Victorian home plans possess distinctive architectural design qualities. The history of these massive floor plans is traceable to England’s Queen Victoria, whom the expansive homes were dubbed. Between 1837 and 1901[Source: Wikipedia], there was a proliferation of these homes in America. From the East coast to the West, the Victorian home floor plan was as a popular as today’s townhouse.

Nevertheless, the following features characterize these architecturally astounding single-family homes:

•    Two-stories
•    Turrets
•    Steep roof pitches
•    Eyebrow windows
•    Narrow-lap wood siding or shingles
•    Porches with turned posts a
•    Open, decorative railed stairways
•    Formal Dining Room
•    A solarium multitasking as a breakfast nook
•    Expansive verandas
•    Vaulted great room

In an effort to find Victorian house floor plans reminiscent of the 19th Century, Best House Floor Plans went looking for the best Victorian house floor plans and here’s what we found:

•    Featuring a dramatic 360-degree staircase, wraparound enclosed porch and an octagon shaped master bedroom; we stumble upon this Victorian house floor plan at HouseFloorPlans and More

•    This Queen Ann style Victorian house floor plan is characteristic of home built during the Industrial revolution.

•    At Architectural House Plans, this Victorian home photo collection provided a wealth of design ideas.

Nevertheless—for a variety of Victorian home floor plans to choose from — HouseFloorPlansandMore.com features a wealth of options. Next time, we’ll be looking for a plot of land to build your Victorian home floor plan.

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In reality, home construction projects rarely conjure the same type of elation. Whether it’s the new room addition, a complete renovation or for the construction for a new home, finding a builder who has the expertise, artisanship and ethical acumen is the difference between sobbing for satisfaction versus shedding tears of emotional devastation.

Hiring the right builder to architect the schematics of your home floor plan is the most paramount aspect of the project’s undertaking. Best House Floor Plans compiled a short list for finding and hiring the right builder.

1) Begin the quest at Home Floor Plans and More. The home design site has a database of 17,000 home floor plans and hundreds of homebuilders throughout the nation.

2) Next, execute the following due diligence:

*  Review the license.

*  Conduct your own background check.  Ask for references. The verification is a two-part process. First, ask to review photos of completed projects. Second, contact the builder’s previous clients to learn about the quality of the contractor’s craftsmanship. If possible, try to schedule a brief meeting with the homeowners to evaluate completed projects. Also, check with your local attorney general’s office to determine if there are any complaints or suits pending against the builder.

3) Ask the pertinent questions:

How many projects do you currently have in development?
If your builder is juggling multiple projects at a time, it could drag out your project’s completion date. A homebuilder with too many projects may be unable to complete your home on time.

What are your policies and procedures for purchasing building parts and labor?

4) Obtain bids from three different contractors. Be sure to peruse and compare the details of each quote.

5) Make sure you download a contract at the Home Floor Plans and More that indemnifies you from legal obligation to any of the builder’s vendors and contractors.

Share your best and worst home design project stories with us.

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