Category Archives: Home Floor Plans

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In a world full of conformity and sameness, there are many opportunities to show your unique vision through your dream home project. Creative solutions to common problems are the specialties of many architects, and these types of issues that require them to accomplish something typical in a new and fresh way is often the bread-and-butter of a design assignment. Here at Monster House Plans, we make it easier than ever to create a custom house plan you can get excited about.

Some of these creative decisions do not require expert guidance, however. Consider that the street view is the first impression your home makes to your family and your guests alike. Curb appeal is a big deal at every stage of your dream home project: it is important in everything from the way you feel as you walk up the front steps and insert your key into the door to the potential increase in overall home value to potential buyers by drawing them in.

Your front door says a lot about your family. For many home builders and home owners, a front door is the single most effective way to make a strong aesthetic statement. It is the perfect bend of beauty and function, as the front door is your welcome statement and also serves some very important purposes. In addition to serving as the entrance space for your home, your front door is also a security feature. When considering an artistic flair for your door, make sure that the basic functionality remains intact. While fancy plate-glass windows might appeal to your decorative sense, you do sacrifice some privacy aspects that a door can provide, and that might not be the best idea in high traffic areas. Dutch doors are quirky and wonderful, but are often preferred in the back of the house as they offer a more intimate entry into your home space.

As you choose your front door to perfectly accent the façade of your dream home, look for ways to balance beauty and function. Often the most aesthetically pleasing choices are embodiments of these two elements in harmony.

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Home design has always centered around the family unit. In this way, the legacy of domestic architecture can almost be read as a social history as much as it is an industrial one. Over the decades and centuries family structures have evolved as the world has changed. Some of the classic American house plan designs reflect this changing social reality. The Craftsman, for example, was a very popular home in the early industrial stages of American suburban life and the layout reflects the changing roles for mothers working inside the home. No longer were homes owned solely by the wealthy, and the lady of the house often did not have servants to manage the previously extensive housework. The kitchen and pantry areas were restructured to be navigated by a single person, and the big open windows overlooking yard spaces also denote the multitasking that was required of these new arrangements.

House plan design almost always centers on the movements of a family through the house. As we see design evolve, it is almost always the result of changes in life movements. For the last many years the priority has been on flexible space as family structures change and roles of parents evolve. Home offices and in-law accommodations are on the rise as families adapt to new challenges and find creative solutions to their needs.

This is one of the best parts of my job: designing homes that successfully meet the needs of today’s families, and to recognize the hard work that goes into making that house plan into a home. In honor of Mother’s Day, I’d like to say thank you to all the moms out there: whether you’re a mommy or a nana; whether your family is biology-based or blended; if you have more than two generations under one roof; if you work both inside and outside the home…. thank you for filling these many structures with love and support for all the growth we all continue to do.

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Back when architects were designing house plans by hand at large tilted drafting tables, a 3-D model was a luxury items usually relegated to large industrial or commercial projects. The benefit of those models, however, was paramount: having a replication of your dream project as it stands in actual space is a vital part of the process.

With countless improvements in technology, those architectural models are now available without the balsa wood and gluing processes of previous years. And this accessibility makes for a better home in the long run: from designer to builder to purchaser, having a model to work from allows everyone involved to be on the same page.

After nearly 40 years of designing homes, I am thrilled to be empowered to harness this technology. I have found that the improved clarity and transparency makes all the difference to families working on building their dream homes. This tool is of paramount importance when it comes to bridging the gap between designer and builder, and makes custom alterations a simple process.

At MonsterHousePlans.com, we offer thousands of house plans. And once you’ve searched through them and narrowed down your favorites, this 3-D Intelligent Design option allows your dream floor plan to come to life. This is an invaluable tool when it comes time to begin work with your builder: the 3-D model allows us to include the architect’s specific designs and characteristics, while giving the builder real-space awareness of how all these pieces come together. And as terms of customizing your floor plan, this is the tool that allows you to see the impact of individual choices as it translated to the house as a whole.

This industry has changed so much over the years. And while relics like the electric eraser have gone by the wayside, I am so thankful that modeling has followed us into these new methods of designing homes. There is nothing like taking an idea from your mind onto the page, and then again translating it into 3-D. It remains one of my most favorite examples of how the technological age has benefited the architectural industry: bringing real life examples of your dream home into the tangible process of everyone who buys a house plan.

– Brian Piling, architect

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Many small children spend their time looking around, examining, wondering and thinking about their surroundings. Sometimes, it is merely: “My, these walls are tall and that ceiling is far away.” And sometimes it is along the lines of: “What is between the ceiling and the sloping roof that is above the ceiling? I know where the ceiling ends in conjunction with the outside view of my home, and from the outside I can see the shape of the roof and where it starts, and from there I may deduce that the ceiling is not an accurate representation of the space in my home…so what really is between the ceiling and the pointed top of my roof?” Well, as many children later learn, this would be the attic. The attic is a common feature in many house floor plans, though depending on the culture, fashion and utility, the attic may not exist at all!

For one, the utility of an attic depends largely on the climate of the region in which it is being built and will be shown in the house floor plans being used to build one’s home. In snowy climes, where winter reigns often throughout the year, one may often see steep steeples on almost all the homes in order to prevent snow from piling up and collapsing the roof (much to the detriment of many people inside). While hot air rises, it will always pile into the attic and diffuse into the air around the house. To prevent this, every good house plan will include placement of turbine ventilators or exhaust fans and total area of the attic ventilation must be equal or greater to 1/150th of the floor area of the attic, with at least half of those vents in the upper half of the attic. This prevents the buildup or moisture and heat so that mold growth and wood decay does not occur as fast. Never thought an attic could be so complicated, huh?

Enough about attics! The main purpose of house floor plans are to give the builder, consumer or renter a sense of what they are, quite literally, getting into. After all, a blueprint for a house could be completely nonsensical, if being contrived by an amateur. And attempting to read a blueprint could be a very confusing task for the uninitiated, though given time and a little thought, any amateur could discern a doorway from a wall! The point is that while there are oodles of house plans to choose from, there will only be one in which you will live with for a very long time (unless you are a builder or someone who is building properties to rent).

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Assuming you are building your home with the intention of living there for a very long time, you should really do the research into which house floor plans will work for you. No matter what house floor plans you are considering, we have a variety to choose from, for a variety of locations.

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If considering designing your own home floor plans in any way, then read on to learn about certain factors to think about.

Have you ever wanted to design your own home?  If given the opportunity, many people would answer yes to that question.  There are many factors to consider in the creation process though.  First, you need to determine what your dream home would look like on both the outside and the inside, including each and every room in the house, as well as any outdoor structures you want installed or built up.  This can be slightly difficult if you have a significant other who has a different taste in architecture and style than your own.  While you may be able to come to an agreement on home floor plans, it is possible that you could run into trouble when determining the purposes for all of the various rooms.  By brainstorming together, you will find that it can be a very fun and exciting process.

You can start by coming up with individual ‘Top Ten’ lists of the different home floor plans that both you and your spouse like.  Take the two lists and carefully compare your selections.  You may be surprised to find that you both had similar choices picked out with only minor details separating the lists.  Individual details about the size of the rooms can be discussed later because at this step you are simply coming up with an idea or concept for the floor plan of the home.  Be sure to be open-minded and concentrate on listening to the ideas of your partner as you will both be collaborating on the design together.  Both points of view are important since you both will be living in the built space.  It is critical that both people living and paying for a custom home is provided with surroundings that they are comfortable and relaxed in, no matter how differing the two tastes in styles or designs may be.

There are many different types of home floor plans to choose from and it all depends on the space that you need for your home.  Your main objective in choosing a floor plan should be creating a space to house the things that are most important to you.  To individuals that have children, this may mean including sizeable bedrooms for your family that will provide enough space for them and their belongings as they grow.  If you are a person who works from home, then building the perfect home office may be your focal point in the design.

Smaller home floor plans are important to take into consideration as well.  Designing a larger home just to allow space to store lots of furniture may not make much economical sense.  A better solution is to incorporate double duty areas into the floor plan.  A large great room with high ceilings is an ideal option for large gatherings but they can also be broken up into smaller spaces with furniture or tables to create a cozier look. With the addition of a formal dining room, you can create a dining space that can be used for informal and formal eating arrangements.  There are many ways to design a home that is not only functional but beautiful.

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Today is the day! That special day you decided to build your house.  Maybe you are a young couple that endured bagged lunches and home brewed coffee for two years while you saved up a down payment.  Perhaps you are in the business of real estate and you build, decorate and sell houses.  Maybe this is the second or third house you have built.  No matter where you are in life, when it comes time to shop for home floor plans, it’s exciting.

Do not let that excitement cause you to overlook some very fundamental facts, however.  A home is a very permanent structure.  Although you can do renovations at a later date, it is much more cost effective and satisfying to get the elements you want the first time around.  Before you decide on which home floor plans are in your top ten list, do the following:

1.    Visit local show homes:  Visit different show homes and open houses that feature a variety of styles.  While you may have your heart set on the beautiful symmetry of Colonial home floor plans, you may fall in love with the chic elegance of French Country home floor plans.  You may discover ways to enrich your plans that you would not have thought of without seeing different options.  For example, an arch connecting the living and formal dining room rather than a door, or ganged windows instead of a single bay window.  Taking a good look around allows you see the actual elements you want to include in your plans as well as others you may wish to add.

2.    Be realistic about your needs:  Sure, it would be great to have a massive pool fed by a man-made waterfall all set in imported Aegean marble, but is that practical for your budget and lifestyle?  Will you use a large, formal dining room or does your entertaining taste run more to a comfortable great room with space for a home theater?  Will several children be living in the home?  If so, plan for storage space and perhaps a playroom.  Does one partner work from home?  Then don’t forget a home office.  Make sure your home floor plans include all the elements that will make your life easier, but do not exceed your budget.  Develop the spaces you will use the most and leave room to expand on the rest at a later date. A simple sod job in the back yard leaves room for a modest pool later on and an unfinished basement can be turned into a pub-style hang out when that bonus from work comes in.

3.    Budget, budget, budget.  You only live once.  So don’t live it under the crushing stress of a debt load you cannot afford.  If the bank approves you for a $300,000.00 mortgage, you do not need to spend every single penny of that on new place.  Budget for closing costs, lawyer fees, home decor – even the pizza and soda you will consume as you live out of boxes for the first few days of settling in.  Once moved in, make room in your household budget for regular maintenance items.  Budget ahead of time for large maintenance repairs that are years down the road, such as hot water heater replacement or re-shingling.  Budgeting for a new home starts when you look at home floor plans and continues long after you unpack the last box.

Shopping for home floor plans, designing your home, and watching the construction is a true joy.  Ensure that lasting happiness by taking the time to do some research, carefully planning for both form and function, and sticking to a realistic housing budget.

Monster House Plans has over 22,000 home floor plans in every style and theme you can imagine.  If you don’t see the one you imagine, you can customize any of our home floor plans to ensure it is perfect for you.  We know you are excited about building your home.  That is why we’ve made it easy for you to search our many plans with advanced search options and browse-by-style choices.  Helpful customer service agents are standing by in case you have questions.  So go ahead.  Take a look.  We know we have the home floor plans you have been looking for.