While leveling your home in order to create your dream home may seem a bit extreme, millions of Americans each week tune in to many of the home makeover reality TV shows in hopes of finding that perfect idea or unique architectural layout in order to begin the designs and plans of their new home. Before and after photos and video can provide instant motivation for homeowners who are looking to work with builders to create one-of-a-kind bathrooms, kitchens, or entire floors.

Shows like HGTV's "Curb Appeal" also provide ideas on how to craft the exterior appeal of your new home, in order to increase the property's value for future resale as well. However, there are some good lessons to be learned from these shows, and they aren't as simple as deciding what rooms need dormer windows or buying a new vanity on sale at your local hardware store and handling the installation yourself after your builder has completed the framework. Here are a few takeaways that these shows don't share:

Building your new home requires planning. Beautiful pictures and a remodel of a bathroom in an hour-long TV show may look simple, but what you see on TV and the reality of building that gorgeous bathroom are much different. Unless you have a motivated crew and a flexible schedule, don't expect such rapid and smooth progress.

Size does matter. If you're looking to build a larger home on your existing lot, think what that larger home will look like aesthetically within your existing neighborhood. Also consider your home's resale value. Will a larger home be harder to sell in the future if it's in a neighborhood with homes of less value? Perhaps having a larger home isn't as important as having a new home, with up-to-date features and framework.

Tips and tricks from home makeover shows are great for smaller projects, but if you're truly looking for an extreme makeover, stop and look at the big picture of what you want, build a plan that works, and decide how your ideas will affect a future resale. Then collaborate with your builders and designers to create your dream home.

Labels: Curb Appeal, dream home, Extreme Makeover, HGTV, home makeover, reality TV

# posted by Stylecraft Builders’ Blog @ 8:35 AM