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Unless you are Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, you are probably going to need to take out a loan to build your dream home. There are a number of different routes that you can take when you go to get your loan, and each type of home loan comes with its own list of positives and negatives. It’s important to consider each type of loan from a number of different people and institutions before you pull the trigger and get that cash. There are different sets of requirements that come with each type of loan as well, so you need to be careful about what you agree to do with your new home.

FHA Loans

FHA loans are the type of mortgage that most people are going to end up using because they are the easiest to obtain. When you go to apply for this type of loan, you will need to provide the normal loan application materials such as current debt levels, credit score and proof of income. If you are pre-approved after providing these materials, you will then be given a maximum amount that you can spend while you build your home. It is vitally important that you do not exceed the maximum loan amount while you build your dream home.

VA Loans

VA loans are basically a version of FHA loans that give special treatment to veterans. VA loans usually come with a lower rate of interest, but the catch is that you have to make sure that the home follows certain energy efficiency guidelines.

Adjustable Rate Loans

Adjustable rate loans will allow you to get more money up-front than any other type of loan. Since you will be able to qualify for more cash, it is much easier to make sure that you can fit your dream home inside of your loan’s allowed budget. These loans will come with low interest rates at first, but they will begin to rise as the years go by. It’s important to make sure that you will be able to handle the increased interest payments in the future with this type of loan.

Conventional Loans

The last type of loan you can look at when it comes to building your dream home is a conventional loan. These kinds of loans will give you the ability to have more control when it comes time to pay for construction costs, but they are usually not the best idea if you are purchasing your home from a tract builder.

Stay Within Your Budget

The most important thing to remember after you get your loan is that you need to stick with your allocated budget. You will probably have to get rid of a few ideas or tweak some of the nicer things that you were going to place in the home, but building your own dream home is still the best route to take if you want to live in the perfect house.

Brent Taylor writes issues related to mortgage loans and financial matters. He writes for Mortgage Loan, a site that provides daily news and articles since 1995.

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In a “buyer’s market,” it may be a desirable option to buy a large area of land and build a house on it instead of buying an aged home that comes with unknown maintenance issues.  One of the most important aspects of building your dream home is ensuring you have professional homeplans that meet your needs and desires.

Homeplans are crucial for the way you want your home to look in the end.  Once you are sitting at the dining room table and looking around, you want to be more than just satisfied, you want to be excruciatingly happy about the home design.  The home designs are drawn out professionally in homeplans.  They are not just simple, drawn up documents.  If it is, then you certainly do not want to pay the money to have a home built off of it.  You want a customized plan for building a house that is going to incorporate the way you live your life, ones that help you to relax and help you live your daily lives easier.  A homeplan, or blueprint as it is commonly called, is a collection of working or construction drawings that detail all the specific construction aspects of a house such as layouts, dimensions, installation techniques, methods and materials.

The basic information that can be found in a set of homeplans includes site plans, a floor plan and elevations. A site plan shows where the house is situated in context to the property it is on. A floor plan shows what the house would look like from an overhead view, including lines that run parallel to show to scale the width of the walls as required.  Elevations are drawn to scale to reflect such items as ridge heights, exterior finishes and other details pertaining to the architectural styling of the home’s exterior details.  Some other information you can find within a set of homeplans are placements of windows and doors, columns, molding, electrical outlets, built-in shelving and roof plans.  This information is crucial to each step in the construction and build up process of your custom built home.

Many architects and home designers are currently using computer graphics to illustrate homeplans to people in three dimensions.  The 3-D homeplans enhance the construction detail and perspective views to allow both the home buyer and the builder to have a better understanding of the intent of the designer, preview specific finishes, verify construction ability and make alterations where necessary.  This kind of graphic representation is intended to make the home building process as smooth and accurate as possible while both party’s are still staying within construction abilities and the buyer’s expressed preferences.

To see how 3-D homeplans can help you in your home building endeavors, consult with a professional design and architectural planner.  They may not help you per se, you’ll be able to see thousands of floor plans that they already have designed through the 3D program.  There is even a company in the industry that uses “The Intelligent House Plan,” where you can view multiple angles and vantage points of the 3-D model of your new home, review construction ability, explore additional modifications, ensure accuracy and get the peace of mind that everything is designed to the highest standard for your dream home.

“Building Information Modeling” will model your house just as it’s to be constructed, with every element of the construction and design portrayed to you in three dimensions.  There is nothing more you could ever ask for when it comes to picking and designing your homeplans.  Use a reputable and experienced architect or designer, feel good about what is being designed and enjoy your new home once it is built.

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For thousands of years people have been building houses, often with the goal of constructing their dream home that meets all their needs, desires and style.  Find out how floor plans like these are done now.

If you are thinking of building your very own home or are even considering it, then working out and designing your floor plans are going to be the most critical aspect to the process as they are the foundation for all the wants and desires you have in your dream home.  Floor plans are an important instrument used by architects and building designers to draw the house’s rooms, its spaces and other features at one level of the home at a time.

Floor plans include dimensions drawn between a room’s walls to specify the size of that room and the length of the walls.  By detailing the length and width of each room or area in the home, a potential homeowner can get a feel for how things will look upon completion of the construction.  They can also show various fixtures such as water heaters, sinks, bathtubs and furnaces.  Your final home plans can also include special notes for the construction crews to represent the actual construction methods or finishes and it may even have symbols to show where electrical items should be placed for the most detailed and perfect job competition.

Whether for additional space, luxury or simply to meet necessities, floor plans give homeowners various options to choose from before their home is built.  A potential homeowner can view and alter various floor plans to adjust the sizes, locations and layout of rooms in the house, as well as determine how to best use the space that will be made available.  Picking desired specifications is often considered to be one of the most satisfying aspects of designing the place you intend to call home for many years or even the rest of your life.

Your house is one of the biggest and most significant investments that you can make in your lifetime. That is why it is absolutely vital to find floor plans that reflect what you want and what you need in the style and designs that you want and choose.  By knowing what sizes and designs you desire in your future home, you can work with a floor plan professional to have those options easily customized so that they are included in the house construction.

The best ones will have the ability for you to go online and optimize search options to narrow down what best fits your desires.  You will be able to get a close idea to the type of floor plans you are interested in speaking with someone about and then move on from that point to reach your desired and completed plans for your home.  A true professional architect will work professionally and closely with the designers and you.  This way you should end up very satisfied and living in a most comfortable and relaxing home space that you know is yours forever.  To make your home building experience not only an enjoyable and lasting one the best companies will make your journey the best construction experience you will ever have.  They will do all they can to help you get your brand new house you can not wait to call home.

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So, you have finally made the decision to build your dream home but after hours of searching through home plans instead of finding that one perfect plan you instead find you are frustrated with everything.  Learn what to do.

It is not that you hated every plan you came across but there was not one of the home plans that screamed “Choose me, I’m perfect!”  If you are going to be making the type of commitment like building a home, then you want a home plan that is not only perfect for you and your family but one that will allow you to stay within your budget.

In all of your searching you most likely came across at least a couple of plans that you felt had potential but there were minor changes you wanted to make with each and every one of them.  Maybe the laundry room was in the wrong spot for you or your plan would include ‘His’ and ‘Her’ closets in the master bedroom.  There are many architects that offer home plans to go through modifications to the plans they have available. The option to modify an existing home plan rather than drawing a home plan from scratch saves you a ton of time and money, and still allows you to end up with the home of your dreams.

When modifying home plans there are a few things you will want to keep in mind because it will affect the structure of your home.  You will need to be very familiar with your lot.  It is vital to know whether the land you are building on is suitable for a walk out basement before you just decide to simply add one to the home plan because you want one.  If it is moist ground there might be greater chances for a leaky basement so rather than finishing a basement, you might want to choose a bonus room on the second floor to add the extra space.

While you may not be able to predict the future it is advisable to look ahead and try to account for things your family might need in your home plans.  For instance, if you are planning to have more children you will want to have enough bedrooms to accommodate.   Extra bathrooms for a few years down the road when your kids are older might be something you will want to consider, especially if they are girls.  The weather conditions and patterns in your area is another factor you will want to take into consideration when planning your dream home.  Being aware of the type of damage the weather in your area typically causes is important.  There are some things that can be built as resistance.  There is never any way to protect completely against Mother Nature but if you know in advance the area is prone to flooding or tornadoes then certain construction aspects can be designed to help and protect the home if possible as well as the family during these disasters.

Ultimately, be sure you that you are in love with the home plans before the home is constructed.  You would never want to pay money to have something built that you already know you are not happy with.   If you are not perfectly happy do not settle.  You can always try a different home plans to get exactly what you want.

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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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Your new log home will be one of the best investments you’ll ever make, so it’s important your log home plans are just right.

Buying a home is an exciting experience. There are so many options to choose from. Is a mid-sized bungalow the best option for you? How about an old-fashioned two-story or maybe a modern split-level? Of course you can forgo the single-family home altogether and purchase a cozy condo or townhouse. Maybe the country life is more suited to you, and you would like a stone cottage. One option that is rising in popularity is the log home. Log homes have the kind of classic, rustic, all-American charm that exudes character and warmth, and never really goes out of style. A home like that is bound to be passed down through many generations of your family, which is why it’s important that you really think through your log home plans before going through with the build.

Your log home plans will vary depending on a number of factors, with size being one of the more major ones. Now, it’s no secret that log homes tend to run a bit pricier than your average home. The materials cost more, and specialists who understand the construction techniques must be brought in, and all of these special considerations come with a heftier price tag. For this reason, you will want to carefully go over cost projections before you finalize your log home plans. The construction company you are working with should be able to help you calculate the potential costs based on material and labor costs per square foot, as well as any other special construction features you might be looking at adding.

A beautiful log home will be far too lovely to keep to yourself, so odds are you’re planning on hosting company on a fairly regular basis. When finalizing your log home plans, make sure that you take into consideration not only your own living space, but where you will accommodate company. A large living room or great room is the perfect way to showcase the architecture of the house, and to fit in features such as a fireplace or bar. These features will give you better use of your new home, as you’ll want to show it off as often as possible! Make sure you also consider whether you need guest bedrooms and bathrooms as well. Having company over to your new log home will certainly be one of the most satisfying aspects of owning your new home.

It’s going to be hard to be patient when it comes to building and moving into your brand new log home, but some things simply can not be rushed. You must make sure that you take the time to design log home plans that will fit perfectly with your needs, your lifestyle, and, of course, your budget. Solid plans will serve as the foundation for many years of happiness and enjoyment in your beautiful new log home. Log homes are beautiful, timeless, and exude a classic appeal that transcends housing trends and fads, so complete your plans wisely! If you do, you will enjoy your home for years to come.

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Before you resign yourself to drafting up small house plans, think innovatively about how you can make a large house work on a small lot.

If you take a stroll through any of the older neighborhoods in your city – older meaning mid-century or earlier – you will notice something about the homes: the lots are all big, but the houses tend to be a bit on the smaller side, with large yards. Fast forward a couple of decades and you’ll notice that houses started to get bigger, much bigger. Lots were still fairly large, so there was still decent yard space, but houses began running over two thousand square feet, even in fairly modest middle-class neighborhoods. Since then, the story has changed yet again. Due to population expansion in many major cities, new homes are being built on smaller and smaller lots. So what does this mean for you when you’re planning on having a home built? Can you only look at small house plans? Or will you be able to somehow manage something a little bigger?

Well, in a way yes, and in a way no. There are still larger lots available in more affluent areas, so if you can afford to live in one of those neighborhoods, you can scrap the small house plans and build something bigger. If you can’t afford the richer areas of your city and are looking in a more standard, middle-class neighborhood, you might not be able to plan a house that appears large or has a high square footage, but you can still build something much bigger and more elaborate than your basic small home. Bungalows might be a popular choice right now, as are split-level homes, which, despite being built upward, still must cover a large surface area, otherwise all those half-floors would simply be too small to be practical. However, on a newer, smaller lot, those might not be options, but before you give up and start drafting up small house plans, consider your other options.

Why not plan for a multi-story home? True, those aren’t done very often anymore, but they can be beautiful, sophisticated, and perfectly modest homes. You will have to be careful when making the plans, though. You want to make sure you really consider where you would like everything to be. It might seem simple to just take small house plans and throw on another floor, but unfortunately it’s not quite so simple. You’ll have to consider whether you want all bedrooms on the upper level, or if you’ll need one or more on the main level. You also have to think about your maximum square footage per floor, and what room placements that will allow for. Also consider how many floors you’re willing to have (why stop at two?), window placement (for privacy), and whether the neighborhood has restrictions on housing styles. In all of these considerations, the size of your family, your propensity for keeping company, your decorative taste, and your physical health will all be considerations.

Despite the work involved in changing your small house plans to multi-storey house plans, it will be worth the effort when you live in the neighborhood of your dreams, without compromising the house of your dreams.

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You can customize our house plans to meet your criteria.

So you’ve been going through house plans and you have finally found the one that you want…sort of.  It’s perfect, except for a few small details.  You can’t find anything closer to your ideal, but if you could just make a few adjustments, you would be truly happy with your choice.  Relax!  All of our house plans are customizable.

Wait!  Before you rush off to pencil in that double spiral staircase there are a few things you need to know about customizing house plans.

Are you familiar with the term load bearing wall?  Let’s put it this way.  You don’t want to knock one of those down.  Opening up a space by removing a wall is a common way people customize house plans, but if that involves removing a load bearing wall, your house becomes structurally unsound.  You don’t have to be an architect to make changes to your plan, because we have ones on call for you.  If you are worried about the potential damage from removing walls or beams noted in your plan, talk it over with one of our architects.  They will be happy to help you make changes.  For example, if it is a load bearing wall you want to remove, perhaps columns or an archway could be installed to keep the house structurally sound.

Adding bathrooms, creating guest suites and changing up your building materials are all ways you can customize your house plans.  Before you install that five foot fountain in your foyer, however, check to see how much cost your additions are adding to the price of the plans.  You will also need to add the cost of your additions into your cost to build.  Alternately, removing elements may actually save you money.  Our trained staff can discuss costs with you as you customize your house plans.

Don’t be afraid to run your ideas past a designer.  If you are looking to add something special to your house plans, like a theatre or private pub, you will need to pay attention to things like flow and access in addition to color and décor.  Book a consultation with a designer to get ideas on how to install a major feature into your house plans.  The consultant may recommend using basement space, or over-garage space.  They may hint at direct access off the kitchen for easy access to treats or they may suggest extra wide doorways so equipment can be moved in and out of the room with ease.  They will also have suggestions on how to design the room so it can be re-purposed at a later date, if necessary.

You may also want to run your customizations past a real estate agent.  Sure, a built in fish tank may be just the thing for you, but it may take away from the resale value of the house.  If the customizations you choose for your house plans are only suited to a narrow niche of home buyers, talk with our architects about ways your customizations can be easily renovated if you plan to sell at a later date.

Most important of all, have fun.  This is your house and your house plans.  Enjoy the process of making it unique to you.  We have the resources you need to quickly and easily customize your plan into the plan of your wildest dreams.

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Browsing house floor plans is exciting but you need to stay organized so you can remember your favorite ones.

Is it that special time in your life when you get to look at house floor plans?  Much like the day you go shopping for your wedding dress or the day you get your first car or the keys to your first apartment, the first time you go looking for the plans that will eventually be your home is one of the most exciting and memorable days in your life.  Unfortunately, much like the first time you shop for your wedding dress (or tuxedo for the gentlemen!) or for your first car, you can become completely overwhelmed with all the options.   Here are some easy ways you can stay organized while looking at house floor plans.

•    Make a budget:  You can’t have a dream home that you cannot afford.  That is not a dream home; that is a financial nightmare.  The stress of living paycheck to paycheck and in constant dread of anything that will strain your tight budget (appliance breakdowns, car repairs, time off work due to illness) will cause you to resent your money pit of a home.  No matter what your budget, there is a house out there that has most, if not all, of the elements you need.  Before you start looking at house floor plans, decide just how much house you can realistically afford.

•    Separate needs and wants: You can customize house floor plans to have every whim you can imagine, but is an oversized dining room more important than ample storage?  Think about your lifestyle, your family and the ways you need your house to function for you.  If you have social children, perhaps you want a basement where they can hang out with their friends.  Love to socialize?  Then a theatre room or large parlor is for you.  Plan your home for form and function before you add in your wants.  Needs are things you must have to make your home work for you.  Wants are things that are nice to have, but you can live without.  Both needs and wants come with a price tag, so plan accordingly and stay on budget.

•    Search online:  Once you have a realistic budget in place and know what elements you want and need in your home, it is time to start browsing house floor plans.  Doing so online is the most efficient way to see all your options.  Here at Monster House Plans we have many ways to keep you organized while choosing from among our over 20,000 plans.  Our advanced search allows you to view only the plans that fit your criteria.  You can save plans that you like in a favorites list that is accessible to you each time you log in.

•    Get information from reliable sources:  You are going to have questions as you narrow your selection of house floor plans to your one dream home.  Questions about an investment of this importance should only be handled by the experts.  At Monster House Plans, you can talk to an architect, not a call center agent, to ensure your questions are properly addressed.

We love house floor plans, which is why we have over 20,000 of them!  That is a big number, but a few simple steps is all it takes to keep from being overwhelmed as you find the plan that is perfect for you.

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When looking at house plans, there are many reasons why you should consider log home plans, specifically, when designing your home.

Looking at log home plans and thinking that you just don’t want a home that is so rustic? Think again. Like everything the old becomes new again and log home plans are reflecting this shift in building trends. Today’s log homes are as modern as any other homes and can be built to your specifications. Long gone are the cabin-style days of dirt floors and a singular open dusty room with very little light. Today you can choose a log home that feels luxurious, has all the amenities but is filled with old-world character and charm. So, why build a log home? Why not just go with a more modern look? Here’s why it’s worth your time investing in a log home.

Log homes are built using natural materials, which provide a timeless, beautiful look and minimize your carbon footprint. Less processing of the wood and minimal shipping time makes this type of home perfect for the eco-conscious homeowner. Many construction companies build from log home plans using local timber. Logs can be dried in a kiln to remove all of the moisture or used “green” and freshly cut. Green logs used in log home plans usually take about four years to reach equilibrium with the local conditions. Your home will blend in with its natural surroundings and become one with nature. The result is a beautiful home that has been built with very little impact to the environment and it appears as though it belongs in the environment.

Many people wonder if a log home will be efficient enough for the changing seasons and hold up to today’s busy demands. Most people don’t realize that log homes are extremely efficient. Large diameter logs retain heat well in the winter and a cozy fire place can warm the heart of your home. Logs are also very good for keeping the house cool in the summer by blocking the intense heat from the sun. Dense packed logs are an excellent sound barrier making for a very quiet home and since wood absorbs sound, moving around inside your home with a busy family will be twice as nice. Log home plans are perfect for every lifestyle.

Log home plans have evolved from the simple log cabins of the past, to modern and innovative dwellings with many options and possibilities. At Monster House Plans we have so many log home plans to choose from. If you’re looking to build a simple cabin, you’ll find the perfect design and style here. If you are looking to build an ultra-modern palatial lodge, you’ll find that here too, and everything in between. Our log home plans can cater to any style or need, and for a fraction of the cost that you would pay an architect. Often, people wonder about the value of log homes. Traditionally, handcrafted log homes usually have a higher resale value than other homes of the same size. House buyers value the craftsmanship of houseplans and will pay more for the timeless beauty of a well-crafted house.

Monster House Plans sells log home plans and thousands of other plans in all the styles you want. If you are looking for house plans, Monster is the one resource you need.