We believe that good home design begins with an understanding of how people live in their homes. Whether for entry level or move up home buyers, new home builders are offering plans and designs that meet the needs of today's consumers, using modern technology to build homes that are attractive, highly functional and feel good to live in.

New home buyers have a tremendous choice in style and layout to suit all personal preferences and budgets. Often, a builder's standard designs are just a starting point. Many builders will customize a home to suit your individual needs. Find out early on how much flexibility there is in the design and at what cost. Then you can make informed decisions about a particular design that may interest you. Here are some of the design characteristics that you can expect to find in a brand new home:

Efficient Use Of Space
A new home means well-designed spaces that take full advantage of the available square footage. With the right design, every home, large or small, can be spacious and comfortable.

Open Layouts
Common in today's new homes are bright, open areas that blend rooms with different functions into each other. Many builders and homebuyers opt for the great room  - a large informal space for living, working, eating and relaxing. Partial walls, bulkheads, lighting and floor treatment help to define and add character to individual areas within this space. Depending on the size of the home, the great room may replace or complement formal living and dining rooms.

Flexible Space
New home layouts are designed to accommodate changing household needs over time. A den can become an extra bedroom or a nursery. Basement rooms can be converted to a home office or a family entertainment area.

These and other FlexHousing approaches, pioneered by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, build adaptability to life's changes right into the home at the time of construction. FlexHousing features can also accommodate special health and mobility needs -  for instance, wide doorways and reinforced bathroom walls for grab bars. For more information about FlexHousing, contact Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation at 1-800-668 2642, or visit their Web site at http://www.cmhc.ca/en/imquaf/flho/index.cfm

Built In Convenience
Living in a new home is easy, by design. Look for direct access from the garage to the kitchen on hard surface flooring, mudrooms with large closets and a ground or second floor laundry room. And check out details such as extra large pantries, lots of storage space and built in recycling bins.

Kitchens That Have It All
With today's open layouts, the quality and the finishing details of a new kitchen are done with careful attention to matching or complementing the surrounding spaces. Look for well appointed, organized workspaces; attractive, separate eating areas; and great natural and built in lighting.

Your home's design is fundamental to your lifestyle. Explore your options by touring model homes and looking at builders' plans. Think about your daily living patterns, and what works and doesn't work where you live now. Then discuss your preferences, as well as your current and future needs, with your builder, who will be able to advise you on the best design for your lifestyle.