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Natural Wood Beams. Using wood beams to decorate a high ceiling is a given in luxury housing. But it’s become common in upscale production homes, too, particularly when the roof of the great room gets above 12 feet. Dark wood beams not only provide a pleasing contrast to the smooth...

Assess your entertaining needs with an open floor plan: If you love to have guests over and enjoy cooking, mingling and engaging in conversation at the same time, an open floor plan is right for you. Depending on the floor plan the kitchen can overlook into the dining and living...

Advice, "If I were to make any major changes, I would get rid of the fireplace. It just ended up being a huge hassle with everything that goes into building a gas fireplace -- the gas lines, etc." Dean's key recommendation: "Never hire anyone on time and materials. Always do...

They draw your eyes to the ceiling, says Binkley. Here’s a secret, though – not even a $10 million home is likely to have structural wood beams. And in mainstream housing, the beams may not even be real wood. Synthetic beams are less expensive to install and handle, says the...

Sources of Financing. If one doesn't have the money, the inclination is not to do the home improvement. Cash, however, is not the only way to pay for a home improvement plan, you can also finance. If you find you don't have enough cash, you can use a home equity...

Dark Door and Window Frames. One way to make windows look special, without spending a fortune on custom styles and sizes, is to darken the frame around the window. The treatment plays up the shape of the window, reinforcing the geometry of contemporary design. The look is also commonly associated...

Throughout the 1950s and ’60s, homebuilders saw the open living plan as a way to efficiently design a home using less square footage. Ranch and split-level homes became very popular. Today, architecture and interior design still take their cues from economic considerations, but they also are influenced by cultural norms...

Decisions to be made are the size of each room, the number of rooms and the number of floors to be built. Will there be a basement or a fireplace, and where is the house going to sit on the lot. You could have a front yard or the house...