These could be wastespace, awkward corners, poor circulation through the house, freakish features, unusual methods of building which increase the labor involved, crowded places, or inconsistencies.

Getting an experienced house designer to double check your plans would usually be a profitable investment, which might keep you from making absurd mistakes. After they are built, things do not always look the same as they do on paper. If you do not believe that people make many queer mistakes, drive up any residential street and take a critical look at the houses people have built in the mistaken notion that they were creating works of art.

There are many good planners who will work for a modest fee. Although they have not had the experience on large buildings to qualify as architects, they are willing to take time to give careful, personal thought to your house and to draw you a good plan. Since you are the one who has to decide what you want anyway, find someone who can help you and who is interested in seeing that you get just the house you really want.

Some contractors and builders are good at planning and some of them are not. Most contractors are good at the details of construction, even though they may be poor or indifferent planners as far as room arrangement, convenience, and appearance are concerned.

Although you might be wise to leave many of the construction details to the judgment of the contractor, insist on the room arrangement you want and any special features you consider important. If you want a screened porch, do not let anyone talkyou out of it. You are building the house to get what you want, not what someone else thinks you ought to want.

Much depends on one's personal preference. Since you are building instead of buying because you want something that is not just run of the mill and ordinary, because you want something different from what everyone else has, plan your own house to suit you and your family.

In all your planning allow enough room, but do not waste any space. A common mistake of the beginning planner is to fail to allow enough room for the thickness of the walls.

Walls are usually 5V&" thick; if you draw them 6" the plan will be about right. Some people crowd things in the mistaken notion that they are saving money. The size of the house is just one of the many factors that enter into the cost of the building. Some odd corner or peculiarity of construction will often cost more than an additional hundred square feet of floor space.

It is always a good idea to use a mortgage calculator to help you save money when you purchase land or a house with a mortgage.