Archive for February, 2008

Too Much T.V.

Posted by on Feb 29 2008 | home interiors

tv in shower

I like t.v.- really I do. In fact, I probably spend way too much time watching it. However, I have to ask… Is there really so much on television worth watching that it has become necessary to install t.v. screens in the shower? I don’t think so! Heck, most of what I watch has so many commercials that I can hop in the shower and be out again before they return to my show!

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Are you Modern?

Posted by on Feb 29 2008 | house plans, interesting, modern

My husband recently found this house plan and brought it to my attention. It’s definitely not a house I would ever build, but it is certainly interesting. Have a look and let me know what you think!

modern house plan

modern house plan

Did you notice that the only doors in the entire house appear to be closet doors? Yep, this one definitely meets the criteria for interesting in my opinion.

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An Old Favorite

Posted by on Feb 24 2008 | country, farm house, house plans

farm house

This is a houseplan that I have loved for a long time. I first saw this houseplan in a magazine that I was browsing at Lowe’s or Home Depot. Even though it’s been many, many years since I first found this houseplan, I still like it. I love the exterior! It’s so neat and tidy without being ostentatious. I have always loved two-story homes! And as far as two stories go, this one has a nice layout. I like how the large kitchen is open to the family room with a small informal dining area in between. I like the formal loving room inside the front door and the den which would be a great office on the opposite side of then entry. I like that there are four bedrooms upstairs and a bonus area that could be converted to just about anything you need. And what husband wouldn’t love that super deep garage! Finally, the wrap around porch would be wonderful to sit and relax on a the end of a long day.

As much as I love this house, perfect it is not! This house has a lot of rooms and though it is fairly large at 3276 square feet, I’d love to add some more room and see if that could bring it closer to perfect. Things I would change: add a mudroom, enlarge to nook, enlarge bedroom #2 (it’s ridiculously small- though all the bedrooms could stand to be larger in my opinion). I also think the bonus room would be great when divided into another good sized bedroom, a third upstairs bath, and a small craft or sewing room.

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A Great Beach House

Posted by on Feb 23 2008 | beach house, house plans

I live in Utah and right now it’s cold and snowy here! But I’ve already started thinking ahead to summertime and vacations.

I found this fabulous houseplan on ThePlanCollection.com and I’d love to build it on some beachfront property and then spend lots of time there with friends and family.

It’s not a huge house, but it maximizes the available space. There’s a large open main living area and an additional recreation room on another level. Certainly plenty of room for movie watching, game playing, or sitting around and talking. I love that one entire level is devoted to four different bedroom suites- each with their own full bathroom. In addition, there is one other master suite, and two smaller bedrooms, but again all with their own baths! The wrap around decks would be amazing, especially if you had a view.

This is definitely the kind of house that my family could enjoy for years and years! Now if only I had some beachfront property!

beach house

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It’s Not Perfect, But We Like It

Posted by on Feb 11 2008 | house plans, my house, ranch house plan

House Plan

This is the house my husband and I built 3 years ago. We didn’t build this exact house, we changed a few things- the exterior, the laundry area, added some square feet, moved some doors, etc. It’s not perfect, but we like it! Here’s why

-This is a very livable houseplan, with good flow between rooms and levels.

-I love having several bedrooms on the same level as our main living space!

-The laundry room so close to the kitchen is a must have!

-We added a walkout basement. That basically means we have an outside entrance into the basement. This is fabulous! (Actually, our entire basement has been rearranged and is much better, I think, than shown here!)

-The oversized garage is wonderful! It’s perfect for storing all of our kids’ toys and yard care items.

Things I wish I could change in order of importance

1- This house really, really, really needs a mudroom! This is a must if you have young children!

2- I’d love everything so much better if it was just a little bigger! A couple of feet here and there make a big difference. Unfortunately, the difference shows up in the cost as well, which is why we kept things a little smaller.

3- More wall space in the kitchen. Why? because more wall space means more room for cabinets and this kitchen could use a few more!

4- A bathroom near the mudroom that I wish that I had!

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A Fascination with House Plans

Posted by on Feb 09 2008 | house plans

I’ve always been fascinated by house plans. As a little girl I used to sneak my Dad’s graph paper out of his room and then spend hours using it to design elaborate house plans. I also poured over any house plan magazine that I came across and treasured it above my toys. I didn’t grow up to be an architect, or designer, or a homebuilder (I have a teaching degree instead), but my fascination with house plans has never gone away. I love to attend local Parade of Homes homeshows. I love to walk through new construction in the area just to see where everything is. I spend probably more time than most thinking about what I would change about my current house if and when I ever build another. I can still entertain myself for hours looking at plan after plan after plan for the “perfect” plan- which incidentally I have not yet found. I’ve found a lot of house plans that I love and a lot that don’t make a lot of sense to me. But they are all so interesting and there are so many different options available. I suppose that’s why after all these years I’m still fascinated by house plans.

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