Checking In

Hi y'all! Have you missed hearing from me? Probably not. Anyway, I thought I'd just drop you all a quick line to let you know that I haven't completely disappeared.

It's been a few months since I last wrote anything, and so I feel like I owe you all an apology. I know I never got around to finishing my series about finding the right house plan. Sorry about that. I'll keep posting articles about it when I get the chance, but I'm just gonna take my time on it and post whatever I feel like -- not limit myself to a specific series of topics. I hope nobody's offended by my decision. If you are, please let me know.

I am going to commit to being a little more consistent, and hopefully I won't get burned out again. Let me know what you think.

Size vs. Luxury

Today’s discussion is going to be about SIZE vs. LUXURY. But in order to have an effective discussion, we should probably define both of these terms first and see why they are important.

SIZE

Everyone wants a big home.

Well, I take that back – not everyone wants a big home. I certainly don’t (see my post on BIG HOUSES). It would be much more accurate for me to say that everyone wants enough space; nobody wants a cramped home. It isn’t comfortable, it isn’t inviting, and cramped houses usually lead to cranky attitudes.

So although not everyone wants a big house, the size of a home does matter.

LUXURY

Everyone wants the right amount of luxury.

Some people are overjoyed with a large walk-in closet and a nice master bath, others won’t be content until they have a home theater, a billiards room, a wine cellar, an indoor swimming pool…. You get the picture.


My point is that everyone has an idea of luxury, and although your idea of luxury might be different from mine, it’s important to feel like your home fulfills your wants and your needs.

FINDING BALANCE

Now let me share with you a little secret: You can’t have everything you want. Period.

In this life it is impossible to have everything – especially when you’re talking about a house. Even if money was no object (defenestrating your budget), it would simply be impossible to have everything.

Don’t get me wrong – you can and should have a very nice house that meets all of your needs, but perfection isn’t a realistic goal for a house. The key to true happiness is to find a good balance. Some things are more important than others and you just need to sit down and set your priorities, then do your very best to balance things according to your priorities.

If you want to get a little help with this, you might want to check out my older post about "THE 90% RULE". In the meantime, let me know what you think.

Finding Your Dream Home -- part 1

The Budget

So you’ve decided that you’re going to build a new home.

With a task this monumental, where do you even begin? Do you try to find a builder? Do you start looking for a house plan? Do you purchase a building lot? --- Actually, the first thing you should think about, before you begin to spend any money, is setting a budget.

The reasons for this should be pretty obvious, so I’m not going to pound it into the ground. Simply put, your budget is how much house you can afford. More specifically, your budget represents the maximum allotment for the entire building process. In essence, you are limiting yourself by saying “I will not spend more than $xxx,xxx.”

Your budget will prove to be your guiding star throughout the entire building process. It will help you figure out how big your home should be, how luxurious your furnishings can be, and even what style you should go with. You will be consulting with your budget on almost every single decision (and homebuilding is all about decisions!).

I shouldn’t have to say this, but it is very important that you adhere strictly to your budget once you have set it. The act of building a home has proven to bring a lot of stress into any marriage, but this stress increases significantly when you throw in an over-shot budget. Besides, it’s a hassle to have to go to all of the trouble of getting a bigger loan.

You might have heard several horror stories about over-shot budgets, but I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I call it THE 20% RULE. Whenever you get an estimate for any cost, add 20% to that estimate -- that’s probably what you’ll end up paying in the long run. When you’re getting bids from builders, add 20%; when you’re estimating landscaping costs, add 20%; seriously, add 20% to every estimate. It may be hard to watch that much of your budget sit unused, but believe me, you’ll be glad you set that money aside. There will always be hidden costs, and there will always be unexpected expenses. If you’re lucky, that extra 20% will ensure that you come out even.

When all is said and done, life will be MUCH happier if you set a budget at the very beginning and stick to it! Please stay tuned over the next few days and weeks. I will be telling you everything I know about how to find your Dream Home. (In the meantime, remember to set your budget!)

Info for Future Homeowners

Hey yall!

I totally realize that this is definitely not the most popular blog on the face of the planet. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to find out that nobody besides me has ever even read a single article.

If someone is actually reading this blog, I would say he or she would fall into one of three main categories. He or she is either:

      1) A future homeowner looking for a house plan
      2) A home-design freak like me
      3) An extremely bored blog-aholic

I normally just post random house plans that I happened to stumble upon recently, but I’m going to try something new. I’m going to start a series of blog posts showing how YOU can find your Dream Home.

This will be geared primarily to the people in category 1 (the future homeowners), so please bear with me if you belong to category 2 or 3. I am flattered beyond belief that anyone would actually read my ramblings, and I hope you will continue to share the adventure that is my life.

I don’t know much about how to create and maintain an interesting blog (especially a blog about house plans), but I do have a passion for stylish, yet practical home design -- and I want to share my views.

Country Heaven

This must be what heaven is like. There you are in a comfortable rocking chair, surrounded by family and friends. Your grandparents are laughing and joking. You haven't seen them this happy and lively in years. Children are squealing and giggling with delight. Everyone is happy. There isn't a care in the world. The evening sky is deep blue, but the clouds are brilliant fuschia with blazing gold edges. The sun has nearly gone down, but is just peaking through some of the leaves and casting shafts of gentle fire all about. There are two or three hummingbirds buzzing around a feeder.

After the late summer sun has set, everyone migrates inside from the porch into the family room. Now, as the party goes on, everone is enjoying some finger foods. After a good visit the guests leave, the children are put to bed, and you go off to a relaxing and dream-filled sleep in the secluded master bedroom. This is what life is like in the Country Heaven House Plan.

This is luxury at its simplest. Luxury at its most poignant. Country Heaven; you really need to Check it Out!

Small Shelter Competition!

I have some big news today!

The Guggenheim Museum and Google SketchUp are teaming up to hold a special design competition. They are inviting amateur and professional designers from all around the world to enter their Design It: Shelter Competition.

The competition is an extension of the Learning By Doing exhibition currently on display at the Guggenheim Museum Sackler Center for Arts Education. The exhibition features models, plans, and photographs of shelters designed by students from the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. According to the Guggenheim's article:

For the past seven decades, students at this school have taken on the challenge of designing, building, and living in small shelters nestled in the landscapes of the school’s Arizona and Wisconsin campuses. In working on these shelters, students consider human needs for safety and comfort, as well as the relationship between architecture and place.

The Design It: Shelter Competition opens this project to the public. Amateur and professional designers from all over the world are entering to show off their creativity. In fact, Dan Tyree -- one of my favorite home designers -- has two entries: The Sooner and The Coconut.

These are some great designs; and they're available at The Plan Collection! Check 'em out!

Ranches Galore!

Here's some exciting news! The Plan Collection just started adding a bunch of house plans from a new home designer.

Although each plan is one of a kind, they all share a very simple, yet elegant style. Everything is so neat and clean-cut. And the floorplans are amazingly comfortable! I'm not going to single any one of these plans out today, but you should really take some time to Check them out!

Rock Star Status

Y'know, there are a few things in this world that are just so cool that everyone wants to copy them. That is what I like to call "achieving Rock Star Status."

McDonald's achieved rock star status with the way it cranks out burgers and fries at the drop of a hat; The Matrix achieved rock star status with its signature bullet-view slow-motion scenes; even a co-worker of mine achieved rock star status by wearing his sunglasses to work (everyone else joined in by wearing their shades the rest of the day); but let me introduce you to the rock star of home design -- the Barbados.

This is a great Modern Home Plan that was featured on the homepage of http://www.theplancollection.com/ a few months ago. Since that time, several other version have come out trying to reproduce the winninng style of the original. I'm not going to go into any specific details, but here are a few of the followers:

The Barbados truly is a real-life Rock Star!

Spacious, yet Cozy!

Check this out! This beautiful Craftsman Home Plan is GAR-44100, and it is simply amazing! Please let me take some time to take you through a make-believe walkthrough:

After standing in awe of the beautiful facade, we will pass the quaint covered porch and enter in through the front door. To the left is a C-shaped staircase with dual landings, to the right is a formal living area with plenty of natural sunlight flooding in through the windows.

My favorite feature about GAR-44100 is actually a little further inside. After passing the living room and staircase, the entire home seems to open up as you can see from one end of the house to the other. The kitchen and breakfast area are both open and spacious (making for a very functional work area), but the real kicker is the great room. They don't call it "Great" for nothing! It is really big, but the warm fireplace helps it keep a nice cozy feel.

A little further around the corner you'll find a small mud room, 1/2 bath, and an awesome corner office. It may not be huge, but this office space is great for any quiet computer project you might have -- and it has a window!

The upper level of GAR-44100 is pretty simple. You have two decent-sized bedrooms sharing a bath, a laundry room, and the master bedroom. The master bedroom is a perfect sanctuary. It has a 9 foot trayed ceiling, a private bathroom, and a large walk-in closet.

GAR-44100 may not be very big, but it does a fantastic job of making you think otherwise. Why don't you Check it Out!

Modifications?

Do you ever get frustrated looking through house plan websites? You'd think that with over 20,000 house plans, you'd be able to find at least one plan that would meet all of your needs. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case; some plans come pretty close, but it seems like there's always something missing. I'm not talking about the 90% RULE (see previous article), I'm talking about something major.

Sometimes the floorplan is perfect, but the exterior is hideous; other times the elevation is simply gorgeous, but the layout just won't work; sometimes the plan is almost perfect, but there are a few flaws inside and out (and by "flaws," I am referring to your personal preference). What is a person to do? Should you settle for less? Should you go back to the drawing board and start your tedious search again? This is where modifications come in. The picture above shows three very unique homes; the surprising thing is that they all have the exact same floorplan. Isn't it amazing what a few simple modifications can do?

Some people get scared when they think about making modifications. They may have heard horror stories from friends about how the draftsman charged an arm and a leg to move a few windows. They may get nervous when they hear that an inexpensive modification specialist will charge around $65 an hour to draft changes. Some people are even frightened off because people have told them that modifications can take months to complete. These are all very valid concerns, so I am going to take a little time to tell you about how the folks at The Plan Collection have made modifications as simple and easy as possible.

The first step is to know exactly what you want. You can't email the plan sales representatives and tell them "I love the way this home looks, but I need you to reduce it from 5,000 square feet to about 2,000 square feet." That just doesn't cut it. They need to know exactly which rooms are going, which rooms are staying, how the remaining rooms are going to be configured, and how you want the exterior to adapt to these modifications. If you can't figure out how to do it, how can you expect them to figure it out in a way that is sure to please you? You should always come to them with a detailed idea or game plan (sketches are always helpful, too).

After you have explained your vision to the folks at The Plan Collection, you will usually get a quote within a day or two. When you get your quote, it's important to remember that any modification below $500 is usually quite a steal -- $1000 is pretty typical for in-depth modifications. If you aren't willing to pay that much for changes, you probably shouldn't even consider modifications. In all my experience, it seems like The Plan Collection usually offers the lowest prices for modifications by at least $100 or $200. I'm not sure how they get such a sweet deal, but I'm glad they do!

After getting your quote, the choice is all up to you. To buy, or not to buy? That is the question (sorry about that; I know that was super-lame). If you choose to purchase the plans, the rest of the modification process is a piece of cake. You'll get a phone call from the modification team; they'll discuss all the details; and then within 3-4 weeks, you'll have yourself a set of modified house plans -- perfectly matching what you requested.

Modifications aren't for everyone, but if you've got the vision and the cash, you might have found yourself a winner. Check it out!

New Plans at The Plan Collection!

The folks at The Plan Collection sure have been busy lately, they've added over 200 new house plans from a brand new home designer -- Alan Maki from Beyond Basics Drafting and Design.

Now I have to be honest, most of these plans are very simple and very mundane. By now, you know that I hate mundane cookie-cutter homes, but Beyond Basics does offer a few shining little pearls. Check out House Plan 1-1124, for instance. This little beauty offers a spacious and livable single-family floorplan with an attached in-law suite, but it does so with great taste and an impeccable style.

You really ought to check out the entire collection. Here it is!

Apologies and House Plans

Hey yall, I'm sorry that it has been so long since my last post. For those of you who have been through college, I hope you'll understand when I say that I was swamped during finals this semester. I've been really busy, but that's really no excuse.

Now that life has calmed down slightly, I hope to be able to share some of the cool new house plans I've found -- like this one:

This, my friend, is the Alpine House Plan; and I dare you to find a house plan that's as stylish as this, that still offers as much livability and comfort. Sure, it's pretty big, by my standards, but you can't deny that it's got class. You really ought to Check it Out!

Exciting New Home Designs!

What do you think of that? I really like the style and charm that this wonderful house plan exhibits. This is the Weston, and it was designed by the same people who brought us the Manchester (see my last blogpost).

This is just one of many wonderful new house plans that can be seen on The Plan Collection. I love the way the texture varies between brick and siding. I'm also really impressed with all the different angles of the roof. There is something about it that draws my attention and won't let go.

The best thing about all of these new house plans is the way the designer was able to incorporate "Old World" style with today's lifestyle. I just think it's fabulous! Let me know what you think, but in the meantime, why don't you look at the entire collection of stylish house plans? Check it out!

Big House Plans

I'm not usually a very outspoken individual. I like to keep my strongest opinions to myself, but today I'm in the mood to rant. I'm going to tell you what I think about Big House Plans, and afterward, I'd love to hear what you think.

First of all, let me tell you that Big Homes are dumb. Now that I've probably offended two of my three readers, let me explain what a Big Home is and why it's dumb.


In my mind, how "BIG" a home is has less to do with its square footage and more to do with its design. Take, for instance, the Manchester. Here is a home with almost 4,500 square feet, but everything inside is natural. None of the features are forced or gaudy. This home is just "big boned".

On the other hand, my family and I were driving through a newer subdivision the other day. We were just enjoying a relaxing drive (which is a lot more relaxing now that gasoline is below $2/gallon), but much to my dismay, all of the houses were just too darn big! There was no architectural appeal; they were just a bunch of 4,000 square foot boxes with poorly-matched vinyl siding and tiny sporadic windows.

Now, I'm a firm believer that form should always follow function, but this was just ridiculous. These houses weren't even that big when it comes to square footage, but they were so awkward and unnatural that they stood out like a sore thumb.

So there you have it. That's my opinion; I don't like it when someone designs a home just for the sake of having a big home. I'm not impressed. But a home that strives to be natural, no matter the square footage, is OK in my book. Let me know what you think.

Simple Tuscan Beauty

The Plan Collection recently posted an article on their homepage about Mediterranean and Tuscan Style House Plans. Now, for those of you who've read any of my past blogposts, you know that I love house plans with character and practicality.

In my humble opinion, you can't ask for a genre of house plans that offers more character than Mediterranean/Tuscan Style (although I really enjoy French Country Plans as well). They all seem to exude a very traditional and relaxed way of life. Tuscan Style seems to encourage people to search for beauty in the simple things. A good meal, a good friend, family time.

On the other hand, most Mediterranean House Plans are extremely wasteful when it comes to space. I hate that. Fortunately, there are a lot of reasonable Mediterranean Plans out there -- look at The Arabella, for example. Here is a very stylish and rustic Tuscan Home Plan, complete with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and just over 1750 square feet. What more could you ask for?

Check It Out!