Bungalow House Plans Provide Homeowners with an Affordable Home Design

If you want a home that has plenty of creativity and functionality without paying the price, bungalow house plans are the way to go. The name originally comes from a housing style for a single family home found in India, called a bangla or bangala. However, it is designed with certain style elements to match the modern American lifestyle. Combinations of the English arts and crafts movement with the far Eastern wooden architecture are what make this design highly desired. The final look of the home provides homeowners with a simple, yet efficient home plan. The exterior is often created to give a welcoming feel that carries on throughout the interior of the home.

Bungalow Home Designs Bring Laid Back Living to You

Although bungalow houses are known to be more affordable than other architectural styles, they will still display the details that you would normally find in the more expensive homes. The exterior will generally be made of rustic wood or stucco with a stone-based porch. The porches are usually deep in design and open to the street to provide an additional living area where homeowners and their guests can enjoy throughout the day and night. Porches include tapered square columns to further enhance the easy living atmosphere.

Roofs are typically low-pitched and shingled with exposed eave brackets. Many windows are found throughout the exterior walls to give the exterior a welcoming look for neighbors and guests. Leaded or stained glass windows are features that bungalow home owners can incorporate into their design to give it a little something extra. Exposed rafters and ridge beams are other common elements that bungalow houses are designed with. When put together, you’re given a warm and charming exterior of a home for not only the family, but also for those that are simply driving by.

Bungalow House Plans Provide Open and Efficient Living Areas

The interior of a bungalow home design is open and informal so families aren’t disconnected from each other throughout the day. You will find bungalow homes with the bedrooms, kitchen, dining areas, and bathrooms grouped around a central living area. This family-friendly design is great for families with children, as well as couples that enjoy a cozy living space that can also work well for entertaining. Bungalow house plans come in single story and one and a half story layouts where most of the living areas are designed for the first level.

While the windows can give the exterior a welcoming facade, they are made to provide the interior with natural sunlight that helps promote the feel of the open floor plan. Since bungalow homes are generally smaller in size than other styles, architects have developed designs that efficiently use the available space so rooms present homeowners with the amount of space they need for their daily activities. The cozy atmosphere is highly desired for families that want the room to spend quality time together, as well as giving each individual the personal space they require.

Standing alone with it’s understated elegance and simple appeal, the Craftsman Style Bungalow started today’s ongoing shift towards simple, uncluttered interiors. At the turn of the last century,in diligent rejection of severe Victorian standards and pretentious interior design, the Arts & Crafts Movement promoted a return to true craftsmanship.

Understated elegance, simplicity in purpose, and form following function are hallmarks of the well designed Craftsman Bungalow. The current trend awareness of environmental issues and “green living” dovetails into this aesthetic has resulting in a resurgence of interest in the Arts and Crafts Style.

Creative use of space in traditional bungalows typically included built in cabinetry and open practical floor plans. Many of today’s newer craftsman style homes and bungalows are much larger than at the turn of the century, but still reflect open styling and distinct interior and exterior detailing.

Original Craftsman homes with their darker wood interior details often boasted lots of windows to bring in natural sunlight. Choose sheer, simple fabrics for window coverings to allow ample light into the home. A simple embroidered detail along the hemline will add the “craftsman touch.”

The natural interior colors for your craftsman style home can be easily inspired by nature. Think of using the colors of a vineyard, the different hues of fall leaves, the muted tones of stones. Nature is anything but boring! It is soothing to the eye to follow your interior colors as they continue outside, as when glancing through a window or an open door. Take your outdoor surroundings into consideration, the colors of the foliage and sky. The craftsman style home ideally feels as if it is “growing” from it’s foundation. Colors should reflect nature and never be glaring or harsh.

There are talented artisans reproducing craftsman furniture at many price points. Do your research and look for the best quality you can afford. Try not to fall for the cheap imitations, take it slow and furnish your home with one or two fabulous pieces at a time. Your beautiful home will be much more reflective of you when doing it this way. Don’t be afraid to mix antiques with good quality reproductions. Simple and sturdy well made pieces will give your home the look you are after. You can easily mix in textural upholstered pieces in a simple shapes to soften the room. Embroidered pillows and tabletop linens also “soften the edges” of the typically masculine forms of mission furniture, adding color and texture to delight the eye.

Don’t underestimate the effect lighting will have a on the feel of your craftsman home. It can never be said too often, mixing good quality carefully chosen pieces with your antiques is a great way to get the most from your design dollar. Remember to balance overhead lighting with table lamps and pendants to create flattering light from several heights in the room. Combine fixtures of different materials, a stained glass floor light, a hand blown glass shade on a table lamp, perhaps pendant lights over the dining room table or kitchen island. Hand crafted artisan lighting is a great way to add quality to your home and can give the richness of an antique at a fraction of the cost.

Rugs can vary from Navajo style to the many beautiful Arts and Crafts patterns produced today.

Remember to add your personal touch with accessories made of hand hammered copper, Tile and pieces of Art Pottery to complete the Craftsman Touch.

COMMUNITY INFORMATION

Chula Vista is situated in the southern region of San Diego County within the state of California. There are approximately 194,939 residents in this community and 62,394 households. The median age of residents is 32.89 years.

TEMPERATURE

The temperature in Chula Vista is relatively moderate. The warmest time of year occurs in August during which temperatures reach an average high of 72°F. The coldest time of year occurs in December with average temperatures falling to 57°F.

HOME AND REAL ESTATE PRICES

The housing options in Chula Vista include single-family homes and properties, condominiums, townhouses, and apartments. The price of housing is as follows:

·One bedroom townhouse/condominium start in the high $100,000s.

·Two bedroom townhouse/condominium start in the high $200,000s.

·Three bedroom townhouse/condominium start in the mid $300,000s.

·Two bedroom single-family homes start in the high $300,000s.

·Three bedroom single-family homes start in the low $400,000s.

·Four bedroom single-family homes start in the high$400,000s.

REAL ESTATE MARKET TRENDS

As with most products and services in the United States, price shifts in the real estate industry are subject to the forces of supply and demand. Whether it’s a buyers market or a seller’s market, it is useful to evaluate home sales data for the most recent month available (June 2006), compared against the same period in the previous year (June 2005).

The median price of single-family homes dropped from $610,000 in June 2005 to $595,000 in June 2006, which represents a 2.5% decline. Fewer more homes sold in June 2006 (127 homes) than in June 2005 (171 homes). The average time to sell a home increased from 47 days in June 2005 to 66 days in June 2006.

The median price of condominiums and townhomes decreased slightly from $382,250 in June 2005 to $382,000 in June 2006, which represents a .1% decline. Fewer units sold in June 2006 (46 units) than in June 2005 (80 units). The average time to sell a unit increased from 52 days in June 2005 to 85 days in June 2006.

Homebuyers and home sellers should keep in mind that the data above is simply a snapshot in time. Therefore, the data must be evaluated over a longer duration to understand enduring market trends.

Visitors will be provided with a good standard of accommodation and are able to choose what type of holiday cottage that they want to stay in on the internet.

The main aim of holiday cottage is to provide good food and accommodation for the visitors and gaining their satisfaction. A holiday will be a good time for a person to relax and unwind and get rid of all of the stresses associated with modern day living.

The holiday cottages should be located in an attractive landscape and this will help to get more customers for the holiday cottage. Usually holiday cottages are built on the shore of lakes, by the sea or in the county side. The holiday cottages should be attractive buildings and well decorated and furnished inside. Many holiday cottages are full of interesting works of art and ornaments.

One of the fun things about staying in a holiday cottage is that you can have it as modern or as sparse as you want. If you want a relaxing holiday you can stay in a country cottage full of all sorts of modern appliances. Many have flat screen televisions, superb kitchens and amazing power showers. If however, you want a more basic type of holiday and want to get away from televisions and phones you can stay in a more sparsely furnished cottage in the middle of no where.

Some holiday cottages have central heating and others come with log fires. During the winter months it can be quite romantic staying in a holiday cottage with a roaring log fire. Then in the morning you can go for a romantic walk in the country side before breakfast and then return to your country cottage with log fire and warm up again.

Many people on fishing holidays stay in cottages as they find them an ideal way of being able to have their independence. They can store all of their fishing gear in the cottage and use it as a base to fish many different lakes and rivers in its vicinity. An added bonus is the fact that they are able to take the fish that they have caught back to their holiday cottage at night and cook them and eat it for their evening meal.

Lovers of the great outdoors also like to stay in holiday cottages. There are many cottages around the world that are in the country side or on or near mountains. They then use the cottages as a base to explore the surrounding area.

Some holiday makers will take their bikes with them to their holiday cottages and go on bike rides during their vacations. Others will walk around the surrounding area and others may go climbing. The handy thing about staying in a holiday cottage is the fact that they then have the freedom to return to the cottage at any time they like.

Holiday cottages in the country are also loved by families on their vacations. They are an idea base for families to use during their stay in the cottage. Families staying in a holiday cottage may go shopping in local towns on some days and other days go on a trip to the sea or explore the local area.

It can now be seen that there are holiday cottages available in most countries in the world. These holiday cottages can suite all budgets enabling holiday makers to have a cheap holiday cottage vacation.

For those holiday makers with deeper pockets, they can stay in an expensive holiday cottage full of all mod cons. No matter what your tastes or budgets you can find a holiday cottage to suite your requirements.

Many of the Charleston areas (like James Island) have a much larger selection of condos on the market compared to townhouses right now.  However, there is quite a demand for townhouses in this area since so many buyers want a close proximity to downtown Charleston and to the beach without the high cost.  Condos and townhouses are a great way for buyers to have the best of both worlds – yes, location and affordability!  However, given the choice between condos and townhouses, many buyers opt for townhouses so that they can share fewer walls with neighbors and sometimes have a private backyard.

 

Condos fall under a different type of property ownership than townhouses – with condos, you legally own the space of the condo and share ownership of common areas (such as parking lots, green spaces, etc.) with the other condo owners.  On the other hand, when you own a townhouse, you typically own a small piece of land in addition to the home.  Townhouses often have a small, fenced backyard that is private.  For this reason, many home buyers choose townhouses over condos. 

 

Townhouses are still relatively low maintenance.  Townhouses, like condos, have a monthly regime fee that usually covers maintenance of the common areas, access to amenities, building maintenance, and sometimes even a termite bond.

 

If you’re thinking about buying a home in Charleston, SC and you want to have a close proximity to the beaches and downtown Charleston, you may want to consider condos or townhouses – especially townhouses.  If your price range is under $225,000, this is the best way for you to buy in a good location and get a nicer home that is affordable. 

After a long and tiring journey in your caravan or campervan, checking into a hotel and going through endless formalities, is simply irritating and at times excruciating. And if you are one of those who feel the same, then cottages are just what you would love to get in and stay during the time of your tour. That just brings us to the question, what are cottages?

Cottages need no further introduction. They are simply cottages. However the point that differentiates these cottages, where tourists abode during their trip, is the self catering arrangements. These cottages are well furnished and well fitted with all the latest amenities, basic and luxury facilities and everything that you would need to continue a decent or high profile lifestyle.

But the difference is – that you can choose to live in your own terms and conditions. You have all the space to yourself so you can simply ramble around without invading someone else’s space. These cottages are like your own home, where you can do what you want to, live like you have to and simply have a wonderful time.

Most of the travellers believe that the self catering cottages are better than the most luxurious of hotel suits and guest house rooms. You get all the benefits of multi star hotels – like luxury bath rooms, plush living rooms and exorbitant bedrooms fit for the most hedonists of travellers. Plus you get beautiful lawns and gardens around your cottage where you can spend the mornings and evenings watching the beautiful sky, the lush green grasses and everything in between.

Travellers today love self catering cottages and as per the data collected on their popularity, most of the tourists prefer them over hotels. They prioritise cottages, not only due to the luxury offered, which is at par, if not more than the hotels, but also because the expenditures on cottages is much less than what one has to spend in hotels.

My last apartment was fantastic…beautiful hill country views; a swimming pool that looked more like a resort in the Caribbean than an apartment community’s; awesome monthly parties where I actually made friends…in essence, the perfect apartment community.

Unfortunately, I rented this apartment at the height of a booming apartment market economy…so with a teeny, tiny special. Oh well. I often thought it was worth it when I lounged by that pool.

Times Change

Well, times and markets change. In fact, each market, submarket, city, and neighborhood can yield totally different concessions and specials. So just asking a friend what special he got may not cut it.

An apartment community’s special could be totally different from up north in a suburb to down south in the heart of the city. Pricing and specials depend on surrounding apartment construction, overall occupancy, floor plan occupancy, desirability of the area, and of course, that ever increasing interest rate pushing more and more people to stay in apartments. It can make it all quite confusing.

Where can you find specials?

So where can the average joe go to find out apartment communities’ specials? How about the web?

Websites like Apartment Home Living.com are proud to showcase apartment community’s starting rates on all floor plans offered, as well as their randomly changing specials, to help each renter determine the starting specials at communities. Just look on the left side of each of our ads, underneath the main photo. There are such a variety of specials out there. You’ll find things like $0 deposits, $300 off first months rent, and free application fees.

Sometimes, these specials are on top of already great specials that individual communities offer when you call or walk-in. So you will always want to call each community that you’re most interested in to see if the floor plan you like features an individual special. You might get lucky.

Summer = specials big and small

As summertime arrives, specials will become less frequent. It’s a great idea to hop online, complete an apartment search engine’s personality matching search, then check out your matches. Most sites will list specials, so you’ll know what you are looking at.

Many properties may list “call for specials.” Don’t be aggravated by this. Accept it as up-to-the minute consistency. Many specials do change day to day and week to week, as different floor plans change in availability.

This is your best avenue to begin the discussion process as to what exactly sets this community apart and why you really may want to check it out before deciding completely on price alone. Check out our other article on what to ask when you call.

Then call. You never know—your favorite place may be priced right where you need it—and right when you need it.

For more tips on apartment hunting and living in apartments check out: Apartment Home Living.com

With gas prices staying high, for many, the desire to live in-town and in close proximity to the necessities, grows larger every day. The Town of Jackson is home to many condo communities that have been in the valley for quite some time and others that are brand new to the area. For buyers in the real estate market, the ability to walk or ride a bike most anywhere has great appeal.

 

Eagle Village is a condo community that was built in 2002. The complex is conveniently located next Smith’s Grocery store and is situated on Flat Creek, next to the bike path. The development is also close to the schools, a gas station, laundry mat and a doctor’s office. Underground parking provides each unit with 2 parking spaces and additional amenities include outdoor decks, 9 foot ceilings and a very functional floor plan. The current listing price of a 2 bedroom 2 bath condo in Eagle Village is between $600,000 and $625,000.

 

Creekside is a townhome community located on Powderhorn Lane. The neighborhood was built in the early 1990’s and is also situated adjacent to Flat Creek and the bike path. Each townhouse is approximately 1,400 square feet with 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and a 2-car garage. Only blocks from the Post Office, grocery store, coffee shop, & doctor’s office, Creekside is conveniently located to most necessities. To purchase a condo in the Creekside community, you will see listings prices from $599,000 up to $850,000.

 

810 West was built in 2005 and is often described as true urban living. The 3 bedroom, 3 bath units are approximately 2,264 square feet in size, with a rooftop deck and an attached 2-car garage. The modern interior finishes consist of bamboo flooring, concrete countertops, stainless appliances, and floor to ceiling windows. The complex sits on Flat Creek and is across the street from the public library. A unit in 810 West currently lists for around $1,275,000.

 

The Love Ridge condos are high end units that have resort zoning, so they can be rented on a short term basis. Located at the base of Snow King, each unit has lock-off capabilities to maximize the rental occupancy. The finishes in the condos include granite countertops, gas fireplaces, dual balconies, and 2 parking spaces underneath each of the buildings. A Love Ridge condo will run from approximately $1,300,000 to $1,950,000.

 

There are many great options in Jackson Hole for in-town living where you truly can walk or ride a bike just about anywhere you would need. The trend of urban living appears to be growing rapidly, as buyers and sellers trade in more space for better convenience.

Happy Hour is over at midnight and your place is the suggested location for your group to continue the evening of fun and to “straighten up” before hitting the road all the way home.

This could be a sticky situation if you aren’t prepared. So, here are 7 easy tips to successfully hosting an impromptu after party.

1. Put A Pot On- Serve coffee. Keep it simple, you don’t have to compete with Starbucks. Just brew up some java and it at the very least leaves your apartment with a wonderful aroma. It’ll help the sleepies wake up a little too.

2. Play Music At A Volume Grandmother Would Appreciate- And not the deaf one either. Be respectful of your neighbors to keep the party going. You could pop on the Ipod, stereo, or use your favorite music channel provided by your dish or cable company, but keep low. Suddenly you’re an Instant DJ. Plus, those music channels offer some really neat trivia about the artist that it’s currently playing.

3. Serve water to everyone- Maybe they don’t go for the coffee, but after a night out everyone could use some water. Even try to rouse the guy who didn’t quite make it through the night. If you don’t have bottled water, make a picture of ice cold water, add lemons, limes, oranges or even cucumbers (although not necessarily together) to give it some pizzazz. You must keep hydrated.

4. Appetizer’s are in high demand- Order appetizers before you leave your happy hour spot. Or, hop over to Ihop for breakfast food. Don’t want to stop? Scramble some eggs with a little toast, have chips and salsa, or cut up a medley of fresh fruit, cheese, and crackers. The true entertainer should always have mixed nuts or pretzels on hand.

5. Go Light On the Sauce- When preparing late night cocktails, go heavy on the mixers. Remember: your apartment isn’t a fully stocked bar and everyone’s been drinking since 6 p.m.

6. Play thinking games- Have games already on hand? Perfect. If not, make up some trivia games like name 5 movies with Julia Roberts or who holds the NFL record for the most Touchdowns. The point is to make sure your guest are mentally in top form before they say they’re going to head home—driving.

7. Don’t invite extra people- Only VIP’s make it to the after-party. Don’t allow others who call your after-hour buddies to drop in. Too many people can ruin a late night get together and things can get out of hand. VIP’s only!

The key to the perfect after-party is supplying your guests with a safe, fun place to relax or pull it together before heading home to drunk dial—which you can’t really help them with.

If you have always dreamed of building and living in the home you’ve helped design, it’s time to seriously consider putting your dream into action. In today’s mortgage market, a specially designed loan for just such a homeowner, the construction to perm loan, includes the construction loan to build the house, and the permanent loan to purchase the home. Mortgage lenders used to offer this as a two part process, first financing the construction loan and building the house, then obtaining another mortgage to purchase the home. There were two closings, and two sets of closing costs with this type of loan. The construction-to-permanent loan allows for one application process, one closing, and one set of closing costs and is simpler, cost-effective, and less stressful for the applicant. Some construction to perm loans allow custom building of a home with an adjustable low payment during the construction process. For those who may have purchased a piece of land, or intend to buy a piece of land then build on it, this informational article will show you how to finance the custom built home before it’s built. When choosing a lender and a builder, take the time to find viable partners in your custom building project who share your vision for your dream.

Lots for Building Custom Homes It is often best to select a finished lot. This means the lot is equipped with water and sewage systems, electricity, and road access. The lot should also be recognized as a single piece of land and have a boundary designation recorded with the county or city.

Finance Your Custom Built Home with a Mortgage Broker Breakwater Mortgage, in Virginia Beach and Williamsburg Virginia, is a Mortgage Broker. Mortgage Brokers have a wider variety of loan programs for consumers to select from. Visit a mortgage broker for the most competitive deals on a construction to perm loan. The lender will want to investigate if the land is appropriate for building by reviewing the land survey and building plans first. They will also check to see if the contractor is on the approved list of builders. If not, the selected builder will have to submit an application to become one.

Select the Builder of Choice for Your Custom Built Home Many of the larger name builders are already approved for many lenders. Ask the lender if your builder is approved. If not, most private builders and architects can easily apply through lenders. Each lender has different criteria for builders. If the homeowner is not satisfied with the builder they have selected, many loan programs allow them to fire the builder and begin with another approved builder. This gives the homebuyer power over their own destiny during the custom building and construction process.

Consumer Highlights for Construction to Perm Loans Construction to Perm Mortgages are written for primary and secondary homes. They are not allowed for investment property. Construction to Perm mortgages are not written for modular, pre-fabricated, or manufactured homes, either. One unit is allowed per mortgage. The construction term of the loan is from six months to 12 months, with exceptions up to 18 months on some products. Ask your mortgage loan officer about subordinate financing. There are also creative financing options available for homebuyers who want to put the minimum down and pay a low interest only payment while the house is being custom built.

Lender Requirements for Construction to Perm Financing Lenders require standard credit documentation and high credit scores for construction to perm financing. Lenders also request: 1. Final plans and specifications (needed to obtain appraisal) 2. Purchase contract for lot (or settlement statement if already purchased) 3. Property profile (a description of materials for custom building). 4. Line item cost breakdown from the builder 5. The builder’s construction contract 6. A copy of the builder’s license 7. The builder’s statement or application (showing the company as approved or applying to be approved to build a home). In addition to these documents, it is essential that the homeowner obtain the necessary permits to build in the community.

Benefits of Construction to Perm Financing Construction to Perm loans are a single close loan, and the consumer obtains financing before construction. This gives the homeowner cash to pay the builder and complete the construction. Construction to Perm is a fully amortized loan. Nothing changes in the term – it’s one mortgage. One of the greatest advantages to the homebuyer with this type of home financing is some lenders allow interest only payments while the home is under construction. This gives the homebuyer a low payment option in the beginning while living somewhere else. Once the home is occupied, the mortgage payments are changed to principal and interest payments.

Financial Suitability for Custom Built Homes High credit scores are important to lenders for construction to perm mortgages. Liquid assets are also carefully scrutinized. For homebuyers interested in construction to perm financing, the lender will look for adequate savings to pay for the mortgage during the construction period of the loan.

Down Payment Expect a 3-10% down payment to be required, depending upon the loan amount for the construction to perm financing. Smaller pieces of land or smaller loan amounts will require a lower down payment.

From the vantage point of the loan officer, construction to perm loans are a win-win situation. The homebuyer is purchasing a loan they feel comfortable with. They have a reasonable payment during construction, and business with the lender is concluded at the time the loan is made. This type of loan allows the person building their custom dream home to take control over their biggest asset during the most critical phase: construction. With financing in place, the borrower can make sure the final product is exactly what they want it to be.