Posts by Christine Cooney
Go Green With ENERGY STAR House Plans
3With Earth Day right around the corner it’s the perfect time to think about how you can incorporate green elements into your new or existing home. The House Designers is committed to providing homeowners and builders with affordable, sustainable house plans that take advantage of passive solar design and innovative green building products so you can save on utilities without sacrificing efficiency and aesthetics.
By building an energy efficient home you will not only be doing your part to reduce the strain on our natural resources, but provide your family with a safe, efficient home. In addition to offering the only collection of ENERGY STAR Approved House Plans, the editors at The House Designers provide weekly articles and tips to assist homeowners in understanding the benefits of building a green home.
Recent articles include: Saving Energy By Going Solar and Innovative Products to Insulate Your Home. For a complete list of articles please visit Product Ideas.
The Greensboro House Plan from The House Designers is one of their newest green house plans. This Craftsman-styled ranch home packs in lots of style, efficiency and innovation into its small, angled footprint.
You can stay on top of all the latest home building trends, be the first to preview new house plans and review the newest most innovative building products as they hit the market simply by signing up for The House Designers FREE weekly e-newsletters.
House Plans: Latest Contemporary Designs
4If your dream style lends itself to a contemporary flair, you’ll enjoy The House Designers collection of modern house plans, which blend comfortable, livable elements to create a sophisticated, fresh look and feel. All of these designs feature magnificent outdoor living spaces, large open living spaces framed by spectacular, custom walls of windows, luxurious master suites and modern, restaurant styled kitchens.
A distinct trademark of most contemporary homes is large spectacular expanses of glass. This latest design from The House Designers features walls of windows outlining the rear of the home and overlooking the outdoor living area.
From the exterior, contemporary homes are very distinctive in styling from other residential architecture. They are typically geometric in form, which means a minimal roofline and plenty of large frameless or minimal frame windows throughout the elevation. The exterior facade is typically horizontal cedar or stark white render masonry with some addition of brick and stone accents.
The Brunswick House Plan features an open living space with clean lines, bright white walls and cabinetry with bursts of accent colors and stainless steel appliances. Check out the retractable glass walls that allows for a smooth, practical transition from the indoors/outdoors.
Contemporary interior design follows the concept of clean, simple lines with minimal accents. The main living spaces share an open floor plan that’s functional and appealing. Key elements include using metals like stainless steel, chrome and nickel because they provide a sleek finish and clean look. Walls are typically neutral in color with bold, modern furniture and accents.
How about having your own eco-resort with the Hummingbird H3 House Plan. This high efficiency home leverages all the latest green technology in a functional, affordable footprint of 1,350 square feet. For a smaller version of this ultra-contemporary design, there’s the Hummingbird H2.
Live Like a Celebrity with Luxury House Plans from The House Designers
1Live like a celebrity with luxury house plans from The House Designers. The luxury house plans in this collection were selected not only for being extravagant and grand, but because of their high-end amenities and features that include sprawling outdoor living spaces with pools, patios, living rooms and fully equipped kitchens; pampering master suites with spa-like baths; culinary kitchens; gorgeous, open great rooms perfect for entertaining and much more. You’ll be surprised to see that many of these luxury house plans range from 3,000-5,000 square feet.
The Valencia House Plan is an exclusive luxury house plan from The House Designers.
This stunning Mediterranean/Tuscan inspired house plan is the kind that dreams are made of. Everything you could wish for is included in this elegant, yet exceptionally functional floor plan. A large private master suite with fireplace and luxurious bath occupies the right wing of the first floor. The left wing features a family room with fireplace, circular breakfast room overlooking the covered terrace, a well-equipped kitchen with two center islands.
Formal entertainment spaces include a large two-story grand room with marble fireplace and large dining room. The basement floor plan is all about casual living and features a billiards room with circular bar with seating, an office space with fireplace, recreation room with corner fireplace and game room. There’s also a large guest suite and exercise room with spa and sauna.
This luxury waterfront estate from The House Designers features over 50 color photographs.
The Retreat at Water Edges estate is the kind of luxury house plan that you can expect to see on the shorelines of Martha’s Vineyard or Long Island where celebrities and politicians love to have their summer homes. This estate features five structures with complementary floor plans, which are joined by trellised arbors and sheltering roofs so you can enjoy year-round resort living. A retractable glass wall allows the interior to easily open to the large pool terrace featuring plenty of formal and casual living spaces. You must view the slideshow of this breathtaking home, which features over 50 beautiful interior/exterior color photographs. Most of The House Designers luxury house plans feature gorgeous photographs so you can easily envision what your dream home could look like. If you can’t afford to build a 5,000 sq. ft. plus home, you can certainly afford to add luxury touches to any home. A recent article from The House Designers, Adding Luxury to Your New Home offers insightful design tips to pamper yourself and add luxury touches to your home’s decor without breaking the bank. In fact, you’ll find plenty of informative design articles and product reviews in The House Designers Product Ideas section. Don’t miss a single new article from The House Designers, by signing up for their free e-newsletters.
After visiting The House Designers Luxury House Plans Collection, please tell us which one is your favorite, by visiting us on Facebook.
The House Designers and Project Team Up Partner to Provide House Plans to Alabama Tornado Victims
0The House Designers and Project Team Up recently partnered to provide house plans to tornado victims of Tuscaloosa, Alabama to assist in rebuilding new homes for a community left devastated by the worst outbreak of twisters on record in April of 2011. Families can choose from over 6,000 best-selling house plans from the leading designers and architects in the United States. Homes will be built by a team of talented craftsman who are coming from all over the world to offer their expertise and time in building new homes.
“We had gotten offers from local designers to draw up plans, but we wanted to go with an established organization, because we felt having a gamut of house plans would serve us better than forcing a house plan on a family,” said Riz Shakir, Executive Director of Team Up Foundation. He is also a professor at UA, who took a one-year leave of absence to head this project. “We want them to feel special and your portfolio of house plans allows them to browse, choose and finalize a plan for their new home.”
According to Shakir, he approached The House Designers because the website was easy to navigate, user-friendly and the families were enjoying browsing through the collection of over 6,000 best-selling house plans.
“We were so glad when Shakir approached us to offer our assistance with providing house plans to help rebuild a community that lost so many homes,” said Tammy Crosby, CEO of The House Designers. “We were more than happy to provide a discount on all of our house plans and assist with making modifications so these families could have a fresh start and custom their dream home.”
The goal is to have the families very involved in selecting their new home, which is why Shakir sits with them to review house plans on thehousedesigners.com that are applicable to their size (average house is around 2,000 square feet), budget and personal taste. If the family requests changes, he is more than happy to have the designers and architects of The House Designers make changes to the blueprints.
For every million dollars that they raise they will build between 10 and 15 new homes at a cost of about $75k-$100k. “Imagine the 6300 house plan, which would cost about $170k to build, but with free labor and only having to pay for materials the cost is essentially half price,” said Shakir, who is the builder and engineer on all new home construction projects.
The first two homes being built are the Norcuss House Plan and the Morrow House Plan. The Norcuss House Plan is an attractive 1-½ story design featuring plenty of amenities for a mid-size house plan, including a 252 sq. ft. bonus room. Highlights of this home include a 24’ x 14’ vaulted great room with fireplace, a large kitchen with two breakfast bars, 12’ vaulted ceilings in the master suite with a 6’ Palladium window and 3-car garage with bonus space above. They most recently purchased plan is the Morrow House Plan, which has an abundance of features (very similar to the Norcuss) and an open design for just under 2,000 square feet. The traditional brick exterior offers a refined and elegant appeal that is quintessential Alabama.
“The next plan will be the Shenandoah House Plan, which will go to the local Pastor and his family, who despite their personal devastation have spent months living in their parents basement to assist others,” said Shakir, who feels blessed to be in the company of such a loving community.
Donations may be sent to 312 Merchants Walk Suite 7, Tuscaloosa, AL 35406. For more information, call Project Team Up at 855-832-6877 or visit http://www.projectteamup.com/
House Plans: Editor’s Choice Dream Homes from 2011
4The editors of The House Designers have been busy going through over 6,000 best-selling house plans to choose their favorite designs from 2011. These particular house plans were chosen based on their innovation and energy efficiency as well as their interior detailing and curb appeal.
The timeless design of this traditional house plan will be one you will enjoy spending time in with family and guests. It is accented by gorgeous columns, shake siding and stone to create a unique, appealing exterior.
The Palladium House Plan was one of the newest additions to the traditional house plan collection. It was designed to create a multi-generational family-friendly home with flexibility and privacy throughout. The timeless exterior features traditional columns and arches, softened with Shingle-style accents and details. The welcoming front porch opens to a centered foyer, with an opposing den and formal dining room plus butlery and walk-in pantry. The beamed great room with built-in fireplace and entertainment center, gourmet kitchen with its huge island and multi-windowed eating nook create a spacious family area, all opening onto the large, wraparound outdoor living porch.
The Palladium House Plan from The House Designers features an open design accented by beautiful rich hardwood flooring from Lumber Liquidators® and bright white cabinetry, trim and wall coloring. There’s plenty of extra room for seating — something you’ll appreciate when you're entertaining guests.
To view this dream home and many others visit the latest issue of Dream Designs.
Don’t miss out on previewing some of the newest, most innovative house plans from The House Designers by receiving Dream Designs each week. The next issue features Fun, Flexible Living Spaces and showcases some of the most innovative game rooms, entertainment rooms, wine cellars and much more. Simply click here to subscribe to this free newsletter.
House Plans: Innovative New House Plans from The House Designers
2The newest house plans from The House Designers feature a mix of innovative green home products and building practices combined with timeless architectural styling and open floor plans to ensure years of comfortable and efficient home living. You’ll find everything from unique mountain homes to gorgeous Mediterranean estates to traditional two-story house plans, as well as designs from their exclusive collection of ENERGY STAR homes.
A gorgeous two-story stone turret welcomes guests to this new Mediterranean house plan from The House Designers.
Enjoy outdoor living on a covered patio featuring a fireplace and kitchen, which overlook the luxurious pool area.
The Cariati House Plan is one of The House Designers newest luxury Mediterranean designs. The two-story stone turret opens into a two-story living room with fireplace. Just outside is a covered patio with fireplace and outdoor kitchen that overlooks the in-ground pool and hot tub. Pamper yourself in a master suite with a sitting area and access to the outdoor living area. The master bath has an extra long vanity area, separate whirlpool tub and walk-in shower. There’s also a sauna room and his and hers walk-in closets. Other amenities include a gourmet kitchen featuring the latest appliances, a breakfast and formal dining room and a sunken media room. Upstairs are three additional bedrooms (each with their own full bath) and a game room that opens to the covered balcony. This dream home has it all.
Enjoy the view and warmth of the outdoors from the two-story wall of energy-efficient windows featured in this new log home from The House Designers.
The House Designers has also added a new mountain lodge home, which features all the latest energy-efficient building products and green building techniques. This log home can easily be customized to feature any exterior or interior styling.
Check out our editor’s favorite new house plans in the latest issue of Dream Designs.
Leading architect from The House Designers designs a house plan for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in Texas
4Leading architect from America’s best-selling house plan company, The House Designers helps design a custom house plan for a worthy family in Texas for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”
ABC’s Emmy award-winning reality TV Show, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” will surprise a worthy family in Bastrop County Texas where wildfires destroyed 1,500 homes this past Labor Day weekend on Wednesday, Dec. 7 with its signature “Door Knock.” Ty Pennington, the show’s team leader will be joined by designers Paul DiMeo, Johnny Littlefield, Tracy Hutson and Jeff Dye, who worked closely with one of The House Designers leading architects to create a brand new house plan for this next build.
This is no ordinary build. The show with the help of 3,000 volunteers and manpower builds a home in six days (a typical home can take up to six to nine months to build) working 24 hours a day.
According to Milan Vasic, the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” senior producer, “We actually have 106 hours from the time we knock down or start the demolition process until the family returns, so the builder has about 4 ½ days from start to finish.”
The Extreme Design Team approached Donovan Davis, an Austin-based architect from The House Designers, who has been designing innovative house plans for over 50 years back in October to design a brand new house plan for a deserving family. In literally two days, Davis and the Extreme Makeover Design Team knocked out a brand new design to fit the needs of the family and requirements of the show. It is part of the show’s trademark to include special/sentimental features in their design that will ‘literally’ bring tears to the family.
Davis was recommended by Eric Christophe, owner of EFC Custom Homes, who will be the local contractor overseeing the build. He was selected because of his strong ties to the community and reputation for high quality craftsmanship, energy-efficiency and attention to detail.
Davis is hoping to add this new custom design to The House Designers collection of over 5,000 award-winning, top-selling house plans. But for now everything is a secret until the family is announced on Wednesday and house plans for their new home revealed.
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” airs on Friday at 8/7 c. You can also keep track of this new build by following Extreme Makeover on Facebook.
Share Your Home Building Experience & Win $250
1Share Your Home Building Experience
We would like to invite all our home plan purchasers to share their home building experience and rate our house plans to assist others in choosing their dream home.
Send us your photographs of your new home and share your experience building one of our house plans by DECEMBER 20 and you’ll receive a $250 AMEX card if we use them on our home page. First 25 customers who send us photographs (we love interior shots) will receive $50.
Sharing your comments is quick and easy – click here.
We would like to extend our thanks for purchasing house plans from The House Designers and hope you will share your story with us!
House Plans: One-Story Floor Plans
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The Silverwood House Plan features an expansive vaulted great room, octagonal nook and open gourmet island kitchen that are perfect for today’s informal gatherings. View over 2,000 best-selling one-story house plans from The House Designers.
Today’s one-story house plans go well beyond the traditional ranch home. Architects and designers are taking the single story house plans to a whole new level by incorporating a variety of innovative and unique shapes and sizes to meet the needs, budget and lifestyle of future new home builders.
Consumers and builders can expect to find energy-efficient floor plans featuring flexible rooms, open kitchen, living and dining areas, extended outdoor living spaces, tons of amenities and simple, yet elegant exterior features to reflect various architectural styles.
Many single story house plans offer the ability to have a finished basement to extend the home’s living space. Basements offer the ideal place to create a game room, entertainment or media space to kick back and have some fun.
You can easily expand your one-story living to the outdoors with a large deck, sunroom or patio. Many are designed with complete outdoor living spaces, including an outdoor kitchen, fireplace and a pool/spa area.
Because they are one-story and do not have staircases, they are a great design for first-time homeowners who have small children, people with mobility issues and anyone who wants to save money on maintenance and utilities.
And if you need make changes down the road, having an open, flexible floor plan will make that an easy and affordable remodel.
View an extensive collection of one-story house plans at TheHouseDesigners.com, featuring a wide variety of size, styles and gorgeous interior photography to inspire the designer in all of us.
House Plans: Innovative New Cottage House Plans
1The House Designers recently featured some of their newest cottage house plans in their weekly newsletter Dream Designs, which keeps consumers and builders updated on their latest house designs.
These new cottage homes go well beyond the simple cabin or bungalow by combining luxury design features and amenities with traditional cottage styling, which include steep overhanging roofs with gables, large bay windows, panel front entry doors and ornamental detailing.
Regardless of the size and architectural styling, this collection of cottage house plans features gorgeous and flexible interior floor plans, innovative and energy-efficient home products and plenty of curb appeal.
This gorgeous luxury cottage house from The House Designers is the newest addition to one of the largest collections of online cottage house plans.
This luxury mountain cottage house plan is one of The House Designers newest designs, which features a large open living space that surrounds the kitchen to allow for plenty of entertaining. Homeowners can pamper themselves in a large master suite with spa-like bath, which occupies the right wing of the first floor. Three additional bedrooms occupy the second floor, which has a large bonus room. There are also plenty of green features to this home to ensure years of energy-efficiency. The entire home is wrapped in exterior insulated boards, which is like wrapping your home in a warm blanket. Combined with three high-efficiency gas fireplaces this home has a high R-value, making it perfect for colder climates.
The Marymoor is a popular compact rambler that combines a dynamic exterior facade composed from elements of cottage, country, Craftsman and lodge styles with an open floor plan that fits todays informal lifestyles.
This country cottage house plan mixes the styling of a Craftsman and rustic mountain lodge to create a beautiful exterior façade, which is accented by a front and rear covered porch for extended outdoor living. The interior features an open floor plan with vaulted great room, chef’s kitchen with island and cozy nook with large corner windows. There’s a flexible front room that can be used as an office, den or formal dining area. This house plan also comes with a basement and daylight basement option to add to its future living space.
Looking to make changes to a house plan? You can customize any house plan to fit your lifestyle and needs by simply requesting a free modification quote from The House Designers.
New House Plan Videos
12New HD Green House Plan Videos from The House Designers
The House Designers recently added four new house plan videos to their House Designers YouTube Channel. Each house plan was recently featured in the ENERGY STAR House Plan Competition. This competition recognizes the most innovative new green house plans. These new videos were all created in High Definition featuring crisp, clear color renderings and floor plans so consumers and builders can visualize what these beautiful new homes will look like when they are built.
This two story green house plan features a a large bonus living space over the garage, which is joined to the main house by a covered breezeway. The foyer opens a flexible space on the left (great for a home office or cozy den), to the right is the dining room area which opens to the large great room complete with fireplace and high vaulted ceilings. The second floor features 2 bedrooms and a loft that share a bath. The kitchen is a cook’s delight complete with a large island, plenty of cabinets and work surfaces. The large breakfast nook has access to the covered patio, which is great for outdoor dining. The master bathroom is complete with a spa bath featuring a corner tub, walk-in shower, his and her vanities with make-up area, a private toilet chamber and a large walk-in closet. There is a large optional bonus space over the garage that can easily be converted into an apartment.
Ask A Designer: Building a Green Home | green house plans
1The designers and architects at The House Designers would like to encourage consumers and builders to submit their questions about building a green home since they are the leaders in designing authentic green house plans.
This week’s question:
Q: Will I be sacrificing performance and style using WaterSense® bath products?
A: Homeowners typically use over 70 gallons of water a day per person. Much of that usage stems from bathroom activities. High-design, high-efficiency plumbing products for toilets, faucets and showerheads are now available and can reduce water consumption by 20 percent. For example, water flows from a standard showerhead at 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm), so a 10-minute shower (with the water running continuously) nets 25 gallons. This is why using a WaterSense® approved showerhead is so important to water conservation in your home. WaterSense® products must have a flow rate of 2.0 gpm or less, while also meeting performance requirements for flow rate across a range of pressures, spray force, and spray coverage. When it comes to high efficiency toilets, these models must consumer no more than 1.28 gallons per flush. All faucets must have a GPM of 1.5 or lower. All products must obtain third-party verification in order to qualify for the WaterSense® label.
We encourage you to visit our collection of ENERGY STAR/Green House Plans as well as catch up on the latest green building products and trends in our Product Ideas section, including articles like “Stylish and Water Efficient Bath Products,” “Designing and Eco-Friendly Kitchen,” “What Makes a Home Green.”
Don’t miss a single new article, by subscribing to The House Designers free weekly e-newsletter called Home Ideas.
This contemporary green house plan features radiant heat installed under the tile and stone floors, for an even distribution of heat and energy savings. The wood floors in this open, eco-friendly kitchen are made from Morning Star bamboo flooring by Lumber Liquidators.
Getting Your Home Organized for Back-to-School | the house designers
2It’s not too late to get your home organized for back-to-school with these great tips from The House Designers.
With the new school year upon us, it’s the perfect time to get your home organized for all the papers, supplies and projects that will be making their way into your home. You can make the transition back-to-school a lot easier by incorporating some of these simple, cost-efficient organizational tips from The House Designers, America’s leading designers and architects of ready-made house plans.
If your mornings are already chaotic, you should try to create a practical schedule where you get as much done as you can the night before, like making lunches, getting clothes ready and packing backpacks.
Pottery Barn Design Studio® features a free room planner where you can select from a wide range of furnishings for every room in your home, including your bedroom and home office. Shown is the American Classic Home Office.
You’ll want to create a dedicated area for homework. Take into consideration the age of your children and your home’s floor plan. Is their enough space in the children’s bedroom for a desk? Do you have a home office/den or a built-in desk in your kitchen/living area? Remember if you create a cool and inviting place for your children to do their homework, they may actually look forward to getting it done.
There are no avoiding lots of paperwork coming home every week, so you need to have a good filing system in place to help manage your daily schedule and events.
And let’s not forget all the A+ homework, projects and artwork that you will want to save. File boxes, portfolios and binders are great ways to store and save school keepsakes.
If you’re looking to redesign or remodel an existing room so you can have a dedicated area to do homework, you’ll want to check out Floorplanner. You can create accurate, interactive floor plans within minutes with this FREE online tool. Used in conjunction with The House Designers house plans you can easily decorate your dream home.
If you have extra space in your kitchen or mudroom you should try and hang a bulletin board so you can keep track of daily to-do-items as well as upcoming events.
Speaking of mudrooms, make sure that you create organized storage areas for your child’s fall sports and activities. Check out the article Getting Organized: Storage Solutions & Ideas.
Enjoy The House Designers Editor’s Choice Great Office & Homework Spaces from their latest issue of Home Ideas.
Fypon Offers New Real-Time Architect Website
2Architects and designers can now add exact specification details on synthetic millwork products to their blueprints for their latest home building projects by using Fypon’s® new architect website.
The website includes a Design Tools section with a Fypon® CAD program that features a searchable DWG library, detailed CSI specifications and access to the extensive Fypon® e-catalog of products so you can easily modify existing house plans with accurate product detailing.
“This on-line tool was designed to make it easy for architects to link Fypon® products to their projects,” says Janet Albright, marketing communications manager for Therma-Tru Corp.®, which offers the Fypon® product line. “The input we received from architects was invaluable to us creating a website that was in tune to how architects do their jobs. The ‘real time’ updates we developed with the input of architects are critical. These ‘real time’ updates provide architects with immediate access to all elements on-line with the ability to print each page if needed for a project.
“We recognize that architects are seeking out products that meet the needs of their ever-changing work environment where design and building codes continually change. The ‘real time’ aspect of this site assures architects of having the most updated product information at their fingertips with just a few clicks of the mouse. From photo galleries, to the detailed CAD drawings available on line, to the exact specifications of each product in the Fypon® e-catalog, architects can easily find the solution to their interior and exterior decorative product needs within this dedicated section of the Fypon® website.”
Fypon offers more than 1,900 synthetic pieces in the categories of Window & Door Trim, Mouldings, E-Vent™ Systems, Decorative Millwork, Louvers/Gable Vents, Balustrades & Columns, PVC Column Wraps, QuickRail® Systems and PVC Trim. Detailed product descriptions and measurements of each product are available in the on-line e-catalog.
Designing Your Vacation Home | vacation homes
2If you own a vacation home, you may find it challenging to figure out how the most affordable way to design and decorate it, while still making it appealing to renters. Since you’ll probably be using your home to vacation, you’ll need to find a way to balance your personal style and comfort with durable and affordable appliances and furnishings that can withstand the wear and tear of lots of traffic, especially if your home is a ski or beach destination.
Remember that renters have high expectations that a rental home will be as nice, if not nicer than their own home and filled with lots of amenities. Choose furniture that is easy to clean and durable. A great idea is to add slipcovers to your sofa and chairs, since they can easily be cleaned. One area where you shouldn’t cut corners is with the bedroom, since there is nothing worse than sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress.
Most vacation homes feature an outdoor living space so maximize this area if you can by adding a grilling area and comfortable furniture. If you’re looking to build a vacation home, look for house plans that feature open living spaces, mudrooms and functional kitchen designs.
For some great decorating ideas for your vacation home you’ll want to check out these two new articles from The House Designers – Decorating Your Vacation Home and Designing Your Rental Home.
