Choosing a House Plan |

Archive for the 'Choosing a House Plan' Category

Apr 08 2013

Profile Image of Curtis Cadenhead

The House Plan Shop is NOW Offering Custom Drawn House Plans

Custom Home PlansAre you tired of searching for the perfect home plan? Have you searched one home plan website after another trying to find your dream home only to come up empty-handed? The House Plan Shop is proud to announce we are now offering custom drawn house plans! Our custom design team has years of experience working with homeowners just like you to create a floor plan that is comfortable, incorporates your desired amenities and satisfies any special needs you may have while reflecting your lifestyle. Now you can have the kitchen of your dreams, a family room that is suitable for everyday living and entertaining, the master bedroom and luxurious bath you’ve always wanted, an oversized garage with room for a workbench, a game or recreation room for the kids and anything else you’ve ever wished for in your dream home.

 

As a growing publisher in the home plan industry, The House Plan Shop is leading the way in accommodating customers who desire a custom home plan. You can learn more about our custom home design service by visiting our Affordable Custom Home Design Page. Then, complete and submit our custom home design request form to receive a brief consultation and free quote regarding your custom designed dream home.

 

Your home is typically the largest investment you’ll ever make, and the place where you’ll enjoy memorable moments for years to come. At The House Plan Shop, we believe everyone should have an opportunity to build their dream home, and we hope you’ll take advantage of our custom home design service to achieve your goal.

 

Our custom design service can provide other custom designs such as multi-family homes, detached garage plans, carports, pool houses and other backyard structures, as well as outbuildings and commercial building plans.

This article brought to you by The HousePlanShop, LLC, the home of the best selling house plans from the best designers!

No responses yet

Oct 09 2012

Profile Image of Curtis Cadenhead

Large or Small? Determining the Size of your House Plans

Two-Story House Plan 007H-0123If you’ve decided to build a new house, you’ve probably already realized there a many things to consider before you begin from buying a lot and choosing a builder to selecting convenient floor plan features and securing a loan. Determining the size of your new house plan is one of the any things you’ll want to think about. Take some time to consider your lifestyle, as well as needs and wants in order to determine the size home you’ll need and the kinds of spaces you’ll want to include in your floor plan. This list will help you consider some of the key factors in many homebuyers’ decisions when it comes to choosing the right-sized home. Bridging loans help people purchase their next home

 

    1. How many people will live in the home? How many bedrooms and bathrooms will you need? Do you have an aging parent or another relative living with you? Will the kids share bedrooms or will each child have his or her own? If you are not married or do not have children at the present time, consider the future. Retirees and empty-nesters many consider walk-in showers and handicap accessible features in the master bath and perhaps even in another bath on the main level of the home.
    1. Are you retried and plan on the kids and grandkids coming home for the holidays? How will you accommodate them? Bedrooms? Pull-out couches in the family room and recreation room? Convert the office to a guest room?
    1. Do you plan to entertain regularly? Will you need a formal dining room for holiday meals or can you get by with a casual dining space and a snack bar? Do you prefer formal entertainment spaces or will a spacious family room or great room that opens to the kitchen and breakfast nook satisfy your entertainment needs?
    1. Would you like to have an outdoor entertainment/relaxation space such as a screened porch, deck, covered patio or lanai?
    1. What kind or relaxation spaces do you need? Can you make do with the family room or do you want a recreation room, game room, home theater or finished basement?
    1. Think about hobbies. Do you play the piano? Will you need a separate space for the piano such as a music room or will the piano fit nicely in the living room? Do you need a sewing room? Are you a DIY guy who wants your own workshop or are you a car enthusiast who will need an oversized garage with plenty of storage space for auto parts and tools?
    1. How much storage space will you need? Consider bedroom closets, linen closets and other storage spaces in the mud room, utility room, garage, basement, etc.
    1. What organizational features do you need? Do you want a drop zone with lockers or cubbies in the mud room? Do you need a kitchen island, a built-in hutch or a meal planning desk? Would you like built-in display niches or a built-in entertainment center in the great room? Would window seats with storage in the bedrooms be useful?
    1. Consider specialized spaces. Will you need a private/quiet space such as a home office in order to work from home, meet with clients or pay bills online? Do you need a playroom for the kids?
    1. Consider flexible spaces. What may work well as a nursery when raising a family can one day convert to a home office or even a guest bedroom in the future. Flexible spaces are wonderful assets to any home because they can flex and change as your lifestyle changes. What flexible spaces would benefit you?
    1. Think about future spaces. You may not need extra space for your current lifestyle, but it is worth considering floor plans that offer unfinished basements and future/bonus rooms that can be finished later. These spaces are a great way to add living space to your home should your lifestyle change and demand it in the future.
  1. If you are single, you may not need much space at all. There are many simple floor plans that offer just the basics. Can you live comfortably with the basics? If so, you may not need to consider any of the special spaces and features mentioned above.

 

House plans come in all shapes and sizes.  When researching installment loans for bad credit I would start on the ARCCT homepage to discover what programs may be available. There are plenty of large homes that are suitable for large and growing families including two-story house plans and those with finished basements. There are also plenty of smaller homes for singles and couples. And there is even a vast array of floor plans designed for retirees and empty-nesters looking to downsize. Whatever phase of life you’re in right now, there is sure to be a right-sized home plan to satisfy your needs. Take some time to browse our house plans collections for find the right home design for you!

This article brought to you by The HousePlanShop, LLC, the home of the best selling house plans from the best designers!

No responses yet

Jul 24 2012

Profile Image of Curtis Cadenhead

6 Things to do Before You Build Your New Home

BlueprintsWhen it comes to building a new home, the building process begins long before you break ground and pour the foundation. Discover six things you should do to prepare for your new home before construction begins.

 

    1. Decide on the type of home. People build homes for all types of reasons – family home, stepping up from a starter home, downsizing to an empty-nester, vacation home, rental property, weekend retreat, etc. Determine what type of home you plan to build. You also need to make sure that the plumbing, electricity and interior parts of the house are working properly. On these situations with plumber Corinda a plumbing issue may require nothing more than a quick five-minute fix that you can solve with professionals.
    1. Determine your budget. Think about how much you can afford to spend on your new home and how much your new home will cost. Start checking with lenders to find out what size construction loan and mortgage you’re qualified to obtain. If you already have one a mortgage consolidation would be the best choice to make. Knowing how much money you’ll be able to borrow and the likely cost of your new home will help you plan your building budget. Once you know what you can spend, you’ll have to determine how much of your budget can be spent on the lot and how much of your budget can be spent on construction, materials. 
    1. Hire a team of professionals. Assemble a team of professionals with expertise in the construction business, if you still haven’t found any then you could consider contacting the professionals from https://rodrockhomes.com/custom-built-homes/. Your team will include the following professionals as well as others: your builder/general contractor, excavator, building inspector, carpenter(s), electrician (make sure there’s a 24 hours electrician services), plumbers, surveyor and maybe even a residential designer or engineer should you need to make adjustments to your house plans. If you begin by hiring the builder/general contractor, this expert will be able to provide advice about hiring other pros or may even have a crew of pros that he/she works with on a regular basis. Tip: Do not settle for the first builder you meet. It is important to interview more than one general contractor/builder, ask for references, proof of insurance, etc. Additionally, get a good feel for the kind of person each builder is and if this professional is someone you can work with and talk to on a daily basis for the next 6 to 9 months (or maybe even longer.) Finally, ask yourself, “Is this a person you can trust with handling all tools and materials such as special kits, equipment, hydraulic crimping tool…etc.
    1. Select a lot. Regardless if you plan to build in a neighborhood, on mountainside or along a country road, it is often best to choose your lot before you select a house plan. You’ll have to consider the parameters of the lot such as the maximum width and depth, the grade of the lot, physical features on the lot, etc. when choosing your floor plan. Knowing the “lay of the land” will help you select a floor plan that best suits your needs and fits the lot. Additionally, you and your team of pros will need to study factors about the lot such as zoning, drainage, soil conditions and building codes specified for the community as well as geographic and climactic requirements.
    1. Choose a house plan. Make a list of needs and wants for your future home such as total finished square footage, number of bedrooms and baths, make sure you contract a professional Vancouver plumber for both bath and kitchen, special rooms such as an office, convenient features like a kitchen island/snack bar, the width and depth of your lot, preferred architectural style and the type of foundation you’ll need. Now search pre-drawn house plan collections like those found at www.TheHousePlanShop.com to narrow your selection. Most websites have a search tool to make it easy to eliminate floor plans that do not offer your specified criteria. Keep in mind pre-draw/stock home plans can often be modified with the help of a modification team, local residential designer or even your builder. If you find a floor plan you like, but it isn’t quite what you need, discuss your minor modifications with your builder or contact the supplier of the house plan to see if they can make modifications for you. At The HousePlanShop, LLC, we offer a modification service by which you can obtain a free quote for your changes before you purchase plans giving you an opportunity to learn how much things will cost before you make your final decision on a floor plan.
  1. Draw up a contract. After you’ve determined your budget, selected a team of professionals, chosen a lot and purchased a house plan, you’ll need to draw up a construction contract. The contract should be written and signed and dated by you and your general contractor/builder. The construction contract will describe the construction of the home in detail and list all parts of the home to be included. If you or your builder make any changes to the project scope, it is necessary that you amend the contract. Keeping a written record of the scope of the construction project will help you as the home owner know what things have been completed, what still needs to be done and if any problems need to be resolved.

 

Following this list steps to complete before you break ground for your new home will help ensure your home building project gets off to a good start.

This article brought to you by The HousePlanShop, LLC, the home of the best selling house plans from the best designers!

No responses yet

Aug 31 2011

Profile Image of Curtis Cadenhead

What Information is Included in House Blueprints

House BlueprintsIf you are considering purchasing a home plan from The House Plan Shop, you may be wondering what is included in the blueprints we offer. Below is a listing of the elements typically included in the pre-drawn house plans we published:

 

  1. Cover sheet
  2. Foundation Plan
  3. Floor Plan(s)
  4. Interior Elevations
  5. Exterior Elevations
  6. Basic Electric
  7. Simple Plumbing with a septic tank included
  8. Details
  9. Sections

 

To find out specific information about each one of these elements, please review The House Plan Shop’s FAQs.

 

Note: Not all pre-drawn home plans incorporate every element listed here. Blueprint pages vary by designer.

This article brought to you by The HousePlanShop, LLC, the home of the best selling house plans from the best designers!

No responses yet

Jun 19 2011

Profile Image of Curtis Cadenhead

House Plans for Every Phase of Life

House Plan 001H-0058If you are planning to build a new house, it is important that you choose a floor plan that will satisfy your needs, as well as, accommodate your lifestyle and your phase of life. House blueprints are as diverse in exterior appearance as they are in size and layout. It is important to find the style of home you like along with a floor plan that fits well with your stage of life. You should also get interior designers in las vegas for the house. They help you organize and design the house to your liking,

Small and affordable house plans work well for couples starting out and those wishing to begin a family. These designs offer a modest square footage ranging from 1000-1800 square feet. They can be one or two levels and generally offer two or three bedrooms. The floor plans feature practical elements that support and promote family living like an open layout and an attached garage. They usually offer convenient and efficient features like a kitchen island, main floor laundry room and ample closet space, all elements a new family will appreciate. Couples and young families are sure to find an ideal floor plan for their starter home in our extensive house plan collection.

Large and growing families are usually drawn to house plans with a greater square footage than that of most starter homes. These designs generally offer more than 1800 square feet of living space and three or more bedrooms. Maybe you’ve found a floor plan with four bedrooms, but only need three for your family. The extra bedroom can serve as a den, hobby room or guest room. Keeping family living in mind, the floor plans of larger homes deliver practical living spaces and often an open floor plan. Many include outdoor living areas such as a patio, covered porch, deck or screened porch. Larger home plans are different from starter homes in that that may offer additional living spaces not found in smaller homes such as formal living and dining areas as well as casual living and dining areas. Entertainment spaces such as a lower level game or recreation room or an upstairs home theater or playroom are common. These extra spaces give large families room to roam, quiet spaces to rest and relax and a place to entertain on special occasions.

Singles and couples with no plans to raise a family might prefer homes designed for entertaining. For these homebuyers, there are floor plans designed with gatherings in mind. The floor plan may only include a master bedroom and a secondary bedroom for guests, but the living areas are stylish, spacious and comfortable. Often open floor plans incorporate and state of the art kitchen using one of the best kitchen faucet brands and with an elegant great room and dining area while promoting conversation among guests. Decorative elements like special ceiling treatments and built-in elements such as a fireplace surrounded with shelves or cabinets enhance the gathering spaces, making them suitable for formal and informal get-togethers.

Once the children are grown, retirees and empty nesters often opt to downsize from the larger homes in which they raised their families. At this point in life, retirees have an eye on their golden years and find their needs have gone back to the days when they were single or young couples starting out. Large homes require more upkeep and maintenance and higher utility bills that may not be feasible for retirees. Also, they need practical and functional rooms to satisfy daily needs. There is no sense in having a home theater or a rec room anymore if no one is going to enjoy it, so downsizing often makes sense. Furthermore, aging homebuilders are now focused on their future lifestyle and must consider potential health problems and mobility issues. Smaller ranch house plans are popular among retirees because they eliminate the need to climb stairs reducing the possibility of falling and make it easy for those with walkers or in wheelchairs to access all rooms in the home. Retirees often look for universal house plans that are handicap accessible offering wider hallway to accommodate scooters and wheel chairs, more spacious bathrooms with walk-in showers, and sometimes even lower counter tops that can be accessed while sitting in a wheel share or scooter. Seniors and retirees might opt to make their new home even safer and more practical by adding a security system that will alert the police and/or send medical help in the case of an emergency. Also, they can choose to install grab bars no-slip flooring and other special features that will keep them safe and in their homes for years to come.

From a single or a young couple starting out to large families and empty nesters, The House Plan Shop, has an extensive collection of best selling home plans that are sure to satisfy every phase of life and every lifestyle.

This article brought to you by The HousePlanShop, LLC, the home of the best selling house plans from the best designers!

No responses yet

Older Posts »