Tiny Washer-Dryer Combos and Other Home Improvement Trends for Small Spaces

Andie Levine Houses September 13, 2017

Many, many more people are simplifying their lives and downsizing their living spaces these days. Living large has become too costly and overwhelming, as well as cluttered, and folks are longing for a cleaner and more organized look – one where items,  furniture and appliances do double duty. The Tiny House movement epitomizes this trend and apartment and smaller homes dwellers have learned a lot from the tiny house.

Hidden sliding shelving in that crack between your fridge and the wall, houses a spice rack, corner nooks, beds that also serve as seating areas, pots, pans,and cooking utensils hanging on a wall pegboard, all these things, exploit the space in a small space, and make it appear that there is more room than there actually is. Using storage shelves around your toilet can contain towels, toilet tissue, and other bathroom items that might otherwise take up unnecessary space that could be better utilized.

The washer-dryer in the featured image does double duty and frees up space for shelves, counter space and the like. Drawers tucked away under sofas and beds add additional storage and another kind of aesthetic to a room. The dining table with chairs that disappear under it is both clever and efficiently space saving.

The hidden trash bin next to the cooking range, keeps your kitchen looking clean and organized. There are so many different ways to enhance and expand your small space so that you don’t feel cramped or crowded. And you and your family can move from one area of your small space to another with ease and efficiency. Your small living space need not seem claustrophobic if you use your imagination and a little creativity.

The images below and resource material are courtesy of Pinterest. Images can be enlarged for better viewing.

11 total views, 2 today

Living Large: Luxury and Style

Andie Levine Houses September 12, 2017

Although the Tiny House movement has been trending for a long while, there is still something to be said for big homes. Not everyone is into severe space efficiency, and squeezing life into a very small living area. Of course you need the resources and bank account to live large, but if you have them, living large can be the way to go.

Big kitchens with state-of-the-art appliances, many bedrooms for overnight guests, plenty of room for entertaining both inside and outside, spaces for workout rooms and home offices, these are all advantages of having a large home. There is no shame in living your privilege and hard work.

Decorating a large space can be a lifestyle choice. And a lot of fun. Each room can have a different theme, color palette, and decor style. Guest rooms can be like small sanctuaries. Bathrooms are large enough to make them into at-home spas, places to relax and rejuvenate. If you live in a large home, your bedroom is a haven, a place to escape noise and people, and you will emerge from your bedroom renewed and ready for a party. Entertaining in a large home is a unique experience. You are able to use both indoor and outdoor spaces for the delight of your guests. Enjoy cocktails under the stars and a big sit-down dinner in your dining room, at a massive dining table. If you have a growing family, there are many benefits to raising them in a large home.

The images below and resources are all courtesy of Pinterest, and are expandable on our site.

11 total views, 1 today

This Comfortable Tiny House Design (with Plans)

Admin1 Houses February 1, 2017

All of us, I think it would be fair to say, want to own a house of some sort, and some of us want a small or even a tiny home. Well, here is a nice smaller-sized house (with plans) we recently came across, and thought we’d share. It’s one that comes in several models, including a single-pitched roof and a standard two-pitch.

They use a lot of wood finishing for the interior, and it looks snappy when painted white (or probably any other color as well). Check out the one with the patio built around it in the woods.

They also seem to all incorporate a lot of glazing — look at those big window areas in the main rooms. And patios as well. Overall, a very simple, clean design for a small house, or tiny house, depending on how you look at things.

THE GUY

The guy 1
Alk. 19 769 –

Floor area 20.0 m²
Porch 34.5 m²
In total 54.5 m²

The guy 2
Alk. 21 077, –

Floor area 25.0 m²
Porch 34.5 m²
In total 59.5 m²

CRESCENT

Prices vary according to the selected timber strength.

Crescent-30 1A
Alk. 31 600, –

Floor area 30.0 m²
Porch 11.0 m²
In total 41.0 m²

Prices vary according to the selected timber strength.

BUOY

Buoy 10

Alk. 14 659 –

Floor area 19.5 m²
Porch 24.0 m²
In total 43.5 m²

Buoy 20
Alk. 16 529 –

Floor area 23.5 m²
Porch 25.5 m²
In total 49.0 m²

Check out the gallery of photos below (all images on our site are expandable, even the featured image at the top).

Find more from Honka, and other companies we’ve indexed in our Home Designers and Builders Directory. You can search the company’s name and look builders near your area. And to see more houses, click here.

19397 total views, 10 today

Unique Texas Style Country Home with Brick Wainscot

Kimberly Smith Houses January 11, 2017

This stunning Texas style home is made for those looking for grandeur and a luxury style of living. Right out of fictitious Southfork, for those who remember the TV show Dallas, this home is the perfect place to settle down for a lifetime. It is also an amazing home to pass down to the next generation.

What stands out the most about the beauty of this home is its brick Wainscot, which is reminiscent of times past. The brick Wainscot gives this large family estate the look of a much more expensive home. The Texas style home sits on beautiful landscaping which can be changed and customized to your liking. This scenery gives a home buyer ideas on how to enhance the beauty of this stellar home. This is a dream house, one of a kind.

To know if this house can be built with steel frames or metal sidings, please seek advice from the contractor.

Some more information about this house:

Dimensions:Living Area:3,167 sq.ft. Width: 71′ 11″

Find more from Dream Home Source, and other companies we’ve indexed in our Home Designers and Builders Directory. You can search the company’s name and look builders near your area. And to see more houses, click here.

1562 total views, 1 today

Upscale Two-Story House with 4 Bedrooms

Kimberly Smith Houses January 10, 2017

This elegant two-story home is a family’s dream house, with its multi-level design and classy gray exterior. The interior boasts 4 bedrooms, enough for a large family or a growing one. With the beautiful siding and gray brick accessorizing the exterior, the home is only made more elegant by the multitude of windows that surround this classic looking two-story home.

The beautiful foliage and lovely walkway only add to the home’s ambiance. There is a small porch at the front door for sitting in a comfy chair in the evenings with a book, or just to stand and look at the stars. There is also a screened porch for company, outside the laundry room area, for just a small get-togther. With 4 bedrooms, you have room for a family of 6 if you choose. The master bedroom is quite a plus and will provide the privacy parents need. This is truly a family home, though couples can transform one bedroom into a home office.

Some more information about this house:

Dimensions:74′ 4″ x 50′ 2″

Find more from Donald A. Gardner Architects, and other companies we’ve indexed in our Home Designers and Builders Directory. You can search the company’s name and look builders near your area. And to see more houses, click here.

3631 total views, 0 today

Never Seen a House Built Like this Unique Vacation House in the Middle of Nature

Admin1 Houses January 3, 2017

You have to see this house! We can all learn something from this unique mastery of simplicity when it comes to building.

This vacation house, set in the middle of nature, is an attractive design in a nice setting, but there’s something else to it. While on this site we’ve featured a number of prefab homes, tiny houses, modular construction projects, metal building home options, and a ton of other things, I’ve never seen a building style like this. I’m interested.

We’re always seeking for simple building styles, because that’s part of our ‘mission’ on the site — to try to find enough options for everybody to find something that suits them and move towards a goal where everybody has their own home, whether a prefab, modular, tiny house, house boat, park model, cabin, house on wheels, whatever. So check out this building style.

It’s a building called the “Rio Bonito” and it’s by architect Carla Juacaba (of Brazil). She’s simply constructed two stone walls (although in my conception of making this simple I’m picturing cinder blocks or even concrete perhaps). Then she’s embedded the flat metal frame of the floor and ceiling into these two walls.

This sets the house up off the ground. Then she’s just slid stairs in front of the patio that is part of the entire floor.

There’s also a stone stairway on one of the walls, which leads the “cabin” (can you call it that?) up onto the roof.

She set a few walls in the center of the building to have a private bathroom, and for walls she just glazed them with large glass panels / sliding doors.

Heat? She left part of the stone wall hallow, so it can serve as a fireplace. It has a grate in front of it. The decor is minimalist. It has lights, but I suspect the kitchen stove might be wood burning, set in an adobe or other clay constructed cooking “desk”. There’s also a propane-style cookstove set up there.

For floors, she used plain long wooden floor boards with a shiny finish.

The furniture is minimal.

While this construction is an example of how simplicity can lend itself to style, you can tell this project was undertaken by a real stylish architect because of how she harmonized the shapes and sizes, the various materials, and even the colors (look at the colors of the patio, for example). What do you think?

As for lights, they have some set up. I’m not sure whether they power these with solar panels or a generator or what. I’m not sure how they get water to the cabin, either, for showers and cooking / washing. There are off-the-grid options for these things though that could be implemented.

These images and the one above are big, so they’ll look best on a large computer screen. They might also take a minute to load.For more work by Carla Juacaba, find her in our directory, where you can also find a bunch of other listings depending on your style interests, from prefabs to tiny homes. You can also check out some cabins here, tiny homes here, prefabs here, and metal buildings elsewhere on our site.

6252 total views, 1 today

Country Barn Home Kit with Open Porch

Alison LaPaglia Houses October 24, 2016

Barns are becoming increasingly popular. They are no longer just used for housing farm animals. It is not uncommon to see renovated barns used as event venues or gallery space. What is it about barns that has everyone raving? The rustic charm of a country barn is undeniable. To many it may feel a lot like home. Others may see it as a unique space that provides a warm atmosphere, perfect for nights spent at home or family gatherings. Either way, the country barn has been so popular that Sand Creek Post & Beam has manufactured a home kit with this style in mind.

The Ponderosa Country Barn Home has the style and warmth of a traditional barn structure without the smell or mess! It is a total of 2,376 sq.ft. with three bedrooms and two and half bathrooms. This home’s open floor plan allows you to host your family and friends without being divided up into separate rooms. The interior beams, columns, and exposed wood provide an authenticity to structure. If you would like to create a more stylish space you could accent your home with white wash or a dark stain.

Paint is always an option as well, but it will cover the grain of the wood which would result in a less rustic look. The front of the home is complimented by a 600 sq.ft. porch complete with wooden columns. This is a great opportunity for some rocking chairs or outdoor seating.

This home kit could be used as a primary residence or a vacation home. Upon purchase, Sand Creek Post & Beam will ship a per-manufactured home kit to the customer. For those of us who feel building your own home sounds like a tedious process just remember that this home will be unlike any other in sentimental value. Plus, the home kit will provide you with the materials you need and a nice base line to start off on the right foot! This project is not impossible and when it is finished it will be well worth the work!

Stats: 24×50, 2,376 sq. ft. total living space, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, living room, dinning room, open porch (600 sq.ft.)

By Alison LaPaglia

Check out the gallery of photos below (all images on our site are expandable, even the featured images at the top of most articles).

For more information on Sand Creek Post & Beam or the Ponderosa Country Home find them in our barn homes directory. You can search the company’s name and look builders near your area. And to see more metal homes, click here.

946638 total views, 2523 today

Metal Building Home for a Couple or Small Family

Alison LaPaglia Houses, Metal Buildings October 3, 2016

A home is supposed to be cozy and warm. It is where we celebrate our holidays with family and invite our friends to get together. So why are people opting for a metal home?!

Here’s why. Steel is sturdy. Metal buildings require the specialty of an engineer. An engineer who will carefully consider the location of a home before building. So if you are someone who will receive a large amount of snow in the winter, or strong winds during the year, you don’t need to worry about your roof caving in or a piece of your home being torn off. Your metal home will use bolts to connect its structure whereas a wooden home uses nails.

A metal home is also environmentally friendly. Wood comes at the cost of many trees, but the steel used for a metal home has often been recycled. If you are familiar working with “fixer-uppers” then you will appreciate that metal buildings do not require any load bearing walls. You can take down any wall you’d like to create a more open space at any time. The best benefit to a metal home, and arguably the most desirable, is the freedom from termites. Every home owner can understand the fear of these little pests damaging their home, but a metal home owner will never even have to worry about it!

Now that you know the structural benefits, you may be thinking how uninviting a steel home might be, but you’re wrong. A steal home can mimic a wooden home in style. You can see this design chosen for ‘Rod’s Cabin’ by Morton’s buildings in the pictures provided. The exterior can look warm and inviting with the use of paint or other materials such as brick for coverage. You could also choose to show off the steel and create a chic, modern space with high ceilings and large windows. The interior can match the exterior in either case.

There is no need to give up your style for the practicality of a metal home, and your design will not diminish it’s benefits. So if you find yourself building your next dream home maybe its time to think a little harder and go with metal rather than wood.

Approximate price for these buildings is around $25 – $80 per square foot.

By Alison LaPaglia

For more information about the structural benefits of metal buildings and Tyler Building Systems, as well as on Rod’s Cabin and Morton’s Buildings, find them in our metal home directory.

224672 total views, 9 today

This portable river turbine can power your house by generating 12 kWh daily

Admin1 Houses October 1, 2016

This small river turbine can power a lot of your house needs. It’s called the Idénergie river turbine,

“We estimate that 1.4 billion individuals across the world are without electricity, most living in rural and distant areas inaccessible to the national or regional electricity grid. The most common energy solution available is the use of gas generators which are polluting and can be expensive to maintain in the long term. As an alternative, the use of green technologies is rapidly growing.

“Renewable energy solutions are gaining popularity especially in the residential market. Billions of dollars are invested every year on solar and wind systems. However these renewable energy products do not represent optimal solutions for meeting individual needs due to intermittent production of energy resulting in weather variations. In consequence, these systems are only used to 12% to 35% of their capacity implicating an over sizing of installations and storage systems to accumulate the energy when produced. However one regular and predictable energy source is unexploited: the river.”

“Our turbine can be dismantled in separate pieces in order to facilitate shipping to the the most remote locations and is ready to assemble on site. This allows for a simple and fast installation which requires only 2 individuals in less than a 24 hour period. The turbine is attached to a stable pillar from the front with a steel cable and is deposited on the river bed, self positioning in the fluid like a kite. Electrical DC connections are simplified by the presence of our embedded electrical converter. All that’s left to do is connect the output cable to your batteries, without any additional electric equipment.”

For more about Indergie’s project, visit their website.

13009 total views, 1 today

Timber Framing Solutions

Lovella Bargas Houses September 27, 2016

Building homes with timber frames is practical and it is usually a very good choice of construction material. Obviously, there are several benefits why timber framing is excellent for homes.

One, it is sturdy and durable. This means the money you invested for your property is worthwhile. Another benefit of this kind of framing is its energy-efficiency.

For some decades, Texas Timber Frames have been crafting a beautiful balance of classic style and modern design. Every constructed frame by them demonstrates a touch of eminent charm and splendour. They operate with innovative computer and machine tools to plan and manufacture timber frames to deliver a lovely home for bachelors and families.

Their featured floor plan is a beautiful two-level dwelling. It has a nice 336 square feet covered porch, a roomy open concept floor plan, a big kitchen and a decent dining room. There are two bedrooms and two full bathrooms at the second level. For needed extra space, dwellers can use the loft for the third bedroom.

With this beautiful designed package, home residents can enjoy Texas Timber Frames’ affordable home pricing.

For more of Texas Timber Frames’ work, find them in our directory of prefab home designers and builders.

3733 total views, 2 today