Best House Floor Plans

Is it possible to evoke a feeling with home lighting design?

Whether it’s stunning or bland, home lighting designs influence the ambiance, stage the setting and inspire the mood. Have you ever noticed how a dark, dreary room makes you feel tired or how bright and airy spaces have a way of lifting the mood? This week, we’ll review three lighting techniques to engage the senses, and polarize visual appeal.

Introduce an element of drama

The living room, library and even the bedroom are spaces to introduce an element of dramatic lighting. With accent lighting, the contrast of surrounding light conjures a visual illumination, accentuating the room’s depth and texture. Accent lighting is effective for highlighting a specific piece of furniture. Due to its high contrast, it has a tendency dictate a space’s ambiance.

Home lighting design tip: Select accent lighting a minimum of three times the brightness of the contiguous space with a contrast ratio of 5:1.

Inspire comfort and warmth
Not all light fixtures evoke the same moods. Shadows, focal points and aesthetic iridescences present warming effects. For instance, the decorative pendant light serves multiple purposes. Both aesthetic and functional, the pendant light casts shadows of intimacy above the sofa as well as over the bistro fashioned table.

Home lighting design tip: For the best placement, the pendant light should be adjusted 30” – 35” above it’s focal point or the feature presentation (furniture, art work, etc).
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Are log home floor plans really eco-friendly? An overview of the log cabin floor plan – past and present…

Log home floor plans epitomize the meaning of the ultra cool floor plan. Timeless in their craftsmanship, the home design exudes the comfort of living green. Over the years, the log home floor plan has made its way back into the residential property market. This week, we’re reviewing its history, design and eco-friendly qualities.

The Log Home Floor Plan in History
Available in a multitude of home designing possibilities, throughout architectural history, the log house and log cabin have served different meanings. During the colonial period, the log cabin floor plan was developed as a temporary home manufactured with unfinished logs.

Conversely, log houses were considered the dream home floor plan constructed with the permanence to endure atmospheric extremities. Dubbed as the puncheon floor, the log house’s floor was handcrafted of flat timber featuring a sanded, smooth side-up. In the main living area, the hearth took center stage and multi-tasked as a stove, heat and lighting source. With its single heat source, no air conditioning and dense walls, the log home floor plan was energy efficient as long as the wind was not too gusty.

Log Home Floor Plans – Today
Today, the log home floor plan continues to showcase its green architectural splendor. Unlike the original log home floor plans of the colonial period, today’s floor plans feature numerous contemporary features. For instance, an expansive window with southern exposure depicts exterior views. A veranda off the solarium serves as a tranquil respite from the rest of the planet.

Log Home Floor Plan Fact:

Compared to the wood frame floor plan, the log cabin house has the capacity to save homeowners between $150 and $400 per year in energy costs. [Source: The Log Home Council]

Aside from the mouth dropping aesthetics of the log home floor plan, it comes with oodles of eco-friendly components. The Log Home Organization provided the Best House Floor Plans with specific qualities that influence the eco-friendliness of the log house floor plan:

• The utilization of renewable resources (in example: timber)
• Unlike the conventional home, which requires layers of walling, log walls are surfaced as finished.
• Less production and energy consumption is needed for processing timber into logs
• Other energy efficient features

For more designing ideas for plotting a purely green log home floor plan, stop by the Best House Floor Plans.com

Where to find home design resources, information and complete house floor plans?

While HGTV complements the information seen on its line-up of television programming, online consumers depend on an exclusive, site resource for comprehensive house design and useful advice: HousePlansandMore.com. As a division of HDA, Inc., the site presents a smorgasbord of data, facts and solutions for starting a home design project. We found the site to offer an affluence of learning tools, creative ideas, and other helpful house planning related intelligence:

•    The Legal Kit — For only $35, the Legal Kit is loaded with just about every legal contract vital to preventing confusion with contractors. The legal package includes bid proposals, contractor proposal forms, construction contracts and other legal contract forms.

•    Library of Home Design Plans — From A to W, HousePlansandMore.com showcases a comprehensive library of just about every architectural rendering known to mankind (i.e. Waterfront, Plantation Houses, Cape Cod New England and other house plans].

•   Special discounts — The site’s online identity  is all about simplifying home design for the new property, room addition or remodeling project. House Plans and More demonstrates this philosophy on their special discount page, where certain drawings can be purchased at ridiculously low discount prices.

•    Project Plans — For the home design enthusiast, House Plans and More is loaded with fun project ideas for the deck, gazebo, and garage—to name a few. The site’s unique and affordable yard artwork is well worth a perusal.

•    Live Support — Interact with House Plans and More live customer home design specialists. Questions pertaining to designing ideas are answered 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

Although the above aforementioned list is a brief sampling of what House Plans and More has to offer, the site’s most redeeming quality is its attention to the home design budget. Meanwhile, be sure to stop by next week, when we’re reviewing an ultra affordable home design.

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!

Tips and tricks to finding a beach house floor plan.

As chilly climates creep into some of our realities, our attentions are distracted by the winter retreat. Most beach houses are a warm escape from the confines of urban or country living. But, unlike other house plans, the beach house calls for a little more meticulous planning. Unless you’re buying a home ready to move in, the choices of a beach house are a renovation or building a beach house from the ground up.

Original architectural designs tend to be exorbitant to say the least. The ultimate buy is the pre-designed beach house. Most house plans start at $500. Considering the normal copyright rates of a unique house floor plan, pre–made ones are just as functional.

If you plan to have your home built from the ground up, select beach house plans specific to the foundation type of your proposed site. Also, make sure that the materials used to construct your home are conducive for stability. Although certain beach houses are erected using stilts, every municipality has its own building codes. (Be sure to check your county’s guidelines).

If you plan to build your beach house from ground zero, you’ll need a comprehensive floor plan, including, but not limited to the features listed below:

Building Section – includes the roofline, footing, insulation, wall space, deck framing, and other specific details regarding the beach house plan.

Floor Plans – are comprised of the framing dimensions, locations, etc.

Roof Framing Plan – a composite of the roof, materials as well as other architectural considerations.

Foundation Plan – detailed renderings, from the posts, beams to the layout of the basement.

Electrical Plans – comprehensive blueprint of the electrical plans (i.e. light fixtures, light switch placement, outlets, etc).

Exterior Elevations – are sketches/renderings of the right, left, front and rear profiles of the house.

A number of resources feature beach house floor plans. One of the best places to start your research is at HGTVPro.com the site has more then 30 stunning and affordable beach house floor plans.

Stay tuned for our next post featuring a list of your most wanted dream house features. We’ll be discussing some of the latest trends in luxuriant dream house living.

Review what a floor plan is and what do know before you select your house floor plans…

In this installment of Best House Floor Plans, we’re talking basics. So, we are backtracking to the fundamentals of what defines a floor plan. Below are ten concepts to understand about floor plans:

A floor plan includes…
the interior and exterior designs schematics of a home.

Floor plans are developed by…
architects and home designers. Draftsmen can render modifications; however because copyright laws are applicable to floor plans, owners are required to purchase house plans.

Stock floor plans…
are less expensive than hiring a home designer or architect to customize a brand new floor plan.

Selecting the floor plan is…
the first part of building a new home.

Various companies offer home floor plan…
customization services. For a fixed price, they can take a stock floor plan and tweak it to the homeowner’s specifications.

Before deciding on a customized or stock floor plan…
be sure to check with your area’s local building codes, copyright laws as well as any other requirements. For instance, prior to homebuilding approval, certain municipalities mandate the review and approval of any house floor plan.

Redlining is a…
house floor plan term that means to amend the blueprints. To illustrate any modifications, homebuilders used to take a red pen to the floor plan. Today, red-lining is considered an affordable means of making changes to the house plans. But, again make sure the changes are within your town’s building codes.

Most designers recommend…
floor plans that merge comfort, contrast and texture.

When it comes to hiring a specialist to modify your house plans, select a local draftsman. The reason is that a professional from your area will know the building codes, hence incorporating municipal guidelines with your design specifications.

Here are some great articles on floor plans and finding the right one for you from House Plans and More:

• Floor Plans For Your Families Needs
• Open Floor Plans
• What’s the Right Plan for You?
• Why Buy Stock Plans?

What’s the best framing material to design my new greenhouse?

If you’re thinking about developing the floor plans to a new greenhouse, there’s more to choosing between a cold frame and wooden frame. Greenhouse building materials depends on several factors:

• How much space do you have?
• What is your budget?
• How you plan to use your greenhouse?
• How much time do you have to invest in the maintenance of your greenhouse?

Today, we’re reviewing four common greenhouse frames:

• Cold frame
• Galvanized steel
• Wooden frame
• Aluminum-metal frames

Cold Frame
The cold frame is the least expensive and easiest greenhouse to add to your house floor plans. Unlike other greenhouses, where artificial sources of heat are used, the cold frame depends on natural sunlight. The cold frame greenhouse is a good place for the novice gardener to start. For the veteran, it works as a handy supplement to the main greenhouse.

Wood
The combination of glass in a wooden frame green house is visually appealing. The wooden green house is conducive for extremely arid climates. Although wooden frame seems like a natural structure for a greenhouse, there’s a downside: moisture absorption. As it absorbs moisture, wood frames tend to rot rapidly, calling for too much maintenance and too many treatment applications.

Galvanized steel
One of the best and most expensive greenhouse structures is galvanized steel. With its durability and the capacity to withstand the harshest of environments, the galvanized greenhouse frame is built to last. Costlier and more heavy-duty than the wooden frame, the galvanized steel greenhouse is resilient to wear and tear, and does not call for the extra work.

Aluminum Metal Frame
Aside from the value, there’s a wealth of reasons to opt for the aluminum frame greenhouse. The advantages are lifespan and overall care. The aluminum-metal frame greenhouse is suitable for extending growing seasons and maintaining a garden all year round. Aluminum requires very little in the way of maintenance. What most greenhouse owners, love about the material, is that it does not rot or rust.

For more examples, check out greenhouse framing materials.

Generally, aluminum frames come in several colors or finishes:

• Bronze
• Dark Silver
• Green
• Silver
• White

In fact, the aluminum greenhouse has a reputation for weather resiliency. Because the slight framing minimizes shadows, botanicals get the best sun exposure. Moreover, in terms of windows, the aluminum – metal green house is compatible with a number of paneling alternatives:

• Glass
• Polycarbonate
• Plastic

At the end of the day, whether, you decide on a cold frame, wooden frame, aluminum metal or galvanized steel, the ultimate green house decision is based on budget and time. In case you missed our first installation on greenhouses, you can catch up on your research with Green house Floor Planning Considerations.

But, click here for more ideas on adding a greenhouse to you house floor plan.

This week we’re stepping out of the house and into the outdoors to make some eco-friendly touches. From the backyard, patio, to the balcony, we’ll be shedding the radiance on how to turn your outdoor lighting into a green urban sanctuary.

In the northern states, summertime is the designated time of year for frolicking and entertaining outdoors. One does not have to go far to escape interior confinement. There’s no need to make a trek over to the closest outdoor café, the beach or even the park. 

As summer is all about enjoyment, we wanted our exterior space to epitomize fun.

So, we went shopping for eco-accessories, as in outdoor lighting and eco-friendly bug repellant. We took three environmentally unsavory outdoor products and found some festive but green alternatives.

Outdoor Toxic Problems and Green Fixes

String Lights
A little lighting sets the ambiance outdoors. At Target, we found some lovely, colorful string lights, but the package had a prominent warning about the cord containing lead. With the exception of this eco-unfriendly quality, the string of lights met our other shopping criteria: vividly muted illuminations.

Green Fix: As an alternative, we settled for solar light panels. The panels feature subdued vibrant incandescence and sporadically changes a spectrum of colors.

Tiki Torch
There’s something so lively and yet so noxious about the tiki torch. While the flame is natural, the black smoke billowing from the torch is not. Sans the toxic fumes, we found an eco-friendly alternative: the solar torchlight. Not as ostentatious as the tiki torch, the energy efficient flicker of amber LED lighting turned the carbon emitting tiki torch into a sophisticate shade of ambient outdoor lighting.   Made of bamboo and without the wiring, the solar torchlight is fuss free.

Citronella Candle and Bug Repellant
To keep mosquitoes at bay, we went looking for non-toxic alternatives to the citronella candle and bug repellant, DEET. What we found is 10 times more effective than both without the harmful fumes.

Green Fix: Catnip is a naturally potent mosquito repellent that smells of soothing mint.

If you are looking for an eco-friendly alternative and need advice, we welcome your questions.

Choosing a design for your home building project is an adventure. There are so many different options in building a home. One of the things to choose is your windows. Windows might at first seem like a simple task to accomplish. I mean really, they are plates of glass surrounded by wood or metal. Right? Well this is where we get down to the nitty gritty. Watch out, you are in for a fun ride! In all seriousness though, windows are obviously functional and the add ambiance to a room. There are a few basic things to pay attention to when choosing your windows. I found some great articles online to help me with the task of window placement in a new home. You will find their names and links in the rundown below. 

Window placement has an effect on your home’s appearance, ambiance and comfort. The type of windows you choose for your house will show your taste and frame (no pun intended) the theme of your house. Your windows will also display what is on the outside of them along with what is in the inside. That is a good thing to remember. 

Notes to self:
Ÿ         I love bay windows, I think they are beautiful and let us view the beautiful nature around us. But at the same time they can be a fish bowl. All too often you see a bay window in a kitchen’s dining area. At night you can drive around a neighborhood and see lots of houses with people sitting at the dinner table eating. Do you like people seeing you eat? I don’t, so you might want to rethink putting that bay window around your dinning area. J Remember “Fish bowl” when placing any window in your home.Ÿ
         The debate on windows in a bathroom. Remember that a window is great for venting a bathroom and do the job so much better than most fans. Yet keep in mind privacy is needed. Use skylights, glass blocks or transom windows. These will all let the light in while giving you some privacy.
 Ÿ         Remember to place your windows wisely based on the sun. The sun will hit different windows at different times. Be careful not to overheat your house with windows facing the wrong way. If you want your favorite room to be filled with sunlight in the morning remember that the sun comes up in the east.
             Don’t forget to have fun! Windows frame not only the glass they encase, but the feel of your home. Play around with the different places you can place windows and all the different types. 

The rundown:

Most of my information is from this article from thisoldhouse.com:

Planning Window Placement 
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,702388,00.html

Great article on Window placement for light from home tips.com:
Window Placement for Optimal use of Daylight
http://www.hometips.com/cs-protected/guides/daylighting/window_placement.html  

Wonderful articles on window types and window treatments from houseplansandmore.com

Windows
http://www.houseplansandmore.com/resource_center/window_types.aspx
Window Treatments
http://www.houseplansandmore.com/resource_center/window_treatments.aspx

Its spring time and many homeowners are moving their activities outside. Outdoor rooms and entertainment areas have continued to increase in their popularity. Home additions such as sunrooms, decks, patios, gazebos, and other outdoor building projects are continuing to pop up all over neighborhoods. If you are looking for a new outdoor addition for entertaining company, leisure activities, or just lounging around outside, there are several sites with the project plans you need to build the addition you have been waiting for. Houseplansandmore.com is a leader in do-it-yourself outdoor project plans including deck plans, gazebo plans, outdoor furniture plans, and other great outdoor additions. Other sites that offer great do-it-yourself plan are newwoodworker.com, rockler.com, and abetterdesign.net.

The Rundown 

RISMedia.com recently features an article on outdoor home trends.

GardenWeb featured a nice tiered deck plan in February.

 Families.com featured an article on outdoor fireplaces.