Specification Templates

The process of designing a home has a multitude of steps. In some cases, one might hire a design professional to assist with most of the process, in other cases, one might want to take more ownership in that process. There are some items that a design professional such as an architect will ultimately have to do. For example, stamping drawings to for permit submittal purposes. However, there are other items that a homeowner can take ownership of. One such example is choosing finishes and specifications such as lighting and plumbing fixtures, flooring, siding and so on.

This process can be quite fun but as many homeowners find out, it is daunting task! What tile do I want? What brand? What model? What pattern of tile do I want? What finish? What color? What color of grout? There are A LOT of items to choose and organize!

So how can one do this?

Again there are many ways to do this but, one of the best ways we have experienced is through a spreadsheet. Typically we like to break specifications into the following categories:

Interior Finishes

Exterior Finishes

Plumbing Fixtures

Electrical Fixtures

Appliances

Then each spreadsheet will break out an item into subcategories. Let's use the appliance specification as an example. Typically within a home we'll see the following appliances:

Refrigerator

Range

Hood

Dishwasher

Microwave

Washer

Dryer

Then let's looks at a specific item such as the refrigerator. What are the things we need to know about the refrigerator?

Room location

Manufacturer

Model

Color

Finish

Dimensions can be handy

Price

Additional info

Here is a snapshot of a the Appliance Specification template available for purchase HERE.

Knowing these specifics will help speed up the process for the builder when pricing and ordering an appliance package.

So we wanted to help simplify and kickstart the process for you. We are offering specification sheet templates for purchase HERE. This will help you simplify the process of organizing the finish items you want in your new home. This will not only give you organizing tools but, this also will give a document you can share with your design professional or builder to help them both understand the finishes you want but also to help as a pricing tool.

Thanks for reading. If this post was helpful, let us know in the comments.