Best Selling Small House Plans | Mark Stewart Modern Home Design (2024)

FAQs

What is the perfect home layout? ›

Ideally, to provide the best layout for your family, there should be one bathroom for every two bedrooms in the house. Homeowners who entertain frequently should choose a house layout that has a full or a half-guest bathroom near the living area. The guest bathroom should be downstairs in homes with multiple floors.

Simple rectangles or squares, 2 rooms deep, with the important rooms (bedrooms, living areas, kitchen) on outside walls. All rooms having windows on two sides for cross-ventilation and light. You can still have a somewhat open floor plan, but I wouldn't go overboard with that.

Ranch homes are the most popular home style in the U.S. They're another rectangular-shaped house, though they come in “T” or “L” shapes, too. A home with a simple and concise layout is the cheapest type of house to build. Ranch homes are typically single-story structures with attached garages.

Modern home design emphasizes clean lines and geometric shapes. No more are features such as arches, ornate columns, window shutters, or any outlandish ornamentation. In place of these features that at one point spoke of luxury and wealth are simple shapes and intentional asymmetry. The opulence of the past is no more.

The Ranch House is America's Most Commonly Sold Home

Ranch-style housing is the most popular across 20 states. This American classic was built in such quantities in the mid-twentieth century that it prevails through sheer force. The ranch house offers space and, occupying just one floor, cradle-to-grave accessibility.

A few of the most popular styles include American Craftsman, Cape Cod, ranch, colonial, contemporary, and Victorian but there are numerous others. Many old homes are still full of the character that reflects their particular style.

Realtor.com says that large homes get more views on its website than smaller ones: For instance, an 8,000-square-foot mega mansion saw 30% more traffic than a 1,000-square-foot house. But in reality, the larger the property, the longer it stays on the market.

Bad layouts include a staircase that's facing the door, adjoining bedrooms, and no views from one room to another. Keep in mind that you'll likely sell the home at some point, and a bad layout could make it more challenging to sell.

Square Footage

Visualizing the square feet of a room or house that matches your family size can help you choose the right home size. On average, the ideal square footage is about 600 – 700 square feet per person. That means a family of three will want a house that's at least 1,800 square feet.

Asphalt Roofs

Asphalt shingles are the most popular due to their low upfront cost. To ensure they last as long as possible, asphalt shingles require a well-ventilated roof, so give some thought to how you will ventilate the roof and what kind of vent caps you want if you need ventilation holes.

Why are Barndominiums so cheap? ›

Barndominiums have a quality that often makes them very customizable, which is that typical barndominiums are often constructed from a metal building. Metal structures are usually less expensive to construct than traditional buildings, which is one reason why they are used so much in commercial construction.

Since two-story homes have a smaller footprint, they're usually more cost-effective to build, and there are many more design options to choose from. With more space on different floors, you'll have more privacy in a two-story home, and this makes it easier to host guests from out of town.

Modern houses, often known as mid-century modern, are gaining popularity among homeowners. These residences were built between 1935 and 1975 and are divided into two types: ranch and split-level. Features: Connected garages and open kitchens.

This type is the most common home in just four states, but one – California – is the nation's largest housing market. The modern style is marked by geometric but asymmetrical silhouettes, large windows and open floor plans. In addition to California, contemporary homes are common in Hawaii.

The budget can stay low in a modern home with the use of formal geometry. Traditional homes often have architectural details where the exterior walls move in and out and this can become expensive. These architectural details may be to emphasize a doorway or a picture window, or a specific roofline.

Triangles are the most structurally robust of all forms and are the strongest. Triangles are extremely robust because of their intrinsic structural properties. Their less-than-90-degree angles enable them to withstand gravity's pulls. They are also sturdy and do not bend easily under pressure.

Vinyl Siding

Vinyl is a common choice for energy-efficient siding. It's durable, waterproof, and deflects sunlight — preventing warming rays from making a house even hotter in the summer. Another benefit of insulated vinyl siding is its durability and longevity.

The kitchen is like any other room in your home in that it's yours — make it what you want it to be. You know that your family and friends will gravitate to it and usually spend more time in there than other public spaces.