Planning to build your first home in Canada? That’s perfect because it gives you the ability to design everything just the way you like it!

New homes in Canada may be slightly different than what you’re used to. That’s why we’ve put together this list of home features you should definitely think about including in your home’s design. They will make your life easier and help you get the most out of each space.

Light Up Your Home With South Facing Windows

In the Northern hemisphere, the sun travels from east to west along the Southern sky. If you build your home so the windows are directly facing this area, you’ll be able to make good use of the sun’s natural energy.

You can use it to heat up your home and for natural light, helping you save on electricity costs. But don’t worry about it heating things up too much during the summer. With energy-saving blinds, you can keep the heat out while still letting the light in.

A Fireplace for Canadian Winters

We can face some harsh winters here in Canada. Are you ready for those long, cold months? You will be if you include a fireplace in the build of your home!

To make it easier, you can even install a gas fireplace so you don’t have to worry about stoking a fire with wood. It’s safer, too. Just flip a switch, and you’ll instantly have a fire going. This is perfect for warming up the house and for creating a cozy atmosphere for reading a book or watching a movie.

A Convenient Second-Floor Laundry Room

Nobody likes doing laundry, and one of the reasons is it’s so hard to lug those heavy laundry baskets up and down the stairs to the basement. One of the best home features in modern homes is the second-floor laundry room. When you have this, the laundry is near the bathrooms and bedrooms, so it’s easy to get dirty clothes to the machine and bring the clean clothes back to the bedrooms where they need to be.

High Ceilings Can Enhance Your Living Space

High ceilings make any room feel larger, even a small one, so it’s smart to include them in your home. Many floor plans will include high ceilings in at least the main floor living area, though there are various choices you can make based on your needs. 

Additionally, if you’re thinking about finishing the basement for more space (either in the original build of the home or as an added feature later), find out if the builder to do a “deep pour” basement. This allows you to have higher ceilings in the basement suite.

Organize Your Cooking With A Spice Kitchen

With today’s popular open-concept floor plans, the kitchen is a central part of the living area. This helps the family stay connected while going about their daily lives, but may also make you hesitant to cook foods like fish, spicy foods, or fried foods because those smells can linger.

Spice kitchens are the solution to this! As such, many families are opting to include a spice kitchen in their new home builds. 

They give you a separate space for cooking those types of foods. Other families like having the spice kitchen for their multigenerational families. There’s extra space for multiple people to cook or for feeding large crowds of people. 

Turn Your Bonus Room Into A Home Office

These days, having a home office is practically a necessity. After the coronavirus pandemic forced people to stay at home, many companies and employees found that working at home worked out really well for them. This means most people are opting to include this in their home builds.

As a new Canadian, part of your employment could include working from home. When looking at floor plans, think about how you could use rooms listed as dens, bonus rooms, or bedrooms as office spaces.

Add A Mudroom To Keep Your Home Clean

With the yearly changes in weather, Canadians need to be ready for almost anything. Most families have an assortment of snow boots, rain boots, sandals, coats, scarves, hats, and more. If you have kids, you also deal with backpacks and sports equipment. The same goes for pets – dog leashes and bags, for example. There’s a lot of stuff kept near the entrance!

If you want to stay organized, you need a good system, and mudrooms are one of the best options. You can even build cubbies or lockers into the space for extra organization.

Building your first home in Canada gives you the perfect opportunity to create a home that’s everything your family needs. You just want to make sure that you don’t forget anything. Our Area Managers can definitely help you get on the right path. Give us a call today to see how we can help you.