Archive for January, 2009

Cool House Plans Searching Tips

Friday, January 30th, 2009

How and where to find cool house plans at an affordable price?

Cool houses plans are the type of renderings that ooze with alluring, physical appeal, but without appearing as a visual simulation of other cookie cutter blueprints.  The design possesses a timelessness that never dates itself.  It’s tantamount to being struck by the symmetry of a Frank Lloyd Wright Home.  Nevertheless, the quest for cool house plans on the Internet can be an overwhelming and unfulfilling journey.

Cool house plans intimate a conduciveness for daily existence. They exude an unpretentiousness suspended by aesthetic design.  However, a Google search, using the key words: “cool house plans,” returns domiciles ranging from Victorians, Tudor, Green Homes, Bungalow, and so forth. Many of the house plans are the norm and not what most would rate as the ultra cool.

To simplify the quest for a website presenting a wealth of cool house floor plans, we found the house plans at House Plans and More to be in a league of what most would consider breathtaking. For instance, the Rustic Craftsman Home with Stone is a cool house plan, for the simple fact that it works in a mountainous area, the Midwest and even overlooking an ocean. Off the great room, a sun-drenched breakfast room introduces an expansive, lightness.

Although, cool house plans are not necessarily modern in style, we found this one to showcase sustainability, traversed by the picturesque. Interior and exterior spaces are appropriately dovetailed, presenting continuity from the outside, in. The living room features a front row seat to a panoramic view of the outdoors, delineated by a wrap around wooden deck.

While these are just a few examples of cool house plans, additional home drafts are abundantly inventoried at House Plans and More. The site is a real resource for viewing a variety of home designs. Aside from the wide range of architectural choices, the site offers online support, too.

In the interim, be sure to post your cool house plan questions, below. Happy house plan hunting!

Does Your Floor Plan Call for Home Insulation?

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

Improving your house plan’s energy efficiency with home insulation.

If your house floor plan calls for reducing your energy bill, insulating the home is a cost effective solution. There are six telltale signs that your domicile really needs a home insulation update:

  • High energy bills – if your heating and cooling costs are exorbitant, home insulation can shave your energy costs over the duration of your ownership.
  • Extreme temperatures disparities – If your house really sizzles during summer months and turns into the South Pole in the winter, insulation will regulate the temperatures.
  • Over 25 years old – Eighty percent of the homes built prior to the 80s were constructed without insulation. New constructions should include the floor plan’s insulation schematics.
  • Street and Road Noise – if you can hear screeching tires and other road sounds, home insulation will silence a percentage of those loud noises.

If all the aforementioned indications are too familiar proceed with the following:

  • Before you insulate your home, find out which insulation is conducive for your climate, the schematics of your property.
  • Set a budge according to the insulation R-values of your property. Vital Fact: “R-Values” are relevant to home insulation because they determine how resistant the roof and walls are to the transfer of heat. R-values are based on your region’s climate, the home’s design, and other contingencies.
  • Read more about the various types of insulation, below:

Types of Home Insulation
Insulation can be comprised of a number of materials. Generally, insulation is available in different formats:

  • Foam Insulation: is twice as thick as other insulation materials of the same density (R-4 to R-6.5/ per inch of thickness).
  • Blanket, roll and bat are a derivative of rock wool and fiberglass insulation. The flexible material comes in a variation of slab sizes suitable for standard wall spacing, floor hoists, and wall studs.
    Mini particles of rock wool, cellulose or fiberglass are the most common materials contained in loose fill insulation. Sold in nodules, shreds or granules, this type of insulation is conducive for those hard to reach places, using a pneumatic device.
    Ideal for interior environments with limited space or areas that require higher R-values, rigid foam insulation is good for rooms with cathedral ceilings as well as lofted areas.