Based on recent studies in the home building industry, the size of custom homes and building lots are continuing to decrease in the United States.Prospective homeowners have also shown less interest in high-end features and amenities.While still preferring custom homes, individuals desire more accessibility within the home.This supports the increased interest in open floor plans and layouts that allow flexibility of ever-changing lifestyles.

Although during economic recessions it’s normal for new custom homes to decrease in size, most studies support the downward trend in lot sizes, square footage and interior volumes actually started before the present economic recession and home building plummet.Even though the housing market is showing signs of recovery, there are signs indicating that new home sizes are continuing to decrease.Factors that weigh heavily influencing the trend of smaller homes are concerns about rising energy costs, increased economic uncertainty and a desire for lower property maintenance.

Smaller homes are becoming increasingly popular in every price range, but this doesn’t necessarily mean these home have less usable space.This is particular true if they are designed intelligently by an experienced custom home designer.Increased interest in open floor plans and the desire for more accessibility means that smaller custom homes can actually include more usable space, as well as the ease in which it can be used.

Flexibility produced by open floor plans also supports the many different lifestyles of the general public.Rooms that accommodate multi-use functions within its dimensions are more useful to the high-paced lifestyle of today’s working family.Custom home designers are able to determine how each particular family will use their home in day-to-day life.Families are as different as their interests, so living spaces should reflect how a family interacts with those interests.

There are very few things that are closer to our hearts than the houses that we live in. And there are even fewer things that we take a greater interest in than the homes which we personally own. The actual size of the house does not matter really. It is our personal little castle on this earth.

It is really hard for us to create a house which mirrors or reflects the personality and traits of its owner where it is consistent to all of its parts and faithful to its chosen style or character and also containing over all the elements of a good design. It is no wonder that in these fast paced days, when our time is filled with so many interests, we sometimes feel like strangers in our own homes.

In a larger home we are more likely to draw our inspiration for its design from widely separate fields and we bring into them the accumulated art forms of the distant past to finally create a grand home rich in history and culture. Also, a spirit of pride and emulation is often designed into the building of a larger home.

Quite too often though, this motive to build the super ornate home demonstrates its self like the construction of a fort that separates us from our ideals and the things which we actually wanted to accomplish. Our motives were to build something beautiful and ornate but we wind up creating something large and gaudy. If the designer is not careful in his or her blending of treatments and trims, we wind up designing something that was not really a reflection of ourselves, but of something that is from someone else’s past ideas and not really what we had in mind at all.

The same can be said about the motives that influence us who are trying to design a smaller house. Fortunately, it is not true to the same extent. Firstly, more often than not, we lack the money for the super elaborate. The materials we build our home from need to be found close at hand, and for the sake of economy, they must be inexpensive. This particular influence together with a bunch of others of a similar nature force us towards the design of the smaller house which actually can be more intimate.

In American homes, especially the smaller ones, we have learned to be inventive in order to make the home more personal in nature. Sixty percent of the homes built in the United States follow the simple Ranch or Rancher design which has a very straightforward layout and can be built with economy in mind. The Rancher can also be adaptive in that it does not have to follow conventional rules. For instance, a room or two can be added outside of the rectangle which is the basic design of the building and then treatments like ornate columns, shutters, gable vents, modified roofs, etc., can be added to make the house more individual.

Pole Barn Home Design

Can a pole building be designed to be used as a home?

Yes, post frame buildingdesign can be used to build a home. This type of construction is prevalent in the mid west and east coast for homes and commercial typestructures. Post frame design is often muchmore cost effective, depending on the plan, greatly due to the lack of a foundation and often less materials are needed for framing. Much of the reason there are less materials needed for framing is because materials are used more efficiently in post frame design. Of course, the complexity of the design dictates the cost effectiveness. If the design has a roof other than a basic gable style(hips & valleys) or uses large spans between the posts on the eave wall side, the cost effectiveness is oftendiminished. Not to say tha a complex design can’t be done, its just not as cost effective. In many cases, a pole building can be designed to look like any other stick built home.

Post framed homes are becoming more and more popular all over the United States. So, if you’re looking at an economical and unique option for your next home, a pole building home may be for you!

Please note that in most jurisdictions, your post frame home plans must be designed and approved as a residential dwelling. Your design engineer should know of the building’s intended usage so it can be designed to comply with local building codes.