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Take another Look at Georgian Homes

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Georgian House Design Style

I know that Georgian style homes aren’t the most popular house plans right now.  Most people are looking for something that is a little more hip.  Truth be told, Georgian house plans can be turned into a great living space that will have you satisfied.  Georgian homes do have a little different exterior but the floor plan of a Georgian home is quite practical for a family.

First off, I would imagine that most people aren’t familiar with the typical characteristics of Georgian architecture.  Georgian architect gets its roots from 18th century Great Britain.  This style of architecture is very simplistic.  Almost every Georgian home design has a symmetrical front and a panel front door with a columned porch.  The windows on a Georgian house are almost always paned windows and there are general 5 windows per story on the front of the home.  To top off a Georgian design there is usually a shallow gable roof.  This is what we have come to know as typical Georgian exteriors.

A lot of times people stop there, at the exterior of the home, and never even look on the inside.  Georgian homes are very practical homes.  The Georgian styling was formed long before we had today’s current high tech decorating.  Everything about Georgian design is more about having elegant handmade ornamentation.

The floor plans are also designed with everyday trafficking in mind.  The house design below is a great example of what a Georgian floor plan looks like.  The layout of this plan is much like a home that I was in recently.  I liked the layout of the home because of its openness and the feeling of freedom that you had.  Many times I get claustrophobic when I am in a house that is crammed into a little space and doesn’t have any openings and low ceilings.  The floor plan has a long space between the kitchen and the family room and they have 9 foot ceilings throughout the whole house.  The family room has 4 big windows and the dinette area has a sliding door.  These features greatly enhance the flow of air and light into the home, getting rid of that stuffy feeling that happens in smaller homes.

Georgian Home: 146-1020 Floor Plan - First Level146-1020 Floor Plan - Second Level

 

This particular plan also does a great job of using all the upstairs space.  There are 4 decent sized bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.  A special feature of the plan is a balcony that extends from the master suite.  Georgian architecture is also known for having balconies over the front entry.  They add a little style without being too extravagant.  The architects that original started the Georgian style did a very good job of designing accent pieces that look nice but don’t require too much extra effort.  This mindset has continued throughout the years.

Georgian house plans are wisely designed and for some reason don’t receive as much recognition as they deserve.  You should take some time to take another look at Georgian homes.  You might be surprised at what you see.  It always helps to come into something with an open mind.  Georgian homes aren’t what you’re accustomed to seeing but they are nice looking designs.  They will serve your family well. You can search for more Georgian style house plans here.

Getting Ready for the Big Game

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ridebmx136
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Well, it looks like it’s going to be the Packers and Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.  Everyone is getting ready for a big game.  Both teams look healthy and ready to get on the gridiron.  I could spend all day trying to be an analyst of how the game will turn out but I’m writing this blog about houses.  More specific, I’m writing about houses that would be great to watch the Super Bowl in.

The house plan below (#115-1245) is the first floorplan that I would include on my Super Bowl party place list.  I like this plan because of the open spacing in the family room and kitchen area.  You could fit a big HD TV the fireplace and it would be seen from all angles.  The deck outside the nook is perfect for halftime.  You could head out there and catch some fresh air, that is if it is warm enough to be outside.  If you wanted to get extra stylish you could set up a TV in the upstairs bonus room and then you could have the game going on one side of the room and a nice view from the balcony on the other.  This home actually has two party locations.

115-1245 Floor Plan - First Floor
115-1245 Floor Plan – First Floor

115-1245 Floor Plan - Second

115-1245 Floor Plan – Second

 

I know you wouldn’t build a house just so you could have a Super Bowl party once a year so I was looking for a home that could be of use the other 364 days of the year.  The house design below (#153-1210) may just be your answer.  This plan has an open area much like the CD 2805 plan but it also has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.  It is a home that could suit almost any family.

The main party features of this home are another big great room and a kitchen that is mostly exposed to the TV viewing area.  The exterior of this plan is perfect for a Super Bowl barbecue.  The big grilling porch is a place to converse and cook during any downtime.  There is lots of space around the house that could be occupied by people that want to get together but could care less about football.  You know there is always at least one person that complains the whole time during the game.  This home has a secluded living room on the front that divides them from the rest of the group so everyone can stay happy.

153-1210 Grilling Porch
The grilling porch is right next to the action

There are probably lots more plans that would make for great Super Bowl party homes.  If you take some time right now you could have the perfect home for next year’s game.  A good choice now could have you being the annual Super Bowl party host and then you don’t have to go to the hassle of heading over to another house every year.

Muscle Wall

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ridebmx136
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Today I found a really cool retaining barrier that is made in Utah.  Muscle Wall is a retaining wall that is made up of 6 ft x 4 ft barriers that can do just about anything when it comes to containing large quantities of water, gas, oil or other substances.  I was amazed at how well the Muscle Wall does it job.  Musclewall.com website had a lot of written information and a few videos about the basic functions and effectiveness of the barricades.  When set up properly, this thing can handle everything you can throw at it.

Muscle Wall is made of low-density polyethylene.  This is an extremely durable material.  The website has one video where water is frozen inside of a barrier and then a guy beats the barrier with a sledge hammer and there is absolutely no shattering or even cracking of the barrier.  Many experiments were carried out by the Utah Water Research Laboratory to test the seepage rate, overflow performance, wave performance, impact performance, and sliding performance of the Muscle Wall.  All tests confirmed the strong construction of the wall.  It had a seepage rate of 0.0013 inches/feet/minute.  There were no seen effects from the overturn performance, wave performance and impact performance tests.  Those tests proved that the barricade will not be affected if it is to hold water to the top and waves and impacts will not cause separation of the pieces.

The barricades come completely equipped on their own special trailer.  The trailer can hold up to 72 barricade sections and has its own hose and pump.  This would be work for so many purposes.  You could use it in construction, farm work, flood prevention, pretty much you name it the Muscle Wall can do it.

Adobe Construction Overview

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ridebmx136
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We have dedicated many articles to green building methods.  A construction method that falls under green building is adobe construction.  This is actually a quite interesting method.  People have been using it for ages and many of the original structures are still standing.  I found information about whole cities being built over 2500 years ago that are still seen in almost complete entirety.  I was amazed at how well these buildings were designed even before today’s technology was in play.

Iranian city built of adobe over 2500 years ago

Adobe construction is really quite ingenious.  The early builders mixed the elements they had available to make a house.  Little did they know how effective their construction would be.  Now, we have to remember adobe construction is mostly done in dry and arid areas where you don’t have to worry about substantial rainfall, earthquakes and other natural disasters.  Their constructions were made in the right place at the right time.

The benefits of adobe houses, even in today’s world, are quite impressive when you think about it.  Let’s just look at it from the perspective of someone living in the Southwestern United States.  You live in a desert where the temperature can range up to 30 degrees between the day and the night.  You experience hot days and cold nights.  Living costs have risen quite considerably and it isn’t cheap to build a home anymore.  There is a long list of problems that we can come up with.  My point being, adobe construction can help you out in a lot of ways.

If we look at the way adobe bricks are constructed we see the first benefits that you’ll get.  Bricks are custom made and can have any material that you would like.  They usually have organic materials and some sort of mud on the outside.  These bricks are cheap to make and if you find a skilled brick maker they can be strong construction material.  These bricks also have special thermal properties.  Adobe can keep your home cool during the day and warm at night.  The heat from the sun takes several hours to soak through the wall and into the living space.  Heat is trapped once it enters the wall throughout the day and is slowly dispersed through the air  during the night.  You have an instant heat control in your home.

Adobe bricks are made of materials that do not easily decompose, if at all.  If you build an adobe home in an area that doesn’t have rain or natural disasters you are almost guaranteed a home that will last forever.  Adobe structures have been proven to last up against the harsh environment of desert regions.  It will hold up to normal wear and tear.

Another feature of adobe constructed houses is the flexible look you can have.  An adobe home can come in almost any color you can think of.  You don’t have to stick to the customary brick or siding look.  You can have a picturesque natural tone or do an extravagant blue or purple.  You can paint adobe any way you want it.

Adobe certainly isn’t indestructible but it can hold its own when it’s in the desert or a dry area.  You should check it out if you’re thinking about constructing a home in the desert.

Modern Hardware Can Update your Current House

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ridebmx136
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You know by now that when I start investigating a subject I don’t stop until I know everything about it.  Yesterday I kept reading about modern house plans and all the modern stuff you can put in your home.  What caught my attention this time didn’t have anything to do with house plans or construction.  I was searching around the web when I found a door hardware website.  The website, directdoorhardware.com, caught my eye because they had a whole section about modern door hardware.  The site had everything you need to make your current house a little more modern.  If you aren’t quite down for throwing away everything and starting over just to have a modern house you can make subtle changes to your home.

The modern section on Direct Door Hardware had every kind of door hardware you can think of.  They have dozens of modern door knobs and door levers.  They had hundreds of modern cabinet hardware options.  They even had modern bathroom accessories.  This site could set you up with all the hardware you need to go along with your geometric furniture and stainless steel kitchen appliances.  Like I said before, most people aren’t willing to sell their home and go through the hassle of building a new home.  Sometimes you just want to bring a little modernization into your home.  You want some change but not a complete makeover.  I think Direct Door Hardware can help you out with that.

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