12 Questions to Ask Before Your First Home Design Meeting 🏡
You do not need a finished floor plan before meeting with a home designer. You do not need every fixture selected, either.
What helps most is knowing what you want your home to do for you and where your current space falls short.
Maybe you are planning a custom home in Hancock County, renovating a coastal property on Mount Desert Island, or considering an addition in Greater Bangor. Whatever the project, your first design conversation should go beyond square footage and exterior style.
It should cover how you live, what matters to you, what you want to invest, and what the property will allow.
These 12 questions will help you arrive prepared without feeling like you need to design the house yourself.
Start With Everyday Life
1. What problem am I trying to solve?
“We need more space” is a starting point. But what kind of space and why?
Perhaps the kitchen becomes crowded whenever two people cook. Maybe overnight guests take over the living room. Your home office might be a laptop on the dining table, or your main entrance might have nowhere for wet boots and winter coats.
Try completing this sentence:
“Our home would work better if we could .”
Be specific. “Bring groceries inside without navigating stairs” tells a designer more than “have a better layout.”
For a renovation, make two lists: what you want to change and what you want to keep. A familiar room, a favorite view, or a well-used porch may deserve a place in the new design.
2. Who will use the home and how might that change?
Think about your household now, but also the people who may use the home in the years ahead.
Will this be a year-round residence or a seasonal retreat?
How often will guests stay overnight?
Does anyone work from home?
Do children or grandchildren need room to spread out?
Could a parent eventually live with you?
Would you like the option of living primarily on one floor?
There is a difference between designing for a couple’s quiet weekday routine and designing for a house full of summer visitors.
You do not have to build a separate room for every possibility. The conversation may lead to flexible spaces: an office that can accommodate guests, a first-floor room that could become a bedroom, or a bathroom planned with future accessibility in mind.
3. What does a normal day look like?
Walk through an ordinary day, and not a holiday gathering or the version of life you imagine in a magazine photograph.
Where do you enter the house? Where do bags, boots, and keys land? Who showers first? Where do you drink your morning coffee? What happens when someone needs quiet while another person watches television?
These details help shape relationships between rooms.
For example, a laundry room near the bedrooms may suit one household. Another may prefer it near the mudroom because that is where work clothes, damp towels, and outdoor gear collect.
There is no universal “perfect layout.” There is a layout that fits your habits.
Plan How Spaces Work
4. Where does movement break down?
Think about the places where people get in each other’s way.
A refrigerator door may interrupt the route through the kitchen. Guests might cross the cooking area to reach the deck. The entry could feel crowded when several people arrive together.
Instead of deciding on the solution immediately, describe the problem.
“We want a bigger island” may be worth exploring. But “we need two people to prepare dinner while someone else gets a drink without walking through the work area” gives the design team a clearer goal.
Also consider privacy and noise. Do you want open connections between rooms, or would you appreciate a place to close a door?
Open space can be appealing. So can a quiet room that does not share every conversation happening in the kitchen.
5. What needs a home of its own?
Storage works best when the conversation starts with actual belongings rather than a general request for “more closets.”
Make a practical inventory:
Everyday coats, boots, and shoes
Seasonal clothing and outdoor gear
Pantry staples and small appliances
Cleaning supplies and the vacuum
Linens, luggage, and guest bedding
Pet food, leashes, and towels
Hobby equipment and holiday decorations
Then think about where each item is used.
A generous closet across the house may not solve clutter at the entry. A pantry may need space for countertop appliances, not just food. A mudroom might need a place for damp gear as much as a place to hang coats.
For more ideas, read More Than Just a Place for Your Boots: Designing the Ultimate Maine Mudroom.
6. What furniture and activities should shape the rooms?
Room names tell only part of the story.
A “dining room” could mean a small table used every day or a gathering space for a dozen people. A “home office” could require one laptop or multiple monitors, file storage, and a quiet background for calls.
Bring measurements for furniture you intend to keep, especially larger pieces.
Also explain the activities that matter:
Reading beside a window
Cooking with another person
Hosting extended family
Practicing music
Sewing, crafting, or working on projects
Watching movies without glare
Exercising at home
Lighting belongs in this conversation, too. Tell your designer where you need focused light, where you prefer a softer atmosphere, and when you use each space.
The goal is not simply to fit furniture inside a room. It is to make the room comfortable to use.
Connect Vision With Reality
7. What do my inspiration photos actually show?
A collection of beautiful photographs is helpful. A collection with explanations is better.
Beside each image, write a short note:
“I like the warm wood, but not the dark cabinets.”
“The covered porch feels sheltered and welcoming.”
“I like the window arrangement more than the exterior color.”
“This kitchen looks comfortable, but I would want less open shelving.”
You may discover that your favorite images share a feeling rather than a single architectural style: calm, warm, uncluttered, traditional, or connected to the outdoors.
Include a few examples you dislike, too. Knowing what feels too formal, too stark, or too busy helps narrow the direction.
8. What do I know about the property?
For a custom home, the house and the site need to be considered together.
Bring whatever information you already have: a survey, property photographs, available septic information, existing plans, or notes from conversations with local officials. You do not need to have every answer before the meeting.
Useful questions include:
Where would you like the house to sit?
Which views matter most?
What do you know about access, utilities, drainage, or ledge?
Are there existing structures to retain or remove?
Is the property near the shore or another regulated resource?
Have any zoning, setback, or permitting questions already come up?
For a renovation, explain what you know about the existing house and what remains uncertain.
Treat this as an information-gathering conversation, not an assumption that a particular house size, location, or addition is already approved.
If you haven’t purchased land yet, say so, site selection should be part of the planning conversation.
9. What is my overall project budget?
Discuss your overall project investment early.
The important distinction is between the amount you hope to spend on the house itself and the amount available for the complete project.
Ask the team to clarify which costs belong in the planning conversation, including design, site work, utilities, construction, finishes, and allowances for uncertainty.
Then separate your priorities into three groups:
Essential features
Features you would like if the investment allows
Features you could simplify or leave for later
Be candid about the items you care about most. You may prefer a smaller home with carefully tailored cabinetry, or a simpler finish palette that leaves room for a generous screened porch.
A useful design conversation is not about getting every idea onto a drawing. It is about deciding which ideas deserve the investment.
Think Beyond Move-In Day
10. How should the home feel to maintain?
Consider how much upkeep you want to take on.
Do you enjoy maintaining natural exterior materials, or would you prefer to discuss alternatives? How much landscaping do you want? Will you be away for extended periods? Are there surfaces or details you already know you find difficult to clean?
Comfort deserves the same attention as appearance.
Tell your designer about cold rooms, drafts, summer overheating, noise, or uneven temperatures in your current home. Those experiences help define what you want to improve.
For a broader look at this topic, read Built for Maine: Designing an Energy-Efficient Home for Our Climate.
11. What is my real timeline?
Start with the date you would like to use the finished space, then explain why that date matters.
Are you coordinating a move, retirement, the sale of another home, or a summer season in Maine? For a renovation, will you stay in the house during construction?
Ask the team to explain the steps between the first meeting and construction, including design development, review, pricing, approvals, and scheduling.
A desired completion date is useful information. It should become the basis for a realistic planning conversation—not an assumed commitment before the project has been evaluated.
12. How do we want to make decisions?
Think about who will participate in the design process and how involved you want to be.
Some homeowners enjoy reviewing every cabinet detail. Others prefer a smaller set of carefully developed options.
Neither approach is wrong. What matters is making expectations clear.
Before the meeting, discuss where household members agree and where opinions differ. If one person wants a fully open layout and another wants separate rooms, bring that disagreement into the conversation.
You do not need to resolve it alone.
Ask how concepts will be presented, how revisions will be handled, and what decisions need to happen at each stage. Plans and 3D visualization can support that discussion, but your feedback still needs to explain what feels right and what does not.
Bring a Simple Starting Brief
You do not need a presentation binder. A short, thoughtful summary is enough to start a productive conversation.
Use this checklist before your first meeting:
Our main reason for building or renovating is:
The people who will regularly use the home are:
Our three most important priorities are:
The things we want to preserve are:
Our biggest frustrations with our current home are:
The furniture or belongings we need to accommodate are:
Our preferred overall investment range is:
Our desired timeline and why it matters is:
The property information we already have includes:
The questions we need help answering are:
Bring a handful of inspiration images with notes, any relevant plans or property documents, and an open mind.
The first meeting is not about having all the answers. It is about giving your design team a clear understanding of your life so you can work toward the right answers together.
At Generations Custom Homes, our approach centers on Superior Quality, Efficiency & Function—thoughtful design paired with practical construction planning. The Generations Promise reflects our commitment to honest communication, careful craftsmanship, and a true partnership throughout the process.
Planning a custom home, addition, or major renovation in Ellsworth, Hancock County, Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island, or Greater Bangor?
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