Failing to plan is planning to fail in architecture
If you’re building new construction or plan on renovating your home and changing the floorplan, space planning is one of the most important things you should be thinking about. Space planning not only helps you make the most of your square footage, but it also ensures that your living area will remain functional for decades to come, even as other trends and styles come and go.
In this guide, we’ll discuss what space planning is, who does it, why it’s important, how much it costs, and more.
Space planning is the process of designing a space for maximum efficiency, whether it’s a kitchen, living room, exterior patio, or deck designed for entertainment. Space planning is a complex strategy that involves a lot of moving parts, including the following:
Identifying the purpose of each room and designing all elements of a space to align with that intended functionality.
Making sure windows are placed for maximum light and enjoyment.
Ensuring doors interfere as little as possible with the usable space.
Considering what kind of furniture would suit the space, and designing the area in such a way that the furniture fits and is convenient to use.
Considering how a room’s functionality might change in the future and designing based on the possibility of changing needs.
Thinking about how people will move in an area, and designing around that to create natural paths for movement.
Considering what the room will look like when finished and maximizing aesthetic appeal.
Applying principles of design—including balance, flow, and proportion—while thinking about how the homeowner will use the space.
Creating room for natural and artificial ventilation, which includes considering where HVAC vents and windows are placed in relation to furniture, foot traffic, and more.
Thinking about accessibility for all rooms.
Keeping privacy and interior and exterior noise in mind when designing bedrooms and bathrooms.
Considering technology integration, or the possibility of it in the future, to maximize an area’s usefulness.
As you can imagine, space planning is an in-depth process that blends science and art to create highly functional interior and exterior spaces that look appealing and serve the homeowner, even as needs change. Most architects will consider all of these elements when drawing up blueprints, and they may ask leading questions beforehand to gauge which elements are most important to you in case they need to compromise during the process.
When drafting your home design, think about the function of each room and the flow of your home as a whole. Thoughtful planning at this stage will help you create an effective and comfortable space that your household can enjoy for years to come.
Space planning usually begins with an assessment of how the homeowner will use individual spaces in their home or on their property. An architect will generally follow the process below to create areas that are functional, adaptable, and aesthetically pleasing:
Dividing up the total square footage based on individual needs or standard room sizes.
Creating a floor plan that maximizes convenience for everyone in the home.
Considering the placement of utilities, including plumbing lines, electrical connections for outlets and switches, and HVAC supply vents and returns.
Coming up with a furniture or countertop layout that makes it easy to use the space.
Considering the placement of windows and lights to maximize light.
Creating natural paths for walking, especially in high-traffic areas like kitchens.
Architects also work with certain restrictions, as they need all of their work to conform to building code—which dictates spacing for studs and outlets, the location of HVAC vents, and much more—and they need to make sure the space looks appealing.
Once they have something that works, they’ll consider how adaptable the plan is for the future in case the homeowner’s needs change, and they’ll consider future-proofing the home, including using green building materials or adapting spaces and components of a home to make them “greener.”
If you need space planning done for your new construction project or home renovation, you’re most likely going to want to hire an architect near you. Architects have many years of education in interior design, building standards, and functional use of living areas to provide space planning services.
Structural engineers, draftspeople, and even interior designers might be able to help design a space, but an architect is the professional who is most likely to combine all of the necessary elements to get the job done correctly.
If you’re planning a new construction build, you should absolutely hire an architect to carry out space planning. Interior and even exterior spaces might seem simple to design from scratch, but there’s so much thought and consideration that goes into space planning to make your home usable and adaptable to changing needs that it demands help from an expert.
If you don’t have blueprints for your build yet, hire an architect who can tackle space planning to get the best results and maximize the value you get out of your home.
Space planning, architectural design, and interior design absolutely share some similarities, but space planning extends beyond basic design principles to create a living area that conforms to building code, takes structural components and requirements into consideration, and can produce blueprints that you can use to pull building permits and guide your contractors during the construction phase.
Below are some areas in which space planning by an architect differs from interior design services:
Architects plan out positions for windows, doors, doorways, hallways, and more.
Architects will create a floor plan and take things like door swings and utilities into consideration when planning for layout and furniture placement.
Architects will often use drawings from structural engineers to create floor plans and design elements around the components that need to be present for structural stability.
Architects can tackle interior and exterior spaces in many cases, and they can plan for movement between the areas.
An architect might also offer interior design services in addition to space planning and blueprint creation. As such, interior design rarely includes space planning or architectural considerations, whereas architecture work and blueprint creation often include interior design or at least consider design principles.
Paying an architect for space planning can get expensive, but there are numerous benefits to the service that make it well worth your money. Some of the most appealing benefits include the following:
Ensures your interior square footage is maximized in terms of value.
Helps create spaces that are maximally functional, which is especially important for high-use areas like kitchens.
Often helps boost your home’s energy efficiency.
Improves the aesthetic and appeal of your home, including the inclusion of natural light in your space.
Helps you customize your living space based on how you intend to use the area.
Provides some flexibility for changes to the utility of a room in the future.
Helps optimize movement through your home.
Creates engaging and convenient places to entertain.
Potentially helps reduce construction costs if you can eliminate add-ons with more optimized spaces.
Helps maximize your property value.
While there are seemingly countless short-term and long-term benefits to hiring a professional for space planning, there’s really only one drawback: the services can be expensive. However, the price you’ll pay for space planning is well worth it and can even be recuperated in convenience and energy savings down the road.
Space planning can be massively beneficial for just about any major construction project, but there are some special cases when you should consider space planning a necessity. These include the following:
When you’re planning new construction.
When you’re doing major renovations to your home.
When you’re building an add-on or bump-out.
When you’re redesigning an interior space or changing the type of floor plan you have to meet a different need.
When you’re planning major changes to your exterior space, including installing patios, decks, and outdoor kitchens.
When you’re removing dividing walls to create an open floor plan in your home.
You can always contact a local architect to discuss your plans and get a professional opinion on whether or not you’d benefit from space planning.
It might be tempting to try your hand at planning your own interior and exterior spaces, and while it can be rewarding, we don’t recommend it.
Planning out a living area requires that you consider a bunch of things, including how people will naturally want to move through and use the space, how things like HVAC vents, light switches, and outlets will be positioned for convenience and comfort, and how the space might adapt in the future as your needs change. To do space planning yourself not only requires these things, but also knowledge of local building codes to ensure your home is in compliance.
Ultimately, it pays to have a professional do the work for you. You could save close to $2,000 by doing space planning yourself, but learning even just the basics will likely take you weeks, and then you may struggle to get approval for the drawings you create when you file for building permits. Hire a professional to make the job significantly easier and faster.
Space planning is usually included in architectural blueprints, so you generally won’t need to pay extra for this service if you’re already going to hire an architect. Blueprints usually cost around $1,800, but they can range from $750 for smaller projects up to $20,000 or more for large, custom-designed homes. If you’re going based on square footage, you can expect to pay between $0.50 and $10 per square foot.
While blueprints from an architect are expensive, the space planning that is included ensures that your new home or home addition will give you the most value and contribute the most to your property value. As such, the investment is usually well worth the money.
