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What is it precisely that sets one home apart from another? Why do some houses radiate such appeal even when located in the exact same area and of the exact same basic design as less appealing homes? More important, how can we make our homes stick out above all the other houses in the neighborhood?

This is not an idle question or one that serves just our pride of ownership. Warmth, beauty, charm, originality, and livability are what individuals desire most when they purchase a home. Besides the everyday enjoyment of an attractive and functional living environment, an attractive home can easily return a 25% to 30% increased revenue over comparable homes of the very same standard design, size, setup, and place. As a 35 year veteran of the real estate occupation, I have seen time and time again where design and grace amount to the maximum return on an owner's real estate financial investment while bad taste and planning amounts to disappointment and aggravation. The unfortunate part is that the unfortunate owner who is forced to sell his/her home for less than market price normally puts just as much time, cash, and effort into their home as the effective owner. What then makes the distinction? For while the distinction in between houses is apparent, how they got that way is not. Obviously, it is tempting to state that some individuals simply have a flare for creative and beneficial style-- a present.

What these smart artists of their living environment have in common is a way to look at the problems most homes have and see how these issues might be fixed. Exceptional houses seldom come on the market and when they do they are snapped up for leading dollar-- often much in excess of the intrinsic worth of the house based on the measurable components such as square video, number of rooms, area, and so on. Here then are five methods to develop of any house in terms that do not require a heavenly present from above to change it into a house of lasting appeal and broad appeal.

Evaluate the size and positioning of rooms in relationship to each other.

Type follows function. What is each space's function? Is it a private area or one where family and friends will collect? How well will each room function in terms of your family and your requirements? There is no ideal response here. Some people prefer houses with many smaller rooms while others choose big open spaces. In addition, the relationship between room sizes is important. Big home and small bedrooms, for example, resonate poorly with many people's sense of proportion. If a space or area stops working to fulfill our needs walls can be added or deducted. Extra living areas can be developed in appropriate basement areas and even by raising the roof to add another story.

While walls can be "bumped out" to include more space to rooms, considerations such as set-back and the area of underground structures should be factored in. Though existing spaces can quickly be evaluated functionally, how changes made to these very same spaces will affect the house's sense of percentage is not constantly obvious. Style kits are available with basic sized furnishings to give an approximate idea how the room will operate after a flooring strategy changes.

Pay close attention to traffic circulation.

This essential element of any fine home is frequently ignored. Well, not so much neglected as misinterpreted. The most reliable way to evaluate a floor plan for traffic flow is to start at the entrance. This is not necessarily the front door but rather the entrance where family and friends get here. Is this entrance inviting? Is there a covered place to stand outside? Is the entryway set off from the rest of the space it opens on? Benches, plants, and bookshelves include appeal. Windows and side-lights bring light and warmth into the area. Decorations say 'welcome'. Now walk through the house. Is the quickest path for loved ones to their location through the center of main living areas? Can this be changed by furnishings positioning or structural alterations and additions so that a circular course is developed around the specifications of primary rooms? On the other hand, a floor plan that is more like a labyrinth-- particularly if one personal room such as a bedroom should be reached from another private room-- creates a sense of disharmony and inadequately utilized area. Extraneous hallways and other shift areas provide little return for the area they take in.

Let there be light!

Absolutely nothing enhances the ambiance of a home more than natural light. Main rooms gain from multiple exposures by generating light in from different instructions during the day. Cooking areas and breakfast rooms take advantage of early morning light, living and dining rooms from afternoon and night light. Windows can be included or bigger. Even spaces where extra windows cannot be added can get sunlight from light tubes piped from the exterior. Windows can be scheduled passive solar heating & cooling. Roofing overhangs, awning, and deep-set window openings, besides including a sense of shelter and security, can restrict the quantity of solar radiation in the summer and increase it in the winter. Vegetation can likewise be arranged to shade the window and flood the window with light and solar warmth in the months when the leaves have fallen. Energy saving window treatments can be utilized to keep heat in while brightening up the interior of the home at night. In the warm seasons these same window treatments can reduce air-conditioning expenses.

Harmonize your home with the location.

What about entryway and egress to the outside areas of a house? Sporadic exits and entryways can make a house feel restricted, trapped. If a garden area is not readily available, a personal deck or balcony could be included to open a space to the outdoors.

The front porch too is an often ignored ingredient in the overall appeal of a home. Patios are an excellent method to include architectural appeal that both absorbs a home to its environments and sets it apart from others. Large glass doors open the home to the exterior.

Above all, mix the outdoors with the interior in a seamless streaming way that does not need a different effort to utilize. Areas that are a trouble to get to are rarely used to their full potential.

Decks must be thought of in the same way as any space addition. How will it be used? Or are there other areas of the home that currently meet the requirements of inclement or buggy days?

Integrate material and finishes as an essential element of the general style.

A home on an open lot might utilize the sun and sky to bathe spaces in light while providing cool shade in others. Textures and color provide a house character when in keeping with the style and energy of the home we develop. Even the raw structure aspects of a home such as rafters, beams and brick can be blended into the home to develop a sense of permanence and strength.

These five are the primary areas to focus on when making living area choices. They are everything about function and type. Their vital value is as old as civilization itself. Aristotle spoke of the 4 Causes of things that produce type and function as truth and beauty:

Material: That out of which something is made.

Maker: The methods by which something is made, who made it.

Outcome: That which is made, the thing itself.

Function: What it is made for.

A bit abstract, perhaps, however if you think of the aspects of a home in these terms a worth can be perceived and valued. Now all that stays is to figure out if a specific house can be customized to improve its important beauty and utility at an expense most likely to be recouped at sale. In the meantime, your home will be a consistent source of pride and satisfaction if you own it.