Home Design

 

Designing Your Perfect House
Winner of the 2008 National Best Books Award in the Home: Reference Category

Your Architect in a Book

If you ve ever considered building your dream home, here is a step-by-step guidebook that will take you through the design process. Designing Your Perfect House: Lessons from an Architect concerns the thought process of planning and creating a house, the methodology of the design, and how to get everything right.

Reading this book, you will gain insights about how to:

     Gain control of the design and building process

     Choose a perfect site for your house

     Avoid costly mistakes

     Unify an architectural design

     Not just design a house, but how to design a home

     Budget in a realistic manner

The basic premise of the book is that there is no such thing as the perfect house; there is only your perfect house. An architect s task is to help you achieve that dream.

Price: $23.00 | Learn more

How is the home design center experience?
My parents & I are having a house built & we have an appointment at the home design center. They say it should take about 4 hours. Does it really take that long to pick out countertops & molding? What kinds of things should we be looking for?

It usu. takes that long as you will be bombarded with many, many questions and faced with many design combinations. Make sure to eat before going to insure that you blood sugar doesn't drop and you become moody and anxious. Get plenty of rest. Check with the home design center to see if you and mama nem' can walk through the center just to see the different finishes, hardware, etc. It is a bit daunting to have to make a decision having not seen the choices until the day, hell, minute before you have to make them. In terms of what you should look for keep an eye on price as you can face cost overruns without batting an eye. Those selections add up to big dollars real fast. Don't skimp on counter tops, cabinets, sinks and floor finishes. These items can increase the re-sale value of your home and they are the most costly to change. I would go with the least expensive fixtures like door handles, faucets, light fixtures, etc. as any handyman can change them for you after you're in the home and the handyman's cost will most likely be lower than that of your builder. Good luck to you and Mama nem'
Handy but Perplexed  |  Read more

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Home design?
cover furniture with vinyl upholstery

Number one offers a decent suggestion, though Vinyl, unlike Leather; doesn't breath. Obviously it would be easier to keep clean. "NaugaHyde" (sp) is another flexible "fabric" that simulates leather in various colorations; styles; and patterns. On a light hearted note; you reminded me of an era when many people used Clear Vinyl as slip covers for furniture in a Living Room...The kind of room that no one; especially kids; was strictly allowed to "LIVE" in...LOL. I had an Aunt with just such a show room.
DIY Doc  |  Read more

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What is the difference between interior design and professional home design?
i am interested in becoming an architect. i know what kind of architecture i want to be. but i dont know what its call. i just want to draw a single homes w/ rooms, bathroom, living room and ext from foundation up. what is it call? interior design or professional home design?

That is called an architect. An interior designer is a licensed professional (as is architect) who is the type of person who helps out on the show trading spaces. They "design interiors." They will usually be knowledgeable in fabric, color, material, and geometric organization. A professional home designer is usually a person who is not licensed or registered and draws up house plans. They call themself home designer because they are not licensed and not allowed to use architect. An architect is a registered professional licensed to practice architecture and design buildings (including homes)
jimmyjames  |  Read more

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What is the easiest home design software to use?
My 12 yr old son wants to be an arcitect and we have played around with some of the less expensive ($9.99) home design software, but they seem a little hard to get started with. Anyone know if a very simple one to purchase? We were thinking of the Better Homes & Gardens series, maybe find one on e-bay..

Google SketchUp is free. If your 12yo is anything like my 10yo he should be able to become proficient at that pretty quickly. My son goofs around with my AutoCAD which is NOT inexpensive nor would I have thought it easy, (considering what I charge for drafting)! You can get it here..... http://www.sketchup.com/
WindWalker10  |  Read more

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Chief Architect Home Designer Suite 10
$99.99

The Nest Home Design Handbook: Simple ways to decorate, organize, and personalize your place
$12.47

Designing Your Dream Home: Every Question to Ask, Every Detail to Consider, and Everything to Know Before You Build or Remodel
$13.35