New Trends for the New Year: Drop Zones

Now that the new decade is beginning its time for some changes. Time to break out the old exercise equipment and get started on those new year’s resolutions. Time to get fit and to make sure we drink enough water. I’m going to get started on that as soon as I finish browsing these awesome house plans.

Seriously, though, this year I think the trends are going to expand on a couple of things from the last few years. One of those is a “Drop Zone" type of area. A drop zone is basically a place where you come in and you can “drop" everything off before you start your family time. This is where you can store the backpacks and purses or the shoes and coats and keep them all together. For some families, this is where you drop off your cell phones!

Great House Plans with Drop Zones and Mudrooms

Not every plan is going to have the perfect place to make a drop off zone for you and your family. Our plans usually call this space a Kid’s Nook or a Mudroom. These plans in particular have perfect spaces for those types of areas.

Overland Farms (MEN 5230)

As you approach the home, the first thing that you notice is the wrap around covered porch on the front of the home. This porch is one of the things that make a farmhouse have that iconic style. Above the front porch you will find lovely dormers with windows inset. This just makes me think of a traditional farm or something from in the 1800’s.

As you enter the home, you find yourself in the foyer. Directly in front of the double entry doors is the stair well that gives you access to the second floor. On the left side of the foyer you will find a half bath and a small closet that is perfect for storing outerwear like coats and snow boots.

To the right side of the foyer, you can continue past the stairwell and move into the study/parlor. A parlor is one of those things that has fallen out of fashion in the last 50 years or so but was once a staple of home design.

Parlors are designed to be a formal living area so that you could have guests over without them having to see the rest of the house. This parlor lives up to that. It gives you three windows, one facing the front of the home and two facing the side of the home. Both sets of windows look out over the front porch.

Moving further into the home, you find yourself in the country kitchen and dining area. This large open space gives you plenty of room to have family dinners and to prepare a large meal for those same dinners.

The kitchen is separated from the dining area by an island that has bar seating for 4. The island gives you a perfect place to wash up and keep an eye on any comings and goings from the great room and the kitchen at the farmhouse style sink. The dining area gives you a large picture window that faces the side of the home and a separate entrance to the covered front porch.

Moving further into the home, you find yourself in the great room. The great room gives you access to an absolutely enormous pantry that is closed off from the great room by a sliding barn door. The great room gives you a large stonework fireplace along the left wall that is bracketed by windows on either side. The great room is open to the second floor and has a vaulted ceiling.

The rear wall of the great room gives you access to the grilling porch on the rear of the home. The double doors that lead to the grilling porch are bracketed on either side by windows. This whole house plan gives you some fantastic views. The last wall of the great room also has a window that faces the grilling porch. This section is where you could put an optional grill with hood.

If you continue from the great room, you will find yourself in the guest room. This first-floor guest room is nearly as large as the great room. It features a large picture window that faces the left side of the home and a private entrance from the covered front porch. This guest room has its own in-suite bathroom with a shower stall and a linen closet. It also has its own small walk-in closet.

Adjacent to the kitchen, you will find the mud room. This space comes in from the back porch and garage. This mudroom has a bench with hanging storage and gives you space to take off your outerwear or anything that is particularly muddy before you move into the rest of the home. Mudrooms are just amazing.

To the right of the mudroom, you will find the hallway that leads to the master suite. Right before you get to the master suite, you will find the laundry room. This laundry room is absolutely massive and features a lot of counterspace to help you fold and sort. The rear wall of this space has a picture window that faces the rear of the home. The laundry room also features a soaking sink for those really bad set in stains.

The master suite is in a wing all to itself. It has its own private entrance with a small covered porch that features a vaulted ceiling. The master bedroom has an absolutely massive window that faces the side of the home. The master bath gives you space for a corner shower with a seat, double vanities and a freestanding tub.

The master bath is separated from the master bedroom by a short hallway that has two barn doors that can close on either side. This hallway also gives you access to the walk-in closet and a small linen or coat closet.

The second floor has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms just on this one level. The stairwell opens up to a separate tv and loft area. This loft area has built ins on either side of a balcony that looks over the great room on the first floor.

Bedrooms 3 and 4 are mirrors of each other and each have multiple windows running on the walls that face the sides of the home. They also have a window that faces the front of the home. Bedrooms 5 and 6 are also mirrors of each other. They each have a bank of windows that faces the rear of the home and one each that faces the sides of the home. Bedrooms 5 and 6 each have a walk-in closet and have in-suite access via a sliding barn door to each of the bathrooms.

Janson Cove (MEN 5224)

You enter the home through the covered entry porch with stone steps and find yourself in the large foyer. This formal touch to the home lends the home an elegant feel from the moment you walk in. The foyer leads to the open floor plan that combines the great room, kitchen and breakfast room.

The great room features a vaulted ceiling with exposed timber beams. The right wall of this space is dominated by a large stonework fireplace. The rear wall of this space gives you double French doors that lead out onto the large outdoor living area/grilling porch.

This outdoor space is split into 3 parts. There is a central part that is covered and continues the trend of the timber beams from the interior of the home. The other 2 parts are uncovered and offer a great place to grill or to entertain on sunny days. The covered part of this area also features a large outdoor fireplace.

From the great room, you can make your way to the kitchen. There is a large island that separates the space from the kitchen and the great room. This island features seating for 5 and gives you a perfect viewpoint of the great room while you are cleaning up.

The rest of the kitchen features great counterspace and a large pantry right beside the stairs to the second floor. Adjacent to the kitchen is the breakfast room. This room features a large picture window that faces the rear of the home and gives you a lovely view for an informal meal.

Nestled in between the pantry and the foyer is the dining/media room. This room gives you plenty of space to host and entertain. It features a large picture window that faces the front of the home and the curved driveway.

Behind the kitchen you will find a hall that leads to the half bath as well as to a kid’s nook that would be perfect to double as a mudroom. This space gives you plenty of storage space using a bench with hanging storage. There are two doors in the kid’s nook. One leads to the laundry room with a soaking sink and the other leads to the garage. Off the garage is the large safe room.

Further down this hallway is the master suite. The master bedroom continues the trend from the great room and features a vaulted ceiling. It also has a large window that faces the rear of the home and an entrance to the outdoor living area/grilling porch.

The master bath gives you space for both a freestanding tub and a glass corner shower. The bathroom also features his and her sinks and a linen closet. Don’t forget the large walk-in closet!

The other side of the plan features bedrooms 2 and 3. This space is set up with a centrally located shared bathroom. Each bedroom has their own sink and walk-in closet and simply share the space in the middle. Each bedroom also has a large window that faces the rear and front of the home, respectively.

The second story gives you space for both attic storage and bedroom 4. This bedroom is the largest of them all and would be perfect for an older child. It has a large closet and features its own bathroom with shower.

Tahoe Park (SMN 1043)

This plan gives you just over 4,100 square feet of living space with 5 Bedrooms and 5.5 Bathrooms and features a 3 car Garage. The first thing that you notice about this home is that it has some great Rustic stylings. The Front Porch is covered with exposed timber trusses and has stonework as the base of those. The rest of the home continues that with stonework throughout the property.

Moving inside, you enter the Foyer that gives you a grand scope of the plan. To your right is the formal Dining Room. This room features exposed beams and has columns to help keep the space separated from the rest of the home.

From the Foyer you can step into the Great Room and Kitchen Area. This open floor plan blends the two rooms seamlessly and gives you a feeling space and airiness. The Great Room features a vaulted ceiling, large picture windows facing the rear of your property, exposed beams in the ceiling and a stonework gas fireplace.

The Kitchen gives you ample space with a large island in the middle with seating for 5 and a space for a sink. The Kitchen also gives you a small Pantry and loads of counterspace. Moving further into the home, you find the second Pantry that is big enough to fulfill all of your pioneer woman dreams.

This side of the plan also features a large Laundry Room with loads of counter space and a soaking sink as well as a closet to store things away in the off season. The Mudroom is also down this way, close to the covered Side Entry. The Mudroom gives you an area of hanging storage with benches under it to help stow away your gear.

The other side of the plan gives you a Study that can also double as a Guest Room. This room has its own closet and access to the Bathroom in the hall. The Master Suite features a large stonework fireplace and picture windows that face the Screen Porch on the rear of the home.

The Master Bath gives you a large bathing area including a huge shower and massive tub. This plan also features one of the largest walk-in closets in the Master Suite that I have ever seen. I think the walk-in closet may be bigger than most of my house!

The second floor of the home gives you Bedrooms 3, 4, and 5. Each of the Bedrooms feature their own Bathrooms and large walk-in closets. The second floor also gives you a small Loft Area that overlooks the front of the home and the Covered Porch.

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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