House Plan Blog

The Huntington's wrap-around covered porch is beautiful. Handsome exposed timbers support and highlight the lofty central gable, and the whole works is supported by tapered bases of stone. Custom-crafted windows, horizontal siding and shake shingles all add to the Craftsman-style.

You enter into a naturally bright and lofty two-story foyer. A half-round crowns the upper trio of windows and an elegant dining room is on the right. Stairs on the left lead to the secondary bedrooms and a vaulted lounge that overlooks the entry and great room. It provides access to both large bedrooms plus a sky-lit bathroom. 

A bank of windows, stacked three high at center, fills most of the vaulted great room's rear wall. The wide hearthed stone fireplace nestled into an alcove on the left can also be enjoyed from the kitchen and nook. The entry to a vaulted sunroom is next to the fireplace, entered through a glass door. Double doors there open onto a railed balcony.

The kitchen is large and open, with plenty of cupboard and counter space. Standing at the sink in the work island, you look out over a long raised eating bar into the great room. A pantry, utilities, and bathroom are a few steps away, where they are also linked to the garage.

The luxurious master suite fills most of the left wing. Features include twin walk-in closets, a spa tub, dual vanity, private toilet, and access to the sunroom.

Compact yet spacious, the Houston is as economical to build and to heat. It's a fairly traditional floor plan, with bedrooms upstairs and family living spaces on the ground floor.

The Mediterranean-style front facade is completely symmetrical. At center, classic columns support a balcony that doubles as a front porch. Tile crowns the hip roof while shutters add a color.

Casual living areas are at the rear, formal spaces in the front. The family room, nook and kitchen are bright and open. A large bay window, ideal for a wide window seat, expands the family room. Sliders in the nook open onto a large screened porch.

The U-shaped kitchen has plenty of counter and cupboard space, including lazy Susan shelving that allows full use of the corner cabinets. Utilities are close by, in a pass-through to the garage. 

A small wet bar, nestled in the alcove under the stairs, is convenient to the family room and living room. The powder room is centrally located too.

The spacious owners' suite is on the upper level. Luxury amenities include a sitting room, balcony, and private bathroom with double vanity, spa, oversized shower and large walk-in closet. The other two bedrooms share a bathroom. Linen storage and another closet are in the hallway.

Small panes of glass fill large window openings and give the Lupine an intriguing Georgian look. The pattern is echoed on the gridded garage doors, while raised brick trim rims the upper limits of the garage doors, underscores windows, and accents graceful arches on the brick veneer front facade.

This one-level plan has plenty of room for an active family. This plan could be easily adapted for wheelchair accessibility and aging in place.

Left of the entry double doors open into a vaulted dining room with a step-in closet to one side. This space flows into the vaulted living room. A 10-foot-high display shelf provides definition at the juncture of the two spaces. The living room can also be entered by proceeding straight ahead from the foyer, passing through an arched opening and under a similar display shelf there.

Windows fill most of the rear wall in the living room and nook. An arched window crowns a wide trio of windows, near a fireplace that fits neatly into one corner. A sunroom and den/home office fill out the opposite side of the of this space, while the kitchen sits at its heart.

Standing by the kitchen sink, you have a panoramic view of the entire area, as well as out to the partially covered patio. The cook top is in a central island, and a large walk-in pantry resides in one corner. A large utility room with a toilet is nearby, along with a door to the three-car garage.

Bedrooms fill the right wing of the home. The owners' suite features two large walk-in closets, a luxurious bathroom, and direct patio access. Secondary bedrooms share a two-section bathroom.

If no two snowflakes are alike, then no two homeowners are alike – and that goes double for older homebuyers. The children are out of the house. You don’t need all that space and all of those rooms. Maybe you want to downsize to a smaller living style. Or maybe you’re the opposite and want to at least retain some of the family gathering spaces. Maybe you want to expand a bit, so when the kids visit with grandkids in tow, you’ve got a guestroom available and space to play.

You see? Not all older homebuyers are alike. And therefore, not all empty nest home designs are alike.

“When the cat’s away, the mice will play,” said Rick McAlexander, CEO of Associated Designs. “When the kids are away and out on their own, the parents now have the option of changing things up at home. But the worry is that they will only have that one type of empty nest home to consider – small, simple and not exciting. That’s not the case at all.”

So what’s an empty nester to do? As older homebuyers transition to needing less for their family and more for themselves, there is still a desire to create a comfortable living space for family to gather. These aging-in-place home designs also feature a not-so-empty-nest mentality. Design features such as easy-to-access, ground-floor master bedrooms, walk-in showers and minimal hallways mix well with great rooms for family gatherings, extra bedrooms for visitors and outdoor living areas. You can have it all, and not have to be confined to one particular size or style.

When Less is More

A single-story home with lots of appeal, the Lostine house plan 30-942 is ranch-style living on a smaller scale of just 1,611 square feet. But don’t let the square footage fool you: There is more here than meets the eye. With no stairs and minimal hallways, it’s perfect for an empty nest that wants to take things down a notch but retain some of the room.

The great room’s vaulted ceiling flows into the dining and kitchen area for the perfect gathering space when friends and family come calling. Nearby, a covered patio extends the space when good weather allows it. Because who doesn’t enjoy an evening glass of wine with friends out on the patio? The owners’ suite also connects to the patio and includes a walk-in closet and large shower in the master bath.

“Everything is in reach in this home design,” said McAlexander. “It’s small but spacious and lets the owner age in place, as it were, in a comfortable setting.”

Just off the entryway is the second bedroom with nearby full bath for when the kids come to visit for the weekend. The bedroom also has a large closet as well as hall closets for additional storage and a built-in coat rack and foot bench near the garage door.

The Middle Range

At the heart of this Craftsman-style home plan is a richly glassed vaulted great room with a wood-burning fireplace and beverage bar. Sounds enticing, doesn’t it? For the not-so-empty-nest, this 2,518-square-foot home rests on a single floor and boasts three bedrooms and 2.5 baths. It’s a medium-sized home that gives older homebuyers the option of hosting, gathering and living peacefully with style.

“The great thing about the Heartfall is that it acts like a family home on one hand, but on the other, it has all the amenities and comforts of an aging-in-place design,” said McAlexander.

A vaulted covered patio wraps around one side of the house, connecting with the vaulted great room and corner kitchen. With all the windows, there is no end to natural light when entertaining in the great room. The owners’ suite is down a short hallway off the kitchen, complete with a huge walk-in closet. The master bath boasts a spa tub, dual vanity and walk-in shower. Secondary bedrooms share a bathroom down another short hallway, just off the entry. A large utility room gives you room for crafts, storage and other needs as time goes on.

The secret to the Heartfall design 10-620, however, is that it has a bonus room. Up a short flight of stairs is an unfinished extra space. Whether a craft room, guestroom, an office or a playroom for the grandkids, the bonus room can serve whatever purpose you desire. The Heartfall, in a sense, is comfortable, flexible living without overwhelming size.

The Grand Lodge

But let’s say you want to upsize, not downsize. Let’s say the nest is empty, but you are ready for space, room, openness and grandeur. You don’t need a lot of bedrooms, but you have a part-time business you want to keep running. You want to entertain, but you don’t want to be cramped.

The Springwater house plan 30-661 is grandeur with an empty-nester flair. At more than 3,000 square feet, the Craftsman-style, one-story lodge is rustically elegant with an abundance of indoor and outdoor living areas. It’s well suited for entertaining on a large or lavish scale. You enter the home via a lofty porte-cochere and vaulted entry porch. The foyer opens to the dining room and vaulted great room, both of which are connected to covered porches and patios for additional entertaining. An eating/conversation bar that fronts the great room rims the L-shaped kitchen. A huge walk-in pantry can store all the fixings for those parties and visitors.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Down a wide hallway lie two home offices and a guest room. But those home offices can easily be converted into bedrooms should the need arise. The vaulted master suite is the true prize, possessing both privacy and spaciousness. A covered and vaulted patio adds private living space outside the owners’ suite, but there’s also an exercise nook, two large walk-in closets and a private bathroom with walk-in shower and dual vanity.

The Springwater is a luxury house plan on a grand scale, and the perfect home for those who have an empty nest that’s not so empty after all.

Aging-in-place homes are not one size fits all, and empty nesters aren’t all cut from the same cloth. To have a bit of freedom, a choice of size, style and space, means an empty nest home design can be quite fun.

As Seen on Newswire

Solid, warm and substantial, the brick exterior of the Hearthside glories in it and the columns, keystone arches and corner quoins add to the dignified appearance.

This Craftsman home's floor plan is far from stuffy. Family living areas dominate, with a swath of informal rooms in the heart of it. The 18-foot ceiling in the foyer carries over into the street-facing, richly windowed eating nook.

In the kitchen, two islands house a cooktop, sink, dishwasher and eating bar. From the sink, you can see into the vaulted great room and enjoy the view beyond. Windows fill most of the rear wall, creating a naturally bright space. On gray days, the two-sided fireplace offers cheerful flames and warmth.

The front-facing study could be also used as a living room or guest room. A bathroom there is accessible from within, and from the hallway.

The Owner's suite and dining room both features classic coffered ceilings. In the suites bathroom, a curved glass block wall next to the spa tub rounds out the space. Other amenities include: dual vanity, large walk-in closets, and an enclosed shower and toilet.

Secondary bedrooms are in the opposite wing, as well are steps leading up to a bonus room and down to the basement. A pass-through mud room connects the house to a large three-car garage with added space for storage or workshop.

A dream home is a new possibility. It’s all of your heart’s desires in a home that you can only imagine. Maybe it has a large kitchen that connects to a vaulted great room and covered patio. Or maybe it has extra storage, a large garage, and a bonus room. But finding a home that has all of the features you’ve always wanted is daunting.

“For many, the hunt for the perfect home can be discouraging – even impossible,” said Rick McAlexander, CEO of Associated Designs. “And everyone’s desires change. That’s why we have our annual Home from the Heart survey to help us build the home of your dreams.”

This year’s survey once again asked readers, like you, to share what features and design elements you want in your dream home. The survey focused on every element of the home – from the size to the style, to exterior and interior features, to the number of rooms and bonus rooms. The results of the survey allow Associated Deigns to create a collection of home designs that feature all of those wants and desires, plus a few more. Using the most voted on features, Associated Designs has created a home design that highlights the must-have design essentials from the survey. It makes the impossible, possible. 

Heartlodge 10-640
 

Featuring 2,678 square feet of single-floor living space, the 2017 Home from the Heart survey home – the Heartlodge design 10-640 – includes all the popular features including a gas fireplace, covered porches and patios, a great room, a utility room located close to the garage and even sun tubes for natural lighting. Everything is in a logical place, with room to spare and flexibility. As in 2016, the Craftsman and Ranch style home were neck and neck in the survey, coinciding with the continued trend toward larger home plans on rural lots with acreage. In fact, 81% of respondents preferred rural living compared to urban lots (9%). To that end, the 2017 survey home is specifically built with a large floor plan that will fit easily on a lot with acreage and a view.

And just as before, a one-story home was the overwhelming winner (68%) in the survey, matching up with the 99% of respondents who were interested in a home that could age in place. The Heartlodge takes this preference and blends it with an open floor plan that allows for flexibility. For example, a second bedroom near the front of the house can serve as a guest room with private bath or a craft room when the kids move out. Additionally, there are few hallways, expansive doorways, and an owners’ suite that is separate from the larger living area for that added bit of privacy. The great room with its gas fireplace can expand to a covered porch area in good weather, making it ideal for a growing family in need of room or for those big retirement parties.

“Homebuyers are constantly thinking of the future, but an aging-in-place home shouldn’t be a cookie cutter design,” said McAlexander. “So our 2017 survey home is uniquely its own, with interior and exterior styling that flexes with the family.”

The owners’ suite in the 2017 survey home includes all the must-have features including a master bath with a walk-in shower and large walk-in closet. The walk-in amenities continue to be a popular item on the survey for the owners’ suite, much like double sinks and a towel cabinet – both of which are included in the Heartlodge.

Survey respondents also voiced their preference for 3 bedrooms, but as in 2016, great rooms and open floor plans remain similarly popular. Media rooms (16%) continue to lose momentum, replaced by a desire for an office and den (51%). The Heartlodge goes one step further and includes both a pocket office near the owner’s suite as well as a den off the front foyer. The den off the foyer doubles as a bonus room, adding to the floor plan’s flexible nature.

The vaulted great room and its gas fireplace flow into a large dining room and U-shaped kitchen. It adds both artistic elegance and style to the home while also being a great family gathering space. With no sink or stove on it, the kitchen island serves as an eating bar facing the great room, but the kitchen also features a large walk-in pantry – a popular survey item. Just off the kitchen is a great outdoor barbecue patio for warm summer days.

Finally, the 2017 Home from the Heart survey revealed a great deal about garage amenities. Survey respondents wanted a garage that could fit three cars, had extra storage and even shop space. In the survey, 43% of homeowners wanted shop space and 50% wanted the utility room near the garage. The survey also revealed that while a majority don’t need RV storage, the number that do is climbing from 13% in 2016 to 16% in 2017.

The Heartlodge puts a bit more emphasis on the garage, and at 1,484 square feet, it is everything you hoped it would be. Garage space for your RV flows well with a two-car garage. In the rear of the garage is extra space that can be used as storage, a shop area or work area. Or, if you don’t have an RV, the larger garage can become an ideal shop area for the aspiring craftsman or gardener. The garage entrance connects to the rest of the house via a mudroom – which 54% of respondents desired – plus a large utility room with counter space and cupboards.

“So you can see why the Heartlodge has a little bit of everything,” said McAlexander. “It’s a home designed with the heart in mind.”

The 2017 Home from the Heart survey is all about what you want and desire. It gives you a say in what pieces go together to make the home of your dreams. Thanks to Associated Designs 2017 survey home design, your dream home is now a reality. The impossible is possible.

As seen on Newswire

A vaulted great room is at the heart of the Rainier, a mid-size ranch-style home loaded with amenities. The wood and stone exterior gives it a distinctly Northwestern flavor.

This bright home offers vaulted ceilings that expand the sense of spaciousness in the window-rich great room and kitchen. More light flows in through two dormers - one over the entry, the other in the dining room. Sliding doors in the great room open onto a large, partially covered patio.

Plants (along with people) flourish in the naturally bright eating nook, where a plant shelf spans the rear and two banks of cupboards flank a built-in desk. The large kitchen has plenty of counter and storage space, including a roomy walk-in pantry and an L-shaped work island with a raised eating bar. Sink and dishwasher are built into the island.

Double doors to the right of the entry open into the dining room. Another set to the left access a room that could be used as a study, office, living room, or even a guest room.

The vaulted owners' suite features two walk-in closets, one larger than the other, and a rounded bay, complete with window seat. Luxuries in the owners' bath include: a double vanity, a spa tub with a plant shelf, a large walk-in shower with multiple showerheads and a private toilet.

Utilities, a closet, and basement stairs are adjacent to the garage and secondary bedrooms. One of the bedrooms has a window seat, and both have direct access to a jack-n-jill bathroom.