When you are building a new home, choosing a floor plan is one of the first and most important decisions that you will make. Choosing a floor plan requires that you consider your current needs as well as your future needs. As you consider which floor plan is best for your family, keep these top five factors in mind.

1. Traffic Flow

Unless you live alone and do not have people over, choosing a floor plan that facilitates good traffic flow will be important. Some considerations with traffic flow include the placement of heavily or frequently used rooms, such as half-baths and kitchens. Placing these two rooms too close to each other can create a traffic headache during the busiest times of your day.

2. Accessibility

Choosing a floor plan for your home also requires that you keep accessibility in mind. If you plan to live in your new home for a long time, you may wish to include features such as wide doorways that could accommodate a wheelchair or walker. You might also want to consider accessible plumbing fixtures, cabinets and drawers. These features will allow you to enjoy your new home and will allow you to accommodate guests with disabilities.

3. Schedules

If you are an early riser, you may not want your master bedroom or child’s bedroom to be located directly above the kitchen or garage. Kitchen activities and the opening and closing of the garage door produce a lot of noise that can disturb other members of your household. Although schedules can change, it is important to consider when and how each area of your home will be used.

4. Safety and Privacy

Your home’s floor plan will have a considerable impact on its safety. You may wish to have some areas of your home more private so that guests do not have access to them. This might mean a second-level master suite and nursery. You may also wish to have a sort of buffer zone between your front door and living room or your attached garage and the living areas.

5. Room to Grow

If there is a possibility that your household could grow in size because of a new baby, a child returning home after college or even the addition of a family pet, choose a floor plan that offers room to grow. Flexible spaces such as dens that double as bedrooms may be a good option for growth.