How Many Bedrooms And Bathrooms Do You Need? 5 Factors

One of the first questions that anyone considering a new custom home must answer is how many bedrooms and how many bathrooms they want. How will you answer this question? To help you find the perfect number, here are five of the most important factors to consider. 

1. Household Size. Certainly, one key metric for determining the right number of these rooms is how many people will live in the home. In general, most Americans prefer to have one bedroom for each couple or child. In addition, one additional bedroom for guest use or for growing families is ideal. However, if your family size will soon shrink, you may not need as many rooms. 

2. Size of Rooms. How limited is your floor space? Although the trend is for more bedrooms and baths, this should not be accomplished by making very small individual rooms. Bedrooms or bathrooms that look and feel cramped could lead to more family conflict and even a lower home value if buyers think the rooms are too small. 

3. Flex Spaces. A modern trend that helps many custom home buyers is the flex space. A flex space is, as its name suggests, a flexible multi-use space carved out in the layout for future use. It can be turned into a bedroom, a guest room, a home office, or even an expanding living room. If you have flex spaces within your floor plan, you don't need to plan as far ahead now.

4. Your Budget. Avoid designing a home you cannot afford. If budget is a factor, you often do better to get the layout you can comfortably pay for and plan for renovations when they later become necessary. Full bathrooms are an expensive home inclusion, so more is not always better. Instead, look at the cost-effective half bath as a good compromise. 

5. Level of Use. Extra space is nice, but be sure you will actually use it before paying for it. Will a guest bathroom get enough use to justify itself? If not, make it the family or visitor bathroom as well, increasing its functionality. One of the kids getting older and moving out soon? A Jack-and-Jill shared bathroom could be a better temporary solution. Need a home office and a guest room? Combine them for space savings. 

Want to know more about how each of these five valuable factors affects your particular home plans? Start by meeting with a custom home builder in your area to learn more. No matter what you choose, the right layout will bring joy and comfort for many years.