The Frustrations of Finding the Perfect Home Plan
The Search for the Perfect Lot
If you’ve ever embarked on the journey of building your dream home, you probably thought the hardest part would be finding that perfect lot—or maybe something else entirely. Here in SE Michigan, I truly believed finding the lot was the biggest hurdle. And trust me, it wasn’t easy. But once we found it, we quickly learned the real challenge had only just begun: creating the perfect home plan.
At least that’s what we quickly learned. If you’ve read about our previous journey of even finding the lot, you know it was no small feat. I honestly didn’t think anything else could try us quite like that process. But oh, how wrong I was.
The Struggle with Home Plans
We thought we had a clear vision of the home we wanted, but reality didn’t play along. Being married to a builder added a whole new layer of challenges to the mix. I’d suggest changes that seemed great in theory (but totally impossible in practice), and Mark would patiently—or sometimes not so patiently—show me how they’d either break the budget or the house itself. Cue the side eye. Lots and lots of side eye.
Honestly, the process felt overwhelming. You see, part of the frustration came from finding pieces of a plan we loved, only to realize there were other aspects that just didn’t work for us. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, and it’s one we know many of you are familiar with if you’ve started your own journey.
The search felt like a rollercoaster: every time we thought we’d found the one, we’d realize the layout didn’t work for our family. Beautiful exteriors drew us in, only for impractical interiors to let us down. And let’s be honest—some of these house plans made me wonder if the designers had ever actually lived in a house before! I found myself trying to explain our daily needs to Mark, only to face constraint after constraint, from the lot size to the garage placement. It felt like the universe was testing us. At one point, I wondered if it was all even worth it.
The Turning Point
We were getting frustrated—Mark and I, trying very hard not to get annoyed with each other, endlessly tweaking and reworking things, only to realize we couldn’t fit another bathroom or the garage really didn’t work in the back. After searching and negotiating, we began to question if we were ever going to find the one. But in that moment of frustration, we realized something: This is the part of the process where it feels like you’re stuck in the mud. But trust me, this is where the magic happens. This is when you really have to get creative and shift your thinking. Get out of your own way so you can see what you really need to see…
In the middle of our frustration, we realized we needed to shift our focus. Instead of obsessing over aesthetics and what we thought we wanted, we needed to focus on what our family truly needed. It wasn’t about building a Pinterest-perfect house—it was about creating a home that worked for us.
The Plan That Changed Everything
That’s how we ended up with a plan that took a house we thought we could never have and turned it into THE home we didn’t know we needed. And boy oh boy do I need it now!
We were looking for a modern barndo-style ranch (haha who isn’t), and that’s where we thought we’d end up. We loved that style and had built it for others many times. But, when it came down to it, that style didn’t meet the needs of our family AT ALL. One plan favored a need we had but missed the mark on others by a mile. And so, after a lot of frustration, we had to take a step back.
When we picked back up, we started searching differently. We expanded our options, put in the max square footage we wanted, beds, baths, and stopped narrowing ourselves to just ranches. And I’m so glad we did! We ended up with a two-story home that still captured that ranch feel, but with an additional 800 square feet on the upper level that we desperately wanted!
Designing Our Perfect Fit
This was the moment when everything clicked. Finally, somehow, we found a plan that felt like it was almost entirely designed for our family… almost.
We had some tweaking to do, but honestly, the floor plan was the perfect setup. It was a ranch-looking home but had an 800-square-foot upper level snuck in. So we landed a two-story option with the look we were trying to achieve. First score… we began clicking.
The next thing we noticed was the floor plan offered a main floor master suite but also had another bedroom and bathroom on the main floor. With a few quick eyeball changes, Mark and I saw the potential to make the second bedroom and bathroom another master bedroom and bathroom. This was perfect for our 18-year-old son.
But I quickly realized if we did that, we wouldn’t have a bathroom on the main floor for guests. Mark noted the house had space marked off for the hot water tank that we wouldn’t be using because we would be on a basement and suggested we could move that room around and make a powder room for guests. Mama was getting excited at this point, you guys… this was working!
Move on next to the KITCHEN!!!! The kitchen had it all. The walk-in pantry. The giant island. I swear to you I did not think I would end up with my enormous kitchen island. It just didn’t seem to fit the bill anytime a house came close to working for us. And here it was in all its glory… enough room for five seats. I was dying. Literally turning in my chair with excitement. We were making so much progress so fast, and we had only just found this plan.
Then we went to the upstairs. And boy… this is where the whole room started coming together. The upstairs had two more bedrooms and another bathroom. Perfect for the littles. But that is not where it stopped. There was a bonus living room up there as well. This was PERFECT for us. This would work as the kids’ living room and our homeschool space. I was about to lose my mind at this point, so I told Mark if this house wasn’t in the budget, let me down easy…
And this is where that sexy bald man made me smile ear to ear. This was the exact way we were going to gain that 800 square feet, the extra bedroom, living room, and bathroom all while staying in our budget because it is, in fact, easier to go up than down and much more affordable.
So as you can imagine I was starting to feel very proud I had found this floor plan and impressed my husband with it!
The Key Takeaway
The key takeaway? That frustrating phase—the one where you feel like you’ve hit a wall—is totally normal. In fact, it’s expected. Because it’s in those moments of struggle that creativity and clarity are born. If you’re in the trenches of a big project like building a home, let me tell you: the frustration is part of the process. And it’s worth it.
Had we not shifted our focus, we would have overlooked a home that was more than perfect for us. We would have built another home that was beautiful, but I do not think we would have been able to find another house that met our needs exactly. Making this home functional and working with our family’s needs in mind is such a priority for Mark and me as we build. And yes, we’re still going to maintain the look and feel of the barndo farmhouse style we love, so we’re losing literally NOTHING.
Even though this is not our forever home (we will eventually need to escape the cruelty of the Michigan winter), we’re putting in the effort because it’s worth it to make sure this process is done right and truly fits our family’s needs! And also, let’s be honest… Mark is a bit of a creative genius, so I know he will be coming up with some amazing ways to truly make our home stand out while also staying on a budget. He’s good at that! Wait until I tell you how we ended up saving $6,000 on a new mattress… but that’s a tale for another day.
We know how overwhelming this process can feel because we’ve been there too. The frustrations, the endless tweaking, the wondering if it’s all worth it—it’s part of the journey. But through those challenges, you find clarity and create something that truly fits.
We’re excited to share more about our journey as it unfolds and to connect with others going through the same ups and downs. Building a home isn’t just about bricks and mortar—it’s about creating a space that fits your life, your family, and your dreams. And that makes it all worth it.
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