Monday, December 22, 2008

Log Cabins Galore!

The Plan Collection just featured one of their most popular log cabin house plans on their homepage. I thought it looked pretty cool, so I decided to go through their entire collection of Log Cabin Plans. Let me show you a couple that I really liked:





























If anyone finds any additional cabin house plans, let me know. They're kinda fun to look at!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Words To Live By

Yesterday I mentioned that I had been killing time by looking at some of The Plan Collection's houseplan-related articles. Not only did they have an article that completely agreed with my recent Character blog-entry; they also had an article that was profoundly deep.

The author was describing what he calls "THE 90% RULE". According to the author, professional home designer Jake England, there is no such thing as a perfect home plan. I totally agree. You will save yourself a lot of heartache and stress if you just accept this simple fact. Too many people end up with ulcers before they even begin building their new home, just because they want the "perfect home". Even if you weren't constrained by a budget, you'd be hard-pressed to find a house plan that meets your every desire.

However, if you can learn to be happy when a plan satisfies 90% of your wants, life will be a lot easier -- you might even enjoy building your new home! As Mr. England put it:


"You are asking imperfect people to use imperfect products to build you a perfect house. Guess what, it won't be perfect. It should be a great home, but it will not be perfect. " (go to article)

Now those are some words to live by. THE 90% RULE is great when it comes to house plans, but you can really improve the quality of your life by applying it everywhere. Our homes, relationships - even our meals - will be more fulfilling if we can be satisfied with 90%. It takes some effort, but I'm willing to give it a shot. After all, I'm not 100% perfect either.

So for all of you out there that are searching for your dream home, be sure to ask yourself if the plan satisfies 90% of your wants. If it does, it looks like you've got yourself a great plan!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

More Character!

By now, everyone should know that I spend a lot of time surfing The Plan Collection's website. I just like to see the full spectrum of home design. Well, yesterday I found my way to their section of houseplan-related articles.

While browsing through some of their most recent articles, I found a post that nearly took my breath away -- "Character Defines Your Dream Home"!

This article repeated almost word-for-word what I had been trying to say in yesterday's blog. It also featured this:
Character Defines Your Dream Home This is CLS-2705, and it is a great example of a home with character. I don't necessarily like the fact that one of the main front windows looks directly into the master walk-in closet, but that is somewhat beside the point. I was just excited to know that someone is crazy enough to write articles about house plan character. You really ought to check it out!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Character: an Essential

House Plans with Character

For those few of you that actually take the time to read my ramblings, I want to take a few minutes to talk about Character. Please let me draw your attention to HW-3338. Now this home has a lot of character. Sure, it isn't the most practical home. In fact, I'm not really impressed with the floor plan layout at all. I just like the way it looks.

If you haven't noticed already, I really like unique home designs. I like plans with character. Not too much character -- that can get obnoxious. I just like it when a home exhibits a little bit of courage. I don't consider myself to be a radical or outlandish homeowner, but I do like a home that isn't afraid to be a little different. HW-3338 seems to have the perfect amount of character. It isn't trying to be flashy or gaudy, but it has a unique personality that won't be suppressed.

Character is hard to put a finger on, but it is something that turns an ordinary cookie-cutter home into something people want to look at. Character can come from many features: dormers, gables, hips, angles, arches, etc. Character is something that you know when you see it. That being said, if anyone finds some reasonable house plans with lots of character, let me know. I'd love to see them!

Friday, December 5, 2008

Simple Craftsman Beauty

Well, I meant to sit down and write an article three days ago, but sometimes life doesn't follow your plans. Anyway, I promised to show you a house plan that I've been keeping my eye on.


Craftsman Comfort
This is CLS-1501. It has a nice Craftsman style that is somewhat quaint and simple. It may not be flashy, but it is very comfy. I especially think the planters and the brick chimney are a very nice touch. I don't know why, but it just has a "homey" feel. I also like the idea of having a front and rear porch, but remember "it's what's inside that counts!"

Some people may have different opinions, but I like to walk into a home and be able to see the living room from the entrance. CLS-1501 does that, but also provides a nice foyer area for people to take off their shoes, coats, etc. I also really enjoy having a fireplace. I think it brings warmth into a room, even if there isn't a fire burning inside. The built-in shelves give the room a more formal feel, which may or may not be a good thing -- I tend to stay away from formality, but I still like these built-ins. I also like that there is a little window above each set of shelves. That does a good job of adding some natural sunlight.

I like the fact that the dining room is open to the living room, but the built-in table and benches are kind of a turn-off. I hate scooting into a bench; it's uncomfortable and awkward. I'm also not a big fan of entering the master bedroom through the kitchen, but that's just my own opinion.

The Master Bedroom itself is very nice. I like the openness and the window seat. The master bath and walk-in closet are also very pleasing. There are a few other features that I like (i.e the split bathroom and the loft/bonus room), but I've said about all I want to say about CLS-1501. It isn't perfect, but I don't think there is such thing as a "perfect" house plan. I think I'll keep on looking and wishing. If anyone finds a house plan that they think is absolutely wonderful, let me know. I'd love to hear about it!

Monday, December 1, 2008

"Small" Homes for the Holidays!

Sorry it's been so long since I last wrote. I've been enjoying the Thanksgiving holidays, and I hope you all have too. We had quite a few extended family members over for dinner, and it was really great. Everyone had room to sit and relax after eating all that turkey. In fact, there was more than enough room!

I mentioned in my last blog that my home is approximately 2,200 square feet (1,100 on the first floor and a full 1,100 square foot basement that we finished ourselves a couple years ago). We don't have the largest dining room, but we were able to procure a folding table that fit perfectly in our living room. Sure, our guests had to be split up a little, but it all worked out pretty well having an "adult" table and a "kiddie" table. Not that anyone really needs to know about our Thanksgiving. My point is that small homeplans can easily fulfill anyone's needs.

If you haven't checked it out yet, I strongly recommend looking through the "Small House Plans" category from The Plan Collection. They have some wonderful ideas that can work for almost anyone. Tomorrow I'll be writing about a wonderful "small" house plan that just jumped out at me, but I guess you'll just have to wait until then. In the meantime, go check out Small House Plans from The Plan Collection!