Best House Floor Plans

At Dictionary.com, the definition of a hearth is “the fireplace’s floor, usually made of brick or stone…often extending a short distance into a room.” With more domiciles trying to be green, hearths are making a comeback in home design. Several Web sites, such as Home Floor Plans and More, are highlighting these antiquated heat sourced, centerpieces as a catalyst for being green.

Best House Floors Plans went snooping around to determine the benefits, green features and facts about hearths. Here’s what we learned:

1)    Hearth rooms are emerging as the new gathering epicenter of the home. Situated in close proximity to the kitchen, and the midpoint of the home floor plan, hearths warm multiple rooms at a time.

2)    In home design and as seen on these house floor plans, hearths are a sizzling new trend.

3)    Over the last decade, numerous new energy efficient, burning fireplaces and inserts have become available on the market. These new products release far less particulate matter than older models.

4)    According to HomePlansandMore, hearth rooms are also referred to as a “keeping room”, characteristic of Colonial times.

5)    Constructed of stone or brick, hearths are emblematic of masonry fireplaces.

6)    Although, many people contend that hearths are not designed to be a primary heat source, most agree that hearths institute a sense of aesthetic warmth.

7)    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed a program, mandating the certification of hearths, built-in fireplaces and fireplace inserts.  As a result, consumers, who are shopping for a hearth, can learn how-to distinguish the green fireplace insert.

8)    Certain hearths, fireplace inserts and fireplaces qualify for the federally funded Tax Credit, which covers up to $1500 or a 30 percent credit of the total purchase, (effective now through December 31, 2010).

9)    Environmentalists theorize that a biomass, burning fireplace can save heating costs, annually by up to 40 percent.

So, you be the judge, do you think hearths are really green?

Add your opinion.

Related Articles:

Gas Burning 101

Wood Fireplace Insert Pros and Cons

Fireplace Solutions That Are Economical, Energy Efficient, Eco-Friendly, and Easy

What Is A Keeping Room?

How to design your own home

Designing your own home is a voyage into the unknown. Everyone has their favorite space etched in their mind. For some, it’s a majestic media room fully loaded with wireless technology, gadgets and toys. Epicureans prefer to fantasize about the kitchen, featuring a Viking 8- burner stove, eco-friendly counters situated close to an outdoor terrace. For relaxing and entertaining, the great room and outdoor deck are other focal points.

Regardless of what your favorite room is — research, planning and decisiveness are the key elements to design your own home. Between the rising cost of building supplies, labor horror stories and mining through municipal bylaws and regulations, many homeowners find the process too overwhelming for consideration. To help organize the steps entailed in planning the design of your own house, Best House Floor Plans gathered a few details and tips provided by House Floor Plans and more.

Before you are carried away, reviewing awe-inspiring floor plans, start your research at city hall. Find out how much the builder’s permit costs. Inquire whether residential taxes are assessed according to the size of the lot or home. Investigate every single cost involved in building the new home.

Determine if there are any specific restrictions (i.e., electricity, plumbing water, etc). Make a copy of your town’s building codes and standards.

Next, review the budget. How much do you have put aside and how much can you realistically afford without delving into the savings account?

Plan for the worse case scenario. Can you afford to design your own home if the household income suddenly changes?

Budget and Finance Tip – To account for the unknown, add or set aside an additional 10 to 20 percent to the design your home budget.

Next, start familiarizing yourself with house floor plans.

Design your home tip: For more than 14,000 dream house floor plans, Houseplansandmore.com has a profusion of amazing home design ideas.

Does anyone know what eco-logical home design is? Obviously, the contractors, engineers and manufacturers of these creations understand the dynamics. Aside from buying an energy efficient refrigerator, what makes an eco-home design really green?

Green design is similar to feng shui.  Just as the ancient Chinese ideology follows a philosophy for a harmonious existence, “going green” adheres to an eco-awareness. Objectives include: quality design, conservation and cost efficiency. (Actually design is optional, but for the sake of this article, it’s a prerequisite).

And, before delving into the components of planning the green qualities of your home, it is important to understand the eco-conscious mindset.

The Ecological Design Philosophy

Are there any credos to being green? Is eco-awareness limited to solar windows, the energy efficiency of appliances or how much one recycles?  Yes and no. Eco-home design goes well beyond our recycling capabilities and energy efficiency. The eco-philosophy evaluates everything from the production process, transportation fuel consumption to the efficiency of the product itself.

Here are a few of the fundamentals behind eco-home design.

Reduce the use of gas consumption. Whether it’s the importation of a box of bamboo from Calcutta, or having the limestone excavated from California and transported to one’s home, both expend gas consumption and energy. The eco-logical concept opts for the most accessible, efficient alternative. That means relying on local resources, vendors and contractors/designers.

Improve air quality. Clean air exceeds the carbon emissions we create and the cigarettes that are smoked. Air quality includes the products used to prime, paint and bond. From the wall to the counter space, use products free of urea formaldehyde and other toxins.

Conserve with sustainable elements while maximizing efficiency. Use recycled products and natural resources to create light or save energy costs. Home furnishing accessories, like cabinets, are recyclable from agencies such as the Building Material Reuse Association (umba.org).