| Before I had a computer
program, or even a computer, I loved drawing houses. The house my boyfriend drew
for his final exam in high school was shaped like a D with the middle being open
to the sky with a swimming pool and a stream. The various rooms were scattered
about the curve with the bedrooms along the straight part. It was the coolest
thing I had ever seen. It stuck with me and I have been into drawing fantastic
houses since. You'll notice in my drawings that my kitchen is NOT visible frm
the front doorway and you do not walk through my dining room to get to the
sitting room.
The first house I want to show
you is my "dream home". It's actually three floors although it looks like one
tall floor from the front, the lowest floor being hidden underground in front
but ground level in the rear and the highest floor being created by the 8:12
roof (that means a steep slope). This house is built for entertaining. The attic
is the master suite for a healthy couple but with a guest suite on the main
level for when they no longer care to climb the stairs. (Then they send the
guests to the attic.) This is 6000 sq. ft. with 6 bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths, a two
car detached garage, game room, media room, three stting rooms, and the biggest
pantry you've ever seen. I've included a small overhead door in the rear for
staying cool while watching the kids in the pool. (Any self-respecting guest
would want a room on the lower level where all the action is.) It was better the
first time I drew it and I'm still tweaking it.
The next house is the one I hope to build on
the back of my property in the
next year or so. It's hard to get your own designs converted to acceptable blueprints. (Which
is why my dad took his trailer to the lumber yard, bought a bunch and started building.) This
one is only three bedrooms. Designed for a couple with no children, one small bedroom will double
as a music room and the other, a computer room. But there is room for
my regular guests who usually sleep in the floor anyway. This is about 2600 sq. ft. with
a huge great room, and a balcony for the master suite upstairs. The master suite
is open to the great room below and the bedroom is close to the huge fireplace. There is a
practical kitchen, no dining room, and the only TV in the house will be in the sitting room in
the master suite. It's designed like this to accomodate my dogs who take up a lot of space. There
is one mistake in my pictures - I forgot the ceiling in the great room.
This house is a small one, only 1325 sq. ft. but 411 sq. ft. are the master suite
in the attic. It has a good kitchen, living room, and two smaller bedrooms, 2 baths, and a very
steep stairway to the attic. The bedroom end of the attic has a wall of custom windows which frame
the headboard of the bed. (Keep in mind that I live in the woods and privacy is not a big concern.)
You'll notice in the plans that the master suite has two doors to the unheated attic space so
storage is not an issue - plenty of closet space, too. I've used a barn-style roof
to give a little character and make the usuable attic space larger.
I also have plans for a guest cottage which is only three
rooms and one bath. It would be inexpensive to build and I will probably put one on the back of my property so my
guests don't have to sleep in the floor. (Very big grin.) It's 460 sq ft.
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