Cool House Plans

Log Home Plans

Here's a new log home blog that sometimes includes pictures and links to sites with cool-looking floor plans for log homes.  It's kind of nice because it's not run by a company or manufacturer (someone with an agenda to push... i.e. their own log home floor plans or kits), just someone with a web site with some informational articles on it.  In between the pictures of log homes and cabins are accessory ideas for people who are planning to build their own log home or already have one and want to add some cool decorations.

Outdoor Kitchen Plans?

Outdoor kitchens are becoming more and more popular, but they ain't cheap to build.  You pretty much have to hire an architect as well as a general contractor, unless you're pretty handy yourself.  I wondered if there were any sites with outdoor kitchen plans out there.  Alas, I didn't find much.  I found kitchen designer software, and I found deck designer software, but nothing that combined the two ideas.  Your best bet is probably to check out a book on the subject for ideas, then see if you can sketch something out yourself (or take your ideas to an architect).  Here are a couple books on the subject with good reviews at Amazon:

Outdoor Kitchens : Designs for Outdoor Kitchens, Bars, and Dinning Areas
Building Barbecues & Outdoor Kitchens
Outdoor Kitchens : A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Design and Construction (this one actually doesn't have any reviews yet)

If anybody finds some helpful sites, please post a comment and let us know.

Software Allows You to Design Your Own Home

Let's face it.  The coolest house plans are the ones you have input on.  That's the dream, right?  To design your own home.  Well, there's quite a bit of software out there nowadays to let you do just that.  Sure, you'll need to have an architect expand on your work eventually, but there's no reason why you can't do the floor plans yourself, coming up with something fun and inspiring.  Here are a few sites I found that sell software for designing your own house plans (most of them will cost you money, but some of the companies offer a free trial):

SmartPlan (does landscapes and decks too)

FastPlans (it says it figures out all the math for you, so you can just worry about design)

ConceptDraw (this one's more expensive than the others, but it can do hotels, offices, and the like too)

Log Cabin Plans

This post on Building a Log Cabin from Scratch recommends a book called Cabins: A Guide to Building Your Own Nature Retreat because it has some plans on different styles of log cabins.  Not complete blueprints, mind you, but basic plans that can get you thinking about what design is best for you if you're building a log vacation cabin or something similar. 

Tiki Hut Plans

Ok, maybe you're not ready to built a whole house from scratch yet.  Why not start small?  Perhaps a tiki hut for the backyard?  Posted on the DIY Network's site, these step-by-step instructions will help you build a tiki hut for a Caribbean theme in your backyard: http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/le_party_food_decorations/article/0,2041,DIY_14026_2276724,00.html

For more on tiki huts, here's a directory of links to sites focused on all things tiki-related: http://b.webring.com/hub?ring=tiki

Straw Bale House Construction

Looking for eco-friendly house plans?  What would you say to a house made out of bales of hay?  Sounds like something Big Bad Wolf could blow over, doesn't it?  In truth, lots of people are building houses with straw cores today, and they stand up just fine.  If you're looking for straw bale house plans, visit: http://www.balewatch.com/

Unlike most sites that just try to sell you house plans, they have some pretty in-depth sketches up online.  The houses they list (with photos and plans) range from 140 square feet to 10,000 square feet, so there's something for everyone.

Passive Solar House Plans

So, you want to build a passive solar-powered house.  Let's just call it a solar house for brevity, shall we?  There are big house plan catalogues online that will just let you order some plans, but if you want to understand the ins and outs and have some input on the design, you might want to grab a book. 

Here's what Amazon has on the topic:

The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling -- the book has excellent reviews: "Thorough, concise, and up-to-date info for solar designs"

The Solar Electric House: Energy for the Environmentally-Responsive, Energy-Independent Home -- aside from having a tediously long title, this book also has good reviews at Amazon.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Solar Power for Your Home -- The reviews for this one make it sound like it's pretty basic; if you already have some knowledge of solar homes, the other two would probably be better.

Whatever book you decide to get (if you decide to get one), make sure it's a recent publication (or at least recently updated) as the technology is always improving and evolving.

Also, if you don't mind buying an online book, JC Solar Homes has their own product for sale, a 123 page books with emphasis on solar house plans and how solar houses work.  I have not seen the book, so cannot attest to how good they are.  If anybody orders one, please leave a comment and tell us if it's worth the money. Solar Home Plans

Castle Plans

If you're like many other kids, you probably had dreams of hanging out with Robin Hood and living in a castle as in your youth.  Well, I found a site with information on castle plans, in case you want to make that childhood fantasy come true by building your very own castle.  Based out of Sandpoint, Idaho (I know, it's not exactly medieval England), Castle Magic specializes in building nothing but castles.  The price to live in one, you ask?  A small castle keep runs $200,000 to $500,000.  A medium-sized castle is $500,000 to $1.5 million, and a large full-sized castle runs $1.5 million to $10 million.  These price tags don't include the cost of land (that's right folks--time to start scrounging in the couch cushions big time).

In case you're wondering, the castles can have all the comforts of home: "Garages may be placed under the castles, to the side, or around back hidden by a second porticullis entrance. Elevators and/or air conditioning may be added during or after construction if needed."

Here's the site: http://www.castlemagic.com/

Good luck with your castle dreams!

Yurt Plans

Once the homes of the Mongolian nomads, yurts are making a comeback in the 20th century.  (Although, todays yurt homes have a few more modern conveniences than those skin and bone tents from the steppes.)  Here are a few sites where you can buy yurt plans:

http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~edesign/yurtz/yurtpage1.htm -- Eco Design Sustainable Housing has yurt plans that range from $100-$400 depending on the size and whether they have one story or two.

http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/articles/yurt/ -- Want to build a yurt from scratch?  This detailed article has information and sketches on the construction of yurts.

http://www.yurtliving.com/ -- This site doesn't offer plans, but it has information on yurt living (where you can buy yurt kits) and products you might find necessary (i.e. composting toilets!)

Igloos

Ok, I don't expect anyone has plans to live in an igloo this winter, but they are technically homes, so I thought it'd be fun to find some sites with pictures of igloos and information on how to build an igloo. 

Pictures of Igloos:

This site has a lot of pictures including one of an igloo that looks like a bear head: http://www.grandshelters.com/igloo-pics.html

How to build an igloo:

NOVA Online has an article on building igloos in their survival guide section.  Did you know these squat structures can face down hurricane winds when probably made?  Here's the link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/denali/extremes/survigloo.html

Another how to build an igloo page with several pictures of the steps: http://home.no.net/gedra/igloo_bg.htm