This week we launched the first issue of Dream Savings, a monthly e-newsletter featuring the latest money savings coupons and rebates to help you save money on building or remodeling your new home. You don’t have to wait each month to learn about the latest savings, because we’ve added a new section to our website where you’ll find ALL the latest rebates, including kitchen appliances, garage doors, tax credits, house plan modifications and much more. We understand the challenges of building a new home in today’s economy and wanted to make it easy for you by finding the best savings and rebates on all home building products and services, particularly eco-friendly products offered by residential manufacturers dedicated to promoting sustainable products so you can live better and enjoy huge energy savings for the life of your home.

This charming 2,697 sq. ft. Old World home features a split 3-car garage, a spacious front porch and a brick, stone and siding exterior with shake accents. The entry unfolds to a columned dining room and a home office. The large gourmet kitchen has an angled breakfast nook and a snack bar to provide additional seating and food prep space. Cabinets and shelves in the breakfast area offer pantry storage space. The center island holds a cook-top. A welcoming fireplace warms the cozy two-story family room.

The elegant master suite, with a dramatic tray ceiling, is located on the main level. Closet space abounds with his and hers walk-in closets plus a spacious sitting/dressing area. The master bath features separate vanities, a luxurious spa tub and a private toilet room with an oversized shower.

Upstairs, the suites are sweet! Each bedroom suite features its own bath, two with tubs and one with a corner shower. All suites have walk-in closets. The biggest surprise of the upper level is the expansive dual bonus areas. The possibilities are limitless as to the use of this delightfully unexpected space!

Outdoor living is enjoyed to the fullest with front and back porches and a roomy deck. We have featured a small pool in our rendering to help you plan your recreational space. View the house plan here.

The day has come…you’ve bought yourself a beautiful downsloping lot with a fabulous view. The question now becomes “what do I put on it?”

Aside from more obvious requirements like how many bedrooms you require, whether you want a great room or a living room/dining room, or how square feet you need, a downsloping lot has certain other unique characteristics that should be considered. First of all, how much does the lot fall?

A lot that has only four feet of fall within the footprint of the home has different requirements than one that falls twelve feet or even twenty.

For the former, you should consider a level-lot plan , like the Greenspire, adapted to the slope of the lot with pony walls (shortened walls, unlike a full-height wall that might connect one full floor to another).

For the latter, the best solution is to use a daylight basement home plan – one that has a floor below the main that allows you to walk out at grade level from the rear of the home (hence the other term – walk out basement.)

Examples of this type of plan include the Dawson, the Brackenbury, and the Norcutt. Secondly, if the lot has any side-to-side slope in addition to the front-to-rear, consider the orientation of the garage when selecting your home plan; at checkout, plans can be ordered reversed, or mirrored, from the orientation you see presented on this site.

Typically the garage should be positioned on the high side of the lot to prevent the driveway from sloping too steeply downward into your garage, and also to simplify construction and excavation. The added challenges of building a home on a hillside will be worth it; some of the most beautiful homes in the world are built on sloping lots.

I was speaking to a customer who needed 2×6 exterior construction. He was unable to find a floor plan that he liked. But I was able to let him know that house plans can be modified from a 2×4 construction to a 2×6 for a nominal fee.