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- Use a Designer-vs-Stock plans and Models
If your dreams are more modest, your taste moves toward traditional style and time is a major issue > > > Go with a stock plan or builder model -As they are familar, easier to build and consume less time and patience !
BUT... The alternative is to hire a professional home plan designer. Home designers specialize in private homes. The wonderful house plans you see on tv and in print are most likely custom designed. They are the creations of professionals who have the experience to explore unexpected possibilities.
SO...If you desire a home that is one of a kind, then you'll need to hire a custom house plan designer. Even if you are working within a tight budget, it never pays to cut corners on design. ALL CAD can help you avoid costly mistakes and assure that the home you build suits the way you live and give you the highest re-sale value.
People vary greatly-your home should fit your needs and lifestyle, as well as the site.
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- Kitchen Design
The layout and design of the kitchen is critical, especially, if you entertain a great deal. Most of your friends and relatives will congregate in the kitchen. It is a fact of life.
Make the kitchen large enough to accommodate this or design a separate area to confine them. Add a central island for additional work space and a serving counter. You could also add a wider countertop on the cabinets that separate the kitchen from the eating area and add a couple of bar stools to keep people out of the cooking area.
Make sure that you have good lighting in the kitchen. The use of recessed can lights will provide concentrated light in the work areas where you need it.
Make sure that you have a separate pantry large enough to hold a supply of staple food products. This is an essential element in your house plans.
If you like to cook, then I suggest that you include a double oven and a separate cooktop.
Be sure that you have counter space next to the refrigerator, oven and cooktop to set dishes on. Also, include lazy-susan corner cabinets below and above for additional space.
There are a multitude of cabinet accessories that you will want to consider for convenience (i.e. wine rack, appliance garage, etc.).
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- Master Suite Design
The master suite should not be as big as the rest of the house. You do not need a sauna, wetbar, entertainment center and fireplace in your bathroom, unless you want to waste your money. Save all that space for walk-in closets. You will need the space.
Do you really need a sitting area in your bedroom? You do if the only way to get away from the noise and kids is to retreat to the master bedroom. Otherwise, there is not a logical reason for it. You would be adding costly space that will go unused.
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- Bonus Room
One of the least expensive and most efficient rooms that you should consider is the room over the garage (aka Bonus Room). You can create an additional 200 - 500 square feet of living area above the garage for less than $20,000. What an investment.
This is a great place to let your kids or grandkids play away from the rest of the house. It is also a great place to put your exercise equipment, sewing machine or computer. You can close off the room from the rest of the house as well.
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- Home Plan Styles
Mizner/ Mediteraniean house plan is the most prevalent and popular in our area's subdivisions, but there are many home design styles to choose from. Other styles we are familar with include: Colonial, West Indies and Italian Villa, Victorian house plans and French county. You could also combine features for something more unique or contemporary in your house designs, but you should take into account the neighborhood you are building in, and the styles already prevalent. Remember to think about re-sale.
The house plan design and lot layout must be considered here. It is more economical to build up (2 story), than to build utilizing more real estate. If your lot will not accommodate the space you need in one story, you may not have any choice but to build a 2 story home.
You will also have to take into account the view, the proximity of your neighbors home and any other issues that are unique to the building site, such as the elevation of the foundation in relation to the elevation of the street.
Our professional draftsmen and architects will take all this into consideration an offer many appealing design solutions to problems that will arise.
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- Custom Home Concept Concerns
Families are as different as their interests, so the living space should reflect how a family interacts with those interests. Typical questions may include:
Lot layout?? Neighborhood/ subdivision??
Where does your family spend the most time?
How important is a formal dining room?
How much entertaining does your family do?
Is your bedroom a place to sleep or your own private get-away.
Do you work out of your home and need an office?
Does the home computer need to be in a location where children can be supervised?
What do you dislike about the house in which you're now living? What do you love about it?
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- Top 5 House Plan Trends in Florida's New Home Construction
Tomorrow's homes are on the drawing board and they are nothing like the places you may recall from your childhood. New materials and new technologies are reshaping the way we build. Floor plans are also changing to accommodate the changing patterns of our lives.
1. Earth-Friendly Design
2. "Prefab" Construction
3. Storm-Resistance
4. Outdoor Living Rooms
5. Abundant Storage
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- Whats Hot In Bath Room Design
What's hot and new in bathroom design?
- Pedestal sinks are in great demand today because of their graceful lines and exquisite design details.
- The long rectangular tub is out! There are now over 400 different styles, shapes, and features including whirlpools, Roman tubs, bodyspa systems, and even soft bathtubs.
- New products such as floor warming systems, towel warmers and new body spa systems, are always being created to increase the comfort of your bathroom. View top trends for your dream bathroom.
(our personal favorite)
- Music as Therapy. Build in a stereo system with speakers suspended from the ceiling or set into shelves.
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- Home Design Computer Software
The programs can't take the place of an architect and most aren't recommended for creating working drawings. They can, however, help you visualize your house and some rival the professional-grade CAD (computer aided design) software programs architects use. Some programs are even FREE!
Broderbund 3D Home Architect , Abracadata Design Your Own Home for Mac, Chief Architect Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer, DesignWorkshop Lite (FREE)
At All Cad, we utilize AutoCad 2006 ($2,500), Architectural Desktop, Adobe Photoshop 7 and Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Standard to keep our plans clear, informative and visualy appealing.
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- Better Building Blocks
What goes up as easily as a standard concrete masonry unit (CMU) structure but is just as strong, more energy-efficient and easier to work with because of its light weight?
It's autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC), a pre-cast manufactured building block made from quartzite sand, lime and water. The elements are processed into a highly durable and efficient building material that can withstand fire and other natural disasters. By altering the mixture's proportions, manufacturers can manipulate insulation values and compressive strength. And because it is lightweight and has its own insulating properties, AAC can save construction time and energy.
Currently, building a home with AAC can take a bit longer than building with conventional materials. But that will not last as crews get more familiar with it.
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- Entertaining and Gathering Spaces
Today's "hive" or "Cocoon" homes offer larger more open gathering areas where family and friends can seek comfort and connection with others.
Some of the new additions include:
combined Kitchen, Living and Dining areas
or larger dbl duty rooms like: Game Room and Family Room, Home Theatre, Wine Tasting Rooms, Outdoor kitchens or Great Rooms for 20 or more
Whether building new or remodeling, families are looking to create an enviroment of togetherness and hospitality.
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- Save 1000's on your next home
It's easyer than you think. -Clients that bring in sketches or magazines have a very good idea of what they want, like, dislike or are interested in. (ex: 1 story or 2, gathering rm and living room, Den, fireplace, elevation style ect...)This info saves thousands of design dollars in time with a little effort on your end.
Just a tip for owners and builders on a budget.
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- Creating indoor living -Outdoors
There is so much more to outdoors than just the pool. Florida residents are spending more time outdoors without even getting wet and that's ok because its also a great place to entertain. -
If planned and set properly, Outdoor enviroments are a unique retreat that homeowners can use year-round complete with a sink, min-ref., grill, fireplace and room for seating with view of water features like tropical lagoons and water falls to mimic exotic beach resorts- all in your own backyard.
Creating your outdoor living experience for new construction or a remodel contact us at info@allcadesigns.com -because outdoor living enviroments make it possible to enjoy the outdoors we all moved here for.
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