You’re finally ready to take the plunge and either build your own house or buy a home. What is your family going to need? How do you decide on the best floor plans for a single family? What are the important elements of family house plans? Should you pick small family house plans or go with awesome one story house plans? Once you determine the style of plans you need, you have to also decide how to obtain those plans. There are many options within this step involving either a professional or more of a do-it-yourself approach, so you have many questions to consider. Some options to examine in order to select the plans best for you may include draw your own floor plan, free floor plan drawing template, home floor plans for sale, free floor plans for home, or free printable house blueprints. Can you build a home floor plan for free? As you go through the process of selecting a floor plan that is a perfect fit for your family, you can review the most important aspects of a home and determine which simple home floor plans include those elements which make a house home for you.

Deciding on a Floor Plan

There are a variety of topics that you need to consider when choosing a floor plan that is right for your family. This is your opportunity to include and analyze all the elements which make a home perfect for you. To create a floor plan to suit your family’s every need, consider the following design elements.

1. Choose a floor plan that suits your design style and size requirements. What size house is going to meet your family’s needs and have longevity as your family grows or moves out of the home? Here, rooms may serve one purpose for many years (such as a child’s bedroom) and be transformed once they move out to serve another purpose (such as a hobby room). Are the rooms the right size? Do they fit the house and also meet the needs you have? Consider whether you prefer country house plans with open floor plan, modern open floor plan farmhouse, simple one story floor plans, floor plans for small homes, or perhaps new home plans with open floor plans. There are so many to choose from, from modern, to farmhouse, to country home living. The style should reflect you and your family but also suit the surrounding homes and be appropriate for the location.
2. Accept that there are pros and cons to house floor plans, and determine which of those are the most weighted for your family. What elements are non negotiable? What are your priorities when choosing a home floor plan?
3. Address your budgetary concerns and be very aware of how you wish to spend your money. Prioritizing the amenities, size, and how you want to use the home space is key to determining how you want to spend your funds. To ensure you get all you want without huge disappointments, find the best floor plan on a budget, with that budget being specific to you.
4. Floor plan layout is the most important aspect, as you need to ensure the size, style, how the space is divided, and the flow of the home fits your needs. After it has been determined that you have all those elements covered, then perhaps consider that the house will need to also match your decorating approach. The layout of a home should lend itself to the type of decorating and amenities your family enjoys. Taking the home furnishings into consideration allows for a realistic view of how the space in the home will be used. This will ensure that your decorating tastes can be expressed, as well as meeting your family’s lifestyle needs.
5. Lastly, trust your instincts. When you look at a floor plan, you should be able to envision your family using the home. Layout, decor, size, function, amenities, budget, and so many more factors go into making a home the right fit for your family. Being able to see your family living in the space is usually a good sign that you’ve found your perfect home floor plan.

Now that all the hard work is done and you’ve considered all the elements of a perfect house plan for your family home, good luck and happy living!

Retiring can one of the most anticipated events in living the American dream. Many retirees feel the need to simplify and downsize and often end up moving to a house more suited for a single or a couple. This allows for affordability and nominal maintenance, while not sacrificing any of your dream home desires for retirement. Retirement homes can come in many different floor plans and sizes, depending on your wants and needs. A range of architectural styles are available to ensure you have exactly what you desire, including country, contemporary, ranch-style, southern, and many more. Home plans for retirees can include two bedroom retirement house plans, empty nester style house plans, one story retirement house plans, senior friendly house plans, aging in place house plans, tiny homes, and small luxury retirement homes. Determining which retiree home is right for you requires understanding what elements each style includes that will best fit your unique needs and desires. The benefit to taking to time to plan your retirement home is that you can have all the indulgences that you want to enjoy in your retirement home. Finally, all your hard work has paid off and you can fulfill every dream home fantasy you have!

Two Bedroom Retirement House Plans

Two bedroom homes for retirees are particularly suited for those who have grown children, grandchildren, family, and friends visiting often. These floor plans are often open, with a master bedroom, guest suite, and all the conveniences that go along with a home that meets all your needs. A large master suite pampers you as you deserve in retirement, while still fitting within the ideal size retirement home. The second bedroom can be dedicated to your guests when they visit, while also serving the dual purpose of an office, craft room, or hobby/workshop area. Depending on your tastes, a single bathroom can serve the entire house, or a hall bathroom can serve the guest room and the rest of the house, leaving an in-suite master bathroom for you. Two bedroom homes can also serve a retired couple well by providing each individual with a dedicated space to enjoy your own activities in retirement.

Empty Nest Retirement House Plans

Selecting an empty nester style floor plan means that you have survived eighteen or more years of insanity! Congratulations! Now you get to focus on yourself and choose a home style that is specific to your needs as a retiree. The benefit of empty nester plans is that they come along with all the amenities needed to host your children and/or grandchildren comfortably. Your home size needs depend on the size of your family and how often they all visit simultaneously. Thus, many empty nest retirement house plans allow for open floor plans with great rooms, activity or bonus rooms, low maintenance decks and/or yards, and plenty of room for the entire family to gather. A comfortable and all-inclusive master suite is a nice feature of many empty nester floor plans so that you always have a retreat for yourself when the family is visiting.

Single Story Retirement Floor Plans

Single story retirement floor plans are perfect for those seeking to have ease of use amenities such as handicap and wheelchair accessibility for the future. Single story homes are perfect for those who do not want to navigate stairs and who prefer ample room for maneuvering wheelchairs, walkers, or any other adaptive support device. These plans usually feature open spaces with great rooms, master suites, two car garages, and guest quarters, if so desired. This can all be done while working with any size requirements necessary; the single story home can be large enough to accomodate an entire house full of guests, or small enough for affordability and minimal maintenance needs.

Senior Friendly and Aging in Place Home Designs

Similar to the single story amenities which account for possible future needs, senior friendly house plans and senior friendly developments, as well as aging in place home designs allow for longevity in the home. Many senior communities are built around this concept, so that you can be surrounded by others with whom to interact. Senior communities can provide activities, group amenities, and a support system all by walking out your front door. Typically, these floor plans are one story with open floor plans, allowing for future wheelchair accessibility, great rooms including the kitchen, dining and living areas for easy entertaining, hobby rooms, guest spaces for visitors. Two or three car garages can provide plenty of space for workshop areas, cars, and perhaps even a golf cart. In order to assist in the aging in place concept, some additional features which may be included are slip resistant features, remote powered blinds/fans, multi-level counters, bright lighting, pull-out and pull-down shelving, illuminated and flat paneled light switches, and even a five pound exertion limit to ensure everything can be accessed without a huge amount of force. Senior friendly homes also incorporate minimal steps, wide hallways, low maintenance exterior care, and easily opened windows, doors, and cabinetry. While these amenities may seem simple, they increase the ease of life and allow for your unique needs to be met.

Small Luxury Retirement Homes

If you’re looking to truly downsize and enjoy a low maintenance, comfortable, and affordable home, then small retirement homes may be the answer for you. With house plans such as these, you will be able to live very comfortably without the stress and strain of a high maintenance home and yard, and without a high mortgage. Small homes include all the necessary living amenities such as living room, dining area, kitchen, and master suite without all the unnecessary extra square footage. They are specifically customized to your needs and are built with usability in mind. This means that you can have all the luxury amenities you desire, all based completely on your individual needs. This could include hobby areas, workshops, extra dens or great rooms, space in the garage for a golf cart, whatever your specific needs may be can be included in a small retirement home plan. Daily living costs are cut extensively because less space requires less electricity, heating, cooling, gas, etc., besides the reduced overall cost.  If you’re looking to spend your retirement time on travel, activities, and visiting your loved ones, a small retirement home may be the best fit without sacrificing any comfort for when you are home. The further beauty of these small homes is they can easily fit into urban areas or open country alike. Small retirement homes or even tiny homes may be the answer to your affordability and low maintenance needs.

Trying to decide if an outdoor kitchen is right for you or wondering why have an outdoor kitchen? The benefits of outdoor kitchens are many and convincing. Many people who install outdoor kitchens do so for the clear advantage of outdoor entertaining. An outdoor kitchen enables you to have BBQs, relax over dinner with friends, socialize as dinner is being prepared, spend time outside by the pool (and the cook), and generally provides a more relaxed feeling for entertaining outdoors.

Furthermore, outdoor kitchens increase the value of your home by adding to the range of entertainment and culinary choices in your home. Some may be concerned that weather may be an issue for an outdoor kitchen, yet most outdoor kitchens today are made with stainless steel appliances, allowing for easy cleaning and longevity during a wide range of weather conditions. You also can cut utility costs with an outdoor kitchen by spending more time outside cooking during the summer months when heating the house with oven use is not cost efficient. Outdoor kitchens encourage eating at home, which usually are helpful for both the budget and health. Besides all that, expanding your living area options to outside can encourage family time and increase entertainment value for you and your guests.

Installing an Outdoor Kitchen

Once you decide that yes, an outdoor kitchen can fit your many entertaining and outdoor needs, then perhaps the next best step is to look for outdoor kitchen ideas or where to put an outdoor kitchen. You may even consider how to build an outdoor kitchen and whether a prefab outdoor kitchen, modular outdoor kitchen, or outdoor kitchen kit is going to be the best method for you to install your outdoor kitchen. In this phase, you may want to consider outdoor kitchen building codes in your area, familiarize yourself with outdoor kitchen guidelines and explore common outdoor kitchen mistakes to ensure that the installation of your new kitchen goes smoothly.

Outdoor Kitchen Design & Accessories

One way to decide what would best fit your needs is to view outdoor kitchen pictures online to get a sense for what style would best suit you. Another method is to view ideas from the big stores, such as outdoor kitchens from Lowes, Costco outdoor kitchens or Home Depot outdoor kitchens. These may get you started on the road to getting the outdoor kitchen of your dreams! Or use a customized design team which can provide you with a plan view with all the outdoor kitchen measurements or even 3D renderings of your outdoor kitchen to show what it will look like when completed.

The benefit to designing your outdoor kitchen is that you can tailor your outdoor kitchen to meet your specific needs and wants. Several elements could be included in your outdoor kitchen depending on you, including BBQ grill and/or smoker, rotisserie, pizza oven, prep counter, refrigerator, stove top burners on which to cook and keep sauces or other food warm, food storage space, sink, and bar. Other elements to consider are lighting, heating, table and chairs, entertainment system, and even possibly a fire pit. Design elements to consider are where ventilation for your outdoor kitchen is going to be placed in order to keep your entertainment area clear of smoke, appliance type, including whether you want a built in BBQ or stand alone, as well as type of countertops, flooring, and built-in cabinets.

Outdoor kitchen? Yes, please! The benefits are many and the enjoyment that you will receive from an outdoor kitchen is unparalleled. For great entertainment and unrivaled good times, bring all the joys of summer to your own backyard with an outdoor kitchen!