Imma gonna go ahead and quote the great Amy Poehler to start this story: “Good for her! Not for me.” Those are the words I repeated when choosing the floorplan for our new home. Dazzled by Pinterest images and unrealistic home models and surrounded by others buzzing about what what a house MUST or MUST NOT have, it’s easy to get caught up and make decisions that don’t fit your needs or budget. When it came time to choose the floorplan for our home and upgrade the various options, it was a difficult process because we had no reference point (the neighborhood is so new they hadn’t even broken ground on the first home yet.) We had 10 days from the time we put down the deposit on the lot to finalize the floorplan including all structural upgrades… which was a full 7 months before they’d even pour the foundation. Staring at the blank lot with wide eyes, I tried to imagine what the 5,786 choices would look like but it was tough with no reference point!
Customizing a house comes in two categories: structural (the floorplan) and design & electrical choices (tile, flooring, low voltage etc). Today I’m sharing the structural choices since that’s what we locked in first. It’s also the most nerve wracking, because once the plans go to the permit office they are set in stone! We white knuckled our way through it, and I think we did okay. I wish we’d tweaked a few things but we’ll know better for our next house (sidenote: my husband googles ‘divorce lawyers’ whenever I mention building another house.)
FYI, my little guy insists on wearing his helmet when we check out the house. After all, the sign says it’s a ‘Hard Hat Area.’
Our realtor gave us great advice– and it’s common sense but totally brilliant and became important when framing our choices: put the majority of your budget into structural choices since that’s the most expensive to change. You can always change the tile and flooring, but construction is pricey and that’s where you’ll get the most bang for your buck.
Le sigh. So smart. As much as I wanted to go crazy at the design center, it was most important to figure out what we needed to add construction-wise, and ignore the ‘fluff’. Which is hard. Because fluff is PRETTY.
Step one when looking for a home whether you’re building or buying is to write down your list of must-haves (your needs), nice-to-haves (wishes), and your NO WAYS. The list may be fluid as you go through the process of searching and your heart starts really telling you what it wants. But it was essential when prioritizing our choices and figuring out the budget. Our list looked a little like this:
Needs:
- wooded backyard with space to play
- laundry room
- two sinks in the master bedroom
- two offices (my husband and I both work from home)
- a guest room with accessible shower
- three car garage (we don’t have a finished attic or basement so we need the space)
Wishes:
- light, airy, and open
- screened porch with deck
- mudroom (this did not happen, so sad!)
- near walking and biking trails
No Ways:
- houses that are so close they practically touch each other
- a house in our backyard
- busy road
- slanted yard
- wasted space (like bonus rooms that have their own bonus rooms, etc)
As Amy Poehler would agree (GOOD FOR HER! NOT FOR ME!), this list is perfect for our family but I know it doesn’t fit every family. Or, any other family. Ha.
Structural Upgrades
So what exactly DID we do to the floorplan? First up, we expanded the laundry room in hopes we could build a mudroom wall in there, but now that the framing is up it’s clear it won’t work. I was hoping to build a mudroom area similar to nc_homedesign’s Instagram photo below, but alas, the configuration of the room won’t allow it. A gal can dream, though.
One of our biggest structural decisions was the living room. A two-story living room comes standard in our home, and it’s gorgeous. It would have looked a teeny bit like this, minus the half-million-dollar upgrades in this model home:
So pretty, right? Well… we decided to add in a playroom on that second story instead. “GOOD FOR HER, NOT FOR ME!” I inwardly sob, trying to console myself as my two-story living room dreams disappear. I’m joking (sorta), because heating and cooling all that random air on the second floor doesn’t make sense. We need room to play, not air to heat and cool. Plus, the two-story setup is loud. It would be tough to watch t.v. in the living room and not have sound carry to the bedrooms. Instead, we upgraded to a playroom which will eventually be the ‘teen hangout’ (cue more sobbing from me.)
I snapped a few pics from a different model home that features the playroom-in-lieu-of-gorgeous-living-room option. Here’s the view looking into the playroom; if I’m gonna give up that stunning living room, I’m excited that the room at least has high ceilings:
This is a view looking out towards the entryway and a bedroom:
We stop by the model often to take measurements, using the highly scientific Making Lemonade ruler. Yup, this nook is definitely One Ben and Half an Abby wide!
Of course, it currently looks like this. Which still makes me pretty darn happy.
There were a few delightful surprises, like this staircase in the model home that’s standard in our home too. I didn’t need it, but it sure is pretty and it makes my heart go pitter-patter. Or maybe that’s my heart murmur. Anywho… it didn’t cost extra, so we’re going to take it and run with it.
Here’s what ours currently looks like, framing-wise (tilt your head and squint to imagine it with drywall and floors, ha):
The biggest structural upgrade is the kitchen. They say that if you put your money anywhere it should be your kitchen since that’s usually the biggest return on your investment when it comes time to sell. It’s not that I need a big kitchen, but there was (in my mind) a design flaw with the standard floorplan. The kitchen island juts into the eating area, making it a narrow area to navigate. Since the kitchen table is the lifeblood of our home AND the door behind it leads to the porch/deck/backyard, we needed space to move without bumping into chairs, the island, and each other.
After all, I have trouble walking straight let alone weaving between chairs. Plus, we need room for our dance parties.
Here’s the standard floorplan with notes. See how the table creates a traffic jam because it’s smushed between that half wall and the kitchen island?
To illustrate in real life, this is the model home’s eating area looking into the living room. You can see the half wall that we asked to be taken out. If you’re facing this direction, the (expanded) kitchen is behind you; if I went with the regular kitchen I wouldn’t have been able to take this shot because the island would be there–it is THAT close to the table and chairs.
So we upgraded the kitchen option which pushed the exterior wall out a few feet towards the backyard and turned the island so it’s parallel with the main wall. Ahhhhhh, now there’s room to JuJu On That Beat! (or the NaeNae, the Dab, the Running Man, or whatever it is you crazy kids are doing nowadays.)
Now that JuJu on that Beat is stuck in your heads… here’s a little more eye candy. I spy with my little eye at least 6 design upgrades (that we won’t be getting.)
Putting money into the structural elements is a way to save it down the road. You can rip out builder grade tile and carpeting later, but expanding the kitchen or moving doors is best done before the builder sends in that permit.
Next week, I’ll share the design choices. Yes, I was like a kid in a candy store. A VERY EXPENSIVE CANDY STORE WHERE I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO BUY THE STUFF ON THE TOP SHELF. 😉
Also how to figure out a whole-home design scheme. Because that’s kind of important before you go choosing ALL THE THINGS.
For more in the Building Up series, start here:
Let the New Home Adventure Begin!

We’re at the pre-drywall inspection stage which means things are really ramping up! Soon we’ll be able to better see what the final home will look like. What do you think of the plan so far?!
Read the entire Building Up series about building a new construction home from the ground up here:
The Big News: We’re Building a House
Let the New Home Adventure Begin
How to Maximize Your Budget When Building a Home
Making Design Decisions you Won’t Regret at the Design Center
Linda Hickey says
I just love your new home. It’s so pretty.
Carrie Higgins says
Thank you so much, Linda!
RG says
I love that quote, I’m going to use it!
Carrie Higgins says
Amy Poehler is a wise, wise woman! I repeat that quote often. 🙂
Renee C. says
Lots of hard decisions, but you will love it all because it’s yours. The screened porch is a must in my book. …lol…of course that will happen after I win the state lottery.
Carrie Higgins says
Ha, me too! It’s on our ‘must have’ list but was SO expensive if we went with the builder. I am saving my pennies to get one as soon as we close, especially since our house backs up to woods and bugs are MASSIVE around here! 😉
Richella Parham says
Congratulations on your new house! What a process. Bless you! I was talking today with my friends Cyndi Spivey and Traci Hutcherson, and they told me about your blog. They said that they thought you might have recently moved to my area. I’m in Durham, NC. Are you near here? If so, welcome! 🙂
Carrie Higgins says
Richella, yes! I’m in west Cary, we visit Durham ALL THE TIME (Southpoint Mall is my favorite!) We also love the Life + Science museum in Durham. Actually, we just love everything about the area. That was so sweet of Cyndi and Traci to mention me, did you get to see them today? I miss those two! 🙂 Let me know if you’re ever up for grabbing coffee or lunch, sounds like we live pretty close to one another. <3
karen says
is this the duke or Stanford model of a [large national builder] development? this looks like my house! we’re a few weeks ahead of you in the building process so good luck on your inspections! a few tips I learned from others in my neighborhood-make sure all the options you requested at the design studio actually show up. they are building from default plans and some options are missed. (like we asked for a beverage fridge in the butler pantry-they failed to put the outlet for it)
we upgraded the trim pkg for the front rooms- the extra wide trim made the light switch plates not fit in the allocated space btwn studs! so now we have two light switches on top of each other in the foyer (if that makes any sense–trust me it does not look good–but they claim they can’t fix it…arrgh)
we go by our house at least once a week to “check on it” (we both work full time so can’t go by daily which is what I would like to do). a neighbor said their duct work for central air wasn’t hooked up but she didn’t realize it until 3-4 months after she moved in (it was for the central air and she moved in the spring when she didn’t turn on the central air). we’re now planning on getting our own independent inspector pre-settlement (our realtor said it wasn’t necessary but now after these stories she’s thinking it’s a good idea) good luck and enjoy your beautiful home!
Carrie Higgins says
It’s a VERY similar model to those by that builder, Karen! We toured the Duke model when researching ours. And yes, we are finding those types of issues in our neighborhood as well!! The weird thing is that it seems SO much less efficient to make all those mistakes and then fix them instead of doing it right in the first place. It’s driving us bonkers! there’s so much waste, it makes us sad. They’ve gone as far as doing the fire caulking and wiring on an entire wall that we’re not supposed to have, yikes! Send me pictures when yours is done, I love seeing new homes!
Kathy V says
I sure understand how the two story ceiling in the living area is appealing–that is until it’s time to paint or even clean the upper Windows. My neighbor had to have that arrangement and was only a few days ago lamenting how expensive it was going to be to repaint. Don’t even ask when she last washed the upper Windows. She really regrets the choice now. (And your right–it really increases her utility costs). Hope that helps confirm you made the right decision.
Carrie Higgins says
Thank you, I didn’t even *think* about cleaning or painting! That would be a nightmare. I’m not a fan of heights, so getting on a ladder to dust would freak me out. Thanks for the confirmation too, it’s tough to give up such a beautiful layout but I think we made the right decision for our family.
karolina says
fantastic outcome of your project! i am totally in love with your staircase.
Brad Keir says
My wife and I really like your set up and how pretty it has turned out! We especially love your quote that you wrote, turning a house into a home! Keep up the amazing work on this project Carrie!
Julian says
Focusing on the structural was a great idea. It’s looking beautiful!