Beautiful, but impractical techniques, unrealistic scales and mistakes in logistics, we understand how to avoid unsuccessful decisions if you are going to build a cottage.

1 Too grandiose plans

It’s always nice to dream about what the future dacha will be like. A spacious living room where the whole family will gather, a small office for hobbies in silence and privacy, cozy bedrooms and a couple of bathrooms, and now you have drawings of a full-fledged country house in your hands. And with them a shocking, but corresponding to these dreams, construction and finishing estimates.

How to make it better

At the planning stage, keep your attention on how exactly you will use the house. If you plan to come to the dacha only in the summer and on weekends, it does not necessarily have to be very spacious. A couple of small bedrooms, a bathroom and a kitchen-living room are enough. The recreation area and even the summer kitchen can be taken out into the garden, because in any case you will spend time in the fresh air here.

2 A bad place on the site

It seems that finding a place for a house, especially on a small plot, is not difficult at all. But in fact, even 3-5 meters in this situation can play an important role if you do not think through the logistics and do not take into account the location of all objects on and around the site. Suddenly, it may turn out that the bedroom windows overlook the neighbor’s bathhouse, and smoke is constantly flying through the window. Or the house is too close to the road, because of which the noise of passing cars will interfere with you.

How to make it better

Carefully study the site, if possible, invite an architect for consultation. When choosing a place for a house, consider everything: the distance to the fence, neighbors or roads, underground utilities, trees, cardinal directions. Even on a small plot, the house can be located away from the road and, for example, plant trees in front of it to muffle the noise a little. Or make such a layout so that the bedroom windows do not face east, and the light does not interfere with sleeping in the morning.

3 Technically complex solutions

Before building a cottage, it is useful to look at already implemented solutions and understand which houses you like the most. At this point, it is important not to make a mistake, burning with the desire to implement beautiful, but technically complex techniques. For example, houses with spectacular floor-to-ceiling windows look aesthetically pleasing in the photo, but in real life they deprive you of a sense of privacy and consume a lot of energy for heating and cooling. And a complex roof will require more construction costs.

How to make it better

Choose practical and minimalistic architectural solutions, as they are easier and cheaper to implement. And you can make the house cozy and stylish after construction with the help of decoration, furniture and decor. 

4 Ill-conceived ventilation

When planning a cottage on your own, it is easy to make a mistake and think badly about ventilation. It seems that it is quite easy to ventilate the house, but this is not quite true. The absence of ventilation ducts will lead to constant dampness, the appearance of mold and mildew, wooden furniture, wall and ceiling decoration will deteriorate faster. 

How to make it better

Consider the volume of the house and choose the appropriate ventilation devices. For sure, even in a small cottage, you will need to install a hood in the bathroom and in the kitchen. In a large house, most likely, you will have to add supply ventilation. 

5 Extra or missing zones

Many people treat a country house as a city apartment. Therefore, for example, they decide to build a balcony. But this is an extra expense item and unnecessary space from a practical point of view, because there is a garden and the opportunity to put a gazebo in it. There is another risk of forgetting about some important area. For example, do not make a vestibule that will separate the entrance door from the living space.

How to make it better

Find ready-made drawings of country houses and study their differences from urban apartments. For example, the vestibule is an additional protection from cold and dampness. And at the dacha you will probably need a storage room for storing crops or tools. 

Original content from the site