Author Archives: HouseplanGuy

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What makes Craftsman house plans different from a log house plans, Victorian house plans, Colonial house plans, etc?  The answer is in the word “craftsmanship”.  Craftsman house plans have an exceptional level of craftsmanship in every single detail.

That is not to say other types of house plans do not pay attention to details.  Nothing could be further than the truth!  With Victorian house plans, for example, a great deal of work is put into small touches that hearken back to the rich and opulent Victorian era.  With ranch house plans, care and effort is put into creating that down-on-the-farm feeling.  But with Craftsman house plans, you can count on a strong, comfortable design in which every detail is lovingly handled by a master tradesman.  Heart, soul, sweat, and tears of joy go into every piece of wood, every nail, and every tiny little detail. Craftsman plans are a labour of pure love.

You can see the family orientated feeling of Craftsman house plans.  Although they can range in size from one bedroom dwellings to spacious mansions, they tend to share some common elements.  Wood shingle siding gives a cosy yet polished feel.  Wide window and door casings add an unexpected aesthetic visual. Large front porches with big tapered columns make the perfect gathering place for family and friends and the dominant low-pitched rooflines keep the family inside secure and protected.  All aspects point to a dwelling that every member of the family longs to come home to.

While the finishes and wood details may hint at the grander of yesteryear, Craftsman house plans are perfect for today’s modern family.  Most have a large, spacious kitchen in the heart of the home for parents and children to gather for a meal or to do homework together in style and comfort.  A cosy breakfast nook is the perfect place to snuggle your sweetheart over a cup of coffee or tea before the kids wake up.  The nook is also the perfect spot for a nice chat about your day after the kids have gone to bed.  (Not to mention this is a very handy place for a healthy family breakfast! So many uses!)  Many Craftsman house plans have built in cabinetry and bookshelves, giving you an easy way to keep treasures, books, antiques, and more organized while on display.

Original Craftsman homes were built using local materials, which made each one unique despite their common elements. If you are looking for a house plan that is unique, that has the charm of days gone by yet is fully function for today’s family on the go, you need Craftsman house plans.

Here at Monster House Plans we have hundreds of Craftsman house plans to choose from.  We also have experienced architects on staff to help you with any questions you may have, volume discounts for builders and accurate price-to-build estimates based on your building location and preferred building materials.  Our plans can be modified to suit your needs and style.

Craftsman house plans are among the most unique plans on the market.  You will not be disappointed with this choice.

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Have you ever thought that perhaps your small house plans just weren’t visionary enough? A massive home with an echoing front hall isn’t everyone’s ideal.  Smaller homes provide a warmer atmosphere in a reasonable space. There are practical benefits to more modest homes as well, including the cost to build, utility costs, the amount of land needed and future upkeep.  Ultimately, the bigger your home the bigger the costs associated with it.

It’s not all about money though; small homes are fantastic in many ways.  So if someone is teasing you about your small house plans for the future, you can make an excellent argument.  Things to keep reminding yourself about include; you have a larger variety of locations to build available to you, it will be cost effective and custom and your small house plans will be fulfilling your big dreams!

Some people just have home envy. It’s true, home ownership is something that is not within reach for everyone.  Your small house plans might be a bone of contention for some because not only are you buying a new home, you’re building a new home! You get to choose each detail from the ground up and you will undoubtedly have friends and family who purchased an existing home that they were not one hundred percent satisfied with. Even though you have small house plans, building from the ground up is going to allow you to make sure that you structure your home to your personal or family needs.

Perhaps you have small house plans because it’s your second home, a rental property or a vacation home?  In that case you need to consider several different things; a rental home should meet all generic needs and be highly functional, don’t waste any space! If it’s a second home or vacation home then be sure your small house plans cater to the needs you’ll need met while you are there.  For instance, you aren’t there all year round so perhaps a massive bedroom is less important than a beautiful deck overlooking the scenery.

A vacation home implies time and luxury so maybe consider looking at small house plans that allow for an opulent bathroom where you can really relax.  Don’t overlook the fact that, despite not living in it all year round, you still have to maintain it.  Consider house plans that have features which will allow for easy or low levels of maintenance.   Some of these features could be; a low-pitch roof, easily accessible eaves troughs and a durable exterior building material.  Don’t overlook exterior additions either.  If you are planning to build a deck onto the home, ensure all the wood is cured and sealed so it doesn’t warp in temperature extremes.   There are also weather-friendly and environmentally friendly materials available for decking that are made of resin and require very little work to maintain.

Luckily, no matter why you need small house plans, you are definitely going to love designing the home (or vacation home) of your dreams!  We have many great small house plans available for you to choose from.

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The ultimate vacation spot is a log cabin tucked away in the woods overlooking a beautiful lake.  Wouldn’t you agree? Well life at the cottage isn’t for everyone but what if you had the opportunity to build your own log home from the ground up?  Imagine you won the lottery and you could literally choose from dozens of  log home plans or even design your own.  How would one even choose?  Certain things would obviously effect what plan you chose but if you were rich you could have just about anything you wanted.  Then again, if you were rich you might be considering more modest log home plans that would afford you a discreet hiding spot somewhere.  A guilty pleasure for some people is flipping through the charity lottery brochures and gaping at the grand prize homes and cars while trying to picture yourself winning. So, in that spirit, let’s consider this an exercise in guilty pleasure.

Design your own log home plans.  What would they include? How about an impressive fireplace for the winter months and a large open family-style kitchen? You would likely want more than a couple bedrooms so you could entertain guests and maybe a game room.  What do you picture when you think about the outside of the home?  Log home plans should include some spectacular feature that really catches the eye.  Maybe a dramatic A-frame roof or a gorgeous wrap-around deck would be just the ticket.  Then there is the question of location…should it be secluded or in a community of log homes?  Would you put it right on the lake or not quite?  The options to consider are endless.

If you managed to come up with even a vague idea of what your log home plans would resemble then why don’t you think about building it?  Seriously, just because it’s a log home, doesn’t mean it can’t be your primary home too. It’s very common these days to build your own home as opposed to buying a pre-lived in one.  You now have the log home plans so you’re part of the way their! If you are on the market to purchase a new home anyway then it might not be the worst idea to look into what building new will cost you.  In many cases it can be right on par with purchasing used, depending on the area.  Something else to consider would be finding some land for sale, buying that, and then when the time is right financially you can dust off those plans and get building.

It would be nice to live everyday as if you were on vacation.  Waking up every morning to a beautiful community or wonderful scenery that surrounds a breathtaking home is the epitome of the life. Log home plans can be found through online home plan databases too, so, even if you weren’t able to come up with the perfect log home plans in your head – someone else can for you!  Don’t sell your dreams short – think big and then make it happen.

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It is a little-known fact that the air inside your house is dirtier than the air outside it. No matter what you do – how many windows you open or whatever – this will always be the case. This is true simply because of the amount of hiding places that your house has for dust and other particles, while at the same time having a limited amount of escape routes for the particles.
To go some way towards alleviating this problem, you might want to consider getting an air purifier. This will be especially useful to you if you have allergies or asthma that can be aggravated by dust or other particles such as pollen, as an air purifier can remove most of them from the air for you. If you smoke, you should definitely consider an air purifier, as otherwise all the pollutants in the smoke will build up in your house’s air over time, making it very unpleasant to breathe your indoor air.
Air purifiers come in all sorts of different types, each working in different ways. The most popular filter is a kind of fibre mat that goes inside a frame or housing, and can quickly remove 99.97% of pollutants from the air – this is known as a high efficiency particulate absorbing filter. However, these highly effective air purifiers can be expensive, especially as they need to be replaced quite often at a high cost each time.
If you just want your air to be cleaner, but not necessarily completely purified, you might consider a cheaper filter, or an air cleaner or air filter, all of which are terms used to describe cheap air purifiers. These devices may only remove 99% of particles from the air, but for most users, that will be enough. It is worth giving a cheaper filter a try first before you go all-out and buy the most expensive one, as you might be buying far more than you really need.

 

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Use of solar energy is becoming more and more popular every day. The price of electricity is rising and the best alternative that we have today is using solar energy. We all know that global warming is on an everyday rise today. The main reason for this being burning of fossil fuels like coal, which in turn is being used to produce electricity, so if we want our future to be safe, this is the time we step forward and start using solar technology.

NEED FOR ELECTRICAL POWER

Arguments that have constantly supported that electricity is of utmost importance and needs to remain are: Continue reading →

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The process of building a house requires a lot of careful planning and thought, especially while deciding on the floor plans. The process of finalizing a floor plan can be challenging, but it can be made easier if you follow the steps given below:

Specify your budget

This is probably the most important factor of deciding your home plans. You need to set a specific amount as your budget and ensure that you do not exceed it at any cost. By setting a budget, you would have a better idea of what you can and cannot add to your home floor plans.

Consider your lifestyle and family requirements

When you are working on the floor plans for your home, you need to ask yourself what you liked and disliked in your previous house. You should consider your lifestyle in your previous home and try to add some aspects from that in your new home. Moreover, your lifestyle may change drastically if you have just married or got a promotion or a new job. In simple terms, your house plans have to suit your lifestyle requirements. If you live with your family, then it is not just your lifestyle that matters. Ask your family members what they want from the house and include their inputs in your home plans.

Think about the location of your house

The final important factor you need to think about is the location of your house. The shape and size of the house, the arrangement of the rooms and everything else depends on the location of your home. The direction of each room in the floor plans also needs to be determined. Even if you do not believe in the astrological implications, you need to consider the effect of the prevalent climate and noise. For example, your bedroom would have to be fitted with an overhang if the climate is always sunny, and it would also have to be placed away from the noise so that there is no disturbance while sleeping.

At MonsterHousePlans, we made the plan searching job really easy for you. You can search plans from our database of more than 22000 plans. Visit https://www.monsterhouseplans.com/house-plans-advanced-search.html to search and get an appropriate plan for your house.

 

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Home-buyers tend to have a difficult time with getting organized for the financing of their shiny new house. Well, we have some tips to help prepare you for the process. With just a little knowledge about what to expect, a home-buyer can make the whole process quick and smooth. It can all be broken down into four simple steps to get a head start.

 

1. Check your scores. Surely, you have already heard about the FICO scores or your credit scores in the past. Before even looking at houses, make sure that your score is up to par. It is free to get a copy of your credit reports from all three bureaus once every six months. Use these as goals. Try to remove any bad markings that might be on these reports. For instance, if you had a water bill that you owed from your old apartment, it might show up on here. Try to take care of this before looking into financing your new home. It will easily raise your score a few points. These scores determine the monthly cost that you will incur and the down payment needed for this new mortgage. Continue reading →

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One of the most common reasons people give when asked why they are improving their home is that home improvements increase house value. While this can often be true, it is by no means as universal as some people assume it is. When you’re about to pay out lots of money for a home improvement, it’s worth checking whether the value of your house will increase by enough to pay for it – or, worse, whether it might actually force your house value down.

Let’s start with bathrooms and kitchens. While well-maintained and nice-looking kitchens and bathrooms do add value to a home, there’s nothing to say that they have to be the very latest thing. An older room that is well looked-after and wasn’t a complete abomination to begin with can often help the value just as much as a newly-installed one. Continue reading →

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MonsterHouseplans.com, a Planworks, LLC company and a leading supplier of stock house plans online, announced today that the company’s house plan collection now exceeds 22,000 premium plans. The milestone was reached with the recent addition of over 1,000 new house plans and includes designs from several top architects and home designers in North America. Achieving this milestone represents the fast growth the company continues to experience by striving to provide the best selection of high quality house plans and the very best customer experience.  This is being achieved by our efforts to constantly update the website to provide the most efficient methods of finding the perfect house plan, while filtering out the plans that do not have the features the customer is looking for.

“We are very excited to now offer our customers over 21,000 high quality house plans,” said Jeff Spring, Founder and CEO of Planworks. “We look forward to building upon the momentum created through the active support of our designer community, and maintaining a focus on our mission of establishing ourselves as the leading destination site for smart owner-builders and professional home builders.  This is a remarkable milestone for MonsterHouseplans. Our proactive efforts to cultivate strong relationships with top designers and architects enable us to add exciting new house designs to our site every day. This ensures our customers have the most extensive selection of exceptional house plans to choose from, as well as on demand professional assistance with any related topic.”

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I would like to offer a prayer for all of the families and friends of the victims of the horrible tragedy that occurred last Saturday in Tucson Arizona.  This was the work of a totally deranged person.  At a time like this, we need to resist the knee-jerk reaction to assign blame to this.  There is absolutely no evidence that this had anything do to with politics as some pundits have tried to suggest.  This is not a time to use this horrific incident to get in political points or assign blame to political philosophies that had nothing to do with this.  Unfortunately, there is no way to completely prevent this type of tragedy.  In a country of over 300 million people, there are going to be insane people that will do insane things.  I feel that our focus needs to be on the victims of this event, period. Read the stories of the people involved.  From those that perished to those that exihibited extreme heroism in face of unspeakable terror.  America will survive this and become a stronger nation if we keep this in perspective and continually strive to make this a better place.  Violence is never the answer and we must reject it always.