When Planning a New Home, It's Worth Setting Aside Time

Home design begins with details. The foundation of a quality and sustainable home is a well-thought-out project created in collaboration with experts that meets the needs and expectations of the entire family. According to Sven Allik and Rasmus Kuusemets, founders of the design company Haustec OÜ with years of long-term experience, the most common mistake in planning a new home is excessive rushing.

Haustec has been involved in designing residential homes and larger buildings since 2015. The company's goal is to help clients with home design and applications for construction and occupancy permits, as well as provide consultation on all topics related to building planning, design, and construction. "We help our clients from their initial ideas all the way to applying for the occupancy permit for their home. Every step in this work is important and it is crucial to do everything carefully so that you don't have to regret hasty decisions later on," explain Allik and Kuusemets.

Design of all building components is increasingly important

Rising construction material prices and increasing labor costs have made home building more expensive than it was 2-3 years ago. At the same time, energy carrier prices have also risen significantly, which means that heating and cooling a large building has a greater impact on the homeowner's wallet than before. Therefore, homes with optimal floor area are increasingly being valued.

"The size of a new home depends primarily, of course, on the family size and comfort needs. We have designed homes for single individuals, large families, and families where multiple generations live together. The more common solution is 3 bedrooms, kitchen/living room, bathroom/sauna, 2 toilets, a wardrobe, and a technical room/storage space," says Allik. On average, we design residential homes with a closed net floor area of 120...150 m2. All technical systems should always be designed as well, not just limited to the architectural project to obtain a construction permit. If all parts of the building are designed at least at the basic design stage, this provides a much clearer overview of construction quality and costs. In such cases, you should definitely use the lead design service, so that all projects come from one organization. We can offer our clients a comprehensive solution because over the years we have developed reliable cooperation partners. Initially, it may seem like designing all components is an unnecessary expense, but in reality, it saves time and costs on construction.

What kind of home to build: Single-story or multi-story

In terms of number of stories, single-story buildings are most frequently requested today. "There can be various reasons for this – people think that building a single-story home will be cheaper. However, for banks, the square meter costs the same regardless of how many stories the building has," explains Kuusemets. "We increasingly hear the reasoning that fears about old age are driving the preference for single-story homes – concerns that one won't be able to climb stairs anymore. A third reason is more optimal space utilization – a staircase meeting the prescribed standards must go to the second floor, which unfortunately takes up quite a bit of space from the first floor."

Once the number of square meters and number of stories have been determined, the question of whether additional structures are needed typically arises. Would the family also like a garage, a shelter for a car, or perhaps a basement? Kuusemets notes that people's wishes vary on this: some definitely want a garage to store, for example, their hobby car or motorcycle. Others think a garage would be nice, but life shows that in the future the space intended for a vehicle can become storage space instead. As for basements, very few families today want one.

Estonians are a sauna-loving people and there is interest in both steam and smoke saunas as well as indoor and outdoor swimming pools. Allik acknowledges that due to rising energy prices, this interest has somewhat cooled, but at the same time many have discovered that pool water could be heated by solar panels instead. Technology in general has increasingly reached Estonian homes year after year, whether it's smart heating and ventilation solutions or Smart Home systems. "If you get too personal with home building, it can be harder to sell it on the secondary market later," says Allik. And he adds that at the same time, the home must still reflect the personality of the family and it would be wrong to give up all your dreams.

When is the right time to contact a designer?

Allik and Kuusemets recommend involving a designer in your plans as soon as you get the idea to build a house. "In that case, we can immediately steer clients in the right direction and provide advice on what to pay attention to. Depending on the location, there may be restrictions on roof pitch and materials, as well as facade materials and color tones, and water and sewage system types. If the homeowner must ensure a fire protection water intake point at their property, where should it be located and what type should it be? Our job is to advise the client and find reasonable solutions."

To apply for a construction permit, generally only an architectural preliminary design is required, which doesn't contain very detailed construction information. Depending on the region, a water and sewage connection project may also be required at the time of the construction permit. Once the permit is in hand, a basic design must be prepared, based on which you can already request quotations from construction companies. The base document for construction, however, is a very detailed working project. "Although homes may appear similar, every building design and construction is custom work, containing the owner's personal wishes and special conditions resulting from the building's location and placement," emphasizes Kuusemets.

"Our recommendation is that when planning your home, don't hesitate to contact a designer definitely before purchasing the property. Discuss all your wishes and ideas in detail and avoid excessive rushing. A home is generally built only once in a lifetime and if you really want good results, start with calm and proper planning!"

For more information about Haustec's services and references: www.haustec.ee