by Christine Cooney on January 17, 2011 in Floor Plans, Home Ideas, House Plans
You can never have enough storage space for all your things. This is particularly true as you get older and start a family and expand your interests and activities. If you’re building a new home, now is the perfect time to assess all of your storage needs and make sure that your house plan can accommodate these needs before you begin construction. If not, sit with your designer or builder and have them modify your existing floor plan. One of the simplest ways to increase storage space in a new home is to modify existing closets and/or add additional closets. Closets not only improve your storage needs but will help keep you and your family organized in your new home. With the demand for additional storage space by homeowners, you’ll find most new house plans feature large, walk-in closets and additional storage spaces throughout the design.
Our most recent issue of Home Ideas features two new articles – Getting Organized: Storage Solutions and Ideas and Choosing Cabinetry for Your New Home, as well as the latest cabinetry and storage units for your bedroom, mudroom, bathroom, kitchen, great room and garage.
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The Seligman House Plan features plenty of inventive storage spaces, built-ins and flexible spaces like this study room featuring a wall desk unit with plenty of cabinet space.
by Christine Cooney on September 27, 2010 in Green Building, Home Ideas, House Plans
When it comes to interior design, how you decorate your walls and floors can really make a difference when bringing your home’s style and décor together. Our house plans feature so many great interior photographs to help inspire the designer in all of us. You’ll find everything from gorgeous cabinetry, lighting fixtures, columns and millwork, faucets, flooring, wall coverings and colors to small accents to help inspire you.
Our most recent issue of Home Ideas focuses on flooring and features the latest green flooring options like radiant floor heating, handscraped hardwood, bamboo and cork. Remember your floor is a key design element so you’ll want to spend some time selecting the right materials, colors, patterns, textures and even shapes for each room.
Choosing a floor that you will love to live with is not just a matter of looks. The floor must suit your lifestyle. Do you have children or do you plan on having children down the road? Do you have pets? Are you concerned with slipping? How much time are you willing to commit to maintaining your floor? Are you concerned with indoor air quality, allergens and/or odors?
Learn about the latest green flooring options and get insightful information radiant floor heating, choosing the right flooring and FREE online design tools like Lumber Liquidators® Room Designer.
Sign up for our weekly Home Ideas e-newsletter featuring the latest products, tips and trends to help you build and design your dream home. Haven’t purchased your house plan yet, check out our weekly Dream Designs, featuring our editor’s favorite house designs.
by Christine Cooney on July 23, 2010 in Architecture, home building, Home Ideas, Home Plans, House Plans
Our recent issue of Home Ideas, our free weekly e-newsletter focused on how to create a stylish, spa-like bath that resembles the look and feel of a real spa. You’ll enjoy browsing through our designers and architects hottest house plans featuring photographs of well designed and amenity filled bathrooms. No matter what size the house plan all our designers are spending extra time creating a spa-like retreat in the bath.
Learn how to incorporate a vessel sink into your design to create a really unique look. Vessel sinks are available in so many sizes and shapes that it’s easy to find one that will complement your homes architectural style and décor.
The master bath in this two-story luxurious house plan has been integrated with the master bedroom to create a haven for rest, relaxation, pampering and romance. No amenity has been spared in this design.
This house plan is ENERGY STAR® approved and features one of the most gorgeous green bath designs. Enjoy a great view while relaxing in the hot tub with an oversized window seat and large glass window.
by Christine Cooney on July 20, 2010 in Architecture, Home Ideas, Home Plans, House Plans, two-story house plan
The recent issue of Dream Designs, our free weekly e-newsletter, showcased five fabulous house plans with exquisite window designs to create aesthetically pleasing living spaces so you can enjoy exceptional views, maximum ventilation and natural light all while improving your home’s energy-efficiency.
Enjoy this Mediterranean estate with gorgeous stacked windows and plenty of elegant architecture inside and out.
The two-story foyer of this European design offers an open view directly to the vaulted living room and rear-covered porch.
The rear of this home offers a wall of gorgeous windows to enjoy the outside. For added outdoor living there’s a bbq deck, screened porch with fireplace and large corner deck.
by Christine Cooney on June 29, 2010 in Architecture, Floor Plans, Home Ideas, Home Plans, House Plans
One of the main reasons the house plans featured in our latest issue of Home Ideas remain our most popular is because of their kitchen design. Our designers and architects understand the importance of designing a functional and gorgeous kitchen space, since it is typically the busiest and most important room in any home. Learn how to choose functional and stylish kitchen cabinetry, check out the most innovative cabinet accents and check out the top products from leading cabinet manufacturers like KraftMaid®, Wellborn®, CrownPoint® and Wood-Mode®.
This kitchen is designed to be functional and stylish with it's cabinetry design.
by Christine Cooney on May 21, 2010 in Green Building, green designs, green house plans, home building, Home Construction, home designs, Home Ideas, Home Plans, House Plans
The demand for sustainable materials and the popularity of outdoor living areas such as decks has led to a growth in “green” decking materials. One of the most popular and affordable sustainable materials is composite decking, which blends wood fiber and recycled plastic to create a highly durable and beautiful product. Our latest issue of Home Ideas features the latest trends in deck designs and the top green decking products to build and design your outdoor retreat. You’ll learn about some of the hottest decking materials from leading companies like TimberTech®, TAMKO®, Weyerhaeuser® and Tiberon® as well as some new creations like TimberSIL® which is made from glass and BamDeck® which is made from a 100% bamboo.
by Christine Cooney on May 19, 2010 in Floor Plans, Green Building, green designs, green house plans, home building, home designs, Home Ideas, Home Plans, House Plans
Here are some great design ideas to make a small bathroom appear larger without sacrificing aesthetics, comfort and functionality.
One of the simplest ways to make a small bathroom appear larger is to choose light colors for the décor and the appropriate style and size for your sink design. If you want to add some bright, bold colors to your small bathroom, use accent colors in your border or decorative accessories like mirror frames and bathroom hardware.
Choosing light colors for your bathroom flooring will aid in making your bathroom appear more open and roomier. Some of the more popular colors for bathroom floors are tans, light grays and light blues. By incorporating light colors on your walls and floors, you will have created the basis for a light colored décor that will give your small bathroom design the appearance of a much larger space. Read the entire article in the latest issue of Home Ideas featuring dazzling and eco-friendly new products from top companies like Linkasink®, Newport Brass Company®,Danze®, Delta®, Toto® GRAFF®, and many more.
Linkasink's® new line of patterned bronze sinks, which are made from 100% recycled materials make a stunning addition to any bath design.
by Christine Cooney on April 27, 2010 in home building, home designs, Home Ideas, Home Plans, House Plans
To help you find the right faucet for your kitchen design, we’ve put together a list of some of the latest options, styles and technologies from some of the leading faucet manufacturers:
ShowHouse by Moen has redesigned the look of its Woodmere faucet to give it a sleeker and thinner appearance. The new model has a high-arc spout and S-shaped handle with single-hole mounting. The pull-down wand comes with a spray, steam and pause option. The pause option is a great water-efficiency feature because it allows you to control the water flow without turning off your water. Designing is made easy with this model, which has a reversible side-mount handle, which can be placed on either the right or the left side of the faucet.
For more top kitchen faucets, check out the latest issue of Home Ideas. You’ll also find our list of sleek and energy efficient cooktops and how to design an eco-friendly kitchen.
by Christine Cooney on April 10, 2010 in home building, Home Ideas, Home Plans, House Plans
If you are getting close to moving into your new home and you’re not sure exactly what furnishings you’ll REALLY need, then you’ll want check out the latest issue of Home Ideas. This issue features all the “must have†furniture products you will need to create a comfortable and practical living space. There are also two helpful articles about decorating on a budget and what NOT to do when decorating.
I must admit when I first bought my house plan from The House Designers two years ago I was hesitant about signing up for ANOTHER free e-newsletter, but now I look forward every week to reading it. They recently added six product picks to each newsletter, which include pictures, info and prices of some really interesting new home products. They have a big push on eco-friendly products, which I really like. I encourage anyone who owns a home to sign-up for this free e-newsletter to stay current with the latest in home building trends, ideas, tips and products.
by Christine Cooney on April 2, 2010 in Home Ideas, Home Plans, House Plans
Since the average household does about eight loads of laundry a week, it is a good idea to make sure that your new home has a laundry space that is big enough and is in a convenient space to make this task more efficient and practical. This week’s issue of Home Ideas offers some great insight into designing your laundry room and includes some of the latest laundry appliances and cabinetry to create an enjoyable space in your new home.
All of our house plans include a laundry space that goes well beyond washing and drying clothes. They are now well-planned, multi-functional spaces where you and your family can gather to enjoy hobbies, spend time on the computer, play games, watch TV, work on arts and crafts and of course, take care of the laundry.
We all have our favorite brands, but with the rising cost in energy, now would be a good time to consider a higher-end brand like Miele, which manufactures one of the greenest washers on the market. According to Miele, one washer can save enough clean drinking water for 10 people for life. Their washers use very little detergent, water or energy and all Miele laundry systems feature an exclusive Honeycomb Drum® which is proven to help clothes last four times longer. Other high-end laundry systems to consider are LG and Electrolux, which offer their own exclusive technologies like quiet mode, steam wash and dry, wrinkle reducers, eco-wash cycles and much more depending on your laundry needs.
It’s that age old saying “you get what you pay for.” Just like your kitchen appliances I’m sure your washer and dryer will need to perform regularly and efficiently, so why not spend a few extra dollars now so you can enjoy years of saving.
View all our Editor’s Top Laundry Room Products.
What an efficient pair the Miele 4800 Washer and 8000 Dryer make
by Christine Cooney on March 27, 2010 in Home Construction, Home Ideas, Home Plans, House Plans
What great timing. I just had a meeting with my builder and he told me I needed to pick out my garage doors. And what appears in my email box…the latest issue of Home Ideas from The House Designers featuring two great articles about garage doors — Hottest Styles in Garage Doors and About Today’s Garage Doors. After reading both of these I realized how important a design, efficiency and safety issue, a garage door can be.
But the real treat was finding Wayne-Dalton’s Garage Door Design Center. I was able to take a photo of my “almost†completed home and upload it to their program. I never had so much fun mixing and matching garage door styles and colors and adding accents like decorative hardware and trim. I finally decided on going with their 9700 series steel garage door (which also qualifies for a tax credit). I choose the Lexington style with insulated windows (8 window arched if you’re curious) in mahogany and lots of decorative hardware and accents so I could achieve an authentic carriage house style.
Wayne-Dalton Model 9700 steel garage doors are a canvas for self expression.
by Christine Cooney on March 21, 2010 in Home Construction, Home Ideas, Home Plans
This week’s of Home Ideas features an interesting article about the latest home lighting trends — recessed lighting is out and hidden track lighting is in; art deco remains timeless; green is hot for new home construction; large lighting and ceiling fans; metal table and floor lamps; organic materials; antique fixtures and multi-dimensional room lighting. Many of the trends go well beyond function and efficiency, to other aspects like style, because for most homeowners it’s all about having a good-looking fixture to accent their interior design. There’s also a cool design tip about solar lighting and an excellent read about how to create a contemporary look in your home by incorporating key elements like color, metal accents, texture, wood tone and lighting. For a great selection and pricing, you’ll want to visit LAMPS PLUS®.
by Christine Cooney on March 13, 2010 in Home Ideas, Home Plans, House Plans, two-story house plan
When you’re choosing decorative accents and accessories for your new home, don’t forget about the exterior, because decorative accents like — shutters, mantels, moldings, door surrounds, mounting blocks and gable vents — will provide the finishing touches you need to a create a home of distinction.
This week’s issue of Home Ideas explores Mastic Home Exteriors exclusive Designer Accentsâ„¢ collection of finishing accessories. Our architects and designers recommend using Mastic on their house plans, because they offer a full-line of eco-friendly designer accents, which compliment any architectural style and are made to last a lifetime.
by Christine Cooney on February 14, 2010 in Floor Plans, Home Ideas, Home Plans, House Plans
What good timing! When I purchased my house plan last October from The House Designers, I signed up for their weekly e-newsletter called Home Ideas. Every week I get helpful tips about what products I should use when building my new home. This is the first home I’ve ever built and I am so excited, yet overwhelmed by all the decisions I need to make. My house was framed last week and I have been laboring on choosing what flooring I want for each room in my home. I couldn’t believe this week’s Home Ideas was all about choosing the right flooring. I spent my entire day on the Lumber Liquidator’s website ordering my hardwood flooring for EVERY room in my home. I was especially excited about having bamboo flooring in my great room; it’s going to look great with my stone fireplace.
Hardwood flooring enhance the look and feel of the open kitchen.
by Christine Cooney on January 30, 2010 in home building, Home Ideas, Home Plans, House Plans, two-story house plan
Every week I look forward to getting my Home Ideas e-newsletter from The House Designers. It always has interesting articles about home building tips and trends and products. Their writers must be very trendy since they find some of the most interesting topics to write about and the coolest information about building a new home. While I must confess, I haven’t purchased a house plan yet — I have spent the last year creating a file from many of these articles and feel I am closer to deciding how I want to design my new home. I’m pretty sure that my husband and I can agree on a house plan by the end of the month. So far we have three that we really like, the Belle Demure Lorraine House Plan, which coincidentally was the feature house on this week’s Home Ideas, the Babcock House Plan and the Amboise House Plan in the log exterior.
Speaking of this week’s Home Ideas, I highly recommend checking out the latest ledgestone by Cultured Stone® and the insulated siding by Ply Gem’s® American Essence®. These are two really great looking and energy-efficient products. There was also a great article about the latest trends and styles available for home exteriors.
This two-story home offers warm curb appeal in brick and stone.
