Cottage House Plans and Designs

The home is where the heart is and it hardly matters whether you live in the city or a town or the country side. However, the rustic appeal of a cottage cannot be matched and now many people in the cities too are striving towards replicating the look. The cottage designs are typically fashioned to maximize space and well accommodate an area of less than 1000 sq ft. Most buyers and home owners seek cottage plans while contemplating on getaway homes in the mountains, close to the beach or a wooded area or any other exclusive location.

The typical cottage design includes a large planned space to serve as the living and dining areas. The plan also includes space for the bathrooms and one or two or the number of bedrooms planned according to the space at hand. The cottage plans are available at a number of online and offline resources and for every style of small home. You can plan a log cabin or a residential bungalow. The designs also accommodate the very chic Swiss-style chalet designs and the cozy self-enhanced cottage with a private theme. Now, your dream country cottage is just a resource away!

There is a lot of skill involved in the creation of dedicated cottage house plans. An ideal cottage blueprint maximizes space efficiency, while optimizing appeal and comfort. The plans for cottages are created to take care of the need of the home owner to adopt a unique sense of style and comfort, within the exclusive setting. You can even buy the house plans over the net. The quaintness and coziness of the cottage is not difficult to acquire with little research prior to the endeavor. You could include a foyer or breakfast nook with a little planning and a perfect fireplace!

These plans help the homeowner to accommodate any number of bedrooms and a bedroom or two to accommodate guests or for extra storage. The plans can be further modified to fit in the desired spacing requirements or to include either an attached or detached garage space. You could indulge in a two or even three story plan to create the spaciousness of a luxurious and sprawling home. There are a number of blueprints that you can access to maximize the space as efficiently as possible.

You can plan fold-up beds that are hidden within the bedroom walls. The plans have exclusive living area ideas to include the curb appeal that completes the character of the plan. The ambiance of a unique cottage plan, like most country house plans, is customizable and has ample of scope to include outdoor amenities. The outdoors of the cottage can be enhanced with special porch designs and landscaping. The elegant yet simple residence in a unique setting can be planned to accommodate every need! The cottage designs fit just about every size, type, style and budget that a home owner can spell out.

There are special plans and designs drawn for large and small houses, duplexes and vacation homes and log cabins. They also include designs for sheds, playhouses and arbors and various dedicated backyard projects. The exclusive use of field stone, gables and roof shingles, rived cypress shingles and the all time favorite wood helps to create a home in complete harmony with the surrounding. The porch with an inviting hammock and rustic furniture, a vestibule at the threshold to cut off the draft and exquisite partitions between the hall and the living room; all these features make that perfect cottage!

You could plan curtain alternatives and heavy pottery and room screens which could be spread across or removed anytime. The cottage designs are exclusive and leave the home owner with ample of opportunity to personalize the designs further. The base plans can be purchased and worked upon to give you something from an original Grimm or Tolstoy.

Home Interior Design Ideas

Designing the interior of home is something we do quite infrequently (except if you are a professional home designer, that is). But, truly speaking, these are the moments we live for! Designing our own nest nothing gets more lovely than that. This is the time when all of our family gets together, adds bits and pieces to the house and converts the house into a home. And it is guaranteed much more than living in your home, you will cherish the days you spend building it bit by bit.

But, let's face it we are not professional home designers. Even if we hire professional home designers, we will need to give them a basic concept of what we are looking for. A home is a very personal thing. Your home designer will have millions of home interior design ideas, but it is you who have to provide the concept. The home designer will invariably ask you what it is that you are looking for, and work with the grain of the idea you give him or her.

So, the crux of it all is that you need to have some basic sense of what home designing is. What is it you are looking for in your home interior? This article is not about actually designing the home (you will be hiring a professional to do that, after all), but it is about making the preliminary ideas that will help you start your discussion with the interior designer.

I have enlisted three important points that you must bear in mind when setting out to making your home interior. Here they are:-

Home Interior Designing Tip 1 Space

The first thing that you should think about is the space your home affords. Each and every component of your interior designing will depend on the square foot area that your home floor has. The days of the royal palaces are gone, and homes are becoming smaller day by day. Hence, you have to keep the size of your home in mind when you are preparing the initial designs of your home.

I am not saying that small homes cannot be designed well, but you will simply need some judicious planning. For example, instead of making a sprawling wall cabinet, see if you can build some interesting shelves inside the walls. Interior designers can do that in interesting ways. If you are designing for your child's bedroom, then having a loft bed and the study table below it could be a very interesting space-saving idea. Also, you could have a wall-mounted television in the bedroom to save space. Work out such ideas. The question is not about how much space you have in your home; it is more about how you are using the space.

Even if your home is big enough, you must think whether cluttering it with furniture is a good idea. This is the day and age of minimalism, and it works in the home as well. You can in fact think of creating partitions in your rooms to make better usage of available space.

Home Interior Designing Tip 2 Utility

Most of us give the utility of the home interior design a backseat when they are chalking out the home designs. The eye is mostly on beauty and even unconventional appeal, but we hardly pause and think, 'How useful will this addition be to the home?' The wise people among us will first think about the usage of each and every aspect of the home design, even if it is a minor shelf added on a particular wall. When preparing the initial home design idea, your first question should be, 'Do I need this thing?' and the second question should be, 'Will it look beautiful?'. Think of things in this order and you will hardly go wrong.

This also applies when you are adding the furniture and furnishings to your home. For each component that the interior designer wants to put in your home, think whether you really have a use for it. This is the place where the costs pile up. So, it is wiser in more ways than one to think about these additions.

Home Interior Designing Tip 3 Color Coordination

Very few of us know about the vast improvement that a color combination can bring about in the home design. In the seventies and eighties, American homes usually contained single color schemes like a bedroom would be done in various shades of blue but the trend has drastically changed in recent times. Now people are more in contrasts. Do not be surprised if your interior designer suggests a starkly black and white color combination for your kitchen. Or some other such combination that have colors that are poles apart.

The thing is, you must stop and ask what you really want. Have you visualized a color combination for the concept you are planning? If you have, then let the designer know. It doesn't matter if the scheme is totally out of the world. The designer will suggest you other options if the scheme is impracticable. Personally, I like warmer colors for the kitchen, dining room and the sitting room and cooler colors for the bedroom and the room where I simply lounge around and read. But, of course, you can have your own color combinations in mind, and speak with your designer if you can implement them.

These are the three main tips that you need to keep in mind. Of course, there are other aspects like position of things, lighting, furnishings and such which need to be considered later on too. But these help to give you a preliminary notion of things.

Ceiling Designs for Kitchens

Kitchens are usually all about the countertops, cabinets, furniture and appliances. Thus, no one thinks about giving them a decorative ceiling, since that's the last thing you notice about a kitchen. However, if you have a traditional, modern or contemporary theme for your home and the various rooms, why not make the kitchen a part of it too? I am sure you would love to stare at the ceiling in the bedroom, or in the living room or even in your bathroom.

You don't need to have a decorative ceiling in the kitchen so you can stare at it, but it can definitely have a greater impact on the visual appeal of the room. With a variety of ideas and types of ceilings, usually used for the other rooms in the house, you could incorporate them in the kitchen as well. In the coming up paragraphs, we have put together some great kitchen ceiling design ideas which could give your kitchen a dramatic change! So, read on and find out which of these suit your demands and choices, take a look.

Kitchen Ceiling Designs

Just like any other room in your home, you can install beautiful and decorative ceilings for your kitchen too. You can use various materials like wood, metal, plaster of Paris (POP) or concrete to decorate the ceiling. These materials not only add the element of style to the room, but they also provide the required strength and durability to the ceiling, so that it could be used for various purposes. Depending on the traditional and modern ceiling types you would like to choose, we have some ceiling designs for kitchens mentioned below just for your convenience. Pick a favorite!

False Ceiling
False ceilings are the best alternatives if you are looking to remodel your kitchen temporarily, yet would like to have a stylish room. Kitchens look beautiful with various shapes and styles, such as curved, angular, circular designs installed as these false ceilings. They are usually drop ceilings where the original ceiling is at a height and there is an extra unit added at a lower level to highlight the second ceiling. Taking advantage of the support provided by the main ceiling, these false ceilings are made into various designs. False ceilings are considered to be a part of the modern kitchen designs, because of the built in secondary structure. When ceiling lights and chandeliers are installed in these, the kitchen looks brighter and extremely attractive.

Wooden Ceiling
Another great alternative to an ordinary, boring and plain kitchen ceiling is a rich and classic wooden ceiling, patterned in various contemporary styles. Wooden ceilings are gaining popularity because of their neutral look, durability and of course timeless ambiance, which cannot be matched by any other ceiling material. There are many types of wood ceilings which could be installed in kitchens as well to give a light and informal look to it. Linear designs, which is the most common among wood ceilings could be used in case you don't want to overdo your kitchen. Other ceiling designs for kitchens using wood are installing, grille, cubed and coffered ceilings which are very elegant and attractive ceilings.

Glass Ceiling
These are known to be true designer kitchen ceilings, as they have an exotic touch to them and there are innumerable designs you can choose from, to make your kitchen look unique. Glass ceiling design ideas are the latest trends in kitchen ceilings. The ceiling includes a block, frosted, plain or stained glass unit which is installed below the main ceiling with lights. The lights reflect on the glass and provide a wonderful look to the kitchen. These units could be installed directly above the kitchen table or over an island or could cover the entire kitchen ceiling. So, if you want to add color, elegance and beauty to your kitchen, go for the glass ceilings.

With these great choices on kitchen ceiling designs, you must have made up your mind! Well, kitchens are also a work of art and making them look presentable could make working there more interesting and fun.

Adding a Second Story to a House

With a growing family, you start feeling the want of more space in your house. Adding a second story to your house is a prudent and economical way of adding more space. Such additions are major house remodeling jobs, which require one to take a lot of issues into consideration, before going ahead.

There are two ways in which you can make the space in your house grow. One is horizontal growth through building up of more space around by buying land around the building. The second, more economical option is to grow vertically upwards by adding another story to your house. Building a second story is increasingly preferred by majority of people, who need to have more space. Some people even add a story to a garage to create small living quarters or study rooms.

This kind of a project gives you an opportunity to rectify your mistakes and create additional amenities that you couldn't add before. Buying new land and building over, generally costs more than adding another story to an existing property. Let us see what is the recommended procedure to go about in case of second story additions and what are the conditions which make this a feasible move.

Things to Consider
A major home construction operation like adding a second floor to your home will be a major project which will require cost analysis and meticulous planning before you can go ahead.

Get a Permit From Zonal Local Authorities
To build another story, a permit from a local or zonal authority is generally needed. There are certain norms about how high a structure can be built in certain areas. That is why you need to get a clearance from the local authorities. You will have a permit, once you submit a design plan for second story home addition that you are planning to make.

Contact Local Architect & Contractor
Next thing to do is contact your architect and get his advice on the feasibility of the project. You may want to tell him about what your expectations are, about the number of built rooms on the second floor and the extra amenities. This will help your architect to come up with a design for a story addition, which is consistent with your existing house plan and does full justice to your expectations. You need to contact local contractors to get an idea about the cost per square foot to build a new floor.

Structural Considerations
One important thing that will be checked by your architect or structural engineer is whether your existing house foundation and wall structure can withstand the additional weight of a another story. He will calculate the amount of reinforcement that will be needed.

Creating a Design
After structural solidity is taken into consideration, you can get an architectural plan created. This will involve a lot of issues like the way in which the plumbing system for the new floor will be added, the construction of stairways, electrical wiring plan and other such considerations. Adding an entire story is largely influenced by your original floor design and foundation of the house.

Calculating the Cost Per Square Foot
After you have a plan ready in your hand, you can make an estimate of the total cost involved in constructing a second floor to your house. This will include the cost of remodeling the roof and putting in a new slab, flooring, roofing, plumbing and adding all the other necessary amenities. A major deciding factor will be cost of building materials and of course labor costs.Consulting a local contractor will give you a total estimate about the cost of building. Make sure that you keep room for an additional 15% to 20% increase in costs, which may arise due to contingencies.

Going for the Construction
With the plan in hand, permits from local authorities, availability of funds and hiring of contractors, you are ready to begin construction. You may have to relocate your family to some place till the construction job finishes. Make a planned building schedule and see to it that things go according to the plan.

So, these were the most important factors that need to be taken into consideration while adding a second story to your existing house. Take advantage of this opportunity to completely remodel your house and make it a more spacious and comfortable dwelling, for days to come!

Home Improvement Ideas

Mostly people undertake the project of home improvement for increasing the value of their home. By incorporating additional features to your home, beautifying your landscape or patio, or repainting the house can greatly increase its value greatly. However, many people also consider ideas related to repairs or remodeling if their home hasn't gone through renovations for years, or if people have moved into an old house. Given below, are the various tips for redecorating your home right from decorating the bathroom to the living rooms, and other important repair and remodeling tips.

Ideas for Home Improvement

Remodeling Ideas
If you wish to remodel certain things like plumbing or lighting in a room, but have no experience of doing these things, then it is better that you let a professional do these changes. However, if you are DIY enthusiast and have skill and experience of such repairs, then you can follow a tutorial to do these things yourself. So, plan properly before you start remodeling and get an estimate of the remodeling cost of the particular room you wish to remodel.

Decorating Tips & Ideas
If you are bored of the old interior then consider revamping your old place into something that looks new and fresh looking. For this you can consider buying some new accents for the room, change the furniture placement, paint the walls with fresh colors, add some wall art, change curtains, etc.

Adding Useful Appliances in Kitchen
There are many brands of kitchen appliances which have great innovative designs, and many features that make many cooking and cleaning chores easy. Consider investing in such electric appliances. These appliances will make the chores easier and faster.

Decorating Your Outdoors
Decorating your front yard or patio region in your backyard will not only create a beautiful outdoors for you to relax on weekend, but also make your house look more inviting, thus increase the value of your property. You can use these ideas to decorate your patio and landscape:

• Small Backyard Landscaping Ideas
• Front Yard Landscaping Plans

Inexpensive Ideas
So, you wish to decorate your place, but can't afford to spend too much? Then use these ideas of decorating interiors on a limited budget.

• Decorate a Living Room on a Budget
• Decorating Bedrooms on a Budget
• Patio Ideas on a Budget
• Small Bathroom Ideas on a Budget

Gardening Ideas
A small or large garden is always a value added to property. Also, having greenery around your house will make your place more natural and beautiful. Use these tips and ideas to start a garden and decorate it.

• Gardening Tips for Beginners

Tips to Open Up Small Spaces
If you don't have a large house or you have small rooms in your house, then using some design ideas and principles and few tricks, you can create stunning looking small places which look big. Here are various tips and tricks.

• Bathroom Design Ideas For Small Spaces
• Kitchen Ideas for Small Kitchens

Tips on Repairs
Listed below are various repair instructions on repairing your appliances, fixing cracks in floors, pool repair, etc. And some home improvement tools that can come in handy while performing repairs.

• Wood Furniture Repair
• Pool Leak Repair

Tips on De-Cluttering Your Space
Clutter is something inevitable in every house. However, with some smart ideas you can manage all the stuff in your house better and make the space look neat and clean. Here are various ideas that will help you make the home space look uncluttered.

• Toy Clutter - How to Get Rid of Toy Clutter
• How to Organize Clutter

Tips on Removing Mold and Mildew
Certain moist and dark conditions form a favorable environment for mold, mildew and other fungal growth. Here are tips on removing mold from your basements, and tips to keep the home space free of any mold or mildew growth.

• How to Remove Mildew

Using Basement Space Smartly
Many people use basement space as a storage room. However, if you make the basement waterproof and repaint it, then with some appliances and indoor sports games you can make the basement a recreational room.

• Basement Remodeling Plans

These were the various ideas on decorating your home and home improvement tips on repairs and mold removal, and decluttering the space. So, use the above ideas to transform your home into a beautiful one.

Mobile Home Remodeling Ideas

If you are staying in a mobile home then procedure of remodeling the same can be a bit different from that in case of regular homes. If you are planning to start off a remodeling project, then planning it well is quite essential. While updating these homes you must not just consider working on its aesthetic appeal, but much more than that. There are various ways in which you can give a fresh look to your dull, old mobile home. While renovating these homes you must work on the 'missing' basic requirements and then further add accents to beautify the space. Get a few mobile home remodeling ideas in the following sections and move on to beautify your mobile living space.

Remodeling Tips

Plan the Things To Be Remodeled
As mentioned earlier, before you start off the project it is essential to make a list of things to be remodeled in you mobile home. Once you have finalized on the plans, working on the same will be easier, and it will also ensure that the expenses do not exceed your budget. Make sure you take an estimate of the entire project and then start it off. In case the expenses do not fit in your tight budget, you can simply cut off a few unnecessary things from the 'to-do' list. Let's move on to see what are the basic things to be worked upon.

Work on the Basic Renovation
Now, basic renovation starts from repairs and those 'long due' maintenance projects. There might be plumbings, flooring, ceiling, furniture, walls and window which need to be repaired since a long time. These repairs must be the first priority in remodeling project. You might need to replace windows or flooring if they are badly damaged. Adding sliding windows or latest designs in replacement windows is a great idea. For flooring, consider carpeting which is a cheaper alternative.

Next, consider remodeling the bathing space. You can consider adding latest shower stalls which are specially designed. With decorative shower curtains beautifying the bath area is much easier. Next clean your furniture items and work on the repairs (if any). You can give the tables, chairs, beds frame and cabinets, a fresh look by polishing them. Painting furniture is also a perfect idea to refurbish the old pieces and give them a lovely finish. Ceiling and wall cracks, or any other problems, must be fixed up first to avoid water leakage and maintain the interiors in good condition.

Jazzing Up the Interiors and Exteriors
Once the basic refurbishing is done, you can opt for some luxurious ideas. These will help add a style element to your home. Consider coloring the interiors and exteriors in fresh and bright shades to give it a new look. Use the latest options in paints and enamels for coloring doors, windows and trims. Replace or polish door knobs and handles if any of them are damaged.

One of the best ideas is to add new door and window curtains. Make sure you have tie-back ropes for door curtains. Wide vertical blinds can be a good option to give a contemporary touch. Next, you can have new furnishings for sofa-cum beds or other seating furniture, and new bedding for bed in your home.

Floor rugs, area rugs and carpet runners are best room additions for mobile homes which can give a grand touch. You can add some decor pieces like flower pots, large artificial flowers, fix up frames on walls and also add some nice light fixtures to heighten the overall beauty of your home. All the best!!

Remodeling Mobile Homes

Living in mobile homes gives you the ability to create a completely unique and personal space as opposed to larger homes divided by walls and into rooms. A mobile home is a great option for those who find it convenient to live in smaller spaces. However, living in mobile homes for long periods calls for a regular process of remodeling, just like a regular household.

While remodeling, you must have an idea about what you wish your mobile home to look like. If you are unsure about it you can take a look around, in magazines and on the Internet, to find something you like, and that suits your style. Take a look around the mobile home, and first check what actually requires repair and remodeling. Make an extensive list so you can have an organized remodeling plan at hand. For instance, the floors may require repair and replacement, while the walls may need to be remodeled. Even windows may require remodeling. Then follow these simple tips go about remodeling your mobile home.

Walls

1. In the process of remodeling mobile home walls, consider drywall as an option in order to maintain it easily. It can also be easily painted over.
2. Mobile home repair material may be available at a regular hardware store, while for some particular material you may have to visit a hardware store specifically for mobile homes.
3. Remove the previous drywall paneling, to replace it with new drywall. Attach each piece of drywall with nails that are placed 24 inches apart for sturdiness. You may use trim to hide the intersections of the drywall.
4. The walls can now either be painted over, or covered with wallpaper. The variety of available wallpapers is now making waves in the world of interior design. Why not use them to jazz up your mobile home too?
5. A tip for choosing the right color for your mobile home is that it should make the space look bright, and spacious. As such, choosing a light color, particularly for the walls is advisable. If you opt for a wallpaper, choose one with smaller prints rather than large prints to achieve the effect of spaciousness.
6. One last tip on mobile home walls. Get rid of internal walls to allow free movement and increased space around. If you are comfortable with combined spaces, this is a wonderful way to create a roomy ambiance in your mobile home.

Ceilings
Mobile home ceilings are usually flat, and tend to start rotting over time due to water collection. Repairing and remodeling the ceiling, then becomes a priority. However, this is something that should be done by a professional, rather than oneself, if there is growth of mold and other formations on the roof. Again, applying a fresh coat of paint on the ceiling can do wonders for a mobile home, as is the case with the walls.

Flooring
Flooring is another important element that contributes to the overall appearance of your mobile home. It, therefore, should not be ignored. While mobile home floor repair and maintenance is essential, aesthetics in this area matter too. You may choose a carpet as a floor covering. However, do remember that carpet requires more maintenance than other types of flooring such as wooden flooring. Install flooring that is easy to maintain, clean and also one that enhances the appearance of the mobile home. Tile flooring should be avoided as an option as while relocating, a tile floor may crack and require replacement yet again.

Finishing Touches
The final touches include replacing the blinds, fixtures, faucets and hinges, as per the current trends, and all such small things that come together as the finishing touch. These are available in a variety of finishes and designs, and you can choose those that complement the style you have chosen to remodel your mobile home. Replace blinds with curtains, that are available in several colors and patterns that suit your style. The cherry on the icing would be to add small knick-knacks around the house, as you would do while remodeling a regular house to give it a personal touch. You now have a new, improved and completely personalized mobile home.

With these tips and tricks on remodeling mobile homes, you can give yourself a new, improved, unique and completely personalized home. It is not as difficult as it may seem, and in fact will give you a sense of satisfaction that you may seldom have sensed before.