Best House Floor Plans

When many homeowners ponder the dream home, an expansive log home floor plan comes to mind. Unlike the practicality that log home floor plans originally played in housing immigrants, farmers and ranchers, the house plan is preferred today for its classic architecture. 

• The history of the log home floor plan chronicles the 17^th and 18^th centuries when Eastern European immigrants moved to America.

• The log home floor plan is prime for natural furnishings. Bamboo, teak, lava rock, glass and Jerusalem stone  are décor compatible.

• Some architects recommend that homebuyers experience spending the night in a vacation log home before opting for the floor plan.

• As for containing building costs, architects recommend opting for a log home floor plan with few corners.

• To save on building costs, shop for log home floor plans with a simple roof line.

• Select log home floor plans that are comprised of fewer intricate design features to allow for reducing energy costs. For example, a large window facing southern exposure heats the home during the winter months.

• The smaller the square footage and efficiently divided rooms, the more economical the log home floor plan is to build.

• According to certain heat and cooling contractors, well sealed wall logs coupled with a wood stove offers a better savings on the heating bill than an open fireplace.

• Today, many log home floor plans are architected in accordance with  various certification standards by Leadership in Energy and Environmental  Design (LEED).  

• House Plans and More.com maintains an extensive database of log home floor plans, an home floor plan estimator as well as other house plan styles.

Review related information by clicking on  ”log-home-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?

An overview of the best southwestern home floor plans

Southwestern home floor plans used to be architectural styles exemplary of housing in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. Today, the Southwestern inspired floor plan knows no geographic boundaries. This week at BestHomeFloorPlans, we went on a virtual tour reviewing information about the Southwestern floor plan. Here’s what we learned:

The Profile: Generally, the southwestern home floor plan is a single level abode, shrouded by a flat roof. The     structure is often asymmetrically structured with brick cloaked in stucco walls and an, enclosed porch

Other Aliases: The Southwestern home plan has several aliases, including: Dubbed, an Adobe, Mission, Pueblo and – or the Spanish Revival home.

Related floor plans The Southwestern floor plan is similar to the Native American and Spanish-Colonial styles.

Southwestern Home Factoid: If you switch placement of the letters, “B” and “D” in the word abode, “adobe” is a commonly used to describe the southwestern style of a home constructed from clay bricks.

Past and Present In the past, the Southwestern floor plan was protected by dense walls to keep intruders out. On the exterior, walls from both sides of the home adjoined to create an expansive courtyard. Today, the courtyard is not entirely enclosed and highlighted with a fountain and pool, as seen at HGTV.

Best Southwestern Floor Plans: At HomePlansandMore.com, this luxurious 3-floor southwestern floor plan was breathtaking. With 1300 square footage almost evenly split between two floors, the expansive space effortlessly accommodates four bedrooms, a 2-car garage, a full basement and more.

Statuesque windows, smooth-faced exterior walls in a light, earthy-toned stucco, this floor plan is representative of the architecture of New Mexico and Arizona.
As for a dwelling, reflective of the dream home, this southwestern home is to buy for.

Meanwhile, be sure to compare our other featured home styles.

Related Articles:

Southwestern Architectural Style

The Southwestern Style Wasn’t Invented

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.

Have you ever opened your home to a guest to realize that elusion was the key to warranting a pleasant visit for all parties involved?

Now that the real estate bubble has popped, and financing is at an appealing rate, we must turn our attentions to shopping for guesthouse floor plans. They are the type of dwellings where one can entertain without compromising one’s privacy.

As the summer months approach, guests and unexpected visitors are as prevalent as flowers in bloom. Entertaining, out of town company, is like running a bed and breakfast. It comes with great responsibility. There are the accommodations, continental breakfast offerings, separate bathing quarters and much more to consider.
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