Latest Stories
“Simplicity is beauty” truly captures the essence of the ranch house plan. The earth-hugging, one-story sensations of the 1950s-1960s are basking in a revival. It’s time to revisit these houses that feature open floor plans, large windows, sliding glass doors leading to a rear patio; and how their endless possibilities continue to intrigue 21st century architects.
From Dwell to HGTV, modern design gets a lot of love. But what about the cost? Architects and house designers of modern home design are now not only creative about design but also how do it and still be affordable. A modern house plan with great looks and at a price you that will fit within your budget can be done.
So why a one-and-a-half story house? Well, in addition to being visually appealing, the 1 1/2 story house plan allows for a great deal of flexibility at a relatively lower cost if you want to expand your home in the future.
No, it’s not Elvis... but the triangular A-Frame house plan with its striking, dramatic and steep rooflines was taking the country by storm in the 1950s -- and it is finding plenty of fans today in it form as an affordable vacation home or mountain retreat.
Today’s Cape Cod house plans are often much more than first meets the eye. Sure, the house designs are steeped in tradition and practicality – that’s what made them so popular for generations. But today’s Cape Cod home plans offer a certain elegance and even modernity in their floor plans design that has homeowners more excited than they have been in decades.
New house plans with great looking photos are added to our site almost every day.
No other house style can be more innately American than the farmhouse. If beauty in its simplicity defines the ranch house, then classic American ingenuity and creativity epitomize the farmhouse.
While the American Craftsman style home initially came out of the British Arts and Crafts movement, U.S. architects and designers quickly embraced it and added design elements and floor plan features desired by a growing middle class of American homeowners. A number of these innovative features – such as the breakfast nook – have been adopted in some fashion by many American architectural styles. The Plan Collection features craftsman homes.
With its turrets, gables and ornate trim, the “Victorian” house may be deemed as Bleak House or The House of the Seven Gables as depicted in classic literature. Quite the contrary. Perhaps the most colorful, romantic and vibrant architectural style, the “Victorian” took flight during the reign of Queen Victoria and continues to excite and delight homeowners and architecture fans today.
Typically, floor plans on blueprint construction drawings are an overhead view of each floor of the completed house. Note parallel lines that scale at whatever width the walls are required to be. The dimensions are drawn between the walls to specify wall lengths and room sizes. Note the locations for fixtures such as water heaters, sinks or furnaces. Along the walls and dimensions there are often notes that specify the construction method, or finish and symbols to reference cross sections and electrical.