Wednesday 26 September 2007

Know How to Understand House Plans

If any house plans were drawn to actual size, they would be virtually impossible to work with. Most architectural blueprints are drawn to one-quarter inch scale, meaning that every foot is drawn as one-quarter of an inch. When you are looking over house plans for your new home, keep that in mind, but also be conscious that some portions of construction may be in different scales.

Most contractors know to look for scale information on the drawings. Sections of house plans may be in a different scale, such as drawings for built-in cabinets or cupboards which may be in one-half inch or even three-quarter inch scale. This allows better detail to be viewed on certain parts of the construction.

Additionally, if changes are needed during construction, the builder knows in what scale they need to be made and can adjust accordingly. While blueprints are typically drawn today by computer on white paper, they are still called blueprints, mostly out of habit and tradition.

Elevation drawings give you an idea of how the house will look on the lot, with views typically showing four sides. Although, it is not unusual to see a top view, how the house would look to a bird, usually the house plans include elevations from the front, back, left and right. These drawings can also be helpful in planning landscaping and floral decoration.


Structural integrity is depicted in the basement plans, showing beam structure and construction as well as load-bearing walls. They will also indicate details about footers, concrete reinforcement methods and other structural details showing the strength of the house.

Plot plans, included in house plans, show the position of the house on the building lot. It will generally show the driveway and sidewalk locations and is a depiction of the overall view of the house and lot location once completed.

About the Author: Christine Sears writes articles about architectural home plans, new home construction, floor plans, house plans, new construction financing, and more for The House Designers.

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Building a House from Stock House Plans

As the owner of houseplancentral.com I thought it would be important to provide some information to people shopping for house plans about what it takes to build a house yourself. My parents are approaching retirement age and wanted to move into their dream house that they will grow old together in. Over the past two years they have gone through the process that many prospective house plan buyers will be going through soon. I want to share some experiences that they went through that may help you in your process.
1) The lot. Although I think it is better to purchase the plans before you buy the lot, I do recommend getting comfortable with the type of lot that you are going to want your house to be built on. This can make a big difference in the ideal plan. My parents bought several acres overlooking a lake (and there's room for my family to build on the property in the future). They knew exactly what kind of lot they needed for the plans that they had purchased. Make sure you do your homework also and know the answers to the following questions and more: Do you want a flat lot; a basement; will your house have a view and how can you maximize that with the plan selection; how wide does the lot need to be, etc. Buying the lot first can significantly hinder your creativity in selecting your ideal house plan if you aren't taking these items into consideration.

2) Buy your plans. Assuming you have settled on the ideal plan, the next step is to order the plans. Make sure you get all the information you need when you buy your plans. Houseplancentral.com helps to make sure that you get everything you need with your house plans. If a materials list is available for your plans, I would recommend purchasing it. Also, it will be difficult to build your house if you only purchase 5 sets of plans. Paying a few hundred extra dollars for reproducible plans is usually worth it and can avoid costly mistakes from trying to work with too few plans. My dad purchased 8 sets and still struggled to complete the house with those 8. There were just so many people working on the house that needed the plans and they were always getting damaged or misplaced.
3) Select a Builder/Contractor. Many cities have local handimen who will help you to be your own contractor if you want to be the primary contractor for the construction of your home. I would highly recommend using one of these individuals or companies. I would also recommend interviewing several builders or contractors to make sure that you get the best possible quote. While my parents were building their home, they received framing estimates from $20k to 90k. With such a wide spread in quotes, it is important to always get multiple quotes to make sure you are receiving a fair deal.
…See the rest of this article in part II coming shortly.

About the Author: Kevin Carden is a publisher of several stock house plan websites and informational resources, the most famous being www.houseplancentral.com. House Plan Central has a large collection of home plans and unique house plans in many different architectural styles, from the nation's top house designers and architects.

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Fighting Off The Thieves

Technorati Profile
Security is the state of being protected against danger or loss. Our property has always been important to us. That is why we keep our most precious things under lock and key. But besides installing security locks everywhere, what are simple defensive measures and strategies you can employ to heighten your property’s safety and guard against theft.

Exterior defenses. Whether you’re trying to protect your home or office, installing fences around your area acts as a barrier against potential thieves. Of course, fences may be easy to overcome at some point but thieves usually go for homes or offices that are easier to enter. A fence therefore would serve as an additional hindrance for them

Burglars also take advantage of dark areas where they can easily sneak in and out with less chances of getting caught. Make sure to lighten entry points in your house or place of work to intimidate thieves that are trying to rob it.

Another thing that might scare off a robber is to install motion detection lighting. These lights automatically turn on when it senses someone approaching the area.

Never give out the impression that your house or office is completely abandoned. If you’re going on a trip and you happen to take your car with you, try asking your neighbor if they could park one of their cars in your driveway until your vacation is over. Also make arrangements for your friend or neighbor to check your mail and newspaper everyday, not leaving any piled up in your front yard. Timing your indoor lighting is also a good way to keep thieves at bay. Make sure to leave a few lights open before you leave the house. Having your stereo on too is also a good technique.

Interior Defense. Installing alarm systems within residential and commercial establishments threatens burglars in a psychological way in a sense that the more heightened the security level in your neighborhood is, the more likely they might get should they trip the alarm. The loud alarm sound also alerts the neighbors as to what might be going on in house next door. Since some thieves can easily override alarm systems nowadays, it’s advisable to get a more advance security system, the more complicated the device is the more likely the perpetrator is to fail disabling it.

Secure all points of access. Add additional locks to your doors and make sure not to leave windows open when you leave. Doors and windows shouldn’t be easily penetrated through force. Installing locks or better windows is a good option.

Having pets also proves to be an advantageous. Having pets, especially dogs also increases your chances of protection since they tend bark the loudest when alarmed. It’s also quite intimidating for a robber to enter a property with scary-looking animals inside.

Should someone knock on your door claiming to be a service man for a utility company and you have nothing on your schedule about a maintenance visit, call the agency yourself to confirm before letting anyone in. Burglars usually come in disguise so be alert. Its better to be paranoid but safe than careless and victimized.

Lastly, know your valuables. Do an inventory of items that could possibly become loot. If possible take a picture so the police would have an easier way of identifying and recovering what you’ve lost.

For more information, check out this site on security locks.

About the Author: Czarina Adams is a web copywriter for a web design company associated with a lock and key service company in Manhattan, New York.

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Modern Wall Decor - Modern Wall Decor With A Twist!

Modern wall decor theme is one of the easiest ways to wall decorating of any type. When it comes to designing interiors with modern theme, one thing must be kept in mind that in a "modern or contemporary" design theme, simplicity is the key.

This of course does not mean that anything, which is simple, is got be modern. But in modern design theory instead using all sorts decorating accessories, the interior design or the built form itself is assumed to be beautiful and a piece of art.

In normal circumstances a wall decor theme can be considered as painting it or applying large wallpaper with the desired theme. But in modern wall decor themes, the wall itself is considered a modern piece of art and hence there is no more requirements of adding decorating ornaments to the wall for the purpose of decorating.

So how can use the modern wall decor theme in interior design?

There are many easy ways to do this. If you start looking a wall as a piece of design itself, many options are easily available such as shape of wall, thickness of wall, wall finishes, openings in a wall, height of wall, increasing or decreasing height of wall along the length.

A simple square opening in a wall can also be a decor theme. An opening will instantly break out the visual constraints in a closed room and open up more visual possibilities that are beyond the wall itself. To view a visual presentation of this visit http://www.ModernWallDecor.net

Further interior lighting can be used with great effects in modern wall decor themes. Many qualities and types of interior lights are available to create the exact look you are trying to achieve.

I hope this article was helpful for everyone.

Article by Shrinivas Vaidya.

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