Design

Architects do have some great tools, and here is one more example of how they can use them. The interior great room images below of this particular cottage house plan were created using a 3d modeling tool called Google Sketchup. I used the tool to carve out the basic design inside and out, but I wanted to study variations of the design in order to present to my client. Here is the Great Room space. Simple with white walls and vaulted ceiling - nice and clean! Added a white washed wood ceiling and a little color on the walls. Added a beam treatment to the ceiling and went back to the monochrome color scheme. Added white washed wood ceiling between the beams. Wood beams, white washed wood ceiling and a little color on the walls. This example illustrates how just changing a few elements within a design can dramatically alter the character of a space. And Sketchup is a great tool for visualizing that space.

Folks are pretty familiar with the fact that we offer some pretty good Architect Designed House Plans at Simply Elegant Home Designs. In fact all of our plans are Architect designed. But it is less known that we also offer Custom Home Design Services . We are trying to spread the good word. For this reason we are offering during the month of August a 30% discount from our normal rates for Custom Architect Designed House Plans. Now you can work with us to design a one of a kind home tailored to your needs and your building site at rates that we have never before offered. For information on our custom home design package please click " Custom Home Design ". Then give us a call. We are ready to help. This offer will only be valid for the month of August - and it is first come first serve so you should act quickly.

My better half (Kelley) loves everything that interior designer Candice Olson performs. I just ran across one more example of a family room she designed which I have included directly below. It seems like all of her work combines architectural and decorating elements in a sophisticated and harmonious way. Here I love the texture of the fireplace wall, the comfortable mixing of old and new (furniture and accessories) and the attention to lighting. Key point - lighting is one of the most important things that you should not overlook. In this room it highlights the texture in the wall, brings the warmth of the wood media cabinet out and creates subtle reflections on the metal storage boxes. The space would still be nice, but not nearly so dramatic without it.

My better half (Kelley) loves everything that interior designer Candice Olson performs. I just ran across one more example of a family room she designed which I have included directly below. It seems like all of her work combines architectural and decorating elements in a sophisticated and harmonious way. Here I love the texture of the fireplace wall, the comfortable mixing of old and new (furniture and accessories) and the attention to lighting. Key point - lighting is one of the most important things that you should not overlook. In this room it highlights the texture in the wall, brings the warmth of the wood media cabinet out and creates subtle reflections on the metal storage boxes. The space would still be nice, but not nearly so dramatic without it.

So how much does good home design cost? To have an Architect tailor a home design specifically for you and your building site it can cost quite a bit. Full service Architectural fees can cost anywhere from 8% to 15% of the construction cost of your home. As an example a $400,000 home could run from $32,000 to $60,000 in architectural fees. Many clients however do not have the budget to accommodate those kinds of fees. So are there any alternatives to this approach? You can spend countless hours searching through pre -designed house plans trying to find one that fits your needs. You can try to find a residential designer that has lower rates (but you might sacrifice on design quality and creativity). Y ou can find a Residential Architect that has created a special package of services to provide a home design tailored for you and your site for around $10,000. This is exactly what we have done at Simply Elegant Home Designs. We call this the $10k home design solution. We be...

So how much does good home design cost? To have an Architect tailor a home design specifically for you and your building site it can cost quite a bit. Full service Architectural fees can cost anywhere from 8% to 15% of the construction cost of your home. As an example a $400,000 home could run from $32,000 to $60,000 in architectural fees. Many clients however do not have the budget to accommodate those kinds of fees. So are there any alternatives to this approach? You can spend countless hours searching through pre -designed house plans trying to find one that fits your needs. You can try to find a residential designer that has lower rates (but you might sacrifice on design quality and creativity). Y ou can find a Residential Architect that has created a special package of services to provide a home design tailored for you and your site for around $10,000. This is exactly what we have done at Simply Elegant Home Designs. We call this the $10k home design solution. We be...

Architects do have some great tools, and here is one more example of how they can use them. The interior great room images below of this particular cottage house plan were created using a 3d modeling tool called Google Sketchup. I used the tool to carve out the basic design inside and out, but I wanted to study variations of the design in order to present to my client. Here is the Great Room space. Simple with white walls and vaulted ceiling - nice and clean! Added a white washed wood ceiling and a little color on the walls. Added a beam treatment to the ceiling and went back to the monochrome color scheme. Added white washed wood ceiling between the beams. Wood beams, white washed wood ceiling and a little color on the walls. This example illustrates how just changing a few elements within a design can dramatically alter the character of a space. And Sketchup is a great tool for visualizing that space.

Over the past year I have seen many tiny house plans designed by Architects. These plans are mostly experimental, intended to stretch the envelope and catch some buzz. I would however not be able to characterize most of these plans as live-able however. See my posts New Small House Plan Available Today! and New Tube House Lands From Outer Space! for instance. But here comes a very small home design by Architect Toyo Ito and Associates that I might be able to see used as a second home, or a first home for a single or young couple. It is out there a bit with it's metal skin and modern shape. But inside is a workable studio plan that can accommodate living, cooking, eating and sleeping. The extensive use of wood really warms up the interiors. And an entire wall of glass brings the outdoors in. By the way - if you are looking for real honest workable house plans check out the following: small house plans

Simply Elegant Home Designs is now up and running on Facebook. We see this as just another way for folks to find us and stay updated on the latest information. It's also a great way to communicate with each other. You can see our facebook page at the following link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/House-Plans-by-Simply-Elegant-Home-Designs/117328342002 please check us out and fan us.

Do you think you are really smart about house construction? How about my home builder friends out there? How about you building code officials? Fine Homebuilding has a little game that you can play that will test your knowledge. It is called "The Inspector" . They present you with a photograph of a construction site and ask you to identify the code mistakes. You get points for correctly identifying the mistakes - and take points away for the wrong answers. Sound easy? Click the link and give it a try. The Inspector .