Cool House Plans

So you want to build a house, or have one built either as an owner builder or by a contractor. You have spent hours and hours going through house plans to find the one you like. Or you have been a bit innovative and designed a house yourself, just the way you want it. You have taken the best ideas from all the house plans you have seen and changed and added and taken bits out and moved bits around until you have the perfect house plan. It better be perfect because you will be living in it and probably for a long time. There is a sense of satisfaction having your house admired by your friends and being able to tell them that you designed it yourself.

Remember, you do have to live in this house so make sure you have got it right. The house design can mean that your house is comfortable and functional to live in. It can mean you will be paying less or a lot more in heating and cooling costs. Not much good designing a beautiful looking home if it is like living in a sweat box and you have to spend a fortune on air conditioning. Likewise, your house could end up like you are living in an igloo and you are spending a fortune in heating costs. This is the major consideration when designing your house, your comfort. You want to be comfortable living in your house and later on when it is time to sell you will get far more selling a house that is comfortable to live in. If you like to wonder around the house in your PJs you will not be comfortable having to wear a woolly coat to keep warm.

So what is the first step in house design? This is the step that most people leave out. They see a house design they like and plonk it on a block of land and move in and wonder why something is not quite right. The steps are back to front. You must have a block of land first and then design your house to suit that particular block. If you have a house design that you must have then it pays to find some land that is oriented the right way to suit that house. What do we mean by oriented the right way. Get out your compass and check out the sun. If you can sit your house to take advantage of the rise and setting of the sun you will be surprised at the difference it will make. If you are in a warm climate you want the sun coming into your bedrooms and kitchen early morning and then you don’t want to see any sun coming in to your house in the heat of the afternoon. Likewise if your are in a cooler climate you can design to see maximum sun throughout the day and reduce your heating costs. Read the rest of this entry »

Every house needs a little sprucing up at some point. Sometimes it is because the house is just getting a little older and needs some typical home repair. Other times, it is because the owner wants to change the look or feel of the house – and to give their home a little different look and feel to go along with it. Although some people might think that when drawing up new house plans you should decide what it is you want at that point in time, you must remember that sometimes your taste changes. Or you might be adding a member to your family. So remodeling your house, or simply making some small changes to keep things fresh and exciting is something that can be done at any time.

There are many things in your home that you may be thinking about remodeling or changing a little. Maybe when you looked at some house garage plans of your friends, you decided that your own garage could be improved. Maybe instead of a one car garage, you would like to expand it in order to fit your brand new car in as well. Or maybe you would like to remodel it into something else – maybe you have a band and decided to soundproof it and use it when you practice. Regardless, making some changes with your garage could be an exciting moment. You will put some work into your house and you will end up with a final product that really makes you happy.

Or maybe instead of the garage, you would like to change up your basement house plans. Basements can be used for many different activities. They can be used for storage of items from your past or special projects your children made in school. Maybe you would like to transform it into a game room for your family and friends. Or maybe it is disorganized and you just want to make a few adjustments to make it more aesthetically pleasing. Whatever it may be, doing some simple work to your house is worth all of the work. When your project is over, whether it is the garage or basement, you will be excited about your brand new features. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are thinking you might want to design your own house, what do you need to do before you get started? Designing a house is a big project and you need to stay organized to insure you don’t get off track. Here are some steps you should take right from the beginning:

1) Look around at other houses to get a general idea of what you want. We have all driven by a house and said to ourselves “what a cool house, I wish that were mine!”. Try to find houses that have features you like so you can get a general idea of what you want. If you do find that cool house somewhere, stop your car and knock on the door. You might be able to let the owner give you a quick tour!

2) Look through as many home books and real estate magazines as you can. Again, this is to get ideas of what you like and don’t like. It always helps to see a real picture of something you like rather than just having the idea in your head. Read the rest of this entry »