Country Style Home Plans With Wrap Around Porches Tags

Know your budgetary limits before choosing a floor plan. Let’s face it; there is always the fantasy side of us that wants to go bigger and better than our wildest dreams. Before getting your heart set on one type of floor plan – know what the costs are associated with...

Measure your furniture (you only need to worry about length and width here) next and take another piece of graph paper. Draw out lines of your furniture, label them and cut them out. Use these pieces to set up the rooms. When you find an arrangement you like, you can...

If you plan on revamping a kitchen, the dimensions of workspace and appliance real estate are very important. Don't try to eyeball it or you'll end up paying for it later in time, additional work, or wasted purchases. By trying to define the scope of the work on paper first,...

Site lines are something else to consider. It’s nice at a big party when you can see from one room to another, especially if you are the host. If there’s someone you really want to connect with, you may be able to spot when that person is free. Or maybe...

Dean Gino had owned a few businesses and managed individual projects, but in 2012 found he had time to spare. His wife suggested embarking on a housing project. Dean had never built anything before so he decided to give it a shot. He thought it would give him great entertainment,...

Deciding on a floor plan can be fun and frustrating at the same time. Assess your family’s lifestyle and your preferences to how you enjoy living. With patience your dream home floor plan will be easier to find than you think!...

Board-and-Batten Siding. The board-and-batten look, originally associated with farmhouses, is showing up on the exterior of homes of all stripes -- as you can see in some of Houseplans.com most popular new designs, like Plan 430-156, above. It’s also being used for decoration inside homes. Batten strips add texture to...

Thinking Ahead to Holiday Parties. It would be a mistake to design an entire house around holiday meals and parties that only happen a few times a year. That said, plenty of new party-oriented homes are built each year for empty nesters in markets such as Palm Springs, Phoenix, and...

Bringing Exterior Material Indoors. This technique – using exterior siding, roofing or trim inside a home – has long been core to custom homes. Now it’s increasingly employed in mainstream housing to create a unified design theme. Using cultured stone to wrap the fireplace, the same stone used for exterior...