Let the Design Shine Through!

by Michele Weaver | Feb 26, 2020 | HER Home

Hy-Lite Barn-Lite Single Sliding Barn Door

A classic updated.

Sliding barn doors have been a design favorite for years, and the new Barn-Lite sliding doors from Hy-Lite are a bright update to the classic, rustic barn-door. Featuring a grid of clear acrylic blocks encased in vinyl and steel, these doors feature the functionality of a sliding barn door while also allowing the room to be flooded with natural light. The contemporary design comes in your choice of white or bronze framing, ensuring it will complement the existing design. Finally, functionality, privacy,and natural light can be achieved with the same product!

If you’re interested in the Modern Farm House Style and want to carry the “modern farm house” theme inside, think of how great these Barn-Lite doors will look in your new home!

Natalie Farm – #42417

A Single Panel Barn-Lite door for the Pocket Office in the Natalie Farm (#42417) home design is a great way to close off the space while in use, yet not feel as closed in with the added light. It’s also a nice way to close off the Pocket Office from the Family Room with an added decorative element.

Redwood Farm – #42427

The Redwood Farm (#42427) home design’s Flex Room off the front entry foyer is a natural fit for a Double Barn-Lite door. Again, it’s a nice visual element upon entering the home, yet can be closed off if necessary.

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Images Courtesy: Hy-Lite
Learn more at Hy-Lite.com

(Product spotlights are for informational purposes only.)

Storage and Prep Kitchen in One!

by Michele Weaver | Feb 7, 2020 | HER Home

Problem: You enjoy entertaining, but don’t like to rush around cleaning up from food prep before your guests arrive. You have a large family and need additional space for storage, prep, cooking, and cleaning up. Or, you just enjoy keeping the kitchen clean and presentable.

Solution: The Work-in Pantry concept is more than a mere walk-in pantry. It offers the conveniences of storage and prep kitchen in one! Perhaps you have several dishes that need to be baked, the additional ovens are handy. A second dishwasher makes clean up quick and easy when you wash the dishes you store in the pantry in that dishwasher. Prep for a party and leave the mess in the Work-in Pantry until after your guests have departed. All the while your kitchen counters are free for serving up hors d’oeuvres, not your prep dishes!

Additional Benefits of the Work-in Pantry:

Some dishes produce strong odors that may be unpleasant to the senses, such as seafood/fish, spices, etc.; keep these in the Work-in Pantry and out of the main kitchen and entertaining areas.
For those that require kosher (or other ethnic/religious) food prep, the Work-in Pantry provides an ideal solution for keeping prep/cooking/serving separate.

The Zinnia (plan #42041) presents a nice Work-in Pantry layout. Tucked in the back corner of the kitchen with ample space for incorporating additional appliances, storage, and counter top for food prep.

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Powder Bath Considerations

by Michele Weaver | Jan 30, 2020 | HER Home

Being fortunate enough to have a powder bath (or ½ bath) means guests need not appreciate your child’s rubber duckies in the tub. If your new home will have a powder bath, its location and design are top considerations. Having a powder bath might also be a cost issue requiring further trade-offs.

Powder Bath Location. Convenience suggests that main bathrooms should be located near the bedrooms, freeing the powder bath to serve other areas of the home. But for powder baths, privacy is as important as an accommodating location. You wouldn’t want to see the toilet when you walk through your front door, nor an “extra seat” from the kitchen/dining area. Location privacy is also important as a sound buffer. While simply keeping the bathroom door shut at all times seems like a reasonable alternative, in reality, that solution doesn’t work because you never know if that bathroom is in use or not. Finally, “how you want your home to live” can affect location. Do you want that bathroom near the entrance in from the garage? Near your home office for clients’ and colleagues’ use?

Powder Bath Design. For many, the focus rests upon selecting the perfect pedestal lavatory and faucet to compliment the design of the rest of their home. In terms of aesthetics, those pedestal lavatories can be stunning, but excellence in design means combining the aesthetics and practicality – specifically, storage.

At the risk of being indiscreet, when you’re sitting on the stool and you don’t have what you need (extra roll of toilet paper, hygiene products, etc.), then it’s not a good bathroom design. An over-the-toilet or in-wall storage cabinet are a couple ways to deliver the practical as well as the aesthetic in a powder bath that features a pedestal lavatory as opposed to a sink that sits atop a vanity base cabinet.

Thoughtful Design vs. Cost. Consider two Design Basics’ plans – the Osborne (#6282) and the Limington (#43037) – that are almost identical, with the only significant difference being the addition of the powder bath and drop zone in the Limington, adding about 42 square feet. Yet, using the standard $150 per square foot rule of thumb (source: HomeAdvisor.com), that works out to an additional $6,300. It seems like a lot of money for a 1,600 square foot home, but the convenience of powder bath would sure be appreciated by both occupants and guests alike!

Osborne – #6282

Limington – #43037

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Cover Photo: <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/business”>Business photo created by freepik – www.freepik.com</a>

Think Storage

by Michele Weaver | Dec 26, 2019 | HER Home

Storage. It’s a much-needed element in any home. And, we rarely hear homeowners say they have too much storage. But, that square footage costs money, and now averages upwards of $150 per square foot. Let’s say you have a 6’ x 10’ closet space; that’s 60 square feet, or approximately $9,000. That means storage space is expensive. One way to mitigate the expense is to include a well-designed storage system. They not only maximize space; they help you organize your stuff—and your life!

Areas where you can maximize storage space without adding square footage include extra shelving over your washer and dryer, under the stairs, or in the garage – again, storage systems are an excellent way to organize and contain items; also, think suspended shelves or shelves above your garage door tracks.

Specialized Storage. Do you dream of a huge kitchen pantry? How about a cedar closet for your households’ off-season clothes? Where will you stash the 36-roll package of toilet paper? Do you have room for the grand-kids’ toys and games? Is a wine room in your future? Wouldn’t it be great to have a handy place for your Christmas tree?

Over the years we’ve often heard homeowners requesting specialized spaces to accommodate their own unique needs. Gathering up all the ideas, we created what we call a Signature Space® – a small flex space/room measuring 6’ x 8’ that can be used however the homeowner wishes. The Serena (#42282) plan’s Signature Space could be used as a craft room, toys/games room, or customized storage.

Our Livability at a Glance™ color-coded floor plans help home buyers focus in on the elements they desire most in a home: Storing, Flexible Living, De-Stressing, and Entertaining. As in the Tillamook (#43038) plan, the different areas of the home are identified by color (Storing is orange) so you can visualize where storage is located/could be located. Using our Livability Search Tool, you choose which area(s) of the home are most important to you and those plans identified as being strong in this area(s) will filter into your plan search. Which of these four areas are most important to you? Take our Livability at a Glance Quiz to find out!

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Cover photo: Note the electrical outlet in the pantry; handy for charging small appliances. Photo by Renee D. Calvin Photography.

Entertaining Spaces

by Michele Weaver | Dec 20, 2019 | HER Home

Open floor plans are favored by buyers who enjoy entertaining. This is most noticeable when it’s time to eat. Enjoy having friends and relatives over for holiday meals and there’s 14 of you together? That’s when you’ll appreciate selecting a home design where the dining area flows freely into an adjoining space. Add leaves to your dining table or simply add another table, temporarily borrowing space from that adjoining room. That makes for memorable entertaining, with friends and family as everyone’s together.

The Waterside (#7408) plan offers multiple spaces for entertaining: great room, hearth room, eating area off the kitchen, and a formal dining room/flex space as well as a rear covered patio. The dual-sided fireplace between the hearth room and the great room conveys a unique ambiance that connects the spaces. In addition, the raised eating bar in the kitchen is a wonderful spot for additional seating or a convenient spot to set up the buffet!

Our Livability at a Glance™ color-coded floor plans help home buyers focus in on the elements they desire most in a home: Entertaining, De-stressing, Storing, and Flexible Living. As in the Waterside plan shown, the different areas of the home are identified by color (Entertaining is yellow and Flexible Living is green) so you can visualize where the entertaining can take place. Using our Livability Search Tool, you choose which area(s) of the home are most important to you and those plans identified as being strong in this area(s) will filter into your plan search. Further, if you would like to see what areas are most important to you for your home’s design, take our Livability at a Glance Quiz!

For more resources on thoughtful design:

Cover photo: <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/christmas”>Christmas photo created by rawpixel.com – www.freepik.com</a>

Let the Design Shine Through!

Storage and Prep Kitchen in One!

Powder Bath Considerations

Think Storage

Entertaining Spaces

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