Tag: curb appeal

Main Level Master House Plans

You deserve to enjoy a brand new home that’s not only designed to your standards of quality, but designed to fit your lifestyle. In one of our Main Level Master Home Plans, you’ll get to experience the many benefits of a master bedroom on the main floor!

 

What are the benefits of Main Level Master House Plans?



Happier mornings.


There’s something a little magical about waking up feeling refreshed, and enjoying a good cup of coffee before the day begins. In a home with a master suite on the main floor, you can step outside of your bedroom and walk right into the kitchen, enjoy a cup of coffee, then go right back into your bedroom to get ready for your day without having to climb up and down stairs.

 

A brighter future.


Having a master on the main floor means your home is built to age with you in place. While stairs may not be an obstacle now, it’s nice to know your home will be just right for years to come.



Guests are welcome.

 

A main level master suite could also be perfect for an aging parent, a caregiver, or even a child who has moved out and returned. It’s quite nice being able to provide guests with their own space, especially their own bathroom.


Perfect for Privacy.


Whether your main floor master will be your own bedroom, a guest/in-law suite, a home office, or something else, it’ll be sure to provide a desirable sense of privacy. Maybe you’d appreciate distance from your teenager, or need a secluded area to get some work done. The possibilities are endless!

 


Meet Our Most Popular Main Level Master Designs



Haddington (2,300 sq ft)

Open, light-filled main floor

Private owner’s suite

Welcoming front porch

Large vaulted rear porch perfect for outdoor living

 

Selwyn Park (2,906 sq ft)

1st floor guest suite

Spa-like master bath

Laundry accessible from master closet

3 car garage

 

Ruskin Place (3,839 sq ft)

Carport and detached garage

Main level guest suite

Powder room with access to the rear yard, perfect for a swimming pool

Upstairs bonus accessible by rear staircase, perfect for a home office

 


Ready to find the perfect home plan for you? Contact us today!

14-Hazelwood Square

The Beauty of Outdoor Living in the Fall

At Frank Betz Associates, we believe that paradise is a cozy chair, a warm drink, and your feet up on a crisp fall day. Who says you can’t experience this bliss on a daily basis? With a gorgeous outdoor living area attached to your home, you can finally enjoy the beauty of fall in true style — day or night.

 

From impromptu get-togethers with friends to mornings with a cup of coffee and a good book, an expertly designed exterior completely changes the way you live your life. Especially in the fall, when the weather cools and the scenery comes alive, you don’t want to miss a single moment of what’s right in front of you…

 

Covered Porches

 

Just as functional as they are stylish, our covered porches allow you to experience the outdoors in complete comfort. Perfect for all times of day, you’re free to do whatever you wish — whether that be host your family and friends for a fun fall meal or take advantage of your quiet time and relax.

 

Best of all, our aesthetically pleasing porches add to the beauty of your home, which makes them the ideal asset. The goal of these features is to extend your indoor life to the outdoors, so that you can truly feel like your best (and most free) self whenever you’re in your home. 

 

Fire Pits

 

Who says cold weather has to stop you from enjoying the peace and privacy of your backyard? With a modern, compact fire pit, you have every opportunity to sit outside and do exactly what you normally would in the warmer months of the year. It may not still be summertime, but it’s always prime time for relaxing.

 

Style your furniture around your fire pit however you wish and watch your space ignite with life — there’s nothing more charming than a cozy fire. Do you have fond memories of camp as a child? Gather with your kids for homemade s’mores under the stars. From happy hours to celebrations, a fire pit brings a spark to your space that you can’t help but fall in love with each time. 

 

With 100 years of combined experience and unmatched skill in all areas of home design, you can be sure that we have a plan that fits your preferences perfectly. Are you ready to live in a home that loves you back? We can’t wait to meet you and get started! For more information about our house plans, please call 888-717-3003.

HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR HOMES’ CURB APPEAL

Walk down any residential street and it’s the homes that make up most of the scenery. How your home looks from the curb point of view makes a statement. It’s a first impression that conveys a lot about who and what lives inside. Whether you’re looking to maximize your home’s curb appeal because it’s going on the market or you just want a great looking home, this article can help you get there.

Knock Knock

The front door is most often the centerpiece of a home’s front exterior. As people approach your home, they’re headed for the front door. As a major focal point, you should create a front doorway that is both strong and welcoming. Depending on your door type, this can be achieved with a fresh coat of paint or stain. While well-crafted hardware that includes the door knob, knocker and even the doorbell can dramatically contribute to the overall look of your front entry way. Long story short, a great front door is a must for curb appeal.

A porch that says, “come on up.”

If your home has a front porch, it already has a head start in the curb appeal department.

Nothing says “come on up for a visit” like a well-appointed front porch. Taking into consideration the style of your home, furnish your front porch with comfortable chairs or even porch swing. Potted and hanging plants and other attractive ornaments like windchimes, a door mat and sculpture are additional ways to turn up the welcome factor in this out-in-front space.

Landscaping matters.

Attractive landscaping means more than just freshly cut grass. From the curb, is there a path leading to the door? Make sure this path is well kept and even. Trimmed bushes, flowering plants and carefully pruned trees all add up to create a beautiful landscape. And remember, it all starts at the curb. The sidewalk and driveway are also important areas to keep looking neat.

A detailed approach.

Another step in increasing your home’s curb appeal is sprucing up the architectural details. These include any elements that can be seen from the curb. Make sure that any fencing is in order, the roofing and gutters look good and light fixtures and hardware are working and clean.

Even a neat mailbox can help. These items may seem insignificant alone, but together they have a substantial visual effect.

 

What a difference a color makes.

Finally, and quite important, is your home’s paint. Freshening up the exterior of your home with a shiny new coat of paint is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to boost its curb appeal. Shades of green and brown blend well with most landscapes. Light and dark tones of blue also work well to instill a look of calmness. And if your home is modern or traditional, white is a nice way to emphasize clean lines.

 

There are many simple ways to increase your home’s curb appeal. Start by standing on the curb and observing your home from an objective perspective. You’ll be able to identify key issues that can be easily addressed. With a little time and elbow grease, your home can be looking its best to you and anyone who happens by.

 

PLAN MODIFICATIONS – DO I NEED AN ARCHITECT OR CAN MY BUILDER JUST MAKE CHANGES IN THE FIELD?

Building a new home is an exciting but complicated process. What begins as simple drawings on a page, evolves into an ever-changing and growing endeavor. Because of that, anticipating the need for adjustments during the building process is paramount. Retaining an Architect throughout the whole project can be expensive, but worth the money when it comes to making big changes in the field. On the other hand, a qualified builder with a solid and detailed set of plans should also be able to handle in-field building adjustments. The following article will touch on some recommendations for managing variables during your build.

It’s all in the plans

If there’s one element that will set the tone for your entire home building process, it’s the building plans. Making sure your house plans are complete, detailed and correct will save you both money and time in the long run. A skilled Architect will deliver comprehensive plans that can take into account shifting build variables. Before the build begins it’s a good idea to get your builder and Architect together to review the plans and discuss any possible variations. The planning stage is where you will have the most time to make adjustments. Once the building process starts, things start to kick into a higher gear and time becomes a precious commodity.

Accurate plans mean accurate bids

Another benefit to a well-crafted set of house plans comes into play during the bidding stage.

With the details included in a thought-out home plan, builders are able to deliver more accurate bids. Square footage and floorplans are a major factor in the bidding process, but material specs and finishes are also instrumental calculating costs. A more precise timeline can also be better developed when it comes to material lead times.

Red-lining your plans

The term red-lining refers to making changes to an existing home plans with a red pen. This process is an easy way to record and plan for changes in the field. Sometimes these changes are taken and formally redrawn into the house plan, but more often the marked-up plans are used as is. The builder is usually responsible for red-lining. They are knowledgeable about local codes and what can and can’t be adjusted in the field. Red-lining is a cost-effective method of making changes. They can be done on-site where time is money.

Mistakes mean money

Making changes during a home build comes with a price. But mistakes in the field are infinitely costlier. It’s another reason meticulous and comprehensive house plans are worthwhile. While no home build happens without hiccups, open communication between the Architect and builder can help mitigate the effects of mistakes in the field. Sometimes what looks plausible on paper doesn’t always work well in the real world.

Taking the initial home design through a completed build is never a perfect process. Plan modifications on site will always be a factor. The right builder can address these modifications but keeping your Architect in the loop can assist in the needed adjustments. Again, thorough house plans before the build will always result in a smoother project, but a cohesive Architect and builder team is vitally important to handling and solving variables in the field.