Beach Home Designs Tags

Trust your instincts on what “feels” right when choosing a floor plan. All of us have the ability to “feel” when a space feels comfortable and able to fit their needs. Take these instincts into consideration when touring different floor plans. You will be surprised how many styles of plans...

Assess how clean you keep your home, honestly: One of the pros of having an open floor plan is being able to visually connect living spaces in décor and aesthetics. The cons of this concept are if your family isn’t tidy, your entire home will always look this way. If...

In the southern states clay adobe houses are the norm. In the north and other areas brick, wood, and stone are options. The climate will influence this choice as well. In areas where there is cold weather brick and cement are used because they absorb and retain heat. In the...

Tiny Home with a View, This striking design, plan 479-12, takes splendid advantage of a scenic lot. Walls of windows let light stream inside to illuminate the open living spaces. On the main level, the kitchen invites everyone to hang out at the island, where there's seating for four (and...

For example, you might try a gallery wall in the dining room. Hang an oversized chandelier in the living area, or use zebra wood for the base of your white kitchen island. Have fun and give each functional space a complementary personality....

Circulation is something else to think about. As Dan Gregory points out in a post called Watch That Layout! the best house plans provide two ways in and out of the living room, dining room, and kitchen -- as illustrated here with Plan 929-1 by Donald Gardner. See how you...

Choose a floor plan that suits your lifestyle. In a previous post we discussed the pros and cons of having an open floor plan. There are factors you should consider regardless of openness. Factors such as: layout of rooms with consideration of family size and ages of children is essential....

For starters, the size of the home will shrink. As the Boomers jettison stuff, weaning themselves from some of their accumulated furnishings and other material, they will find that a smaller house suits their needs just fine. And since these houses will likely be situated in warmer locales, generously sized...

Social Kitchen, There's room for three people to sit at the built-in table in plan 48-685, a great space-saving feature that means you don't have to devote more space to a dining room. A fireplace adds a cozy focal point in the living room, which steps out to the patio...

Once tenants move in, they pay minimal rent and utilities (e.g. $300 a month rent for a 300-square-foot home and an estimated electric bill of less than $35 per month). After three years, tenants are offered a contract to rent to own their homes within four years. This lengthy process...