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Final Walk-Through Checklist
(a helpful tool for providing your builder
with a comprehensive list of final repairs)
You’re finally getting ready to move into your new home! You’ve been waiting for this moment for over a year, maybe even two. You’re excited, you’re exhausted, and you just want it to be over, but there is one more thing you need to do before getting the keys to the front door: THE FINAL WALK-THROUGH.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a checklist that leads you through the house, inside and out, reminding you of what to examine in each area while simultaneously creating a repair list for your builder? Our newest product will do just that and more! For more information, Click for Final Walk-Thru Checklist.
Model Home Review Checklist
(looking past the decorating to
see this house as your home)
You’ve visited model after model. Finally, you’ve discovered one that you love. This might be the perfect home for your family, but. . .
Have you really SEEN it?
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How many outlets were on the front porch?
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Was the exhaust above the stove designed to pull the steam and grease from the home, or is it simply a recirculating system that pulls steam and grease through a filter and deposits it back into the kitchen?
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What was the height of the bathroom cabinets: 32” or 36”?
- Were there exterior floodlights? How many? Where were they located? Were they static or equipped with motion sensors?
Our “Model Home Review Checklist” provides a thorough and systematic method for looking past the beautiful decorating in many model homes in order to determine if the design will “work” for your family, and if the builder will meet your needs.
This unique tool will help you to focus on the functional features of the house on a room-by-room basis. It also will make sure you are aware of the specifications associated with the lot and with the mechanical, structural, and exterior elements of your potential new home. In addition it may introduce you to new building products. For more information, Click for Model Home Review Checklist.
New Freebies
We’ve added three new pictorial checklists: “Laundry Room Design,” “Kitchen Design,” and “Oops!” These lists are chock-full of insightful information to help design function into your new home. And you know what they say: “A picture is worth a thousand words!” For more information, Click for FREEBIES !
The Functional Laundry Room
The laundry room has to function on a daily basis for many families; yet this space can be virtually abandoned during the design process. Here a few tips and ideas for creating a laundry room to simplify that never-ending chore.
(For more laundry room design ideas, download my FREE pictorial checklist.) Click Here for Checklist
 Choose your washer and dryer before the plans are completed for your home. Some of the new machines are quite large and will have a tremendous effect on the size and design of your laundry room. By knowing the make and model of your machines beforehand, your cabinet designer can specify the position of the washer so that open washer and dryer doors don't block the transfer of clothing from one to the other. Note that there are no industry standards governing on which side the washer or dryer doors are hinged, so your builder will also need this information to assure that the plumbing coordinates with the washing machine location. Since larger machines can end up showing through windows, blocking the entrance to the room, or being too large to fit under upper cabinets, the dimensions of your machines should also be relayed to your architect.
Although the laundry room is too small for the machines in this picture, at least the plumbing was installed correctly. How can you tell? The doors open away from one another. Can you imagine what a daily inconvenience it would be if one or the other of the doors hinged in the middle and swung towards each another?
 A tall cabinet can be a fantastic addition to a laundry room. It can be used for either hanging clothing and/or storage of the ironing board, mop, broom, or vacuum. If your plans do not include a closet in the laundry room, then a tall cabinet is a wonderful substitute. For even greater convenience, you may want to include an outlet in the back of this cabinet for charging an electric broom.
This is a simple design for one wall of a laundry room but yet it includes 5 functional features:
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Open section in the bottom of the cabinet above the washing machine for handy access to detergent and other laundry aides.
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Full-length hanging space between the washer and laundry tub for hanging items as they are removed from the dryer or for hanging items to dry as they are removed from the washer. Full-length hanging space is the most frequently forgotten laundry room feature.
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Shorter hanging space over the laundry tub for drip-drying items such as bathing suits.
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Laundry tub sink mounted inside a cabinet. This configuration provides a location to store a wastebasket for handy lint disposal.
- Paper towel rack attached to the wall above the sink for quick cleanup or drying of hands.
Copyright © 2006 Tracy DeCarlo - All Right Reserved
WANT A CHECK LIST OF HUNDREDS OF TIPS
AND IDEAS FOR DESIGNING A FUNCTIONAL HOME?
If you liked today’s tips you’ll love the book “Don’t Forget the Linen Closets!” It’s packed with over 240 ideas and reminders to help you incorporate function, organization, and efficiency into your home without breaking the bank.
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To us, it [“Don’t Forget the Linen Closets”] is the most thorough guide to building a house, regardless of size, in the industry. Most importantly, it is geared toward the folks who will actually live in the house.
By following your guidelines, we are confident that we will have a far more functional home than if we had been on our own. Also, we know that we and the builder have saved thousands of dollars by avoiding rework and non-functional design flaws. In fact we have dubbed the book, “The Home Buyers’ Essential Handbook for Design and Construction in Less Than 50 Pages.”
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences in such a concise and useful way.
Bill and Yvonne Dunbar
Homeowners building a custom home
Orlando, FL – February 2006
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If you’d like more personalized help, Tracy’s plan-review service will walk you through the process in detail. In either case, planning the details in the beginning can save thousands in the end! To see more testimonials and/or to place your order, visit Detailed Solutions WEB site now.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR ON YOUR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include the following blurb in its entirety:
Tracy DeCarlo, author of “Don’t Forget the Linen Closets!” publishes the idea-packed, monthly e-zine “Tips for Designing a Functional Home.” If you’re ready to learn how to incorporate organization, function, and efficiency into your new home or remodeling project without breaking the bank, get your FR*EE tips now at www.BuildingTips.net.
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