Choosing thePerfeCt style for your homeDream

Every home gives off a different feel of its particular style, creating a unique aesthetic and atmosphere both inside and out of the home. With multiple styles and similar features to choose from, determining your specific style can sometimes be a challenge. Whether you are looking for a classic country home plan, a luxury craftsman house plan or just a small ranch home design, the diverse selection of architectural styles available ensures you can find the perfect home floor plan to fit the needs of your lifestyle.

Choosing a home Plan to build is no simple task. Before determining what style is right for you, it is important to understand several points of consideration to ensure you choose the home that is perfect for your lifestyle.

When Choosing your new home design, think of the characteristics of previous homes and decide what you can’t live without.

Will there be space limitations on the lot size you plan to build on? If so, will this limit placement of the garage (side, rear or front entrance)? Will there be limitations on the width and depth of the home floor plan?

Visualize your finished home and what it looks like, keeping both practicality and livability in mind. How much living space do you need?

Once you have determined the personal needs for your new home floor plan, it is time to identify your specific style. If you have already picked out your lot, remember to keep the styles of other homes around you in mind when trying to make your style selection. Don’t be afraid to ask for the professional opinion of a home designer or architect. They may be able to help you choose the best floor plan style for your needs, or modify an existing home floor plan’s style to help turn your dream home into a reality.

understanding your lot & your needsPersonal

Common house Plan styles and theirCharacteristics

Cottage Style home If you find yourself opting for a quaint living space in a compact presentation, the traditionally styled cottage home offers a lot of charm without sacrificing livability.

Whether you elect to live year-round in your cottage home or choose to build it as a second or vacation home, this style offers a beautifully old-fashioned option for those looking for a picturesque home. Most cottage homes feature a combination of stone, brick and wood to create an organic ambiance with its exterior while offering lived-in comfort on the interior with their steep overhanging roofs and irregular forms.

Common house Plan styles and theirCharacteristics

Country Style home With a form that mirrors and adapts on the classic houses of Colonial and Victorian times, a country style home offers a unique feel of Americana with laid-back living and a mystical feeling of days past. A country style home offers vast living space, front porches and roof lines that typically run parallel to the street to help make your home feel larger than life.

Make your country home floor plan even better by adding a bit of a modern twist to it, helping bring the welcoming ambiance of this American classic into the 21st century. Found in most rural or suburban regions throughout the United States, country house plans offer instant comfort from the second you move in.

Common house Plan styles and theirCharacteristics Characteristics

Craftsman Style home The craftsman home plan nearly dominated the early 20th century in residential architecture, offering high-quality workmanship and strong attention to detail to its homeowners. The craftsman style home makes up for its small size with its large livability. Materials often include stone, rough-hewn wood, and stucco.

The modern interpretation of craftsman home plans commonly features wide front porches, decorative exterior columns, rustic shutters and large entryways. The interior of the home offers many opportunities for built-in shelving or seating areas.

Common house Plan styles and theirCharacteristics

Bungalow Style home The bungalow style home is often considered the less formal adaptation of the standard craftsman home plan. With a much simpler design and increased affordability, craftsman bungalow home plans are some of the most popular house plans.

With their ample living room designed to fit within smaller floor plan spaces, craftsman bungalow houses are found in suburbs throughout the United States.

Common house Plan styles and theirCharacteristics Characteristics

Ranch Style home These typically one-story house plans are some of the most popular house designs among homeowners for their diverse style offerings.

Ranch home plans are designed to spread out across a wide-open lot, a popular option in the suburbs providing the open-air feeling of the countryside a bit closer to the city. Common features found within ranch home plans are large picture windows, a low-pitched roof, attached garage and a lack of excess ornamentation.

Common house Plan styles and theirCharacteristics

SmallStyle home Small home designs are generally built on smaller lots and can be a one-story or two-story home. Extremely popular, small home plans work to make the most out of a smaller square footage without sacrificing livability, quality or style.

If your lot is less than ¼ acre, small home floor plans may be the solution to your home building problems. Small home designs come in a variety of styles for both the interior and exterior, allowing you to select one to match your lifestyle and personality.

Common house Plan styles and theirCharacteristics Characteristics

Walkout Basement Style home These homes take advantage of the slope of your lot to maximize the overall square footage of a home, creating a lower level that fits the contours of the hillside.

Additionally, a walkout basement home provides quick access to a backyard, encouraging outdoor living and activities. If you are building your home on a hillside, this style of home plan can help make the most of your available space.

With a ComPlete understanding of the different types of styles in American architecture, you can choose the right home plan that is perfect for meeting your vision of a dream home. From small picturesque cottages to luxurious country mansions, there is a home style out there that is the ideal fit for your home, whether you’re building on several acres, in a growing suburban neighborhood or a small city lot. With over 1,000 floor plans currently available on our website at www.dongardner.com and new conceptual plans being added to our “House Plans on the Drawing Board” every month, your dream home is out there, no matter what your needs!

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