In 2020, I began building my first home on land owned by my family.
I carefully selected a house plan online that fit within the lot's boundaries, and my father worked with contractors and friends to bring it to life.
Throughout the process, I had a lot of decisions to make, from wall colors to the kitchen layout. I wanted this to be my dream home, but it was also important to me to build a legacy, since the house is on property owned by my family.
It's set across the street from my grandmother's house, which my late grandfather built, and I want my own home to be passed on to relatives someday.
Since I moved in just over five years ago, though, I've noticed the details I might have added or changed if I'd thought more about them back then.
My place is still my own version of a Barbie Dreamhouse, but here are a few things I wish I'd done differently:
It would've benefited me to do a final walk through with the contractor.
After I moved in, I noticed things here and there that I wish I'd asked to be fixed. For example, one of the tiles in my shower juts out slightly, and there are nail holes in the sheetrock that never got patched.
In my previous job in the home-decor space, my team would always walk through a space and make a "punch list," putting sticky notes over things that needed to be touched up by contractors before the job was officially complete.
I should've done this for my own home rather than waiting to flag issues. By then, repairs and fixes were harder to schedule.
I wish I hadn't chosen the same countertops throughout the house.
There are so many choices to make when building a house, so I'll admit I got decision fatigue.
On one of many trips to the store, I was able to say what I didn't like (dark tones), but not really what I did like. All of the countertop samples started to look the same, which is how I landed on just using one with light-brown notes to use house-wide.
Although the countertop suits the kitchen area, now that I've been in my home for a few years, I don't think it looks as good with some of the cool tones of the upstairs bathrooms. For example, a poured-concrete counter would have looked even better in my primary bathroom.
I wish that I'd considered each room separately rather than just checking "countertops" off my running list.
My home would be even better if I'd utilized pocket doors for tight spaces.
Pocket doors are traditionally found in old houses, especially those from the Victorian era, and again in midcentury homes.
These doors slide and fit into a compartment within the wall frame, also known as the "pocket." They've gone out of style in many homes because they can get stuck and become tricky to use.
However, they're great space savers since they tuck into a wall and don't need room to open inward or outward. For my specific house plan, pocket doors would have made certain spaces, like my powder room and closet, feel less cramped.
I would've needed to tell the contractor fairly early in the process if I wanted these, though, and ultimately didn't realize I did until it was too late.
I should've picked out a closet system that suits my wardrobe.
I remember the first day I walked into my closet and saw what had been set up: Two tiny shelves with a hanging rack, and that was it.
I could already tell that it wouldn't work with my abundance of clothing and accessories, so I asked the contractor to make a few changes. I also put a pegboard on the back of the door to hold my hats, necklaces, and headbands.
In hindsight, I might've preferred to wait on my closet installation and handle it separately at a place like Ikea or The Container Store for a customizable setup more tailored to my needs.
That way, I could have added drawers — removing the need for a dresser — and a wall storage unit for my jewelry.
Planting more produce and native plants could've paid off by now.
The backyard was a bit of an afterthought to me, in all honesty. There were so many other things that felt higher priority, but since moving in, I have spent a lot of time out there.
When moving in, my sister, who is also my roommate, took the reins on gardening. We mostly just sourced trees and bushes that would grow wider and bloom from neighborhood plant sales, nurseries, and clippings from other plants.
Looking back, though, I wish we'd planned more and planted some vegetables and fruit trees. By now, we could've been harvesting fresh produce.
Lastly, I wish I hadn't been scared to infuse more of my personality into the space.
The importance of a home's resale value came up often throughout this process, which made me feel like I needed to keep my space builder-grade.
However, I'm nearing my 38th birthday and plan on living in this house for the foreseeable future. I wish I'd made more design choices that truly felt like "me," rather than ones that might appeal to buyers one day.
Since moving in, though, I've begun to slowly but surely infuse my own personality into the space.
I've painted my fireplace and front door in bright shades of pink and teal, installed a tiki bar in the backyard, and designed my office with an eclectic mix of patterns and styles — including a vintage couch and lamps.
I've also hung up work from local artists to add more color to my walls. This space is for me, so I'm no longer stressing about a few nail holes.
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Caroline Eubanks is an award-winning author and writer previously published by Architectural Digest, Apartment Therapy, and the Washington Post. In addition to writing about her dream home, she covers travel, food, drink, and history.
