Entertaining: Beyond Four Walls

by Michele Weaver | Jun 15, 2020 | HER Home

We get it. Some people are all in on outdoor living, relishing being outside, even at home. Second, we know that entertaining is one of the primary lenses people look at when considering a home purchase. At the intersection of outdoor living and entertaining is the sweet spot that helps determine many a home sale. Whether or not those issues are high on your priorities, a home designed for outdoor entertaining shows up in noticeable, and not so obvious, ways.

The Modena (plan #29372) has an inviting covered porch wrapping three sides.

The Murnane Manor (plan #42156) establishes its own sense of welcome with its fabulous front courtyard, anchored by a water feature to the left and French Door pass thru to the formal dining room.

Outdoor entertaining spaces in front of the home beckon passersby. Still, most of the time when we think of outdoor entertaining, we think of rear patios and the back yard. It may be privacy and lack of distraction from cars driving by, the security of a fenced rear yard for kids’ play and decreased likelihood that a ball is going to get kicked in front of an oncoming car, or just the fact that your back yard is more spacious. As with indoors, how you like to entertain will help determine the amenities that make your outdoor entertaining area ideal.

Porches, loggias, decks, and patios. Porches, loggias, and decks are attached to the home. Porches and loggias always have a roof, decks may or may not be covered. Advantages of a covered outdoor living space include shade, being able to still use the space when it rains, and the fact that materials used such as cedar typically last longer when protected from the weather by a roof. Porches may also have walls with screens and sometimes windows. Loggias have a more formal feel, incorporating columns to the open side and sometimes arches. Consider however, that covered and especially screened-in outdoor living areas will reduce the amount of sunlight enjoyed by the adjoining rooms. Patios are built on top of the ground and while they might abut the home, they are not attached to the house.

Multiple outdoor living spaces adorn the Sinclair Terrace (plan #42424 shown below). Sliding patio doors at the back of the dining room access the 30-foot screened porch, so even large dinner parties can enjoy the gathering without pesky mosquitoes.

Note the skylights atop the covered porch in the Comstock (plan #2778 at right), providing added sunlight for the great room, which might have appeared a bit dark because of the porch roof blocking sunlight.

How and where we access the outdoor living areas is a significant design consideration. The choice of hinged or sliding patio doors is often dictated by the adjacent interior space. If a hinged door would have to open into the dining area, potentially conflicting with the placement of table and chairs, a sliding door would be best. Can the transition to your outdoor living area be barrier free for individuals with limited mobility? That indoor/outdoor connection can also become congested when entertaining, so is there the possibility of two doors, providing dual traffic routes in and out?

The Gunnison (plan #50016) offers doors onto its loggia from both the dining room and the great room, providing a circular traffic route with minimal congestion. Notice also, being framed by the dining room and owner’s suite, this particular layout offers maximum privacy from side-neighbors for your get-together. And there is a door off the owner’s bedroom, perfect for enjoying quiet sunsets and cheery mornings.

Sometimes overlooked or underappreciated is where the bathroom is located that your guests will use when you’re entertaining outdoors. You would prefer they not have to walk all the way to the front part of your home. Planning a swimming pool in your backyard? If that nearby bathroom has a shower that’s even more accommodating!

The Rourke (plan #42082) has a 5-foot shower in the hall bathroom conveniently, but privately, located near the dining room’s door out onto the rear deck/patio. Also, notice the private grilling porch – separate from the outside entertaining area.

Because there is a Jack-and-Jill bathroom for bedrooms 2 and 3, the Connery’s (plan #42084) full guest bathroom serves splendidly as a traditional guest bathroom when entertaining indoors. Perhaps even better is when your party moves outdoors, as there’s a covered patio pathway to this bathroom’s direct outside access.

Outdoor Cooking. Seventy-five percent of U.S. adults own a grill or a smoker (Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association). So, it’s only natural that our affinity for grilling out is a significant design consideration, beginning with where that grill will be located. Will it be the centerpiece of a full outdoor kitchen? A visible part of your outdoor entertaining space, or would you prefer a more private grilling porch? People who don’t want an outdoor kitchen but love to barbecue may fall in love with the Chill-N-Grill™ amenity found in several Design Basics’ home plans. If you plan on running a natural gas line to where the grill will be located to avoid lugging heavy LP gas tanks in and out of the car, up and down steps, plan also on an inside shutoff valve for that gas line, in case of emergency or severe weather. If possible, you’ll also want to run electricity there for a grill light. Overlook that, and you will find yourself grilling after dark, cutting into that steak you’re cooking and not being able to discern if it is medium rare or medium.

The Cherry Gables (plan #42441) suggests an outdoor kitchen at one side of its covered patio, right next to the eating area.

Don’t have or want an outdoor kitchen but love to cook out? The Fiala (plan #42281) positions its Chill-N-Grill™ conveniently just off the patio doors leading onto the covered porch.

Chill-N-Grill™ design concept, with everything you need for a great barbecuing experience!

Our attraction to fire doesn’t stop at the grill. The Kennedy (plan #42134) showcases a traditional fireplace at the far end of its covered patio. Nestled between two arched openings and underneath a beamed cathedral ceiling, the fireplace is the focal point of this wonderful outdoor space and also the home’s great room. It’s so easy to imagine ceiling fans suspended from those exposed timbers, too! And did you notice there’s a door from the outside into the rear foyer with its adjacent wine cooler cabinet? Perfect for outdoor entertaining!

The Evergreen Weekender (plan #42054) presents a decidedly more casual approach, inviting conversation and s’mores around its fire pit anchoring the uncovered portion of the home’s rear patio. Other amenities include powder bath access and double doors leading to storage for backyard furniture, activities, and games.

How you like to entertain will strongly influence your desired outdoor living amenities. Stringing lights can make the occasion fanciful or festive, where might you want/need power outlets? Your home faces east and you enjoy being out back in the evenings. Even if you have a covered deck, do you need to consider retractable awnings?

A final reminder – outdoor entertaining space and amenities do not affect a home’s square footage, but they can significantly affect a home’s cost. Another reason you shouldn’t compare homes on a cost per square foot basis!

Next week: Fun-filled Entertaining

Livability at a Glance™ is our proprietary color-coded floor plan system that highlights four different lenses especially important to women: Entertaining, De-stressing, Storing, and Flexible Living. Discover your Lifestyle Profile by taking our Livability at a Glance Quiz.

For more resources on thoughtful design and products:

How do You Like to Entertain?

by Michele Weaver | Jun 8, 2020 | HER Home

This should be a question asked of every home buyer. That answer likely will have a profound effect on finding the right home for you. Formal living and dining rooms provide a welcome sensory buffer from the kitchen (visual mess, clatter and chatter, cooking odors) when entertaining. But ask any real estate agent, today the majority of home buyers seek large, combined entertaining spaces with a socializing area and expandable eating area, both open to the kitchen. Yes, as a nation we’ve become a bit more casual – just look at how we dress for work or church. What else is driving the popularity of the open concept? Practicality – buyers understand “cost per square foot” and value space they could use daily more than infrequently used formal entertaining areas. Togetherness – as family time together is increasingly rare and a separate kitchen often results in isolation when prepping, cooking, or cleaning up. And, multi-tasking – whether that’s watching TV while preparing dinner or keeping tabs on the kids after dinner.

The semi-formal “Great Room” borrowed from both the formal living room and casual family room. Often open to the front entry, great rooms may showcase the living room’s attractive finishes (flooring, ceiling treatments) and amenities (fireplace, lovely windows) as well as the family room’s big TV and comfortable furniture. Unrestricted by walls, which limited table size and therefore seating, an open dining area allows you to extend the table, accommodating big family holiday meals. Cherished memories! After all, grandparents, aunts, and uncles came to be with everyone, not to sit at the “adults” table while the kids eat elsewhere.

Though it is already a generous-sized dining area, the Sunflower Glen (plan #42425) has an open layout that permits “temporarily borrowing” space from the great room, so that you can add leaves to your dining table or set up another table alongside your existing table for large dinner gatherings, allowing everyone to be together.

Sunflower Glen – #42425

More than the clothes we wear and the vehicles we drive, we reveal ourselves through our homes. Now part of the public entertaining space, kitchens add to your story. Appliances may suggest the serious chef; storage can be beautiful and obvious, minimalist and hidden, or unique and colorful; and finishes, including flooring, counter tops, and back splashes, speak volumes about who you are. Eliminating kitchen clutter assumed new importance, ushering in solutions such as the Drop Zone to catch items when you first arrive home, Small Appliance Centers (see the Sunflower Glen above) to keep such items off your kitchen counter tops, and larger prep pantries or ironically, Work-in Pantries which, while corralling the mess, harken back to the separate, closed-off kitchen spaces typical of older home designs.

Drop Zone Design Concept

Small Appliance Center Design Concept

In the excitement of a model home tour, sometimes unnoticed is the presence and design of the front entry foyer. While it’s true that most of the time we go in and out of our homes through the garage, we still welcome guests into our homes at the front door. Do you prefer a home that opens directly into an entertaining space such as the great room? While immediately welcoming, people living in such designs have mentioned they sometimes miss out on greeting their visitors. Conversely you may prefer a more formal sense of entry for receiving visitors, but this comes with the added cost of that square footage. Is there a closet at that front entry, or do you plan on hanging coats elsewhere?

When entertaining, people gravitate towards sunny spaces. Physiologically, our eyes are attracted to light and studies show that sunlight triggers the release of serotonin in our bodies, a feel-good chemical. Add in the obvious benefit of being able to easily and clearly see everything, and sun-filled entertaining areas win almost every time. Oversized windows, particularly out the back of the home can offer beautiful vistas. Or, you might spend the same amount of money on standard size windows placed on two, or sometimes three sides of your entertaining area, ushering in daylight from multiple directions. Sunlight can be more prevalent in our kitchens as well. By accommodating storage needs with an extra-deep pantry, the Silver Creek (plan #42028 shown below) omits traditional upper cabinets on the rear kitchen wall in favor of additional windows! When we’ve shown home buyers the opportunity to delete some upper cabinets in favor of additional windows in the kitchen, most will gladly spend a little more for the added sunlight. Just be sure you’ve addressed that “lost” storage with, say, an oversized pantry.

What about your kids? While the open kitchen/dining/great room layout can work great for your neighborhood get-together, where will the kids play and not disrupt the party? If you are fortunate enough to have a basement foundation, that may be your answer – a play room in the basement. But if you’re building on a slab or crawl space, having a secondary entertaining place for their play is the recipe for everyone’s enjoyment. Finishing off space over a garage is ideal for noise reduction. In lieu of a two-story high entertaining room, would you see more value in a rec room built atop that main floor entertaining area? And though primarily envisioned as a place for parents with their children, the Family Lounge can also double as a kids’ entertaining area.

The Cedar Glen II (plan #42229) offers the potential of finishing nearly 250 sq. ft. of space over the garage – an ideal place for kids’ entertaining.

The Honey View (plan #42343) includes an upstairs rec room accessed by a couple stairs, allowing the entertaining area directly under to still feature an impressive 11-foot high ceiling.

The Dillon Park (plan #42477) provides a family lounge upstairs, which could double as kids’ entertaining space.

Join us next week for: Outdoor Entertaining at Home

Livability at a Glance™ is our proprietary color-coded floor plan system that highlights four different lenses especially important to women: Entertaining, De-stressing, Storing, and Flexible Living. Discover your Lifestyle Profile by taking our Livability at a Glance Quiz.

For more resources on thoughtful design and products:

Don’t Let Outdoor Living be an Afterthought

by Michele Weaver | Jun 5, 2020 | Great Design

I could have done so much more to create memorable outdoor living spaces. I would have made better decisions if I had just known then what I know now. I should have paid as much attention to these issues as I did the home’s livability on the inside. Don’t make the same mistakes!

Because it’s such a big purchase, buying a home has a certain amount of uncertainty. To deal with the numerous decisions, we narrow our focus to achieving our goals at that moment, whether that’s evaluating closet space, choosing countertops, or staying within budget, which can cause us to take our eyes off the big picture and overlook important aspects such as outdoor living and entertaining. This often results in the all too common “could have, would have, should have” regrets.

Could Have: While some relish the idea of an older home on an acreage, I was ready to be done with that – the maintenance…lack of modern amenities…just keeping up with the mowing was tiresome. And coming from that home, I never thought much about back yard privacy. But that is a real issue now. Whether it’s a card party or hosting our book club, it seems like the neighbor kids are always in their back yard on the playset or trampoline. I do love their laughter, and they’re great kids, but that noise and activity can be distracting. Now I appreciate the builder’s home designs that provide outdoor privacy from side-neighbors.

Would Have: If I had thought about the fact that the sun always sets on the back of our east-facing home, I would have paid extra for a roof over our deck. Our big umbrella just doesn’t cut it when we have friends over. Additionally, we’ve had to scuttle barbecuing plans due to rain – a covered deck would have allowed the barbecue to go on.

I wish I had thought through where the grill would go. We would have had a natural gas line run out to the grill, meaning no more lugging around those heavy LP gas tanks. And we would have had a light installed over the grill. Now, when I’m grilling after sunset and cut into the meat, it is hard to see if it’s cooked medium-rare, medium, or medium-well.

Had I known we would move Mom in, I would have chosen that barrier-free option for the transition onto the deck. The threshold and two-inch drop are dangerous for her, having caught her walker more than once.

Should Have: Traffic jams are for cars, not where we go in and out to the back yard. I should have gone with that Gunnison design that had doors off the dining room AND doors from the great room onto its loggia. There was even a door from the owner’s bedroom.

Buffered by the dining room and owner’s suite, the Gunnison’s (plan #50016) loggia provides desirable privacy. Access from the dining room and great room provides a circular traffic flow, minimizing potential congestion. And just imagine stepping out of your bedroom onto this great space with the morning’s first cup of coffee.

NO REGRETS. As evidenced by these disappointments, there is a tendency to unduly focus on creating the perfect spaces inside our homes, overlooking key considerations for making your outdoor living spaces equally memorable. Taking the time to look at how you like to entertain – or just relax – outdoors can result in the place you most long for in your home is actually outside!

Pre-air conditioning, big front porches were practical and commonplace. Neighbors conversed, and multiple generations played together, on the porch. Birthday parties, kids’ or grandkids’ treasure hunts and squirt guns, or just curled up on a porch swing with a good book, enjoy it all from the Modena’s (plan #29372) 7-foot deep porch that wraps three sides of the home.

Still, most outdoor living today focuses on the back yard. While covered outdoor living spaces provide welcome shade and protection from inclement weather, know they do cut down on the amount of sunlight entering your home. Skylights can be a beautiful and functional solution to restoring diminished light levels resulting from covered outdoor spaces.

Outdoor Cooking. Seventy-five percent of U.S. adults own a grill or a smoker, according to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association. So, it’s only natural that our affinity for grilling out is a significant design consideration, beginning with where that grill will be located. Will it be the centerpiece of a full outdoor kitchen?

The Evergreen Weekender (plan #42054) presents a decidedly casual approach, inviting conversation and s’mores around its fire pit anchoring the uncovered portion of the home’s rear patio. At the other end of the covered patio, a wall for privacy and suggested outdoor kitchen location. This design also helps avoid common regrets when it comes to bathrooms and storage. Its powder bath has two doors – one just off the patio. Guests don’t have to traipse all across the house just to use the bathroom. And there’s convenient double-door access to plenty of storage for outdoor furniture, games, and supplies in the deep garage.

Screened Porches. Amidst comfortable furniture, plants, and the gentle breeze, screened in porches are useful any time of the day. The screened windows connect us to the outdoors and still keep out those pesky mosquitoes. Dinner on the porch, with a few select friends, amidst the cascade of sounds and aromas, is a special treat.

The Sinclair Terrace (plan #42424) is a celebration in outdoor living – with its 30-foot wide rear screened porch and access to twin covered porches, one with outdoor kitchen and private access from the owner’s suite!

You don’t want to find yourself saying, “could have, would have, or should have” with regards to outdoor living. From small, intimate gatherings to neighborhood parties and milestone event celebrations, attention to your outdoor living accommodations before you sign a purchase agreement is one way to reduce uncertainty and eliminate regret!

For more resources on thoughtful design:

Flexible Living: Changing Households

by Michele Weaver | May 25, 2020 | HER Home

With more than 60 million Americans living in multi-generational households, the tremendous popularity of home plans with two owner’s suites is easy to understand. In fact, 20% of Design Basics’ top-selling home plans last year have two owner’s suites!

Caring for aging parents, shared finances, and bringing the family together are the most common reasons for these plans’ popularity. With grandparents or even great-grandparents in the home, the suite they use will usually be located on the first floor, allowing them to mostly avoid climbing stairs. The Cedar Glen II (plan #42229) features both owner’s suites on the main floor. Secondary bedrooms are found upstairs as well as possible expansion over the garage – there’s even a version enhanced with skylights.

With its streamlined foundation and modest 42-foot width the Cedar Glen II (plan #42229) is affordable and accommodating for multiple generations.

Cedar Glen II – #42229
Main Level

Cedar Glen II – #42229
Upper Level

Independent entertaining can call for a somewhat different layout, well-illustrated in the McAllister (plan #42027). Here, the original design’s Bedrooms 2 and 3 can be reconfigured as a second owner’s suite complete with its own entertaining area and possible private access from the front covered porch. This is a great layout for times when your parents are having a few friends over at the same time you’ve planned on a get-together with neighbors in the great room.

McAllister – #42027

McAllister – #42027
Guest Suite Option

Frahm Cottage – #42355

Casitas

Even more independence can be found in our plans with Casitas, such as the Frahm Cottage (plan #42355). Positioned behind the garage, the Casita is in effect a small apartment, complete with its own kitchenette, laundry area, and gathering area. This Casita has its own outside entrance, though a door could be added from the main home’s rear foyer.

Petaluma – #42290

Casitas can also be the perfect solution when a live-in caregiver will be part of the household. The Casita in the Petaluma (plan #42290) is located atop the home’s garage. Adding a door off the second-floor hallway means immediate caregiver help is just steps away. Or maybe your situation involves adult children. Forty-five percent of college graduates move back in with their parents after college, often due to the huge student debt they have taken on. Perhaps it is the loss of a job or other life circumstance. Casitas can provide the togetherness AND separation these households crave. Casitas may also provide some rental income. A surprising number of Millennial home buyers look to rent out part of their home from the day they move in.

Whether it’s a desire to grow closer, sharing expenses and upkeep, or life-altering events, households are changing. New homes designed with two owner’s suites are meeting the need and facing little competition from resale homes.

Livability at a Glance™ is our proprietary color-coded floor plan system that highlights four different lenses especially important to women: Entertaining, De-stressing, Storing, and Flexible Living. Discover your Lifestyle Profile by taking our Livability at a Glance Quiz.

For more resources on thoughtful design and products:

Risk Management Solutions – From Your Home Plan Designer?

by Michele Weaver | May 18, 2020 | Great Design

Yes! Just as you take out an insurance policy on the homes you build to minimize risk, here’s how working with Design Basics, LLC, for your home plan needs can help minimize your risks and uncertainty.

It is expensive and time consuming coming up with new home plans. Recruiting and retaining top-notch design staff is difficult, as is keeping up with seasonal demand for design services. Design Basics helps you minimize these costs and risks by providing great home design services, quickly, at a competitive price.

$1,000 or more is a lot of money for a house plan when I do not know if the home will come in at the cost I need. Design Basics offers Study Sets – the complete set of home plans for estimating purposes (not for construction) at a discounted price, and the price paid for Study Sets is applied to the cost of licensing the plan for construction. And, with our Builder-Centric℠ Preferred Builder Program, you can get up to five (5) different plans per year as Study Sets for just $100* each!

I can probably get the plans cheaper elsewhere. Our LOW PRICE GUARANTEE means that if you find a better price elsewhere, we will match it. And working directly with Design Basics means the quickest response and most accurate answers to any questions you might have.

What if, for some reason, I cannot use the home plans I purchased from Design Basics? When you purchase home plans directly from Design Basics, you may exchange the home plan* you licensed to build for a different home plan* one time at no charge (other than any incremental increase in plan price of the second plan) at any time within six months of the original home plan purchase.

Any delay in receiving home plans means risking losing a potential client. You can receive most plans ordered the same business day via email, though certain upgrades such as an alternate foundation plan may take up to three (3) business days.

How do I know that I am getting a quality home plan? Design Basics has focused on serving home building professionals and designing homes since 1983. Hundreds of thousands of homes have been built from the plans we offer. And several of America’s “hottest” design trends were introduced by Design Basics! In addition, we are members of the American Institute of Building Designers and the National Association of Home Builders – further assurance of our expertise, professionalism, and commitment to the industry.

Pet Center Concept

Appliance Center Concept

Laundry Solution Concept

I found a home plan that might work…with changes. Your choice – our licensing allows you to modify the plan locally, or Design Basics can customize the plan for you. We have a proven customization process that is designed to please, and we provide no-cost estimates of both the fees and timeframe to complete the customization.

You have a nice design, but I need engineer-stamped (or architect-sealed) home plans in my area. Design Basics’ Dimensional Home Plans are the answer! Sent to you on CAD, these plans are drafted and dimensioned, but without the accompanying notes and structural information – ready for you, your engineer, or architect to finish per your specific needs.

Deciding what new plans to bring into our home portfolio is risky. Design Basics’ Concierge Service is designed to help you minimize such risks. We know what is selling in terms of home design. Based on your goals (e.g., affordability); restrictions (e.g., 40-foot maximum building widths); and target market (multi-generational households); we can specifically recommend designs that improve your odds of success. Upon request, we can even review your existing design portfolio to identify gaps and opportunities we feel could be better addressed through design to help you sell more homes.

The home plans I am using are fine. The cost of relying on the same old home designs may be more than you realize. Today’s new value-engineered plans may be less expensive to build while offering more of the amenities today’s buyers desire. Lost profits from missed sales and fewer resulting referrals can be very expensive.

What if I have questions or do not understand something regarding the home plans I purchased? Design Basics offers free technical support for all of our home plans. Just call with your questions and we will work through issues with you.

I want to see if a design gets traction in my market without paying $1,000 or more for the plan up front. Receive the rendered front elevation and black and white floor plan artwork in .jpg format, along with a Promotional License allowing you to use the artwork in your advertising and promotional efforts for just $25 for any of the home plans we offer. Importantly, the rendered presentation artwork is accurate to how the home was originally designed. Photographs can be beautiful and help bring the home to life, but may incorporate a degree of customization, potentially confusing buyers to expect their home will match the photo. Better yet, upgrade to a Customized Promotional Handout (sample shown at left) complete with your logo and contact information!

Reducing risk is Smart Business. Just as there are risks associated with introducing new home plans (time, expense, market reaction), there are parallel risks from doing nothing (higher construction costs, lost sales due to “dated” designs). Tap into our nationwide experience, creative problem solving, and design leadership while minimizing your risk. Contact Design Basics today!

*Applies to these designers only: Design Basics, Carmichael & Dame Designs, Plan Pros, Inc., and Scholz Design.

At Design Basics, we have the tools to help you stand out from other builders:

Marketing Products & Services
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Builder Success Stories – learn how other builders are successful through home design, marketing, and sales!

Contact us today to learn more: 800.947.7526

Entertaining: Beyond Four Walls

How do You Like to Entertain?

Don’t Let Outdoor Living be an Afterthought

Flexible Living: Changing Households

Risk Management Solutions – From Your Home Plan Designer?

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