How to Choose Beach House Plans
First of all, what does the Beach house plans design entail? Some of the basic elements of beach houses include:
Wooden shutters
Large amounts of outdoor space, typically with porches that are screened in or front and rear porches that sometimes wrap around
Large amounts of windows
Rafter tails that are exposed
Weather-look cedar shingle on the roof
Large open floor plans
Interiors that are filled with natural light
Foundations made of stilt, pier, or pilings
Tabby stucco, treated or weathered siding, or brick on the exteriors
Beautiful, colorful and lush landscaping
Multi-tiered interiors because of narrow lots
All of these features made for contemporary beach house plans will create stunning, naturally beautiful homes. Many people find that these types of homes aren’t just good for vacations. Eventually they want to live in their beach house permanently.
What To Consider
So, if you are thinking about a home on the beach, there’s a lot you’ll need to think about. Some of the top considerations that you’ll need to make are:
Where will you build your beach house? A home on the southernmost tip of Florida will have different beach house needs from a home on the beach in Northern Michigan. Both are on the water, but for the one in a colder climate, you’ll need to consider what sort of weather-proofing will need to be done. With these homes, often utilizing a lot of natural light and windows, these will need to be very carefully winter-proofed.
How big will your lot be? Lot size really matters with beach house floor plans. Beach houses are often built on lots that are uniquely shaped, or smaller than typical home lots. This is because there are fewer spaces to go around on these beachfront locations. Lots of people want to build their homes right on the water, so these lots have to be designed to accommodate as many homes as possible. Small beach house plans come in handy here, as do narrow lot beach house plans.
What type of foundation do you need? Does the home need to be built up high? Many coastal living house plans are designed with the landscape and natural elements in mind. These homes often require different types of foundations in order to avoid erosion and flooding, and sometimes waterfront house plans have homes that are built up high so that the surf does not cause any damage to the foundation or to the home.