Category — House Plans

A little over a century ago – largely as a result of the American Centennial Exhibition in 1876 which reawakened the American people to its colonial past – there began a popular Colonial Revival craze in design and architecture. Colonial home plans follow the style of the Revolutionary War period, which in turn were imitative of the medieval English architectural style. This style is referred to as Georgian after the English King Georges who reigned from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, at the time when this building style emerged in both England and America. This style is formal, rigid, and symmetrical, but often with a façade above the door and overhead supported by columns or pillars. These structures are typically two-storied, rectangular or square in design, with the length of the building parallel to the street. Steep roofs with gables crown a symmetrical façade which has a large central doorway and evenly-spaced windows on either side. The central fireplace and chimney were necessary to provide heating and cooking facilities in the original colonial design. Usually the entranceway opens into a hall which leads from the front of the house to the back, and gives access to the downstairs rooms on either side. This basic plan can be and has been modified to incorporate decorative features such as elaborate front doors with crown pediment decoration, sidelights and overhead fanlights; side porches and sunrooms; and porches with multiple columns. Interior decoration ideally consists of actual colonial antiques and handiwork, or reproductions of same; and modern fixtures are designed to blend in with the eighteenth century style.

Since the nineteenth century craze there have been several waves of revival of English colonial architecture in the U.S. The original revival after 1876 favored the eclectic style with embellishments such as columns. However the modern colonial style relies more heavily on authenticity, in the mode of such research based historical attractions as Colonial Williamsburg. In the twentieth century colonial architecture has taken on an increasingly scholarly and less embellished turn, such as the elimination of columns. Today’s 4 bedroom space saving colonial house plans not only incorporate modern conveniences, but do so in a style more congruent with true colonial architectural style than the nineteenth century version. On the other hand, the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial celebration added another element to the craze, combining the basic colonial plan with the ranch style home design popular at the time. The result was typically a single-story white frame structure with wood shake roof and motifs such as drums, cannons, or eagles affixed to the façade. The past few years has seen another colonial revival in the U.S., this time with more of a British empire or Anglo-Caribbean feel to it. Note that colonial revival architecture has always been more popular in the eastern and Midwestern U.S. rather than California or the Southwest, where Spanish house plans are more congruent with local history and tastes than the Georgian prototype.

Nowadays colonial home plans come in two styles: the revival style typified by 4 bedroom space saving colonial house plans; and also the contemporary style which incorporates traditional English and Spanish house plans with modern additions and decorative features.

When having my first design meeting with new clients looking to build a new home , two things I try to have them forget about, at least initially, are style and re-sale.

The styles many have come to know and love didn’t invent themselves. Each was a response to various input that often had little or nothing to do with referencing earlier styles. Each was a break in conventional thinking at the time to address the current issues of their time and place. To immediately jump into a certain, pre-established “style” is to immediately ground yourself before you’ve even tried to fly.

Though Frank Lloyd wright is commonly cited, both by professionals and layman alike, as the
single greatest American architect, it seems so many forget some of his most ardent advice about the design of homes, and buildings of any kind, when he wrote-

“Styles” once accomplished soon become yard – sticks for the blind, crutches for the lame, the recourse of the impotent, As humanity develops there will be less recourse to the “styles” and more style,- for the development of humanity is a matter of greater creative power for the individual- more of that quality in each that was once painfully achieved by the whole.

To condense what is a fairly profound and rarely found concept in homes, or other buildings,- Be yourself, in your place and in your time. Your home should be an expression of this on every level.

Start with your site, and don’t start your design without a site. Find out how the sun tracks, where the wind comes from, what the seasons will bring and start your space planning there. Where do you want to be when the sun comes up in the morning? Where do you want to be when it is high in the sky, when it sets? And don’t assume that just because your lot is tightly packed in with other houses that you don’t have options to respond to these conditions.

In a purely intuitive, simple way, cut out some circles of paper that represent the relative size of each of the rooms you think you are going to need and/or want. Accuracy at this point isn’t that important. Get a site plan of your property and play with the arrangement of these spaces on your site. Access to and from the site might be another obvious influence to your choices. Try to concentrate on just the relationships of the spaces without necessarily envisioning the shape of any structure. Circles help in this regard, whereas squares or rectangles tend to automatically get you thinking in terms of walls.

Pay attention to how the various spaces may want to be open to each other, or separate and private. Keep playing around with these and try and find the best balance of all of your objectives. The spaces might also have vertical relationships to each other. Maybe even a set of 3D spheres placed in Google Sketchup might help you start thinking more in 3 dimensions instead of two.

From there, you can use some simple rules of thumb championed by such influential architects as Christopher Alexander such as always having windows (however small) on at least two sides of every room.

And as far as re-sale goes, I am always amazed how much importance has been placed on this issue, mostly by real-estate agents. To make the tremendous effort and invest the amount of money and time necessary to successfully complete such a project while gearing the design toward some imagined future buyer has never ceased to baffle me. After over 20 years of designing and building projects for clients, I have come to believe very strongly that the spaces that you spend so much time in, especially your home, effect your every day life, your level of contentedness or happiness, in profound ways that may not always be initially apparent. The highest compliment every paid to me by a client was, “I just live differently now…”

This doesn’t happen by fretting over style or re-sale. It happens by responding to some of these very fundamental, human needs and will serve you well when, if ever, you want to sell the house anyway. If you feel it and see it, so will others.

Bryce Engstrom is an Architect & General Contractor with over 20 years of experience in the design and build professions. Free information on all of the main aspects of the design, permit, and build processes is available online here: http://www.central-coast-project-design-planning-guides.com/

Country homes have a warm, welcoming feeling. While the concept of these homes originated in the rural countryside, today country homes are located in all types of neighborhoods. From beautiful bungalows to elegant French country homes, there is a rustic nest to suit your preferences.

Bungalow homes have been around for centuries to accommodate families of all sizes and backgrounds. Modern American bungalow house plans usually have 1 or 1 ½ stories. Some bungalows are spacious while others are quite small. Basic bungalows are affordable and adorable. Many bungalows have an enclosed front porch or sunroom. The bungalow’s low-roofed, single-story design makes it an ideal home for handicapped people, elders and folks with small children. For those shopping around for the perfect second home, a bungalow is a perfect vacation getaway. Some waterfront communities feature several streets lined with small bungalows as a private, comfortable retreat for vacationers.

Country homes are a unique combination of elements from different American home styles. During the 18th and 19th centuries, country homes were predominantly built in the south. Most country homes have a roof that flares out to cover the porch to encourage pleasurable outdoor living. The front porch is often the focal point of country homes, featured in countless paintings with occupants in rocking chairs or swings. Other elements often found in country house plans include symmetrical windows and dormers used in colonial style homes. Today gracious country homes can be found all across the country.

In the late 19th century, French country homes became popular in the United States. Much like the allure of fashions from Paris, Americans were enchanted by the romantic design of homes modeled after those built in the French rural countryside. French country homes can be darling cottage or sprawling estates. The exterior of these homes is usually brick, stucco or stone with hip roof lines. Interiors include rustic wood beams on the ceilings and entries topped with arched openings. Some country homes include double French doors leading out to a deck or patio.

Other accents frequently found in French country house plans are trimmed painted timbers, shuttered windows and decorative window boxes filled with colorful flowers. The windows are typically tall and thin. French country homes may also have multiple gables and arches over the windows and garage openings. Wrought iron railings are used on porches with brick or stucco accents around the doors and windows.

Country homes offer casual charm with understood elegance. Unique indoor and outdoor furnishings complete their appeal. Place a wrought iron bench under a tree on your front lawn. Include wrought iron accent inside your home, such as a decorative towel rack in the bathroom. Hang sheer, flowing curtains from all the windows that allow light in while still offering some level of privacy.

Everyday is a day in the country when you build your dream home from country house plans offering a variety of comfortable, cozy features. Whether you dream of an estate residence based on French country house plans or you want a darling vacation home based on bungalow house plans, online resources make it easier to find exactly what you need.

When looking at house designs, the bedroom should be a pleasant place in which to sleep. If you live on a busy street, put the bedroom at the back. Put it as far away from distracting noises as you can. Insulation in the walls and drap­eries at the windows will help to shut out part of the noise.

A bedroom should be well ventilated, with windows on two sides of the room if possible, to insure a good circulation of air on hot sultry nights. Win­dows in bedrooms should be given careful study. If they are carelessly placed, they interfere too much with placement of the furniture. Many people have found that high windows, 4′ or 41/2′ from the. floor, but extending over a wider area horizontally, give a better distribution of the fresh air with less draftiness, and make it a lot easier to place the furniture where you want it without interference from the windows.

The bedroom should be painted in soft colors, which are soothing to frayed nerves. Strong, vibrant colors may be all right in the family room or in the bathroom, but the bedroom should be a place of rest, with subdued tones.

If a bedroom is merely a place in which to sleep, it can be rather small and still be quite satisfactory. After all, in the last sleep, all they allow a person is a space about 3′ x 6′. If you want a bedroom with a fireplace in it, two or three easy chairs, a desk, and an extensive bookcase, you will need a considerable amount of space. If you also want to do your sewing and ironing in the bedroom, you will have to allow room enough for that, too.

How large should a bedroom be? At least large enough so that the bed can be moved around or turned around in it. Large enough for a full-sized bed and a chest of drawers, a night stand, a chair, and perhaps a dressing table. Perhaps 8′ x 10′ inside measurement might be considered as the absolute minimum.

Most building codes do not permit house designs with rooms smaller than 80 square feet in area, and this would just meet that requirement. Certainly a room 9′ x 12′ would be much better, while 11′ x 14′ or 12′ x 14′ would seem rather spacious. In an ordinary house a room 12′ x 16′ would be adequate for almost any master bedroom.

A bedroom isn’t greatly in need of a view as a person usually isn’t often in a bedroom during the daylight hours and then he usually isn’t looking out the window.

There should be at least half as many bedrooms as there are people in the family, and a guest room is an important adjunct, if it can be managed. Two boys can occupy the same room when they are small, but, of course, the ideal is for each child to have his own room when he gets older, if at all possible.

Perhaps the master bedroom should be large enough so that two beds can be put in it in hot weather. When it is cold, probably only one of them will be used.

Where there are small children, the mother will probably want their room to be near hers, but for adults, if bedrooms can be separated from each other, one noisy or restless person will not bother the others quite so much.

A private bath for the master bedroom is a good idea, but not an absolute necessity. A good rule to follow is to have at least one bath for each two bed­rooms. A three-bedroom house should have two baths. In the morning rush hour, when the children are hurrying to get ready for school, and Dad has to shave, and mother has to do her hair, enough bath­rooms will save a lot of frayed nerves. Better econo­mize somewhere else and have enough bathrooms.

Plan your bedrooms well, when dealing with house designs and you will have a much more comfortable house.

In any climate, if you’re thinking of going green, passive solar energy design is the best place to start. Affordable passive solar homes are easy to construct using the same basic materials as conventional housing. All it takes is a little thought and some clever manipulation of the sun and wind and you can save thousands of dollars on energy bills throughout the lifetime of your home.

Although many of our passive solar home design tips can be easily and inexpensively applied to an existing home the most effective passive solar power dwellings are carefully planned from the outset to take best advantage of the sun’s natural rhythm.

A long and shallow house that faces as close to true south as possible is a good start. East and west walls will have little exposure to the sun while the north should have the fewest windows.

In cooler climates most of your energy bill represents heating and cooling costs. Passive solar energy principles revolve around regulating your home’s interior temperature by inviting as much sun as possible in during the winter months while discouraging it in summer.

Here are some of our favorite tips for collecting free passive solar energy.

• 1. Insulation ~ Not the prettiest aspect but it absolutely makes the most of a passive solar design. Without adequate insulation in floors, ceilings, walls and around electrical outlets, doors, windows and dryer vents all of your other passive solar efforts will be unimpressive.
• 2. East ~ Plan a breakfast patio on the east side of your home where you can soak up the sun on summer mornings before the heat of the day sets in. Plantings, awnings and insulated window coverings will keep the sun out of the house in the summers.
• 3. West ~ The best place for a deep covered veranda. Watch the sun set from the cool shade of your covered porch. Plan a windbreak of trees to the north west to keep the winter winds at bay.
• 4. South ~ (north in the southern hemisphere) This is the side of the house that collects the most passive solar power. Orient your house and most of your windows and doorways facing in this direction. Awnings or shallow overhangs will keep the sun out in the summer while allowing it in during the winter.
• 5. North ~ (south in the southern hemisphere) There is little or no opportunity for solar gain on the shady side of your home, but a great deal of heat can be lost through these openings. Windows to the north, or the shady side of the house should be minimal, just enough for safety and escape routes. Large openings such as garden doors should be covered with insulated draperies or shutters during the winter. Evergreen trees or an earth berm on this side help to block frigid winter winds.
• 6. Plantings ~ Deciduous plantings (leaves fall off in the winter) in the form of trees, trellises, arbors, pergolas and pots, provide ample shade in the summer when placed near windows and doorways but allow winter sun lots of access to warm the home after their leaves have fallen off. Way more than shading the area, trees and other greenery actually cool the air. In much the same way as an air conditioner, greenery drinks in gallons, even dozens of gallons, of humidity from the surrounding air, making tree shade superior to awning shade.
• 7. Patios ~ Outdoor living spaces add ambience and, of course, living area for your summer activities. Plan an outdoor cooking area on your shady patio to keep the heat out of the house on sultry summer evenings.
• 8. Entryways ~ A separate entryway or mud room allows you to exit and enter the house, greet guests and cart in groceries and other needs without exposing the house to the elements. Use an energy efficient space heater to regulate the temperature of this space.
• 9. Thermal Mass ~ Thermal materials such as stone, brick or concrete floors. window ledges/seats and islands or half walls, readily absorb the sun’s thermal rays to be slowly released into the evening hours. A depth of at least 4 inches of thermal material works best.
• 10. Covered Verandas ~ The best place for a deep, covered veranda is on the west side of the house to provide a cool afternoon space. The veranda will keep the afternoon sun from intruding into your living space during the summer. Avoid covered verandas on the south side as they do not allow sufficient sunlight to enter the home for warmth in the winter.

In very cold climates, properly applied passive solar principles can provide all the summer cooling you’ll require and most of your winter heating needs as well. The addition of a wood or pellet burning stove or energy efficient space heater can provide sufficient heat throughout even very cold winters.

One size does not fit all when making passive solar plans for a home.

Properly researched passive solar design for your specific location will result in a home that operates efficiently and comfortably with minimal use of fossil energy. That’s good news for all of us.

Are you designing your new dream home with an architect or a builder? If so, don’t forget to lay out the garage floor plans too. We tend to overlook garages, but they can be so much more than just a place for your vehicles.

What you want to do is start by examining sample floor and house plans, which you can get either from your architect or an online site. These plans should give you a pretty good idea of the current trends in garage plans.

For example, try making your garage a little wider by a few feet if it needs to be a two-car garage. This gives you extra space for cabinets and shelves, and still gives you enough room to access your car without scraping up against things or doing weird contortions.

Making the garage a few feet longer than normally seen in garage floor plans is good too because it gives you more room and versatility. All that extra space will give you a place to put your lawnmower, bikes, and even a workbench.

Another step to creating a multipurpose garage is to create a little area or nook that can be used as a workspace, a children’s play area, or just a place for extra storage. These spots are usually tucked in a corner in the back of the garage.

You will get a lot of extra room just by extending the garage space out or even connecting it to the house.

If you want to use the garage for storage, you can raise the ceiling. A tall garage with a ten or eleven foot ceiling will give you extra wall space that you can load up with shelves for storing Christmas decorations and other seasonal items.

Another thing to consider is access to the yard and the house. It’s traditional for most garages to have a door to the house, and of course the main door for car access.

It could also be convenient to add an extra door that opens out to the yard. That makes it easy for you to take out your yard and lawn tools, and gives easy access to large toys.

If you have a laundry room near the garage, you can make an instant mud room just by adding a door to your garage floor plans that provides access to this room.

With a little thought and modifications, you can have a fantastic garage to go with that dream home you’re building.