Architectural Styles

The Difference Between Craftsman and Country Home Floor Plans | Video

Choosing the right architectural home style when building your new dream home is an exciting task whether you’re a building your first or fifth new home. With over hundreds of different styles and features to choose from, the sky is the limit when it comes to choosing the right features and details that will help set your new home apart from the rest.

Two of the most popular styles are the Country and Craftsman home plans. To the untrained eye, these homes may seem very similar based on the exterior appearance. However, there are, in fact, a lot of distinct characteristics and features to both craftsman and country home plans that help those who live in them feel right at home. Let’s take a look at some of the elements that make country and craftsman home plans unique.

Craftsman Home Plans

The Craftsman Style Home rose to popularity during the American Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century. The movement began in Great Britain and Europe before making its way across the Atlantic. The American movement sought to reform the current design trends in favor of producing simple designs with handcrafted materials to meet the needs of an expanding middle class.

Today’s Craftsman house plans are a modern adaptation of the early 20th century Craftsman home plans. Craftsman style homes typically use stone, brick and wooden materials during construction, allowing contractors and designers to showcase their skill and expertise during the building process while providing an artisanal feel to the home.

Homeowners are greeted by wide front porches detailed with decorative columns and wooden trims. From there, large gables, shed dormers, decorative brackets and handcrafted stone or woodwork make up the exterior focus of any craftsman home plan.

The interior’s open floor plan helps to create a larger than life feel, with exposed columns, built-in wooden furniture and large fireplaces highlighting the finer, more decorative details of the home.

Craftsman home plans can be found all across the country, but are most commonly found in suburban neighborhoods in the United States.

Country Home Floor Plans

With a form and detailing that pays homage to the styles of classical Colonial and Victorian times, country home floor plans provide their homeowners with a more traditional American feel. Using large living spaces and an expansive front porch that stretches the length of the home, Country home plans help their residents feel at home in this larger than life layout.

One of the more defining characteristics of country home floor plans, their dormers, come from the popular residential styles of Colonial times. These vertical windows project out from a roof-line that is parallel to the street to create more usable space within the interior of the home.

Country style homes are most commonly found among the cottages and farmhouses of suburban and rural America. Country home floor plans are available in a variety of styles, and can even be adapted into a one-story home plan to meet the lifestyle needs of any homeowner.

No matter what size or variation of the Country style home you choose, you can be assured knowing that your home will help you feel welcome from the moment you step through the front door.

At Donald A. Gardner Architects, our team is focused to staying true to both the traditional Country and Craftsman style home plans while adding modern amenities and features to make living easy. With more than 1,000 customizable home designs in a variety of styles, you can be certain there is a home plan made to suit your specific needs.  Shop Donald A. Gardner Architects’ collection of timeless home designs today!

Choosing the Perfect Style for Your Dream Home

Choosing the Perfect Style for Your Dream Home

With hundreds of styles to choose from, finding the perfect solution for your dream home floor plans proves to be a daunting task for anyone. With each style designed to give off a different feel and atmosphere both inside and out, determining a specific style that meets all of your lifestyle needs may be a challenge. From classical country homes to small ranch house plans, understanding what each different style offers a homeowner can help one to better choose the home design that is perfect for their needs.

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Assessing Your Situation

Before you begin browsing the hundreds of different styles of home floor plans, it is important to first take the time to carefully plan out both your needs and limitations to make sure you choose the style that provides the best fit to your home needs. When looking at new home designs, think of the characteristics of homes you have lived in throughout your life. What features did you like? What did you dislike? How much living space do you need? Establishing a list of features to look for with your new home can help you to better select one that is suitable for you and your family.

Beyond the features, it is crucial that you take note of any restrictions of limitations you may have in place when choosing your home design. If there are any space limitations on the lot you plan to build on? What is your planned budget for your new home? Your answers to these questions can help you when it comes to selecting your home floor plans.

Choosing a Floor Plan Style that is Right for You

After you have carefully assessed your needs and restrictions, you can then begin to identify a specific style that is the best fit for your home. When looking into different styles, work to understand the pros and cons of each. Prioritize the features that you simply cannot live without and make certain that the final floor plan you choose either has these features in place or can be easily modified to include them.

When narrowing down your decision, look at the other home styles in the area of the lot you plan to build on. Consider if your dream home will be a welcome fit to the neighborhood. Most importantly, the floor plan you choose should feel like “home” to you. When looking at home floor plans online, focus on how you can make your home even more personalized. Think of your home floor plans as the blank canvas for which to paint your dream home and design style onto.

Choosing a home style suitable for your floor plan needs may be one of the biggest decisions you face, so do not hesitate to consult the professional advice of architects or designers. Not only can they help you determine the home floor plan that best fits your needs, but they may be able to modify an existing home floor plan to help turn your dream home into a reality.

No matter what design you make with your home floor plans, it is important that you purchase your plans from a professionally respected architect. Choosing from the hundreds of floor plans and home designs available through Donald A. Gardner Architects guarantees you just that. Since 1978, every home plan designed by Donald A. Gardner Architects is guaranteed to provide functional living and timeless design. Additionally, our home floor plans are easily modifiable to fit any lot limitations or your specific needs. Contact Donald A. Gardner Architects today, and let us help you move one step closer to making your dream home a reality.

Free Download: Choosing the Perfect Style for Your Dream Home by Donald Gardner