Can anyone help us find a waterfront houseplan with the following: mstr./laundry/mudroom on main, 2500+ sq.ft., 4-5 bdrms., elevator(Florida codes state 20 ft. above sea level), post/pier foundation. We need a plan which FACES the water. Most plans do not. We would like LOTS of windows across front. We will consider turning the plan around if we have to and/or making alterations. We are having an extremely difficult time finding a plan which has mstr., dining, and family rooms with a view. Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks!!! and God bless.
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From reading here and on Breaktime you might be better off to go to a home designer and architect to get what you want. Canned plans frequently have problems and errors to the extend that you spend more money fixing them than you save by buying mass market plans.
That said, I'm not sure I truly understand your difficulty. Why not pick the floorplan that looks best to you and add the windows as needed? This is not a major alteration in most construction unless you want greater than a 6' span of window, and even then it is just a matter of providing some engineered header support.
thanks for responding! The problem is not the windows as my husband is a builder/owner. The problem is needing as much ocenview as possible and most plans are too narrow or have master and other bedrooms facing back of house. Why be waterfront with no view, I do not understand these coastal architects! We also need post/pier foundation and an elevator, which all are hard to find in one spot. As for hiring an architect/designed, they want 20%(up to 20K) which I would prefer to put into the house if at all possible. Thanks for your help & God bless!
Well I can hazard a guess as to why 'waterfront' plans are too narrow for you - the property is so valuable that lots are long and narrow to crush as many houses as possible along the linear footage of coastline. If you are lucky enough to have a wider space to work with, you should expand your search to other 'view' plans such as in the mountains where lots can be wider.
Also, look in the HOUSES issue for this year's FHB. If memory serves the home on the marsh is geared entirely towards the marsh. Even if the square footage is wrong for you, it could be a start.
Thanks!! One question, unfamiliar with what an FHB is. Is this a magazine?
FHB - Fine Homebuilding, a magazine put out by Taunton Press. Each year they take a little break from the technical and publish an issue with cool houses.
As someone else suggested, don't buy the canned plans unless you have lots of free time and a substansial amount of building and code knowledge. I bought a set of plans and spend two weeks making all the changes. I will never buy anything like that again, a real PITA.
One reason why you might be having trouble finding plans with lots of windows are the energy codes. Most of your heat loss/gain will be through windows and the newer codes are harder to meet with a great number of windows.
Look into the plans the designers have in their existing portfolio, those plans have already been sold at least once and the work put into them is done so any sale of them is 100% profit. Those plans will be much more affordable and it gives you the ability to see what the house would look like prior to building.
Thanks a million for your help!!!! God bless!!!!
Look at Lindal Cedar Homes http://www.lindal.com/main.htmlHere is a 3 bedroom.
There is far more to it than just energy codes. TYhere are structural codes that impact on window design also.As you can imagine, a window has less resistance to flying obnjects than a solid wall does. The total live load sustained from wind load in a storm is also a consideration. since the hurricanes have brought on extremely high requirements in Florida, one not only has to be specific about each window, but the whole wall containing the set of windows has to meet the code requirements.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I forgot about their magnetic attraction to hurricanes. I've heard the codes in Fl are among the toughest in the country.
Thank you for the reminder though. I always pick up things from your posts, your one of the best on this site.
Thank you kindly
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
And why an elevator? I have seen a few coastal beach houses with elevators but they were there because of vanity, not need. Most coastal Florida homes will be on pilings that put the first floor at 10 to 12 feet above the ground.
Do you have a budget? Shopping for house plans without knowing what you can spend is an exercise in futility. Beach homes in Florida are very expensive per square foot in Zone 1 because of the additional framing, structural and window requirements. I'd be very surprised if you could get by for less than $300.00 a square foot and suspect $400.00 would be closer to the mark.
For plans buy a couple of plan books and select a floor plan close to what you want. Take that to a decent local draftsman and have them design the exterior around the floorplan.