If you are planning to build a beach house then you should know that planning is crucial to such construction. Beach house plans are essential because of the fact that there are a lot of considerations involving construction on the shore. Here are but a few of them:1. FoundationEven the Christian Bible will tell you that the beach is not a great place to build strong houses on. This is because the sand can serve as a pretty weak foundation.The action of the water and other elements can pretty much make your house collapse into nothing if you are not careful. Because of this, you need to have a beach house plan which takes this problem into careful consideration.The beach house plan you get has to have a plan regarding what to do in order to strengthen the building’s foundation. Thankfully enough, technology today enables people to do this at a price that’s not so steep.2. Wind actionMost people find that the biggest irritation with beach houses is the wind. Sure, a cool breeze is probably the best thing you can have when you are under the sun. However, cool breezes are not the winds that the sea produces.Combine strong winds with the beach, and you’ll end up with something akin to a sandstorm. You need beach house plans which take advantage of this and which actually help you make sure that the wind does very little to damage your home.Some beach house plans accomplish this through materials. Certain materials are strong enough to withstand the onslaught of even a hurricane and these are used according to beach house plans.Other beach house plans do this through design. Basically, these beach house plans design the building so that it is aerodynamic. This makes the wind pass by it with very little resistance and thus, practically no damage.3. Overall structural integrityAs said before, beach houses are constantly exposed to the elements. Be it wind, heat, moisture, etc.Because of this, it is always important to see if the beach house plans that you are getting take every little factor into account and design the house to be able to withstand the onslaught of nature. This is just a small price to pay for the beauty and luxury of living on the beach.As you can see, there are a lot of reasons for getting dependable beach house plans. It is not really all about the looks. Getting beach house plans is just like making sure that you will be able to truly live someplace nice and which will keep being nice as time goes on.

Seeing that I have recently finished building our new home I thought I’d share some insights into the design of a new home. There are many new house plans available today and the sky’s the limit on features and styles. The biggest problem with the design process is once we’ve decided that we’d like to build a new home human nature kicks in and we want it to happen over night. The problem with that is we typically don’t spend enough time evaluating and considering the design aspects of the new house. The most important thing to remember is spending extra time in the beginning will prevent you from having second thoughts once the house is done. The following list are ten important things to consider when choosing a new house plan.1. Style – I think the style of the home is the best place to start. The style of the home will connect with so many of the choices you make so its important to spend some quality time thinking about the style you’d like to live in. Are your preferences more modern or traditional? Do you want a house that is similar to your neighbors? What house style will hold the best value in your neighborhood? What style house will closely match your interior style and existing furnishings? These are all questions that you need to ask yourself and your family. This was a tough question for my wife and I as we grew up on two sides of the country and our styles are very different.2. Number of Bedrooms – This question may seem simple and easy to answer but it is worth thinking about and discussing. The easiest answer to this question would be based on your current family size and needs. You may need a two bedroom today and need a four bedroom down the road when your family grows. Or maybe you need four bedrooms today yet your kids will be off to college in a few years.3. Single Level Vs. Multiple Levels – Whether or not your new house has only one level or more is really a personal decision. Some people really enjoy having single level living with no stairs to climb up and down. Some people prefer the more traditional cape and colonial home styles with bedrooms on the second floor. Some land sites are quite small and someone looking for decent square footage may only be able to build a multi-level house. If you think you may retire and live in your house as you get older the single level house may appeal to you.4. Master Bedroom Suite – Today’s new house plans typically offer a master bedroom suite. These suites often have generous closet space, large private bathrooms with soaker tubs, jetted tubs, large walk-in showers and even walk-in closets. These suites generally increase the value of the home and make the house more marketable if you sell in the future.5. Bonus Rooms (Laundry, Play) – One of the most popular trends in today’s house plans are dedicated laundry rooms and the renewed popularity of pantries. In fact, in my new house we made the mudroom a combination laundry and pantry. Some house plans offer laundry on the second floor of multi-leveal houses. A word of caution if you choose a second floor laundry. Make sure you insist that some type of extensive drain system be installed in the unfortunate case there is a broken washing machine hose.6. Number of Bathrooms – The average number bathrooms in new houses has steadily increased over the years. The average home in the US has 2 1/2 baths and the average appears to be heading towards 3.7. Kitchen Style – I could write an entire article on this topic, however, the main point here is that many house plans have just a basic kitchen layout. My suggestion is find a house you like and then modify the kitchen to your liking. Plenty of home supply stores will design you a new kitchen free of charge based on the floor plan so don’t let a simple kitchen layout deter you from a house plan you really like.8. Floor Plans – When evaluating floor plans try to visualize how you will furnish the house and how you plan on using different rooms in your daily life. Get a tape measure and measure rooms in your current house to get an idea of how big a 12’x15′ room really is. Often people have a hard time visualizing the size of a room and later when the house is done they are not happy with the size. I really suggest spending time on the evaluation.9. Functionality – The functionality of the new house plan is really one of the most important aspects for your long term comfort and use of the house. If you put the dining room on the other side of the living room so that you have to carry meals through the living room you will soon realize that’s not very functional. The same is true about the proximity of bathrooms to bedrooms. Again, I think its important to compare where you currently live to the house plan and think about your likes and dislikes.10. House Site – The house site can sometimes play a big part in the style, floor plan and functionality. For instance, if you have a very small site you may need two floors. Or maybe your lot is really hilly and needs a drive under garage. Just make sure that when you pick a couple of plans you evaluate them based on the lot as well.If you get one thing out of this article remember this, plan, plan, plan and plan some more. The more you plan and evalulate your new house plans the happier you will be when you’re finally living in your new house.