Design Basics
Contact Us 0
Think Storage

Think Storage

by | Dec 26, 2019 | HER Home

Storage. It’s a much-needed element in any home. And, we rarely hear homeowners say they have too much storage. But, that square footage costs money, and now averages upwards of $150 per square foot. Let’s say you have a 6’ x 10’ closet space; that’s 60 square feet, or approximately $9,000. That means storage space is expensive. One way to mitigate the expense is to include a well-designed storage system. They not only maximize space; they help you organize your stuff—and your life!

Areas where you can maximize storage space without adding square footage include extra shelving over your washer and dryer, under the stairs, or in the garage – again, storage systems are an excellent way to organize and contain items; also, think suspended shelves or shelves above your garage door tracks.

Specialized Storage. Do you dream of a huge kitchen pantry? How about a cedar closet for your households’ off-season clothes? Where will you stash the 36-roll package of toilet paper? Do you have room for the grand-kids’ toys and games? Is a wine room in your future? Wouldn’t it be great to have a handy place for your Christmas tree?

Over the years we’ve often heard homeowners requesting specialized spaces to accommodate their own unique needs. Gathering up all the ideas, we created what we call a Signature Space® – a small flex space/room measuring 6’ x 8’ that can be used however the homeowner wishes. The Serena (#42282) plan’s Signature Space could be used as a craft room, toys/games room, or customized storage.

Our Livability at a Glance™ color-coded floor plans help home buyers focus in on the elements they desire most in a home: Storing, Flexible Living, De-Stressing, and Entertaining. As in the Tillamook (#43038) plan, the different areas of the home are identified by color (Storing is orange) so you can visualize where storage is located/could be located. Using our Livability Search Tool, you choose which area(s) of the home are most important to you and those plans identified as being strong in this area(s) will filter into your plan search. Which of these four areas are most important to you? Take our Livability at a Glance Quiz to find out!

 

For more resources on thoughtful design:

Cover photo: Note the electrical outlet in the pantry; handy for charging small appliances. Photo by Renee D. Calvin Photography.

Entertaining Spaces

Entertaining Spaces

by | Dec 20, 2019 | HER Home

Open floor plans are favored by buyers who enjoy entertaining. This is most noticeable when it’s time to eat. Enjoy having friends and relatives over for holiday meals and there’s 14 of you together? That’s when you’ll appreciate selecting a home design where the dining area flows freely into an adjoining space. Add leaves to your dining table or simply add another table, temporarily borrowing space from that adjoining room. That makes for memorable entertaining, with friends and family as everyone’s together.

The Waterside (#7408) plan offers multiple spaces for entertaining: great room, hearth room, eating area off the kitchen, and a formal dining room/flex space as well as a rear covered patio. The dual-sided fireplace between the hearth room and the great room conveys a unique ambiance that connects the spaces. In addition, the raised eating bar in the kitchen is a wonderful spot for additional seating or a convenient spot to set up the buffet!

Our Livability at a Glance™ color-coded floor plans help home buyers focus in on the elements they desire most in a home: Entertaining, De-stressing, Storing, and Flexible Living. As in the Waterside plan shown, the different areas of the home are identified by color (Entertaining is yellow and Flexible Living is green) so you can visualize where the entertaining can take place. Using our Livability Search Tool, you choose which area(s) of the home are most important to you and those plans identified as being strong in this area(s) will filter into your plan search. Further, if you would like to see what areas are most important to you for your home’s design, take our Livability at a Glance Quiz!

For more resources on thoughtful design:

Cover photo: <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/christmas”>Christmas photo created by rawpixel.com – www.freepik.com</a>

Homes Talk to Women through the Home’s Livability

Homes Talk to Women through the Home’s Livability

by | Nov 13, 2019 | HER Home

This installment of the ‘Homes Talk to Women’ series focuses on the home’s livability. Researching women’s preferences, we discovered there are four ways women typically look at a home’s livability – its suitability for her and her household. These four Livability ‘lenses’ are areas for: Entertaining, De-Stressing, Storage, and Flexible Living.

Each of us places a different importance on these areas of the home. These can be static or changing depending on your lifestage. Factors such as the home’s available space (flexible areas, storage space), the makeup of your household (children, empty nesters, multi-generational), and your personal preference (love to entertain, passion for scrap-booking, like keeping things organized and out of sight) can all play into which livability lenses are most significant to you.

It has been said that when men enter a home they focus on one or two areas that wow them, whereas women tend to recognize several areas of the home and how they can work together – where furniture will be placed, traffic flow, convenience of storage spaces, etc. We call this a “spotlight” vs. “floodlight” scenario; men typically focus on areas they are interested in, while women are taking it all in to determine the home’s livability for her and her household.

At Design Basics, our floor plans are color-coded so you can easily identify these areas of the home (we call this Livability at a Glance™), and our online Plan Search tool lets you search by areas of importance to you. We invite you to take our Livability at a Glance quiz to discover your lifestyle profile.

If you missed the other segments of this four-part series, click the links below:

For more resources on thoughtful design: 

Cover Image: <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/coffee”>Coffee photo created by freepik – www.freepik.com</a>

Homes Talk to Women

Homes Talk to Women

by | Nov 1, 2019 | HER Home

Couple with BlueprintSince the beginning of 2003, our ongoing mission has been to evolve our knowledge, understanding of, and appreciation for women’s preferences in the home. Recently we stumbled upon the realization that homes talk to women; specifically, homes talk to women more so than men – what they say differs, and the “lenses” women filter their thinking through is much more complex and detailed than their male counterpart. This four-part series highlights how ‘Homes Talk to Women’ and the different ways home buyers look at a home’s layout, design, and livability. We’ll explore this more with our hypothetical couple, Jacob and Aimee.

Research suggests men typically think about a new home in terms of financial aspects (cost, monthly expense, investment), facts and figures (square footage, number of bedrooms), and where they’ll live – right down to the address itself. 

Those same issues are on Aimee’s mind, too, but she’s seeing the home more in terms of where life will happen, where experiences become cherished memories, or where the kids will grow up. She’s also looking at the home in terms of her household’s needs, wants, and desires, and importantly, dreams about what else needs to or can be done to make the home perfect. 

Jacob listens to Aimee’s dreams, but what he hears is ‘expense’ and ‘hassle’. What will it cost to finish off the basement? How much of the work am I going to have to do myself? This is one tremendous advantage for new homes as compared to resales – consider a $300,000 resale home with $50,000+ in updates and remodeling versus a new $400,000 home with everything already in place. What would you do?

Continue with the series by clicking the links below:

For more resources on thoughtful design: 

Photo Credit: <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/people”>People photo created by freepik – www.freepik.com</a>

No Regrets: Start with the Floor Plan

No Regrets: Start with the Floor Plan

by | Jun 14, 2019 | Great Design, HER Home

It’s not uncommon for people to fall in love with a certain exterior home design or the decor/colors/etc., but then ask for some pretty extensive changes to the floor plan. Or, they build/purchase the home only to find out the floor plan isn’t conducive to their household’s needs. You’ve made a pretty substantial purchase, don’t let buyer’s remorse put a damper on the excitement of your new home!

When we were looking for our first home, my cousin told me this exact same thing, as she and her husband made the mistake of looking at the exterior and interior decor rather than the actual layout of the home. Once they got settled in, they found the home’s “livability” wasn’t right for them. She told me, “You can change the decor, but it’s difficult to change the layout!” We appreciated this advice.

No Regrets: Home designers suggest home buyers get the floor plan design right, then address the elevation – because various elevation styles can be crafted once the home’s layout has been determined. Also, if you are building new, inquire about plan alterations as there may be a couple of areas that you’d like designed a little bit different. We can help you realize your dream home with a few changes.

While we know the home’s exterior appeal is the first impression and will either attract or disinterest home buyers, we encourage you to explore the floor plan/layout before making a decision. Your perfect home may be hiding behind the the next door you open!

Take for example the three Peony plans: 

  • Peony Grove (Tuscan) and Peony Place (Contemporary) have the same floor plan, but very different elevations
  • Peony has a different elevation (French Country) AND the floor plan has been tweaked a bit

Peony Grove – #42285

Peony Place – #42386

Search All Plans

Peony – #42038