Townhouse home plans appeal to a cross spectrum of U.S. homeowners. The National Realtor Association (NAR) purports that town home dwellings are growing in popularity for the young couple, desiring more space in urban cities.  Additionally, an uptick of middle aged homeowners are consolidating to simplify house maintenance. Yet, for the owners of these vertical domiciles,
the question becomes: how to rejuvenate a mundane floor plan?

Architects and interior designers concur that re-purposing a town home to accommodate living working in the space with aesthetic functionality resonates with a solid update.

William T. Georgis an architect and designer, based in New York City, exemplifies the renovation credo, when he refashioned a narrow, contemporary space for work and daily existence.

Touting a vertical home and work environs, Mr. Georgis merged natural elements with quirky embellishments. Juxtaposing bright furniture harmonized with light bright walls,  a 70ish styled disco ball introduces an element of depth, reflection and whimsy to an intimately sized living room. (Source: Homedsgn.com http://www.homedsgn.com/2011/12/24/east-72-street-townhouse-by-william-t-georgis-architect).

But as a custom-repurposed house plan can be cost prohibitive, pre-designed townhouse home plans are affordable. On the website, HouseplansandMore.com, a search returns multilevel homes that are not untypical of the traditionally attached townhouse. The floor plans range in size, square footage, amenities and of course cost.

From the selection of the floor plan, to its costs and even professional advice on starting a rebuild project, House Plans and More maintains a several resources.

Gathering information regarding local building codes, bylaws and  permit fees enables the homeowner planning to update the townhouse home plan to budget accordingly.

The homework for building a new townhouse home plan or any floor plan calls for significant due diligence. Nevertheless, a plethora of online resources such as HPM simplify the process.

Between purchasing the appropriate floor plan, hiring a seasoned homebuilding contractor to develop the project and  other important details—such as adhering to municipal code requirements, floor plan transformations necessitate a slew of pertinent details. That’s why more and more residential property owners dream house plan is made possible by a television show. But the burning question is how to appeal to these shows for consideration.

Take the floor plan photos.

In order to be considered for a home improvement makeover, remember to include at least four photos.  Make sure your photos are well lit, highlighting the reason for the floor plan renovation. Since,most home improvement homes have a budget ranging between $30,000 and $150,000 (depending on the show) most are unable to accommodate intricate roofing, electrical and plumbing problems.

According to home improvement designer, Frank Fontana: home improvement shows look for homes, exuding average cosmetic issues that can be transformed within a week of production time or less.

Create your pitch.

In television, the best story possesses a unique angle. Few television producers will be inspired to contact you just because “you need a new guest room floor plan.” So does everyone else, who writes to these home improvement shows. Be sure to include any unique details, which give your story an interesting layer to your floor plan request.  

For instance:

• “…We were planning to redesign the floor plan until, we both lost our jobs…and now I’m starting a business”

• …My spouse prefers contemporary design. And, modern is more my style. Help us compromise.”

• “…The only problem with the floor plan is this ugly window that serves no purpose.”

Remember to include the important details.

Aside from your address and all your contact digits and email addresses, don’t forget to include details germane to completing the renovation. For instance, do you have any of the supplies needed to complete the floor plan makeover? Are there certain foundation issues that affect redoing the space?

Finally, the formula to landing a TV floor plan makeover is writing a clear, concise and convincing cover letter.

Share your fantasy floor plan makeover with Best House Floor Plans.

How to make good use of under stair space?

Shop for shelving plans or investigate receptacles that can fill the space and serve as an eye catching focal point. Fill shelves with decorative elements related to a specific theme: (South Beach, Japanese art, whimsical, etc.).

Introduce different textures to enhance a floor plan

Juxtapose textures.  Sometimes home owners make the mistake of overdoing one element. Although a leather sectional paired to a matching ottoman turned coffee table seems like a concurrent duo, it’s leather overload. Mix it up. In the photo, brown leather balances the juxtaposition of a travertine, octagon shaped coffee table.

In traditional colonial house plans some second floor bedrooms ceilings that taper down to a window.   Transform the room into a media room or man’s cave. Use the space around the window as a cozy bench. Introduce variegated hues with colorful pillows and

Minimize décor. Another house plan dilemma is the abbreviated foyer.  In cramped foyers, hang a mirror or reflective piece of artwork to create the illusion of spaciousness.  Use one decorative embellishment as the focal point.

How to turn the element of a flawed floor plan into an aesthetically pleasing embellishment? Either remove it all together with a new floor plan or replicate the flaw two or even four times, giving it a function in the room’s overall design scheme.  Camouflage uneven walls with an application of stucco to complete the patchy textured surface.

Review the following light fixtures to determine how to add luminosity to your home floor plan without the cost.

• Dimmable CFL light fixtures
• 3-way compact fluorescent light bulbs
• Compact flood light fixtures
• Triple Tune marathon

Each of the aforementioned light fixtures emits different light, and is designed to fit specific lamps, light pendants and recessed lighting. Since, the compact fluorescent bulb is in its infancy, compared with the incandescent bulb, the lighting possibilities remain uncharted and abounding for the contemporary to modern designed floor plan.

The underlying value of the CFL for any room in the home is to conserve energy costs, and lower greenhouse effects.

Also, consumers should beware that the lamp designed to work with the incandescent bulb is incompatible for the compact fluorescent lamp. Moreover, many compact fluorescent light bulbs are decorative, not requiring a lamp which makes this light fixture a bright ideas for any room of the floor plan.

Layering light is quite simple. Start with the entire room’s floor plan. Select a light which provides general lighting. Next, select a  light dimmer (preferably on compatible with a compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb)  designed to provide ambient and task lighting. Next, pendant lighting fixtures or other decorative lighting that emit iridescence.

For additional information design ideas, click on Garden tubs or Kitchen Fixtures.

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?