Good Architecture
Not Very Good Architecture
All things being equal, good design and the manner in which it is presented can be the difference between a development that limps along and one that takes off. Consider these two house plans. Which do you think would draw more interest from a prospective buyer?
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Good Architecture
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Not Very Good Architecture
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That’s okay. Each house model has been designed with four versions—A, B, C and D. Version A is generally adorned with the most intricate combination of architectural details. At the other end of the spectrum, Version D is stripped of the architectural details to make it highly affordable. Versions B and C lie between the upper and lower-end designs.And yet all of the versions offer the same layout, livability, and inspiration. This approach simplifies pricing for the builder, offers true consumer choice and variety, and ensures an aesthetic consistency throughout a development, regardless of the budget of each buyer. It’s important to note that in detailing the elevations, the Homescape Design Group has taken great care to specify construction details that can be executed using manufactured products such as vinyl siding and corner boards, shutters and trim elements.
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All plans published by Homescape Design Group are executed with the same high standards. A plan set includes detailed specifications, floor plans, four elevations, foundation plan, framing plans, section plans, HVAC plans, floor joist layout, roof truss layout, design plans (floor covering and furniture placement), electrical plans, and a door schedule. In addition, each plan includes color marketing materials to help you sell.
House plans are offered in six families—BayHomes, Family Homes, Porch Homes, Cottage Homes, Connected Homes and Custom Homes. BayHome sites require a particular floor plan and orientation to take advantage of the narrow lot widths, rear-loading garages, and carefully controlled view lines for each home. Within the BayHome formula, Homescape Design Group has created numerous plan configurations varying the number of floor levels, location of the owner suite, the number of bedrooms, the architectural style, and the level of architectural detail included. With all of these configurable alternatives, there are virtually thousands of possibilities to make a neighborhood unique yet consistent.
From a design perspective, Family Homes are less constrained than BayHomes because the lots on which Family Homes are built are generally wider. Family Homes may have front or side-loaded garages with more “conventional” suburban-style architecture. The relaxed constraints of Family Homes mean that many more plan configurations are available for a master-planned community. Homescape Design Group offers many single-level, bi-level and two-story house plans with the same architectural detailing that defines the BayHome families.
Porch Homes are designed for traditional neighborhoods with front-facing porches and garages accessed either from a rear alley or a side-passing driveway. The Porch Home collection features a harmonious grouping of ranch, two-story and story-and-a-half plans.
Cottage Homes are designed for weekend getaways as well as year-round lakefront living. The Cottage Home collection spans a wide range of sizes and configurations optimized for fun, carefree living.
Connected Homes are Homescape's collection of two-, three- and four-unit structures offered in a variety of architectural styles.
And Custom Homes are those one-of-a-kind home plans designed for a single client. Homescape's Custom Home plans cannot be purchased for re-use, though design elements may be integrated into new custom plans. As such, Homescape produces a book of Custom Home plans to demonstrate its broad array of clever plans and elevations.
The Plan Portfolio section of this website should give you a pretty good understanding of the range of house plans that we have to offer. If you like what you see, the next step you’ll likely want to take is to dive deeper into our plan library to see if we have the answer to your development goals. Give us a call to discuss your development needs. Chances are we have what you’re looking for. We can provide you with dimensioned plan sets marked "Not for Construction" to help with your assessment.
You may want to consider retaining Homescape in a consulting capacity. For an hourly or project rate, Homescape principals will visit your site, review your marketing studies, and make detailed recommendations concerning product mix, floor plans and elevations, assist with home siting, recommend exterior color palettes, and produce an interactive digital site map that can be used on a development website.
Rick Harrison Site Design Studio of Minneapolis, MN and Homescape Design Group are independent businesses with a common vision—to improve the quality of residential development through sensitive land use and sensible architecture. Rick Harrison’s land plans call for house designs like those offered by Homescape Design Group. Conversely, Homescape’s plans are best exploited in a community environment like those devised by Rick and his team. There’s no mandate or requirement that you work with both of us, but you should appreciate the synergy that exists between Rick Harrison Site Design Studio and Homescape Design Group. We each capitalize on the talents and philosophies of the other to produce outstanding communities.
When you identify the plans that you want to offer in your project, Homescape Design Group asks you to provide numerous details about the local building codes, as well as your construction methods and standards. The cover page of each plan set delivered to you includes the building standards and methods that pertain exclusively to your project. Still, before starting construction, it would be wise to have the plans reviewed by a local architect or engineer to ensure local code compliance.
For many plan publishers, it’s all about quantity, the reasoning being that if you don’t find what you want in the first thousand plans, perhaps you’ll find it in the second thousand. At Homescape, we subscribe to the philosophy that less is, in fact, more. We’ve developed each plan to satisfy a particular market need. Every plan set is published with the same attention to detail and the same standard of completeness. Every plan includes a framing layout. Every plan includes electrical and mechanical layouts. Every plan shows floor covering and furniture placements. Color renderings are produced with a consistent style. The result is extraordinary.
In a word, yes. Plan revisions are billed at an hourly rate. Per-home license fees are unaffected by customization.
Homescape Design Group will provide you with a list of plan standards. For example, exterior walls are drawn with 2x4 framing as a standard. Foundations are offered as full basements with 8’ poured walls or slab-on-grade. If you need the plans to show 2x6 exterior walls or daylight basement walls, these would be examples of plan customizations that would be billed on an hourly basis.
Before starting any customization work, Homescape will ask for written authorization from you. Upon request we will provide a cost estimate prior to starting any work.
Only one. Each plan usage is licensed for a single location.
We are equally excited about the opportunity to design homes that can be built using the latest materials and techniques. BayHomes, in particular, lend themselves to off-site systems construction such as panelization or SIPs. These systems can provide outstanding insulation values. Foundation plans are as simple as they can be giving you the flexibility to panelize, pour, or build with blocks. Mechanical systems are designed for straight runs, improving efficiency.
Talk to us about your project requirements. We’re eager to help.