integrate and connect with the site that they’re a part of. A good design process starts with an analysis of the site (topography, geography, views, solar orientation, landscape, etc). This information informs and influences a home’s architecture and its relationship to the land.

Greater indoor-outdoor connections by expanding programmed space to the exterior. This is achieved with glass doors and large windows which provide access, views, and daylighting. When positioned well,  they create opportunities to enjoy nature and improve our lives through better moods, higher levels of happiness, and better health.

Let’s be mindful of our surroundings and connect our home to the amazing beauty that’s outside.

We wish that we all prioritize health-conscious and responsible design.

Sustainability and energy conservation don’t need to require compromise. We can make our homes and the world around us better with every material choice we make.

There are carpets that can help improve indoor air quality, no-VOC paints that come in wonderful colors, and exterior materials that a durable enough to last a lifetime. These products are no longer considered luxuries but have become readily available (even at your local home improvement store).

The selection of sustainable materials to choose from is ever-expanding. You just have to look and do your research! These choices may be a no-brainer for people with multiple chemical sensitivities or those of us who are concerned about our carbon footprints, but quality building materials hold up better over time, allowing you to stress less and live more. How often do you get that kind of win-win?

At the same time, there are many ways of conserving resources with good home design. Intentional site planning to maximize passive heating and cooling, selecting energy and water-conserving products, and thoughtful material selections are just a few ways we can design and build more responsibly, and in many cases save you money in the long run.

Let’s create healthy and responsible homes that put our health and the earth’s health at the forefront of the design discussion.

We wish that we all have fun designing and building our perfect homes.

All too often future homebuilders get bogged down with worrying about whether or not they’re making the right decisions, if they’re spending too much money, if they’ll like the end result, etc.

Designing and building a custom home is a once-in-a-lifetime process that should be enjoyed, creating lasting memories and stories for years to come.

Let’s stop worrying about all the things that could go wrong with designing and building the perfect home and let’s trust in the system and enjoy the process.

One way to help you stop worrying so much about all the challenges is to hire a good team of professionals. At YR Architecture + Design we can manage the entire home creation process for you. Let us turn your ideas, wants, and needs into a well-conceived vision. Trust in our judgments and enjoy the ride. You’ll find that you can really have a great experience and create a memorable home without all the angst.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you create a great relationship with your future home.