Home Improvement Ideas

Maybe this should have been lesson #1 - it’s such a common mistake. The oft-neglected rule is this: not every house plans fits - or can easily be made to fit - on every site.

Potential Disaster

You’ve seen the sad, odd result of this mistake before - the one-level house precariously perched on a steeply sloping site. In the Midwestern and Southern United States it’ll be supported on stacks and stacks of concrete block; in the California hills it’s even worse - houses on stilts! But it does make for great video when a mudslide or earthquake takes one into the ravine below.

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When a person begins the process of building a new house, there are many different aspects that need to be addressed including: where to build, what size house to build, what features to include, what items are the most important to have in the house, what costs should be included in the budget, what are the design/build timeframes, who will build the house, and a variety of other issues.

After these initial questions have been successfully answered, the next item that must be addressed is that of floor plans. There are two basic types of floor plans that can be purchased, “custom” or pre-drawn, with each having distinct advantages and disadvantages.

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For the person that gets the chance to build a house, the importance of the project should not go array due to not planning correctly. House plans are an essential part of building a house. Without them nobody on the building team, from contractors to designers, would know what to do. House plans all have basic things in common and, even though, each house plan will differ, these basic elements will remain the same. Learning about these basic elements can help a home owner to read their house plans easier.

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Evaluating which house plans best suit your family’s needs can be overwhelming. Thousands of house plans are available on the Internet, in a variety of Architectural styles, which allow you to have almost infinite choice and the opportunity to save thousands on your house plans.

When you find a house plans design that fits your needs and you order the house plans, its generally helpful to know how to read the blueprints that you will receive.

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The foundation is the first piece of a home to be constructed and creates a base for the rest of a home’s components. There are three types of foundations that are commonly used in the U.S.: slab, crawlspace, and basement.

Slab Foundation

Slab is a type of foundation consisting of a structural concrete slab poured directly on the grade. No accessible space exists in slab construction. Slab foundations are popular in areas (i.e. the Southern United States) where there is a relatively high water table. (Water table refers to the depth in the soil at which you find water).

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One question that we receive almost every day is whether or not the home plans package for plan XXXX contains everything that a person would need to build the house in the state of “XXX”… As such, we wanted to provide some additional information to clarify the subject.

In most areas of the United States, purchasing a stock home design package from an website and/or from a house plan book will include all documents that you will need to build the house. However, in certain regions of the country, a person may also be required to obtain additional design details and/or plan modifications to obtain a building permit. In the majority of cases, a stock home design package will still provide a significant cost-savings when compared to a corresponding set of custom home plans from a local building design professional.

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Stock plan or custom plan? When you are planning to build your future home, which of these two is necessarily better?

While both stock house plans and custom house plans can serve their purpose well, there are a lot of great reasons why a stock house plan can offer a better value for your money. For starters, stock house plans are definitely cheaper than a custom house plan. Do you know that an average stock house plan will only cost you $700? Well, that is a mere fraction of the price of a custom house plan, which can go up to a few thousand dollars on the average!

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Cabinets are the key ingredient in any kitchen. They will influence the look and feel of the heart of your home more than anything else because it’s not only the most visible part of the kitchen, but the “Meeting Place” of every home. Picking the right cabinetry is essential in creating your kitchen’s personality, but don’t let appearances mislead you. It’s what’s behind the door that will matter the most, every time you open your cabinet drawer or door.

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Design Trick #1: Ample Storage Space From the Start…

If you’re looking for a simple way to boost your home’s value before you ever even built it is to make sure you’ve got PLENTY of closet and storage space throughout the house right from the get-go.

• Cabinet space should be ample, and designed for efficiency and style (NEVER sacrifice one aspect for the other…)

• Functional attics and basements automatically increase your total square footage – and therefore your home’s basic value.

• A walk-in closet added to a master bedroom/master bath combo transforms an ordinary bedroom into a Master Suite.

• Incorporate a pantry (in addition to cabinet space) to give your kitchen a nice boost.

• Extra storage space in your bathroom can conveniently store towels, wash cloths and other basic hygiene items.

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It’s a year 2007, and you’re planning to build a new house for you, and your family.

Let’s assume, that the question of where, has already been answered. Yes, the location is where your design ideas should originate from.

Providing you’ve done your research correctly, the only place you’d come up with would be somewhere in the middle of the rural America. Kansas? Wyoming? Both are good places to move your family to, and put your house plans to reality.

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