What started as a rest house in British India became the rage in the U.S. in the early 1900s. The bungalow style defined Americans’ desire for simple house plans that were affordable and cozy. At the bungalow’s height, when manufacturing was at a boom and cities were flourishing, young families wanted a permanent home, close to town yet away from the sights, sounds, and smells of the business districts. Today, as more young Americans are drawn to putting down roots near an urban environment, the bungalow style house has experienced a reawakening among Generation X and Y.
What’s so fascinating about a colonial style house? With its roots in the 1700s, the “Colonial” exudes the warmth, charm and tradition of early American life. Perhaps the most popular and timeless architectural style in the country, the “Colonial” is the result of the imagination and culture of various European settlers. So, symbolically, it is a depiction of the once-and-future-diversity of America.
With its turrets, gables and ornate trim, the “Victorian” house may be deemed as Bleak House or The House of the Seven Gables as depicted in classic literature. Quite the contrary. Perhaps the most colorful, romantic and vibrant architectural style, the “Victorian” took flight during the reign of Queen Victoria and continues to excite and delight homeowners and architecture fans today.
While the American Craftsman style home initially came out of the British Arts and Crafts movement, U.S. architects and designers quickly embraced it and added design elements and floor plan features desired by a growing middle class of American homeowners. A number of these innovative features – such as the breakfast nook – have been adopted in some fashion by many American architectural styles. The Plan Collection features craftsman homes.
If you have ever been to Palm Springs, California you will know that this resort town has always been known for its inspirational modern house plans. The town is located about a hundred miles southeast of Los Angeles.
No other house style can be more innately American than the farmhouse. If beauty in its simplicity defines the ranch house, then classic American ingenuity and creativity epitomize the farmhouse.
Today’s Cape Cod house plans are often much more than first meets the eye. Sure, the house designs are steeped in tradition and practicality – that’s what made them so popular for generations. But today’s Cape Cod home plans offer a certain elegance and even modernity in their floor plans design that has homeowners more excited than they have been in decades.
No, it’s not Elvis... but the triangular A-Frame house plan with its striking, dramatic and steep rooflines was taking the country by storm in the 1950s -- and it is finding plenty of fans today in it form as an affordable vacation home or mountain retreat.
So why a one-and-a-half story house? Well, in addition to being visually appealing, the 1 1/2 story house plan allows for a great deal of flexibility at a relatively lower cost if you want to expand your home in the future.
“Simplicity is beauty” truly captures the essence of the ranch house plan. The earth-hugging, one-story sensations of the 1950s-1960s are basking in a revival. It’s time to revisit these houses that feature open floor plans, large windows, sliding glass doors leading to a rear patio; and how their endless possibilities continue to intrigue 21st century architects.