Need a House Plan Source

11 years ago

We are looking for a green house plan that has an open floor plan on the inside and has an exterior that will fit in colonial, historic 1700's New England farm town. We are struggling to find anything that will fit. Does anyone have suggestions?

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Comments (5)

alwaysdesigning
11 years ago
check out Donald Gardner house plans. They can even alter a plan to fit your needs. Good luck
You can search and sort any way to find what you want. Country, farmhouse, cape, colonial, historic, could all be search words to try.
http://www.dongardner.com/colonial_house_plans.aspx?pr=6fa257b8-19b8-462c-a07c-1e7bc33d4fed&ob=TotalSqFt+ASC&ps=8&pn=1
alisonandjon
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks, Alwaysdesigning. Has anyone had a POSITIVE experience with green focused architect for a reasonable price (
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Hi yoyo188, that's a very detailed plan! Looks fine with me, except I have a concern regarding the dining area. (The following done with Houzz Sketch function!) Just wondering if some of the guests at the dining table might potentially be facing the shoe rack? Not sure which you prefer, but I'd either reposition the shoe rack or the dining table: Regarding the proximity of the dining table to the kitchen, I like referencing the following Houzz Tours: [https://www.houzz.com.sg/magazine/houzz-tour-infusing-the-popular-scandi-theme-with-local-flavour-stsetivw-vs~84802854[(https://www.houzz.com.sg/magazine/houzz-tour-infusing-the-popular-scandi-theme-with-local-flavour-stsetivw-vs~84802854) [https://www.houzz.com.sg/magazine/houzz-tour-this-flats-defining-style-is-streamlined-and-cosy-stsetivw-vs~86080574[(https://www.houzz.com.sg/magazine/houzz-tour-this-flats-defining-style-is-streamlined-and-cosy-stsetivw-vs~86080574) [https://www.houzz.com.sg/magazine/houzz-tour-finally-a-scan-dustrial-home-that-is-different-stsetivw-vs~85725844[(https://www.houzz.com.sg/magazine/houzz-tour-finally-a-scan-dustrial-home-that-is-different-stsetivw-vs~85725844) But that's just my opinion, let me know what you think?
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PRO
Laurie E. Friedman, AIA Architect, LEED AP
11 years ago
Alison and Jon - I take it you have a lot already? If so, is it flat? If it's flat, a pre-made "catalog" house plan could work well, provided you find one that meets your functional and aesthetic requirements. Like alwaysdesigning suggested, a company that has catalog designs may be able to adjust the plans as you like. If it can't, you may need to enlist an structural engineer (which you will need anyway to design the footing and foundation) to ensure that the elimination of walls to create an open plan does not compromise the structural integrity.

When you say "green," do you mean sustainable? If that's the case, I highly recommend that you hire a trained design professional (LEED AP) who can guide you through the process because there are always trade-offs when trying to achieve optimum sustainability.

FYI - I designed a house on Martha's Vineyard that took into consideration the traditional, historic context of the existing architecture, but had an open, contemporary floor plan. I have attached some images. Best of luck to you...
alwaysdesigning
11 years ago
My husband is an architect here in Dallas. They always work their client's plans as green and sustainable. A reasonable price is determined by the size of the project and how extensively detailed it gets for the green and sustainable materials, but they are typically doing homes for several millions. To be green and sustainable is not cheap. Good luck
PRO
Studio S Squared Architecture, Inc.
11 years ago
I think you will have difficulty finding a stock floor plan that suits your needs. Your design goals sound challenging enough that I feel hiring a reputable local architect would pay huge dividends for you. I would recommend starting your search on Houzz's "Professionals" page for your metro area, and use search terms like "green", "sustainable", etc. I would venture that most of the projects that come up will be by their nature open and light-filled. Take the time to meet with a few of these architects and get an understanding of how they work.

The AIA has a good list of questions to organize your thoughts, but there are others as well:

http://www.aia.org/value/questions/AIAS076356

Good luck!

Need a House Plan Source

Comments (5)

alwaysdesigning

alisonandjon
Original Author

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Laurie E. Friedman, AIA Architect, LEED AP

alwaysdesigning

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Need a House Plan Source

Comments (5)

alwaysdesigning

alisonandjonOriginal Author

Related Discussions

Laurie E. Friedman, AIA Architect, LEED AP

alwaysdesigning

Studio S Squared Architecture, Inc.

COMPANY

EXPLORE HOUZZ

CONNECT WITH US

alisonandjon
Original Author