You look at all the scroll and millwork and are amazed at all the intricate patterns that are normally seen in natures snow flakes or ivy vines that seem to go everywhere on the building.. You look at the stained glass windows that remind you of great cathedrals and the lattice around the porches that seem like a never ending woven pattern and wonder how long such a building took to build with the hand tools of the day. Sort of reminds you of the story of Pollyanna, does it not?
Or how about the grand colonial homes of the old south? With their large ancient Greek type columns and facades that seem full of nothing but grand windows and one huge door opening as a portal into a party full of southern belles and finely dressed gentlemen. When you enter these homes, you would see a grand stair case that seems to dominate the entire home. And there is an openness to such a house that you have never seen in any other type home. You almost expect Scarlet Ohara to greet you as you enter.
Inside of both of these examples are finely made fireplaces and mantels, elaborate moldings, and hardwood or ceramic floors. Doors were finely crafted, many with beautiful carvings and hardware. Kitchens were decked with marble or granite and tile. The indoor bathrooms had fine porcelain tubs, toilets, and sinks. It was a sight to behold.
These homes and many other design types like this offer a warm and secure feeling unlike any of the more modern house types. They give you that feeling of more pleasant and innocent times that can be recaptured today if you want to.
Modern building materials and methods can be used to duplicate this same look to a new home. I’ve seen a few and they do a wonderful job of recreating that look on the exterior of a modern home. Even more beautiful are those new homes that have taken not only the exterior look but also the interior layout of these homes and added the modern conveniences to them.
Some people believe that in order to move forward into the future we need to forget about the past designs. I am not one of those. I believe that in order to move forward we need to remember the past and not discard the warmth and comfort these types of homes offered.
About the Author
The author, Tim Davis is a fully trained architectural designer who have been designing home plans for the past thirty years. He also has been trained in historical reconstruction and remodeling and is willing and able to help you design your own period home. His website is at http://customhouseplans.8m.com
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( 2.9 / 69 )You are going to build a new home, your first house. For years you have dreamed, scrimped and saved with the vision of your ideal home stirring you on. Finally you have accumulated enough money to make a down payment on a piece of land and your goal is finally within your reach. So how do you intend to finalize your dream? You cant just blindly go ahead and start building.
You probably have looked through hundreds of pre drawn plans in catalogs and even though you see elements in different plans that you like but have not quite found a plan that has all that you envisioned. You have also probably seen certain elements of your friends and neighbors homes you liked but still, the overall lay out just did not seem to fit what you wanted.
It is also probably a fair assumption that you can not rely on your own technical skill in either design or construction unless you are trained in that area of expertise. So now you have two choices.
Hire an Architect
This is a common choice and all well and good. The architect was trained with this sort of thing in mind. These are professionals who are trained to design projects ranging from homes to skyscrapers. The biggest problem with this is more times than not, you are going to pay a premium amount to hire them.
But hey, if you are building a mansion, the best professional to have is the architect because of the enormity of the project and the greater amount of skills and resources needed to complete such a home. And more times than not, your ideas can be used by him or her to create a very original design. I was told by the architect that trained me that many people did not really know what they wanted and that the architect was there to enlighten them.
Hire a Designer
However, if you “do” know what you want, a designer is your better choice. This professional is also trained to design and draw homes within technical specs. If I know my colleagues well enough, are also willing to bend over backwards to give you the home that “you” want at a lower cost, the way “you” want it as long as it meets code and it is within the budget you have set for the construction of your new home.
About the Author
Tim Davis is an Architectural Designer with 30 years experience. And he does not believe you should spend a fortune designing your home. His website is at http://customhouseplans.8m.com
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( 3 / 62 )When designing a new home, it is always a good idea to spend some time carefully considering the kitchen and its layout. After all, this is where the family meal is usually prepared and there is nothing more important than the family meal to keep the family as a unit.
The most popular layout today includes either a bar built into the counter space or a breakfast nook directly connected to the kitchen for the morning meals. That bar or the table in the nook is a great place for the kids to do home work or school projects not to mention a place for mom or dad to balance the check book or some other task.
A properly designed kitchen also should not be hard to work in. For instance, it should be layed out so that there is no more than a twelve to fourteen foot triangle between the stove, sink, and refrigerator. This method allows for less steps and more cooking.
Natural light should also be a major consideration. A good sized window should be placed directly over the sink if possible. If it isn’t possible, then there should be large windows in the nook area to reflect light back into the cooking area.
There should be plenty of storage space whenever possible that would include a pantry integrated into a closet in easy reach from the cabinets. In corner cabinets, A Lazy Susan should be installed. A Lazy Susan is a rotating set of shelves installed so that everything can be reached by turning a carousel of shelves.
Drawers are very important for storing silverware and a good planner will make sure there are some deep drawers for those catch all things that always seem to show up in the kitchen. Actually, junk drawers aren’t a bad idea for keeping the kitchen tidy. Some cabinet companies have racks built into special cabinets that pull out like drawers for storing pots and pans that are hung on special runners for saving space.
Time and labor savers like a dishwasher should always be installed near the sink. Other appliances to be considered would be a built in microwave for quick snacks and warming meals.
About the Author
Tim Davis is an Architectural Designer with 30 years experience. And he does not believe you should spend a fortune designing your home. His website is at http://customhouseplans.8m.com
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( 3.1 / 64 )When designing a home, my belief is that there is no method to use other than simplicity even in the largest houses. The greatest problem when laying out a large home is the danger of allowing the design to become monotonous. Monotony is the greatest causes of home owners becoming bored with their new home shortly after it is built. Simplicity more or less eliminates this possibility.
What I mean by simplicity is that there shouldn’t be a maze of hallways. There is more space wasted by designers adding halls to the plan than most any other cause. And rooms should flow together with one another with access to most all area’s of the home available to those rooms. Some call this method the open floor plan concept. The Kitchen should be serviceable enough for two or more people to freely move around the room and the dining / nook rooms shouldn’t be far away from it.
Be patient with your designer. It will pay off in the long run. There are times I have seen the owner insist that the work be rushed, sometimes ending in a catastrophe of an under designed home or one whose function is not what it should be. Communicate with them and let this professional know what you are hoping for so he or she can put your individuality into every room and then trust their training and experience.
Our home is our castle no matter how humble it may be. It is where we should spend the happiest and most memorable moments of our lives. Therefore it should be built to look attractive so that the father, mother, and the children can feel that there is really “no place like home”. Sounds corny I know, but you know it is true.
About the Author
Tim Davis is an Architectural Designer with 30 years experience. And he does not believe you should spend a fortune designing your home. His website is at http://customhouseplans.8m.com
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( 2.9 / 61 )Personally, I'm a man of few hobbies and plenty of interests. What I mean by that is I very seldom spend time just playing or tinkering. I guess that's called being goal oriented. Whatever it's called, I've tried a multitude of diversions like flying, reading, fishing, boating, farming, art, etc. and none ever seemed to fill the relaxation goal I was shooting for.
That is until I started doing carpentry. I started off just working with the basic tools like a hammer and saw. I had to build a book shelf so the family books wouldn't be cluttering the house. And it was a masterpiece to be sure if a square box with a shelf in the middle of the box can be considered a masterpiece. The thing is that I took note of how much I enjoyed this simple task and started looking for other things to build. I started asking my wife if she needed items built for the house and the "honey do" list started to compile. And with each project completed for my wife, I noticed the stress going out the window. And the cool part of it was that while I was playing with the carpentry tools, I was having a blast.
It's a scary thought guys, I know. A wife can sometimes make a to do list for you that would scare off even the bravest of souls. But that's how it began. But wives have buddies and if the word gets out, next thing you know other ladies and even buddies of your own are asking you to build things. Hey but that's OK, with the exception of my wife’s projects, I tend to pick and choose what I build.
My doctor was surprised at how my blood pressure has gone down as a result and my concentration has improved ten fold. It's possible I've even added years to my life just eliminating all that stress. It's not that I've stopped working and devoted all my time to the wood shop. No, I'm still a goal type of guy. I just have something I can look forward to after stress starts to build in my life.
Years have passed now since that first book case and I have built so many different things and accumulated so many different tools that I now have my own personal play house complete with all the toys. We are talking routers, various power saws, table saw, lathe, drill press, band saw, 6 varieties of drills, radial arm saw, power mitre saw, etc., etc., etc...
And just to let you know how diverse you can be with what you build, here's a list of just some of the things I've built over the years:
Water Wheels
Church Pulpits
Church Pews
Lords Supper Tables
Push Carts
Lawn Furniture
Gates and Fences
Car Consoles
Tool Boxes
And the list goes on and on.
About the Author
Tim Davis has created a very complete course on learning to draw mechanical drawings in a CAD program at http://draftingservice.us/m101/ You will also find some woodworking plans on the site, free to download. If you are looking to learn to read and understand blueprints the author teaches this at http://blueprints.8m.com. Free Woodworking Plans are available at http://woodworkingplans.8m.com
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