Thinking of building your new home from scratch? Have you thought about its style or design. You often hear about Mediterranean styled home or Victorian styled. But what do they all mean and what are their unique features? The following are a few options to make your building decision more easier.

Multi-family house plans

Multi-family houses are designed to accommodate more than one family. These types of homes are also called duplex, multi-plex, condo and townhouse depending on their design style.

The typical multi-family home usually starts at 1,800 feet and upward to accommodate the number of people that would live there.

Multi-family homes are usually found in heavily populated areas and within close proximity to everything. Other multi-family homes are build near the ocean away from all the hustle and bustle.

No matter where a multi-family house is built, it is indeed in great demand and it also makes for a good business investment.

Although there is no preferred type of design style for these houses, architects would tell you that they more feature a Mediterranean and traditional style or one, which embraces the homeowner’s style and personal taste.

Narrow lot house plans

As its name suggests, narrow lot house plans are designed to fit narrow or small type lots of land. The style is long and it usually consists of no more than two stories.

The design for this house never goes upwards, rather more attention is spent making the space look larger by lengthening the floor space from front to back.

Designers use the trick of the eye by adding more open spaces on the inside to make the house look bigger than it really is.
Narrow lot homes does not usually surpass the 25’ across mark, but the designers can certainly make use of the space that runs along the length of the home.

So it isn’t unusual to see the generous use of long hallways, which leads into bedrooms and other living spaces.


Neotraditional House Plans

Neotraditional houses are elaborately designed and carry a historic theme. A typical neotraditional house plan puts a lot of emphasis on the outside of the home. This is achieved with the use of porches and decks. It is also known for facades as well. Other features of a neotraditional house plan include a side or rear garage and elevated foundations.
Since people are guaranteed to stop and stare at this majestically designed type of home, most of the public or entertaining rooms are placed upfront while the bedrooms are designed for the rear portion of the home.

New England House Plans

New England House plans were first introduced in the 1700s to the late 1800s. Back then they were one room-designed homes made to look like English cottages.
Today New England houses plans still carry a simplistic and well-proportioned style of design that gives it a cozy and livable feel.
The trademark of any New England house is that it is mostly one and a half story homes. Another is the fact that its high rooflines are designed to meet that of the roof of the first floor giving it a sense of uniformity.
Windows are also used in a lot in New England house plans. Dormer and gable windows are usually the preferred choice especially when designing the upper area of the home.

Cabin House Plans

Cabin House plans is very versatile by design. They can be used in any type of setting and location. Whether it is in the mountains, close to a lake or even in the woods, they always seem to match with whatever surroundings they are in.
A cabin house plan is not always the preferred choice of living permanently for families. Rather these types of homes usually draw an outdoorsman kind of clientele whether he is a hunter, fisher or hiker. It is also the perfect set up to be used as a vacation home.
The design style with cabin house plans copies a log home. It is always kept simple but big on relaxation. Cabin houses usually have gable roof, a wooden type exterior and porches.

Southwestern House Plans

Southwestern house plans are extremely popular in the south of California, Nevada and Arizona.
Since these cities are known for its warm climate the low stucco or tiled roofs are widely used in order to keep the heat out of the home.
The use of stucco roof usually gives one the impression that southwestern house plans are Spanish influenced. This is not necessarily always the case. The styles for southwestern homes are similar to Prairie houses. Brick is the material that is often used when designing a home such as this as well as casement windows. Terracotta designs also help to enhance the areas around the door and window areas.

Northwest House Plans

If one is looking for a simple house with not too much design going on at the exterior portion of the house, then they will more than likely select a Northwest house plan.
The conservative northwest house plan is mostly constructed with wood and is great for permanent living or as a vacation home.
Large windows play a very big part in the design of a Northwest house plan as it welcomes a generous amount of light into the house. The roofing of a northwest house is also very subtle, as they are usually medium or low.

Octagon House Plans

Octagon house plans are as its name suggests created in an octagon style. This original design is fascinating to look at from all angles and even more spectacular to live in. Imagine an eight-sided structure that is usually built high so onlookers could enjoy the view even at a 360-degree. Octagon houses usually stand at one, two or three stories high with porches surrounding the building.