Cottage Home Designs

Small cottage house plans are ideal in the present economic and climatic situation since they are inexpensive to build, heat, and maintain. In an era in which frugality and wise use of resources is replacing boastful strutting and ostentatious display, the cottage lifestyle is coming more and more into its own. Here are some ideas which you can incorporate into your own cottage house plan, or improve your existing cottage home.

The essence of cottage interiors is the blending of the familiar with the fresh - with matching your grandmother's heritage silverware with your contemporary style plate or an antique chiffonier with up-to-date casements. Mixing the old with the new adds patina and personality to a cottage home and makes a unique statement about the owner. It says "home" instead of "look how rich I am!" In the same way, bold wallpaper and paint styles can be used to create a feeling of open space in smallish rooms, especially when the walls reflect decorative patterns repeated on rugs and furnishings. Again, the idea is not to create a mishmash but rather a blending of disparate elements. Bookshelves, knick-knacks, small decorative elements - even children's artwork - can be brought together to make cottage living feel as comfortable and familiar as wearing an old favorite jacket or hat. Old style pictures in old style frames, collectible plates, even quilts can be hung on walls. Dried flower arrangements in vases or folk art sculptures can be used to decorate table tops.

Design Home Plans

In today's world, it is important to make many considerations when designing a home. Going green is vital to our future and today's sustainable design home plans reflect this need.
Sustainable home design is defined as the philosophy of designing a home with its environment and services focused with emphasis on economic, social and ecological responsibility providing a minimal environmental impact.

When designing a sustainable home, it is an integrated design process between the architect, engineers, and design team and of course, their client at all stages on construction. From the site selection, design formation, material selected and how they are procured on up to their implementation.
The following are some options for sustainable design home plans. These include some building designs that have been in existence for quite a while and are now being reconsidered due to their beneficial nature.

Ranch Home Designs

The classic pattern of traditional ranch house plans can be found all over the United States, although there are subtle regional variations such as brick cladding or exposed rafters. The original ranch style originated in the Spanish colonial period of the 1820's, and was characterized by horizontal adobe structures which were low to the ground. The westward expansion of populations, and the introduction of sawmills, led to board-and-batten construction techniques, and eventually to the Craftsman and Prairie architectural styles.
These modern styles, with their emphasis on simplicity and functionality, led to the California ranch style of the 1930's which was pioneered by architect Cliff May. May's designs were influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie style homes; and by the post World War II era ranch-style homes became the most popular architectural style in the rapidly growing

Simple ranch home plans are characterized by single story construction with low-pitched roofs, often with front and side gables arranged in asymmetrical L-shaped formats. Most ranch-style homes feature built-in garages, patios and porches, and few ornamental exterior details, although there may be brick or wood cladding or false shutters. Ranch-style home floor plans usually rectangular or L- or U- shaped, which creates an open and informal feel. Floor plans frequently feature specific living zones, with kitchen and dining room acting as a buffer zone between the sleeping areas and the dining and living areas. Floor-to-ceiling picture windows and sliding glass doors stretch across the rear of the house and provide access to backyard patios or decks. The front of the home, facing the street, usually features smaller horizontal windows, sometimes with false shutters.

Custom Design Homes

Custom designed homes are becoming more popular today than ever before due to the changing needs of our society. Eco home designs, passive solar orientation, cross ventilation and environmentally friendly houses can only be built if each vacant building block of land is assessed on its very own merits. With the pending change to six star ratings for all new homes built in Australia coming into force on the first of May 2011 a custom home is the most practical way to achieve the additional star rating required.

When designing a new home for a potential home buyer the first step for any good home designer is to visit the building site. This is where the site is assessed for views, obstructions, northern aspect, access, building services (such as power supply, water, gas and sewerage), prevailing winds which will be used for cross ventilation cooling and landscaping options, just to name a few. It's in this stage of house design that ideas are formed in the designers mind that will later be translated by pen onto sketch pad and subsequently finalised in an CAD design.

Architectural Home Designs

When you're designing a new home or having one designed for you, there are a lot of different things to think about. Customised designs are a great idea, but only if you can afford to hire a professional to work with you to develop them. In some cases, you might be perfectly happy choosing from the selection of architectural home plans that the builder already has drawn up for the clients to pick from. If this is the case, you need to make sure that you're getting the right plans that suit your tastes and needs. Here are three tips to help:
- First, always consider the size of the house that you have in mind. If you want architectural home plans for a 3 bedroom home, don't settle for less or look at the lower options. Make sure that you get the residence that you want, including the amount of space that you need.

Choose a builder or architect that has experience in the industry. Check out how long they have been working with architectural home plans and what their experience is with designing home plans. Not all builders are the same, and you need to find the best one available to get your ideal house design.

- Look at the style of the builder or architectural home plans. Find a style that you enjoy and a builder who is effective in creating that particular style of home. There are so many different houses out there and designs to choose from, and it is up to you to find the one that best suits your specific needs.

Home Design Plans

Choosing the best home design plans is a difficult task. Because there are so many different options out there, it can be confusing to keep track of everything that you have to choose from. Figuring out the best design involves looking at the options, so here are some great ideas to help you start your search for the perfect home design plans:
Architectural: These plans are all about architectural style, providing larger floor space and more unique details that will surely catch the eye of anyone looking at your house. Lofty ceilings and open floor plans are a must-have, along with unique architectural elements that add a touch of beauty and elegance to every residence.

Classic: Classic home design plans feature an upper-market version of traditional weatherboard houses, and are available in single and two storey designs.
Modern: Freestyle houses have a monoplane roof style, perfect for the city or the beach. Having the single plane roof design is more modern and upscale, and there are many different styles and sizes of homes to choose from. Those who enjoy modern function and design will appreciate this style of house.
These are just a few different styles of home design plans that you can choose from.

Custom Home Designs

Anthony Fiore Construction Inc. is one of the prestigious custom home builders in the south Sarasota County and north Charlotte County. They are in the business of custom built homes since 1981. The company is headed by Tony Fiore who has built a reputation of providing new houses to the satisfaction of buyers. They are Certified Green Builders and provide the buyers with elegantly designed and energy efficient homes. If you are looking for a modest starter house, a retirement residence or a modern day castle, they have a solution for your requirements in your new home.
Brentwood Custom Homes are the largest custom home builders in Central Florida. Over the past many years they have been building quality, innovatively designed homes for the customers. The company is now focusing more on green home building, energy efficient construction and utilizing more active and passive solar energy techniques. A prospective new home buyer can have a one-on-one consultation with their expert designers at their 3,500 square foot Elan Home Design Center in Altamonte Springs for personalizing their dream house. They provide timely updates, regular inputs to the customers and are prompt in project scheduling during the construction process.

Harden Custom Homes have been building new custom homes and remodeling the houses in Naples, Cape Coral, Lehigh and throughout Southwest Florida since the past 35 years. They provide a level of accessibility, accountability, and integrity which is rare in the present home building industry. They can offer a lot of signature designs to the new home buyer to start with or design according to your requirements in your new house. The company is headed by Marc Harden who is a second generation home builder and has years of experience behind him in providing houses for quality living and comfortable stay.

Design Homes

Everyone wants their own home to be distinctive and different from all the other houses in the nearby area. It should have all the features and specialties which are a must for a luxurious lifestyle so that one can enjoy his stay at his home to the fullest. Only if one has all the amenities in his home, he can call it to be his dream home. People have different needs and wishes which they want to be fulfilled while modifying their home. Effective lighting, flooring and wall texture are the basic modifications which can drastically change the appearance of the house. The perfect blend of color and texture of tiles is necessary to make the home look more appealing.

In order to modify the home the way one wishes, he needs to employ professional and experienced home designers. These designers need to understand what one wants his home to look like, what are his preferences and also should prepare rough drafts so that the customer is satisfied that his demands are being taken care of. Then the designers should prepare drafts in the computer so that the customers can get to know what will be the appearance of their home after the work is completed and if any more modifications or alterations are needed they can be performed. The last stage is the preparation of the final drawing of the construction with all the minute details, these drawings are then to be given to the builders who shall bring one's dream home into reality. The basic requirement which should not be avoided during the preparation of these drawings is that not even the slightest detail is overlooked because this might end up in spoiling the design of the house.

Home Designs

Dream home designs are made by award winning architects and experts who are hired to design the same. The clients who wish to make a home of their dreams can contact these professionals. The clients are generally asked for their inputs so as to know their preferences and tastes and the kind of design they are looking out for. The experts then work on these ideas and change them into a plan. The clients can have a look at the blueprint so made and can reject the things that they do not like.
Generally, in designing such homes, architects prefer to only adhere to the clients' ideas because they aim to fulfill the dreams of their clients and make a home consisting of every aspect of their dreams. The procedure followed generally begins with the concept to drawing the blueprint and then enjoying the dreams. Dream home designs take a longer time to work on because a lot of specific requirements are to be kept in mind by the architect. The advantage of hiring an expert for the same is that the client can get the best possible construction and also make changes in plans if they do not meet their wishes.

Dream homes are very luxurious and elegantly designed. These are usually houses having abundant space, scenic views and all the modern amenities one can think of. They are generally mansions, bungalows, row houses and other such luxurious categories of homes. The provision of privacy is an important factor for such homes because the important people living in such grand houses do not like interference from neighboring areas. Hence these types of houses are generally constructed in areas having greenery and are a little away from crowded areas of the city.

Designer Home Plans

Building a new home is a unique experience. You get to choose the plans that you want to use, the builder who will help create the home you've always dreamed of, plus the location of your new abode. One of the most important parts of choosing modern home plans is finding a designer that you can work with so that you can get the results that you are looking for. Here are some tips to help you find the home designer that works for you:
- Plan ahead and know what you want. If you take the time to look at different modern home plans, you will have a much better idea of what you can expect from your designer. Once you know what you want, you can find a professional that fits your style and demands.

Look for reputable designers. There are hundreds of different builders out there and every single one has a different history and reputation within the community. If you take the time to check out all of the available designers, you should have no trouble finding the best in the industry.

- Know what to ask designers. You need to talk to these people before you choose one to work with and asking the right questions can make all the difference in the world. You need to find out how long they've been in the business of designing home plans, what they have done in the past, and see what they can do for you. Make sure you look at a collection of other houses they have designed; this will give you a solid idea of the quality of their workmanship and creative talent.