6 sources of inspiration for your build

Planning your home designs or renovations should be a bit fearful and overwhelming. Even if you're entrusting a designer or an architect with most of the hard decisions, the concept's still down to what suits you best.

If you're not chewing your nails to a bloody stump when you're considering what you want, it's possibly a sign that you need to dust off your brain and think much harder about the endless options you have in front of you.

The world's full of spectacular ideas about to how we're able to live in our built spaces, what we can build, and how we can tweak and refine our homes to make them more comfortable, functional, efficient or pretty. Half the battle's finding the right ideas...

Where to find house ideas

If you're stuck for inspiration, here's a few sites and services you can use to broaden your horizons:

1. Friends and family - Sounds so simple and obvious, but you may find that where your ideas end, theirs begin. We all have different experiences and see things through a different lens, and friends and family can be a surprising source of inspiration.

2. Speed Date a Sustainable Designer - The Alternative Energy Association's putting on free consultations in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for people who are building and renovating. If you'd like to know more about how you can make your project more sustainable, this is a great place to start.

3. My Architect - This is an Australia-wide service that gives you a 2.5 hour consultation with an architect who'll discuss what you're after, give you some ideas and draw up some basic sketches. Starting at $850, it's a good way to dip your toes in the water and get some serious professional advice before committing wholeheartedly.

4. Display homes and villages - Home builders employ professional designers to make their display homes ooze with design sensibility. If you're weighing up options (or simply fishing for ideas), seeing things in the flesh can make all the difference. Don't be afraid to look at a few from different builders.

5. Real estate agents' magazines - Where better to draw inspiration than from the best houses on the market? Most real estate agents will have books and magazines showcasing different homes in your area, and these are a gold mine for ideas.

6. Pinterest - This site's a veritable feast of creative design suggestions of all sorts, and features very active architecture and design communities. Pinterest also lets you to save, aggregate and categorise your favourite ideas, as well as to share them with others. Our board's here, come share with us.

Got any other clever ideas? Let us know below...