Back to School: Great Design Elements for Home-School

While some parents are getting their kids ready to go back to school and shipping them out the door, others are getting ready for the long haul. There is a growing number of parents who are deciding to home school their children here in the U.S. And while there are many reasons for parents to choose to home school, one thing remains the same: you need to have a location set aside for them to do the work.

There are house plans that lend themselves to the home school lifestyle better than others, just like we all know that a mini van is better for families than a Porsche. (Oh, but wouldn’t it be a blast to drive?) So, we are going to look at some of the top design elements for home school families.

Top Design Elements for Home Schooling

I think that home schooling requires some special consideration. Just like schools are designed with certain aspects in mind, a home school location requires the same. The first thing that you should consider is where your child is going to be studying. They should have a dedicated location that would be just for that purpose.

Another consideration would be a place where they could relax and read. Kids need time to imagine and to read and explore with their imaginations. And the last thing you might want to consider is someplace for them to create, like a room for arts and crafts

Reading Nooks

Children need to read. It’s just part of their development. Reading enhances the development of their brains and their cognitive abilities. (Don’t just trust me, my aunt has been a teacher for over 30 years. She’ll tell you.) So, let’s give them someplace to do just this.

This farmhouse plan just conjures images of Anne of Green Gable and Little House on the Prairie. This house plan gives you just over 2,200 square feet of living space with 4 bedrooms, 2 baths and a half bath. Unlike most farmhouse house plans; this one also gives you a 2 car Garage. This home features the formal living areas in the front of the home and is centered around the large kitchen.

Stepping into the home you pass through the Covered front Porch and find yourself in the Foyer. To your right you will find the formal Dining area featuring large windows that open onto the Front Porch. Moving further into the home you find yourself in the large Kitchen.

This large area gives you plenty of counterspace as well as a centrally located “L" shaped island with seating for 6. To the right of the Kitchen is the Breakfast Room that has exits to both the front porch and the rear Grilling Porch. The Breakfast Room also features several windows so it would be a lovely place to enjoy a cup of coffee and watch the birds.

Moving out of the Kitchen you will find yourself in the Great Room This gorgeous space features a large Gas Fireplace, a vaulted ceiling and Built-ins and Media Center flanking either side of the fireplace. Don’t forget about the bank of windows that look out the side of the home. Moving towards the rear of the house, you will find a small hallway that leads out to the Garage.

This hallway also doubles as a Mudroom and features a storage bench with hanging storage right above it. This hallway leads you to the Laundry Room and the half bath. Moving back to the front of the house, from the Foyer you can reach the Master Suite.

The Master Suite is at the front of the home, which is not the traditional location of a bedroom in a farmhouse, but this is a modern farmhouse house plan. The Master Suite features two windows that face the front of the home. The Master Bath features both a corner glass shower with seating as well as a free-standing tub and a small walk-in closet.

Moving to the second floor, you will find Bedrooms 2, 3, and 4. These all share a bathroom with a double sink, and each has their own large closet. Here you will also find a Computer Center that is perfect for homework or games. The second floor also features a charming window seat that would be perfect for reading.

Craft and Hobby Rooms

I have a confession. As a mother of two girls, I loathe glitter. Its very existence seems to just irritate me to my core. Don’t get me wrong. I love for things to be sparkly and pretty as much as the next girlie girl, but I don’t want that stuff loose in my house. You can’t get rid of it. It seems to multiply faster than dust bunnies. So why not have a room where that terrible stuff and all of its sticky compatriots can live?

This rustic house plan gives you just over 5,000 square feet of living space and features 4 bedrooms, 4 full bathrooms and 1 half bath. It also gives you the versatility of a 2-car garage. This home gives you everything you want in a modest mansion including a large closet and luxurious bathroom in the Master Suite, a huge Great Room with exposed timber trusses and a large walk out basement that gives you plenty of room for your family.

You can enter the home from the Covered Front Porch that features a vaulted ceiling and stonework and exposed beam detailing and find yourself in the large Foyer. The vaulted ceiling from the Front Porch continue through the Foyer and on into the Great Room and even to the Covered Porch directly to the rear of the Great Room.

The Great Room features a large gas fireplace that is bracketed on each side by built-in shelving. Like any good rustic home, the Great Room features both exposed beams and large patio doors on the rear of the home that open up into the Covered Porch. The Covered Porch gives you more of that lovely rustic styling with stonework and columns and a vaulted ceiling.

To the right of the Great Room you can find the Hearth Dining Area and Kitchen. This wide-open space gives you plenty of room for your family to enjoy meals together. The Hearth Dining Area features room for a massive table and opens onto both the Open Deck and Grilling Porch on the rear of the home.

The Grilling Porch is covered and features a vaulted ceiling with a fireplace and a place to put in a state-of-the-art grill with a vent-a-hood. The Hearth Dining Room also features a refreshment bar with room for both a refrigerator and a microwave. This would be a perfect place to keep kiddos juices and cold snacks or for the adults a great place to keep the alcoholic refreshments.

The Kitchen features a large “C" shaped countertop that wraps around one of the walls and gives you plenty of prep space as well as room for a large range and dishwasher. It also features bar seating for 4 and a large island for prep work.

The Hearth Dining Area opens up to the Guest Bedroom. This Bedroom features large openings to the side of the home as well as its own in-suite bathroom with corner shower. The Kitchen opens up to a hallway that can double as a Mudroom, especially as it comes directly off of the Garage.

This hallway features both a closet for coats and a bench with hanging storage for all of your gear before it makes it into the rest of the home. This area also features a large office space that is perfect for someone to work from home, do some quick research before supper or for the kids to do schoolwork or homework. This area also features a large Pantry and Laundry Room.

On the other side of this plan you will find the Master Suite. The Master Bedroom features boxed ceilings and patio doors that give you access to the Open Deck on the rear of the home. The Master Bath features both a free-standing tub as well as a large shower with a seat. And I love the walk-in closet on this plan. Not only does it give you plenty of room for all of your clothes, but it also has a window and an area for a seat in the middle.

Moving to the walk out basement, we step from the stairs and into a large Game Room that features a gas fireplace. This game room also has its own mini bar with a refrigerator and sink. You can also access the second Laundry Room here. The basement also gives you Bedrooms 3 and 4 each with their own linen closet, large closet for clothes and in-suite bathrooms.

There is room for an optional bunk room which would be perfect for those nights when all of the kids wanted to stay at your house and two large storage rooms. The basement also has a large hobby room. This is perfect for those school projects that require a ton of glue and glitter. Having a place to keep all of that mess contained is great for those of us with kids. (Just ask me about the glitter tutu I made for the youngest’s Halloween costume last year. I was vacuuming glitter until May.)

Office/Study

One of the things that is going to make or break the success of your student’s academics, whether it be in a traditional school atmosphere or home-schooled, is having a dedicated place for them to study and do homework. Having an office or a study that you can dedicate to your kids for their classes will give them the advantage of having the one place in the home that is completely devoted to their success.

This sprawling house plan is country living at its finest. It gives you just over 4,100 square feet of living space and features 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths and 2 half baths. If that isn’t enough for you, this plan also gives you a 3-car garage! This house plan doesn’t stint on the luxuries either! The Master Bath is absolutely amazing, and the Kitchen gives you plenty of space to lay out that spread.

The first thing that you notice about this home is the wrap-around Covered Porch. The porch gives you some serious country vibes with its curves and boxed columns. You enter the home through the Foyer and notice that the doorway to your left is covered by a Barn door.

Moving through this door, you find yourself in the large Office. This Office features a large picture window facing the front of the home as well as a closet for all of those documents that you just know you’ll need some day.

Moving further down the hall you can enter the Den. This large space gives you an impressive bank of patio doors facing the rear of the home that look out onto the Covered Porch. The Den also features a large gas fed masonry fireplace with built-ins on either side. The Den opens up into the large Kitchen area.

The Kitchen features a large island in the middle with lots of room for prep work as well as counter tops on each wall. The Kitchen also features access to the large Pantry. This gives you plenty of space for storage. The Dining Area is adjacent to the Kitchen and gives you plenty of space for a large table. The Kitchen/ Dining Area opens up to a large Sunroom which lives up to its name.

The Sunroom features a large bank of windows on both walls facing the outside of the home. From the Kitchen you can access the hallway which can double as a Mudroom with a bench with hanging storage. This hallway also gives you access to the Safe Room. Here you will find Bedrooms 2 and 3.

The Bedrooms each have their own walk-in closet and in-suite bathroom. The hallway ends in a Reading Nook with large windows facing the side and front of the home.

On the other side of the plan, you find the Master Suite. This Master Bedroom features plenty of windows to let in natural light and is large enough for anyone to enjoy. The Master Bath features both a large whirlpool tub and a large corner shower with room for a bench. The walk-in closet isn’t anything to sneeze at and features an access to the Laundry Room where you will find plenty of space to sort and fold all of your laundry.

Maybe you're looking for something in particular? Don’t worry, we have you covered. Come check out Nelson Design Group’s collection of over 1,800 house plans. And come check out the past blog posts in our house plan series:

• Farmhouse style
• Farmhouse House Plans
• Contemporary Modern style
• Contemporary Modern House Plans
• Rustic Style
• Rustic House plans
• Mountain and Cabins House Style
• Mountain and Cabin House Plans
• Examining House Styles: Pool Houses
• House Plan Spotlight: Pool Houses
• Examining House Styles: The Florida Collection
• House Plan Spotlight: The Florida Collection
• Outdoor Buildings: Garages and Pool Houses
• American Style House Plans
• Starter Homes Spotlight: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

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