You can have the home of your dreams! This comprehensive guide walks you through every decision and addresses all the details that most homeowners don't even know to consider. In this step-by-step, room-by-room handbook, Susan Lang considers every aspect of your homebuilding or remodeling project, such as how to Hire the right architect, interior designer, and builder Design each room to perfectly fit your family's lifestyle Plan ahead so all your storage needs are met Determine the perfect placement for light fixtures, switches, and electrical outlets Save money by avoiding costly design revisions or building change orders You'll find helpful forms and checklists that will keep you organized and assist you in clarifying your needs. And if you're worried that building your dream home might turn into a nightmare, Designing Your Dream Home covers the most common mistakes that homeowners make and shows you how to avoid them. Susan Lang has thought of everything, so you won't have to.

A #1 best seller for years, Bill Hirsch's Designing Your Perfect House: Lessons from an Architect has been called an essential read for Homeowners as well as Professionals. Bill's flowing style of writing makes you feel like you are sitting with him having a chat about your project. The philosophy behind design decisions is explained with stories, photos, sketches, and checklists. The book is divided into Twelve Lessons, with an additional Bonus Lesson ," Building Green, Naturally". You will learn how to evaluate your needs and work towards creating a suitable design, perfect for you and your family. The experience of home design and construction should be controllable, gratifying and enjoyable. With the valuable advice that Designing Your Perfect House: Lessons from an Architect provides, it can be.

Bring Your Dream Home Vision to Life Are you tired of looking at other people's homes and wishing you could build the perfect living space tailored exactly to your lifestyle? Stop dreaming and start building with "From Blueprint to Reality" - the ultimate guide to designing and constructing your dream custom home. Written by Jonathan Fales, this book walks you step-by-step through the entire journey of home design and building. With proven strategies and professional insights, you'll learn how to: Master the Art of Planning Discover how to work effectively with architects and engineers to transform your vision into a comprehensive, code-compliant blueprint. Understand construction drawings, materials, and specifications. Navigate Permits Like a Pro Cut through the red tape with an easy-to-follow roadmap for obtaining all required building permits and approvals from your local jurisdiction. Avoid costly delays and violations. Bring it All to Life Learn proven project management techniques to stay on schedule and within budget when building your masterpiece. Whether you dream of a cozy cottage, modern smart home, or luxurious estate, "From Blueprint to Reality" gives you the professional knowledge to design it, plan it, permit it, and finally build the home of your dreams with confidence. Don't settle for someone else's dream - create your own with this must-have guide!

DIV Packed with tools and tips, this essential guide provides the instructions any aspiring self-builder needs to ensure that their vision becomes reality. Organized into three main sections—Thinking, Dreaming, and Doing—guidelines are provided that cover every aspect of the build, from finding a plot, obtaining planning permission, and commissioning and briefing architects and builders up through implementing the build itself. Structured around fundamental locations—urban, suburban, and rural—a host of successful projects are featured, including, a reinvented violin factory, a converted barn, and a glass pavilion on a beach. Suggestions for using green design and building techniques are also provided. DIVDIV Kevin McCloud is an interior designer and the author of several books, including Bathrooms, Choosing Colors, Grand Designs, Grand Designs Abroad, and Lighting Style.

Without a doubt, the most important investment of your life will be your home. No other purchase will matter more to your lifestyle, financial future, and personal well-being. It is never too late or too soon to set a course for creating a home that will provide the maximum return and fulfill your dreams. With step-by-step instruction, Good House Hunting will take you on an inspirational and practical journey to finding your dream home -- both within your imagination and out in the real estate world. For home buyers, Good House Hunting will help you navigate the complex process of finding the property with the greatest potential. For home owners, Good House Hunting provides the framework to help you maximize your current property. For dreamers, Good House Hunting sets out the course for dream home planning, so when you are ready you will have a plan. If you long to discover what home would be a worthy investment for improving your fortunes and accomplishing your dreams, Good House Hunting is for you.

75 unique designs for attractive, efficient, environmentally friendly homes. Now available in paperback, this collection of 75 plans for small homes offers more than 500 usable blueprints and other illustrations for a variety of living spaces suitable for every environment and style, from a New England farmhouse to a sophisticated townhouse in the city to a Santa Fe ranch. The designs include site drawings, floor plans, elevation drawings, section drawings, perspective drawings, and exploded views. A brief introduction to each home describes its setting, the philosophy behind the design and its intended use, materials used, recommended landscaping, and more. Many of the homes come with money-saving and environmentally sound features such as solar panels and water heaters, wood stoves, ceiling fans, airlock entries, wind power alternatives, and natural gas heaters.

Robert and Cortney Novogratz, starts of the hit Bravo series 9 BY DESIGN, have been renovating and designing unique and hip homes for families for over ten years. Describing their signature style as a sophisticated but bohemian mix of high and low, new and old, they offer their realistic advice on how to create original, warm interiors with ease. One part practical guide, one part inspirational volume on creating a look for the home, the book pairs humorous anecdotes about the pitfalls and pleasures of renovation with a treasure trove of decorating tips: how to use both boutique and flea-market finds; how to inject lots of personality into a room affordably; how to decorate kids’ rooms so they appeal to children and adults; how to easily rehabilitate outdated furnishings; and many more. In each of the ten projects featured—which include a townhouse in New York City, a country house in Massachusetts, and a beach house in Brazil—before and after shots document the agony and ecstasy of any renovation project, as well as revealing the design duo’s vision and remarkable ability to see through the most awful of spaces to the amazing home that lies within.

The Forever Home provides the foundation to confidently explore what you want, plan your dream home, and find the right professionals to make it a reality. Renowned architect Kevin Harris will guide you through his proven, step-by-step process to design and build a house that fits you so well it becomes your forever home. No matter where you travel, your forever home is the place you feel complete. Inside these pages, you’ll learn how to: • Determine when it makes sense to hire an architect • Evaluate and assemble the design team and construction team that’s right for you • Understand the residential construction process • Use the Hierarchy of Design to make the most important decisions first • Recognize the pitfalls and avoid many common, but ill advised cost-saving schemes The Forever Home will pave the way for you to design and build not only the home of your current dreams, but the home that will be perfect for your children, grandchildren, aging parents, and even you later in life.

Whether decorating your first home, renovating your old home, or just daydreaming, if you are like us, you are constantly looking for, and finding, inspiration everywhere for your dream home. Collect all your ideas and printouts and save them in one place with this large format blank journal. Use this journal to: Create vision and mood board spreads. Organize your inspirations in one place. Large format pages offer plenty of space to develop your ideas and inspiration spreads. Blank pages allow you to create your vision boards any way you like - attach cutouts, printouts or other media, draw, doodle or make notes. Crisp white paper for use with most art media, such as pencils, pens and gel pens. Ideal for gluing and taping. A chic matte finish soft cover makes this journal lightweight and easy to carry.

-- Covers the subject from land issues, through the entire construction process, all the way to plandng the lawn.-- Contains anecdotes, real life examples, diagrams, applicable political comment and special exposition on such subjects as basic electricity, Radon, energy saving, windows and much more.-- Written for the aspiring home owner, but is equally valuable to building professionals and real estate agents.