Now, you might be imagining a home like the one from Gone With the Wind or even one of the homes from The Help, but Southern styling reaches across a wide variety of house plan styles to combine charm, elegance and historical flair.

This house plan is designed to accommodate the needs of a large family. The rear entry allows younger members of the family to go outside or to the breakfast table with minimal disturbance. The stately columns add to the majesty of this beautiful home and the large front porch emanates Southern hospitality.

When you think of Southern plantation houses you probably think of the Old South and the antebellum style. These houses were largely based on the Greek Revival and neoclassical periods. The columns, the stately silhouette, and other features we think of as being Southern were introduced by Anglo-Americans who moved to the South after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.  Modern Southern architecture has transformed to incorporate a wide variety of tastes.

In the early 1800s, Americans identified more with the Grecian style of architecture than the British styles. If you imagine the Parthenon, you can tone down some of the decorative details and get an idea of what these stately homes looked like.  Commonly these home were made of white clapboard exteriors, decorative pilasters, and dentil moldings and heavy cornices. Though there are still some of these historical buildings around, many of the more modern takes blend the Greek Revival style with the Southern Colonial style.

Unlike traditional Southern architecture, this house plan does not have the symmetrical façade. This blends the elements of Southern style into a modern and different take on the norm with lots of curb appeal.

Colonial style originated in the Southern American colonies. Unlike the Northern colonial styles the Southern style had a chimney at the end instead of the center. Other features were a centered front door, multi-pane and tall double-hung windows, steep gabled roofs, and a narrow plan, often only one row deep. There are also tall foundation walls to protect against moisture damage and a large welcoming porch.

With a range of styles from the simple cottage to stately homes these houses share a few common features. Unlike Victorian or craftsman homes, these houses are often symmetrical with porches, columns and shuttered windows. Some are also raised off the ground in order to give a good view of the surrounding landscape. Gables and dormers are also a key feature where the roof design is concerned.

This house plan is more of a Southern Colonial. While the façade is symmetrical, the decorative Greek Revival elements are more subdued. Inside this house awaits five bedrooms and two bathrooms with plenty of amenities.

Regardless of whether you choose a French Creole, Antebellum, Greek Revival or Georgian inspired Southern house plan, you will find that these plans are warm and inviting, embodying the spirit of Southern hospitality.

Update Your Appliances

One of the things that no home should be without is an ENERGY STAR rated refrigerator. The refrigerator is one of the biggest energy hogs in a home. When a fridge, ten year or older is replaced with an ENERGY STAR rated model, the average home owner can save up to $150 according to the Environmental Protection Agency. And according to ENERGY STARS’s website, if one in ten homes used ENERGY STAR appliances, it would be the equivalent to 1.7 acres of new trees.

This rustic ranch home is not only stylish, but it is also ENERGY STAR rated. Inside this home is an open layout with a large great room and a kitchen that boasts a 8’ by 4’ island. With three bedrooms and three full baths, this is the perfect home for a growing family.

Watch the Temperature

Almost half of a home’s energy is consumed during heating and cooling. You can save that energy by being mindful of the temperature. Keep the thermostat down in cold weather and up in warm weather. For each degree you lower your thermostat during colder weather saves you between 3 and 5 percent more on heat energy. During warmer weather, keeping the thermostat at 78 degrees will help you save money. You can also consider using ceiling fans instead of air conditioners.

If you are planning for next winter, you can also consider buying a new furnace.  Furnaces made today are 25 percent more efficient than those made in the 1980s. You can also find furnaces that carry the ENERGY STAR label as well.

This ENERGY STAR rated farm house plan has plenty of character. Inside is an open layout with a large great room, kitchen, and dining room. The master bedroom is on the first floor with a walk-in closet. The upstairs contains two bedrooms and a loft.

Save Water

Adding things like an aerator or a low-flow toilet, or showerhead can help you towards saving water. You can save water simply by changing certain behaviors.  For example, shutting off the water while you brush your teeth saves 4.5 gallons every time and using a broom instead of a garden hose to clean your driveway will save 80 gallons of water.

When it comes to living green, using green materials is half the battle, but there are always little things that you can do to save more energy and water. Living green doesn’t have to mean making compromise after compromise. You can have style and still be green with some simple lifestyle changes and one of several award winning ENERGY STAR rated house plans from Direct from the Designers.

 It might not feel like it right now, but spring is on its way.  Sunday March 10^th marks the beginning of daylight savings time, and we will once again spring forward into daylight.  A few more hours of daylight are a precious commodity that can heighten spirits as we move into springtime.

This house plan, with a large covered porch makes for a perfect place to spend a temperate spring evening. Plant a colorful garden surrounding the porch and you will have a lovely evening and weekend oasis.

What can you do with extra daylight? According to Lowe’s, you can prepare your home for use during the long warm late spring and summer nights.

1.     You can begin by cleaning and washing the exterior of your home, including your patio and desk. It is important to finish cleaning before you plant your garden beds so that you don’t disturb any new plants. You can also clean your outdoor furniture and consider covering it until after the pollen has fallen.

2.     Then, you can tune up your outdoor power equipment.  This includes making sure that your lawn mower is in perfect condition. You can take the initiative by checking the engine oil, changing the blades, and even restringing your trimmer.

3.     Trim and shape bushes around your yard and cut down low hanging tree branches. It’s best to complete this task early and clean up the pieces before you plant in your flowerbeds.

4.     Place a new layer of pine straw or mulch in your beds to freshen them up. Just be sure to check with your homeowner’s association for restrictions.

5.     Plan. This step is the most fun.  Take a moment and plan where you want to add color with your spring landscape.  Consider adding spring bulbs or perennials to your flowerbeds or you can decide to undertake planting a vegetable or herb garden.

Need some air? This farmhouse plan has two large porches for the perfect getaway without leaving home. This house is the perfect place to entertain some evening guests with a pitcher of iced tea as you overlook a beautiful garden and watch the sunset.

Daylight savings time will bring with it the chance to do spend more time doing many outdoor activities, but if you plan on using a porch or patio during the spring and summer, a few simple tasks can make your outdoor space much more enjoyable and create an outdoor oasis from the second the clocks spring forward on Sunday March 10^th at 2 a.m.

This beautiful country kitchen will stand the test of time with these granite countertops.

Since your kitchen counters are bound to be a surface that will take a lot of abuse, one of the most important decisions regarding selecting a counter is surface durability. Before you worry about limitations of style and color, let’s begin by saying that both quartz and granite are available in a wide variety of colors and styles, making it easy to adapt either into your kitchen house plan.

Granite is a very strong material that resists cracking and chipping but quartz rates higher on the hardness scale. Quartz is also non-porous, which means it resists common stains such as oil, coffee, and wine better and is very easy to clean.  Granite on the other hand, is composed of a crystalline structure that is composed of several fissures that requires regular sealing. This maintenance needs to be done about once a year or you run the risk of staining your granite or letting bacteria fester inside. Quartz on the other hand offers superior protection against pathogens.

This beautiful kitchen with white cabinetry has a beautiful quartz countertop surface that will resist staining.

Cost is another factor in choosing your countertops. While both make excellent choices for kitchen counters, the cost of the materials can vary greatly. Granite tends to be the more expensive material, depending on style.  Quartz countertops can vary widely, but given the ease in maintaining the countertop, you might find the higher cost to be more practical than unreasonable.

Overall, the choice of granite or quartz countertops is really a matter of preference, but one thing is certain. When it comes to installing your countertops, make sure it is done by a specialist.  Hiring a specialist will reduce the risk of chipping, breaking or fissuring. Check out these fabulous kitchen collections for Direct from the Designers to start creating your dream kitchen house plan.

This newly opened artisan tattoo gallery and coffee shop in Garfield, Pennsylvania now has a shiny copper floor made of pennies.

Yes, that’s right, copper pennies. ABC News reported that Mel Angst, who runs a Pittsburgh-area tattoo parlor with her husband was looking for a unique way to tile her parlor, called Artisan Tattoo Shop. She picked up the pennies from a local bank and traded her services as a tattoo artist for manpower.  The task took 300 hours and over three weeks to complete. The results was approximately 800 square feet in Lincoln profiles.

“My floor is made out of about 250,000 pennies,” Angst told ABC Pittsburgh affiliate WTAE. “Amazingly enough, it’s a lot cheaper to glue money to your floor than to actually buy tile. It’s about $3 a square foot.”

After the floor was laid down, Artisan had a gallery show where patrons could view the new floor, and anyone who logged 30 hours or more of penny tiling, would be promised a free penny tattoo.

What”s even more interesting is that this is apparently not the first time someone had the brilliant idea to use pennies to tile a floor. At New York”s Standard Hotel restaurant The Standard Grill the floor is literally tiled in thousands of copper pennies, adding a unique vibe to the interior decor.

This image, featured in Domino magazine, features cork penny rounds being used in a breakfast nook. They complete the space, calling attention to the chairs while everything else around it is square.

Picking up a quarter million pennies might be as easy as going to your local bank, but if you aren’t  interested in metallic, but like the look of rounded tiles there are a number of places that sell what are known as “penny rounds.” They are tiles, measuring about three quarters of an inch in diameter shaped like tiny circles.  In short, they are about the size of a penny.

Your next question might be, where you should use these tiles.  Tile flooring is common in kitchens and bathrooms, and pennyrounds can be used for either. Like other tiles, penny rounds can also be used for flooring or walls, even as accents over a countertop.

This house plan features a large kitchen with a breakfast nook as well as 2.5 bathrooms, all perfect spaces to make use of some penny rounds.

If you are enamored by the concept of rounded tiles then make sure to check out our collection of Fabulous Kitchen House Plans.

The Kendal Electric Fireplace from Dimplex® has traditional grace and elegance. Take a look at our collection of traditional house plans for beautiful homes that complement this fireplace.

This Dimplex® Kendal electric fireplace is beautifully crafted and operates at a low cost.  You get the look and feel of a fireplace without having to retrieve wood.  The Kendal electric fireplace operates for pennies an hour, four cents with flame only and nine cents with the heat cycling at fifty percent.  With high-efficiency and beautiful craftsmanship, this would make a beautiful centerpiece to any room.

The Modern Flames® Home Fire series is a more contemporary fireplace. With sleek lines this hearth will look perfect in any of our contemporary house plans.

The Home Fire series from Modern Flames® operates with a low energy LED flame.  Unlike the Dimplex® model, this fireplace is sleeker with a more contemporary fit and finish. This fireplace can be used with or without heat, so the ambiance of a fire can be found enjoyed all year around.

The Lennox® Ravelle™ fireplace comes with a variety of facing and insert options, making it perfect for any decor. Take a look at our collection of French country house plans for design ideas.

The Lennox® Ravelle™ fireplace is a high-efficiency, furnace-rated fireplace.  With everything from white to black arches to nickel, gold, and black inserts, this fireplace is a stylish fireplace that will meet high heating demands. This is perfect for anyone who wants lots of options and can””t quite find the perfect fireplace for their decor.

The charm of a fireplace is enthralling, but it doesn””””t have to be expensive. Consider an electric fireplace and make sure you get the most for the cost of your heating bill.  These beautiful fireplaces are energy-efficient and perfect for your home and any style home.  Take a look at any of Direct from the Designers”””” specialty collections and you are sure to find the right match for your vision.

Victorian Gothic

The Victorian era has some fantastic architecture, ranging from the simple to the elaborate. With details such as stonework and archways, these homes provide the base for a  haunting Halloween display. A large veranda provides enough space to display jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, or even some antiquated bottles with distressed labeling.

This unique Victorian house plan features stonework that gives it a spellbinding appeal perfect for Halloween.

The Villain’s Cottage

Perhaps your dream home is more in tune with the witch’s cottage that Hansel and Gretel happen upon. While gingerbread and other baked goods won””””””””t make for an easy to maintain home, you can still make the creepy cottage in the woods a reality with a home that features detailed millwork.

While homes like this have charm, they can easily be made into scary exhibits for Halloween with a few well placed decorations and jack-o-lanterns along the entryway. Dress as the wicked witch and you’ll have a façade that is sure to fright neighbors and friends alike.

This house plan is reminiscent of a fairy tale cottage, but whether that cottage belongs to the seven dwarfs or the wicked witch, remains a question.

Dracula’s Mansion

If your dream is to live in that house on the hill that looks like it came out of a Shirley Jackson novel, then consider a large towering mini castle house plan.   Homes with castle-like silhouettes will also provide a sturdy backdrop for Halloween displays.

Ideal for a home with a spacious yard, small castle house plans like this can be made into instant Halloween spectacles with very little effort. Put a few pumpkins on the porch, and light the windows artistically, and before you know it, your home will be the stuff of legends.

This spooky small castle house plan is interesting to look at and chilling at the same time.

These detailed houses might seem a little off-beat for a modern home, but with the right styling they can be the envy of the block on Halloween.  Whether you go for understated Victorian or out-right Gothic, if Halloween is your holiday, your ideal home exists somewhere in the Direct from the Designers library.

This charming country house plan with a white picket fence would be ideal for a smaller dog.

Keeping Pets In

A dog is active, and if you plan on letting them out to roam the yard, it would be wise to put a fence up. Yes, an invisible fence won’t obstruct curb appeal, but while it keeps your precious pet in, it can’t keep predators out.  Your fence should also have a buried, inward, forward-facing section to keep your pets from tunneling.

Dealing with the Mess

There is also substantial mess involved in owning a dog.  They are living beings and are as curious as a small child. There is definitely a chance that your dog might step in mud and track it through the house.  For this, a mudroom is a nice addition to the house. Serving as a second entryway, it often helps to dirt from entering the house proper.  Likewise, if  your dog or puppy gets wet or muddy and feels the need to shake, it’s more likely the grime will end up on an easily washable wall, instead of some new furniture.

Decorating and Designing

When it comes to designing the particulars of a room, keep your flooring choices washable. Think of hardwood floors, semi-gloss paint, and easily washed area-rugs. Also, consider interior, dutch-doors. These two-piece doors will allow for easy control over which animals can enter each room and eliminate the need for awkward baby gates.

This kitchen house plan shows the use of a Dutch door. While not on the interior, it demonstrates how easily these elegantly designed doors can corral a dog.

Owning a pet can be a rewarding experience, but to avoid regrets later on, it is essential to think about how the pets will be cared for in their new home. To prevent the loss of a four-legged friend and keep the humans of the house sane, a few stylish design additions will ensure a great quality of life for both humans and canines.