The first thing most people think about when building a new home is the cost. You may have seen a cost per square foot calculator of some sort on a few house plan broker sites and home designer websites showing you the averages of building a particular home in the south, north, east, and west coast. Unfortunately, the cost per square foot method (CPSFM) tends to mislead unaware homebuyers. When calculating square foot cost of say a 2,000 square foot home, you are able to compare the numbers on home builders who use this method to quote you a price to build. Read full article

Your house is more than a place to call home. It is an investment in your family's future. Liken it to investing in the stock market. A bad decision in the stock market can cost you tons of money if you chose the wrong stock to invest in. The same is true if you chose the wrong house floor plan. It may look appealing in its presentation but, will it attract buyers once it is built? If the floor plan design includes the things most desired by a buying population, then the answer is absolutely! Read full article

Far too often, house plans are built with great anticipation of being the perfect dream home. However, in many cases, what is greeted with excitement later turns into "I wish I'd...{insert design tweak here}", "The next time I build I will...{add design change here}", or "In my next house...{unload your laundry list of new concepts here}". The fact is, we will never be 100% satisfied with every design aspect of our homes. If you take the necessary time in the beginning to get familiar with the design layout, you can avoid regrettable design flaws. Read full article

A well planned kitchen design makes even the least of chef's look good... at least in performing the task of meal preparation. The rule is that your kitchen should form a good work rotation between work stations. This is referred to as a "work triangle". If you draw a line between your range (stove), sink, and refrigerator, a triangle is or should be formed. This is where the "work triangle" term comes from. The work triangle, as a rule of thumb, should be between 12 feet and 24 feet when you add up the three legs of the triangle. Read full article

Buying stock plans (predesigned house plans) to build your dream home is by far the most economic way to get the biggest bang for your buck. It's like going to a discount store and finding a deal on a name brand item you know would cost more at a mall department store. This holds true because stock plans are shelf items or "products" that are ready for sell upon a customer's request. On average, you can save about 80% on the cost of creating the same plan from scratch as a custom home design. Read full article

After and hour or so in traffic, you finally make it home from a long day of work. You have your purse, coat, briefcase, overcoat, car keys, and/or other items that you can't wait to drop as soon as you enter your home. Is there a designated place in your home design for these items? How about a Mudroom? A mudroom is an area of the home designed for entering and leaving the house - a buffer between the outdoors and indoors. Mudrooms are high traffic areas used daily so they are designed to handle dirt, grime, wear & tear. Read full article

Radiant floor heat is a type of heating mechanism that is installed under or within the floor to help provide warmth and comfort to a home. This type of radiant floor heat can be installed in just about any room in the home and can be very helpful in heating the home and saving money over the course of a few years. Many consumers who use radiant floor heat have found the comfort level much nicer than more traditional forms of heating. They have also found that the heat is often sufficient to provide comfort without even using another form of heat. Read full article

In order to call yourself an "Architect" or advertise as such, you must be licensed in the state in which you practice. To use the term "Architect" in any advertising form such as business cards, company logo, etc. is illegal if your are not licensed. Architects at minimum attended an accredited university (the program is usually 5 years for a bachelors degree), worked under a licensed Architect as an intern for a specified amount of time, and then completed an state licensing exam. Read full article