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New Article Posted - Residential Design and Floor Plan Trends
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| We just added another article to the "Resources" section of HomeDesignCentral.com . This article explains the some of the current floor plan design trends that customers just like you, are requesting and building into their new homes..
When you're looking for your next house plan, its always a good idea to look at what's currently popular in home design and floorplan layouts. If you have any questions about one of the designs you see on the site, please let us know....
You can view the article here:
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| Posted on July 22nd 2008 Read more >> |
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Staying Within Your Building Budget
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Building your dream home can turn into a nightmare where budgets and emotions are concerned. Your new home is not simply a structure, but an extension of your personality and lifestyle. Following a few simple guidelines can keep the budget and worry in check.
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Make up your mind. Before choosing a builder, picking out paint colors or mentally arranging your furniture, decide what you are looking for in a house. Determine... |
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| Posted on August 16th 2008 Read more >> |
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Home Plans to Retire in Style
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| As more people get ready to retire, they are finding that downsizing their home does not mean downgrading. Many small house plans offer the amenities retirees have become accustomed to.
The type of home you choose for your retirement will depend on your type of retirement. Home plans with two master suites allow guests to visit and maintain a sense of privacy. For the semi-retired, a home office will allow greater freedom to work around your schedule and telecommute. House plans featuring Universal Design standards will ensure that your home remains accessible and convenient for years to come, possibly allowing you to remain in your home longer... |
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| Posted on August 4th 2008 Read more >> |
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Is Granite Safe to Use in your new House Plan?
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| When you're building that dream home, granite is one of the most beautiful and popular upgrades in kitchens and bathrooms. Recent reports indicate that certain granite products used in homes can emit radon gas, the second-leading cause of lung cancer in humans. Some experts have even recommended that lung cancer patients, pregnant women, and small children limit exposure to granite.
Studies indicate that the vast majority of granite is safe, with the most risk occurring in exotic, highly striated varieties from Namibia and Brazil. Take into consideration your floorplan and how much granite would be used for your countertops. Limited physical contact with granite and a well-ventilated... |
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| Posted on August 8th 2008 Read more >> |
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Natural Landscaping Around Your New Home
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| More homeowners are bucking the trend of having a manicured lawn in favor of more natural and ecologically friendly landscaping methods – naturescaping and xeriscaping. When building a home, look at the footprint of your houseplan and talk to your builder about incorporating one or both of these methods. Both methods focus on using drought-resistant plants that require less water, fertilizer, and care.
Naturescaping involves using native plants that are allowed to go to seed and self-sow. As they are native, they will not require extensive watering after the first year, and fertilization should be unnecessary.
The xeriscaping method uses drought-resistant plants that are not necessarily native to a region. This can include succulents,... |
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| Posted on August 12th 2008 Read more >> |
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Home Office Design in New House Plans
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| Whether it starts as a bonus room, study, or guest room, many house plans have an area that can easily be turned into a home office for a telecommuter, home-based business owner, or work at home mom.
Your office space will depend on your desired work environment, floor plan, and business needs. Some people need peace and quiet, and choose a room away from the kitchen and living rooms, while a work at home mom might want to be able to supervise children from her desk. A garage apartment or an in-law suite with a separate entrance may work best for... |
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| Posted on August 20th 2008 Read more >> |
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Extend Your Entertaining Area with an Outdoor Kitchen
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| Outdoor kitchens are one of the hottest trends today, and there is no better time to add one than during the building of your new home. Working with your builder, you can conveniently add to your entertaining area while incorporating the design elements of your home.
When designing your outdoor kitchen, a few things to consider will be your entertaining style, climate, appliances, and budget.
Think of your outdoor kitchen as an outdoor room. Guests can flow from your house to the patio and back. Keep in mind that crowds tend to gather where the food is being cooked, so keep counter space and seating... |
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| Posted on August 28th 2008 Read more >> |
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Choosing the Right Lot for Your Dream Home
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| Choosing a lot for your new dream home is as important as your home itself. Your lot will determine your home’s size and shape as well as impact your overall budget, so it makes sense to find your lot and then choose a house plan that will conform to it.
The local real estate advertisements will have listings of lots for sale, but the easiest and quickest way to find a lot in your preferred location is to hire a realtor. When you have a list of potential lots, walk the lot and the neighborhood. Consider the price of the lot and the proximity to work, places of worship, and schools.
Most urban... |
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| Posted on August 24th 2008 Read more >> |
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How to Choose Tankless Water Heaters for Your New Home
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 Heating water for your daily needs can be a significant portion of your monthly utility bills. Sometimes these costs can be as much as 30% or your total energy bill. Consequently, this presents a tremendous potential for saving money over the life of your home if you consider switching to more energy efficient alternatives in building your small custom home designs.
In recent years an alternative to traditional storage water heaters is taking a larger market share... |
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| Posted on December 14th 2009 Read more >> |
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Home Office Designs
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 The home office is increasing in prevalence as more and more people do a majority of their work from home. Home office designs that reflect functionality and are attractive at the same time will help you to get the most out of your time spent in the home office – and give you a lovely place to work and do your business and build your own house floor plans.
Identifying Your Needs
Before you look for home office designs, you should... |
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| Posted on December 15th 2009 Read more >> |
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Interior and Exterior French Door Options
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 If you are building a new home or renovating your existing home, you might want to consider interior and exterior French door options to add a touch of elegance and flair to any room in the house – and a beautiful focal point for the outside. A French door is also known as French windows and is a door made from panes of glass or glass panels, called "lites"; when choosing a French door, the door will be described by the number of lites in the door – as an example, a 15 lite French door or 15 panel French door.
French doors are either interior (used for interior entrance doors or room dividers/partitions)... |
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| Posted on December 18th 2009 Read more >> |
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Roof Options for New Home Construction
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 When designing a new home, or looking to update an existing home, one of the biggest considerations you will need to make involves the roof of the home. For many people, the roof of the home is somewhat of an afterthought until a leak springs in the roof and maintenance must be performed. The roof has a bigger job, however, than just keeping the home dry. It also is a big contributor to the overall look of the house. When building a new home, remodeling, or adding a new addition, you have many options when it comes to roofing.... |
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| Posted on December 21st 2009 Read more >> |
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Solar Power for Your Home
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 More and more new homes are utilizing solar panels for some or all of their power needs, and with good reason. Solar power is basically free – you'll just be investing in ways to harvest the power of the sun when you install solar panels to power your home. And whether you want to power your home or your own european style house plan partially or completely with solar panels, you need not be an environmentalist to do so; in fact, most people... |
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| Posted on December 24th 2009 Read more >> |
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The Appeal of Cedar Siding
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 When most people think of cedar siding, they conjure up an image of cedar lined closets or chests that are great for keeping out moths and other pests. However, cedar is also an optimal choice home exterior siding because it is among the most durable of all soft woods, offers optimal insulation, great noise deflection from street level, and is long-lasting. Not to mention that cedar siding is one of the most beautiful selections available for country style house plans.
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| Posted on December 27th 2009 Read more >> |
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Design on a Dime: Inexpensive Home Design Software
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 Cheap and free home design programs can make the task of turning your dream home into a reality a fun and interactive process. Furthermore, it gives you a level of control over the process that you cannot achieve when working through a designer or architect. They won’t replace the expertise of skilled architect but they can allow you turn fine tune the elements of your home that you want to see in the finished product. Most importantly their ability to give you a visual representation of your home’s finished appearance allows you... |
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| Posted on December 30th 2009 Read more >> |
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Designing a Starter Home
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 Becoming a homeowner is the dream of many individuals and couples and build your own country house plans. Selecting the home that you will spend the beginning of your new life in can be an exciting experience and the thrill of your new independence is exhilarating. Your first home is about planning your future; whether that includes children, job changes or a spouse. Considering this, your first home should have room for your life and your family to expand. Since... |
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| Posted on January 2nd 2010 Read more >> |
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Handicap Accessible Home Designs
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 Whether you are handicapped or live with someone who is the prospect of building a custom home for yourself presents a valuable opportunity to incorporate a variety of items to improve your quality of life. Home designs or small custom home designs that incorporate these features are becoming even more popular as baby-boomers move into the later years of life and seek to maintain their independence while also being able to live in a safe environment. In recent years, the concept of “Universal... |
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| Posted on January 5th 2010 Read more >> |
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New Home Designs - Tankless Water Heaters
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 Heating water for your daily needs can be a significant portion of your monthly utility bills. Sometimes these costs can be as much as 30% or your total energy bill. Consequently, this presents a tremendous potential for saving money over the life of your home if you consider switching to more energy efficient alternatives. In recent years an alternative to traditional storage water heaters is taking a larger market share in new home constructions. Tankless water heaters, both gas and electric, heat water as needed... |
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| Posted on January 8th 2010 Read more >> |
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Hiring the Perfect Contractor for New Home Construction
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 Contractors and other service providers realize that word of mouth is the best advertising there is. Take advantage of word of mouth advertising. Ask around! Ask friends, relatives, co-workers, neighbors if they have had any positive experiences with a contractor. Better yet drive around talk to folks that have recently moved into new homes in your area ask them about their experience with their contractor. Seek out as much information as available from every source available by asking direct questions. Some of the questions are; was... |
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| Posted on January 11th 2010 Read more >> |
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