One of the things that I enjoy the most about writing the blogs is getting to do loads of research. I’m a history buff and I also love random trivia, so getting to find out new things about a wide range of topics is perfect for me. We have a unique opportunity right now to look at history from a different perspective. I love that exactly 100 years ago, it was the roaring 20’s. When you look at house plans from the 1920’s, one of the types that tended to stand out was the craftsman-bungalow style

Happy New Year! I have a feeling that 2020 is going to be a great year. It’s going to be a year of change, self-reflection and success. Speaking of success, if you want a successful build this year now is THE time to buy your house plans. It can take more than 3 months to move from the planning stage of a build to the actual building stage. This means that if you want to get the build started in early summer, you need to have that plan purchased and ready to go very, very soon. Here at Nelson D

Is it just me or did 2019 seem to just fly by? New Year’s Eve is quickly approaching, and I don’t have anything ready. Of course, we don’t ever actually plan to do anything, but it would be nice if these holidays would quick sneaking up on me. The more important thing to consider this time of year is that it’s THE time to buy your house plan if you want to build this year. If you are in the market for building a home, then you have probably run into one of the biggest hurdles of picking out a ho

Christmas is always such a hectic time of year. We hustle and bustle until the actual day of and then we finally have time to spend with our loved ones. We usually spend the weekend before or the weekend after Christmas traveling to see our extended family. We would just host them at our house, but it’s a bit on the small side. If you’re like us, you wish you could have a bigger home or maybe one closer to the family. Maybe one of these new plans will inspire you to have you a new home for the n

Christmas time is here! Finally! I absolutely love this time of year. There is always so much joy and anticipation surrounding it and when it finally gets here, you just want to settle in and enjoy all of the fun that can be had. I know I still have a ton to do at home but let’s take a look at some new house plans that could be your home for the holidays next year. Homes for the Holidays – New House Plans Whispering Winds (MEN 5236) This is one of the newest plans by award winning designe

Did you know that, under perfect conditions, it usually takes between 8 and 10 months to build a house from start to finish? That’s under perfect conditions, with no changes being made in the field and with an experienced contractor leading the team. If you add in any complications, you are looking at more than a year before you can move into your new home. The best time for a professional builder to start a project is in the late spring and early summer. But there is a lot to do before your bui

Christmas isn’t the only holiday that we decorate for. I actually can’t think of one that we don’t decorate for, but Christmas is the big one. The kids just get so excited about it. Even if we didn’t have a deep love for this particular holiday, I think that we would be drawn into their excitement. And really why shouldn’t we? It only comes once a year and its that magical time of year where the kids are being extra well behaved and everyone is being super nice. Did I mention that the kids were

Christmas in our house is a pretty big deal. We put up the tree as soon as it is socially acceptable and only take it down right before January 1st. We buy way too many gifts for the girls and tend to overspend on each other. This is one of those times of the year when happiness and joy at the simple things is not only accepted but is encouraged. But if there is one thing that I wish I didn’t have to do; it would be the actual decorating and undecorating of the tree. It tends to be a headache ev

We’ve been in the business of house plans for over 35 years. In that time, we have seen trends come and go. Some things with the home design business remain the same. House plans are made for families. Small families, large families, traditional families, blended families; they all need the same things. You need a home where you know your family is going to be comfortable. You want a home where you know you and yours are going to thrive. So, we may be in the business of house plans and home desi

As I grow older, I find myself becoming attached to certain things and wanting things to be a certain way. I remember when I was younger that I didn’t care how my towels were folded, for example. Now I fold all the laundry just to make sure they are done the right way. Its not just towels that I have found myself becoming senselessly upset over. I find that there are things that I just will not compromise on any longer. Finding your dream home is the same way. You know what you are looking for a

Searching for the perfect house plan can be hard sometimes, especially if this is your first one. There are literally thousands of things to consider when you are looking for your dream home and I’m sure you find yourself scrolling through site after site and picture after picture of home designs trying to find the one that fits you and your family the best. We get it. We understand. One of the things that we want to make sure of for our customers is that your house plan fits you like your favor

My dad always told me not to use the word “hate". He said that it was too strong of a word for anyone to use lightly. But I’ll use it now. I hate being cold. Luckily, I live in the South and we don’t usually get very cold. And winter seems to start later in this area than it does in other parts of the country. We are just now getting to the point where we are having to break out the big coats, scarves, gloves and winter boots. Those poor folks over in Montana have already been seeing snow for we

One thing that you can always count on with mother nature is that the weather is never going to stay the same way for very long. I read a sign the other day on a plant nursery that has made me giggle every time I’ve thought about it. The sign read, “Autumn was definitely my favorite day this year." The reason it made me laugh so hard was because its so true! One day it was a nice balmy day, then the next day it was cooler, and the leaves started turning and it seemed like the very next day we ha

Can you believe that it is December already? Time seems to have just flown by! Now that it’s December, its time to start thinking about getting everything ready for the winter. (Unless you happen to live in the Southern Hemisphere and in that case, “Welcome Summer!".) Old man winter is never a kind fellow to deal with and he tends to have some pretty rowdy moods. To help you and yours get through my least favorite season, we are going to look at some fabulous house plans that will make you feel

One of the things that is so stressful to me this time of year is traveling back and forth to relatives’ houses. I hardly ever host Thanksgiving dinner at my house because, well, my house is a bit too small for everyone to be crowding into. Usually we end up at my aunt’s or my mom’s which are both over an hour away from where we live. The best part of the drive is listening to the kids try to sing the songs that come over the radio. The littlest one hasn’t quite figured out how to pronounce a l