House Floor Plans

House floor plans essentially fall into two categories – custom-drawn and pre-drawn floor plans. It can take a lot of time, money and effort if one chooses the former. Moreover, a pre-drawn floor plan, apart from saving money and time, also lends itself to modifications as per one's needs.

One can safely assume that many pre-drawn house floor plans have already been tried and tested. That means construction hassles would have already been sorted out, which implies that any additional labor costs and uncertainties during the construction phase will not exist.

Final cost estimates of the pre-drawn house floor plans are more likely to be precise because the particulars have been figured out. This means a list of materials has already been made out, for example. The chances of suddenly discovering that the building is beyond the budget after all are fairly small. Sensible buyers would happily save on architect's fees for designing floor plans.

House floor plans that are already in stock are as good as their custom-made counterparts, as they, too, were once custom-made by capable engineers and architects. Moreover, the construction papers will come to hand in a matter of days rather than months.

Look at it this way – the largest assortment of quality house floor plans in one place will ensure that the perfect design for particular tastes will be found. There are different kinds of house plan drawings that one needs to look into before building a home.

A ‘construction set' is a collection of drawings one needs in order to acquire a building authorization, put the financing aspects in place and build a home. This collection comprises five complete sets of house floor plans. Each set has a view of the external walls from all four sides, a comprehensive set of floor plans, a basement plan, a roof plan and other pertinent details.

A ‘reproducible set' makes it easier to implement minor changes because this set of house plans is typically on vellum paper or erasable Mylar. This set of house floor plans includes a building license that can only be used once.

A ‘CAD set' helps one make extensive changes to the plan with the help of a design expert. It is comparable to the reproducible set, except it is in an electronic format.

A ‘study set' helps one ascertain if his home can be built within budget. The floor plans in this set include a view of the outside from all four sides, plus the main story and any additional stories.

‘Single set' is for finding contractor bids, and this set of house floor plans does not incorporate a building license.

Floor Plans provides detailed information on Floor Plans, House Floor Plans, Free Floor Plans, Manufactured Home Floor Plans and more. Floor Plans is affiliated with Kitchen Remodeling .

Luxury Modular Homes

Modular homes are made of units called modules, shipped to a building site and assembled. They are of different types, structures, designs and budgets.

The modular home method combines the benefits of engineering and shop floor manufacturing to produce high quality homes. Compared to traditional, stick-built homes, the method yields considerable savings in time, cost, waste generation, etc.

As modular home dealer Andrew Gianino points out, modular homes have the advantages of a trained and experienced work force, large and sophisticated production machinery, precision jig assembly, high-quality kiln-dried lumber, and construction done indoors in climate-protected facilities. There is adherence to local building codes, superior energy efficiency, and strict quality control systems.

As modular homes first became popular in the 1060s, they were considered low-quality, affordable substitutes for stick-built homes. But today they are available in very high-quality and varying, luxurious and creative designs.

All manufacturers have some standard and traditional designs. But they also supplement these designs with many architect-designed variations. Many architects have now begun to design modular homes. Manufacturers have learned to use wood and steel beams in their floor plans, and they have borrowed from both classical and contemporary designs to give their homes beautiful exteriors. Modular homes today are embellished by Cathedral ceilings, reversed gables and other exciting designs.

Many manufacturers allow the customer to custom-design their own modular homes. Computer aided design (CAD) has made it possible to prepare custom floor plans accurately. Manufacturers routinely customize the modular homes according to a customer's choice. Luxury features like skylights, central vacuum cleaning, whirlpool tubs, and bay and bow windows are added on by designers.

Modular homes today can be built to any specification or size. From a one-and-a-half split level ranch to a grand 4000 sq. ft. luxury condo, the modular industry has a wide range of options. Amenities like granite-topped kitchen counter tops and hardwood floors are also available. In sum, modular-built houses can be every bit as luxurious as stick-built houses.

Modular Homes provides detailed information about modular homes, modular home builders, modular home loans and more. Modular Homes is affiliated with Storage Sheds .

Restoring a Home? There Are Lots of Design and Materials Decisions to Make

When building a new home or renovating an old one, there are innumerable choices in commercially produced building and finishing materials; but when you want to restore an old home, particularly one built before standardized building materials were widely available, you may need help from a custom millworks. Stairways in old houses are narrow and steep, rooms are off square, and dimensions vary tremendously from home to home. How do you incorporate a modern, functional kitchen, for instance, into the design of a home restored to its original 1850s design?

You may have the expertise or the research capability to make the design decisions yourself; otherwise, hiring an architect who specializes in the restoration of antique buildings is a must. Many antique buildings, particularly in New England, were built and renovated over a period of centuries, with additions in different styles (sometimes compatible, sometimes not) tacked on to the original building. You probably don't want to remove the additions, particularly if they're a substantial part of the building; but do you restore them to their original state, or do you impose the style of the original building onto the addition? If embellishments were added to the original structure, do you keep them or get rid of them? If your house is a hodge-podge of different styles from different eras, can your architect incorporate a new design which will blend the warring styles together? And do you want him or her to do that, or are you enough of a restoration purist not to want to add modern elements to the design?

Antique buildings were most often created using materials locally available at the time of its construction; but some materials may have been imported from far away; by the nineteenth century, New England ruled the seas, importing goods, including exotic woods, from places as scattered as Ireland and Southeast Asia. Whether originating locally or abroad, these antique materials may or may not be readily available from local sources now.

Maple, oak, walnut, cherry, ash, hickory, mahogany - all may be found in an antique home, and all may need to be specially purchased. You or your architect will probably need to communicate with manufacturers of custom building materials; so be sure to choose a millworks company which has experts on staff who can provide design and specification assistance. These millworks companies should be able to provide custom milled wide plank flooring , individually designed stairs, historically accurate reproduction moldings, and special lengths and widths of lumber.

Antique homes offer a fascinating look into the history of a region and the lives of people who lived through various eras. The story of a particular house may span centuries of building, rebuilding, and renovations, making each home a unique connection to the past. Restoring one of these gems to its original beauty can not only extend its life to another generation of residents, it can contribute to the legacy of a region.

Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire and frequently contributes to Tips and Topics . She has published numerous articles in local and regional publications on a wide range of topics, including business, education, the arts, and local events. Her feature articles include an interview with independent documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and a feature on prisoners at the New Hampshire State Prison in Concord. She may be reached at amfredenburg@yahoo.com .

Leveling a House

Q: I have been trying to find a contractor in the Atlanta, Georgia area that has the expertise and knowledge of leveling a home that was constructed in the 1950's. I have exhausted all my resources and was hoping you could help me. What kind of damage (i.e. drywall, bathroom tile, etc.) will result from leveling a home? Thanks in advance.

A: You didn't mention how or why the house is out of level. Has the foundation failed? Have the beams or sills rotted? Are the floors sagging or weak? Without those answers, it's pretty hard to give you any specific answers but here are a few guidelines.

If the whole house is out of level or uneven due to the foundation, you will probably be best served having a house mover pick the whole house up, have the foundation repaired/replaced and then having it reinstalled on the new foundation. If the foundation is OK but the structure of the house is failing, you may be able to have it repaired in place.

In any event, you first need to determine why the building is out of level. A structural engineer or architect with experience in this type of work is the place to start. Call around and ask if they have done this type of work and ask for references. Call the references. Make sure they have done something similar. This is pretty specialized work. The professional will be able to advise you as to how he sees the repair taking place and what contractors you will need. Have the professional inspect the work before you make final payment so you can be sure it was done per his directions. That way if something goes wrong or the repair doesn't work, you can look to the professional as well as the contractor for relief. Make sure the professional has Errors & Omissions insurance and get a certificate from his agent with you listed as the certificate holder.

As far as what the effects of leveling the house will be is equally tough because I don't know how far out of level it is and how long it has been this way. The house is 50 years old and assuming it has been going "out of level" for much of that time, the effects of the shifting have been fixed over the years. Once you level it, doors won't close properly, ceramic tile will probably crack, plaster will crack, and windows may cease to work. You really need to do a cost/benefit analysis before you undertake this. If it's serious enough to consider "leveling" then there will probably be lots to fix or replace when you're done.

This information is brought to you by Don Powell of Powell Building Corporation in Mt. Laurel, NJ.

Good luck!

Kathy Maynard

Design and Build Your Career - Get an Architecture Degree

What Does an Architecture Degree Involve?

Architecture is where art meets science. It is a cross between design and engineering. You can study an architectural training program in college or in a specialist architecture school. There are various different varieties of architecture and most architecture schools will give you a good grounding to allow you to develop your own style and interests. There are various specialized program areas that may also attract you such as domestic housing, entertainment complexes, civic buildings, or industrial drafting for factories, gas stations, or power facilities. You may decide to concentrate on buildings designed to resist particular natural disasters such as flood, earthquakes, or tornadoes.

Typical subjects may include building materials, architectural styles, architectural engineering, health and safe working practices, building regulations and codes, and supply (plumbing, electricity, gas, and telecommunications). You will likely need to complete several assignments and you will need to learn how to take a brief. You will also need to learn how to read blueprints, and how to use computer assisted design software. Drafting by hand is rare these days, however some architecture schools still place a lot of emphasis on a student's ability to draw.

How Do I Become an Architect?

There is a little more to becoming an architect than passing your architecture degree. All states and the District of Columbia require licensure before you can practice. You will need to work under the supervision of a qualified architect to gain practical experience. Then, you are required to pass all sections of the Architect Registration Examination (ARE). Your architecture school should also be one of the 113 schools accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). A standard Bachelor of architecture degree takes five years although shorter training options are available for returning students and graduates of related degrees.

Sarah Christensen is a freelance writer who contributes to Find a Degree now

Find a Deree now.com is an Education Portal and free College Search Directory and guide.

Visit School Review Blog Our Blog .xml feed offers tips to choose the right College or University.

Be Your Own Architect!

There is hardly anybody reading this that will not know who an architect is. If you have built a house before or seen/know anyone who has built one, you will not find it hard to understand the work of an architect. As we all know, an architect is a person that designs the plan of a house before it is built. He sits down to take brief of his/her client and help transfer the client's brief into a workable plan.

If there is a job you need to be good at dear friend, it is the job of an architect. I am not saying when you want to build your own house; you should draw the plans yourself. No! What is at stake is bigger and far from building house. There is a building that we all need to be good at planning for and thereby transferring our own brief into action. The planning for this building is often neglected by not a few and it is what determines what result we get. This building is our own life! We must learn to draw a plan for our own lives.

I have an uncle who happens to be an architect and I used to be fascinated at the amount of time and energy he devotes to drawing a plan of a client's house. At times, I hear him speak out loud to no one in particular followed by a lot of gesticulations. Unfortunately, majority of us do not put enough time and energy into planning our lives like the professional architects. It is saddening seeing people live their lives without a plan. Most people who are living out a plan, are unfortunately living out other people's plans for their lives. The greatest joy one can have is to live according to one's plan. Setting your plan and living it out brings an inner peace you can describe and this cannot be experienced if you are living without plans or living another person's plan for your life. Living other people's plans for our lives always lead to discomfiture and absolute frustration later in life.

When an architect is about to draw the plan of a house, he takes so many things into consideration, which may mean little or nothing to a lay man. Same goes for us. Nobody knows us better than we know ourselves therefore nobody should know what is better for us than ourselves. If I were to draw the plan of a house, I will draw it according to how I wish it will be but an architect will not make such a mistake. He will draw it according to how it should be drawn putting into consideration so many factors. If you are going to plan your own life, will you put in things that will inconvenient you later in life? Will you draw up a plan to do things that you know will not be of any use to you?

If you decide to put the plan of your life in someone else's hand, then you are courting trouble in the future. Nobody knows you more than you know yourself. I may just be seeing your shining face but I don't really know who or what you are inside. I may not know your abilities and your weaknesses, so asking me or anybody else to help design your life is going to be a mistake that will surely lead to regret later in your life. You know your potentials and your inner dreams more than anybody else and you are the best person who can plan and design your life and future.

When you design your life in line with your dreams and abilities and things don't seem to be working out according to the plan, you can still alter the plan since the “original copy” is still with you but if it somebody else's plan you are living, changing may not be that easy. If you are living other people's dreams and things don't work out as planned, you will still take the blame. So why don't you assume the responsibility of becoming an architect of your own life.

Nobody has the right to know how your life should be spent except you; not your parents, so many parents have misled their wards just by telling them they know what is good for them. Not even your relatives, friends, boss or any other living creature. If it is going to be, it is up to you. You have a choice to design your life and live according to the plans or borrow someone else's. It is your choice! It is up to you and you should know that it is the end that justifies the means.

PLEASE TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE!

Adebola Oni is the Author of "The Lessons Of Life". So many lives have been touched by his newsletter, Life Lessons Digest. You can have a copy delivered to you every week by visiting his website: The Lessons Of Life You can also read so many life-changing articles on his blog at: Motivational Blog

Drafting and Architecture Schools

Drafting and Architecture Schools teach the necessary skills needed to design or create buildings, homes, bridges, dams, and other engineering projects. Drafting and Architecture Schools instruct in the use of computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) programs to assist in the function of designing. CADD proficiency is vital for the professional architect or drafter, and an important part of the overall education.

At Drafting and Architecture School, architecture students learn to design buildings that are safe, sound, and functional, as well as aesthetically pleasing. Professional architects are licensed and qualified to design buildings and complexes, and create plans for remodeling existing structures.

At Drafting and Architecture School, drafting students learn to draw up the plans and technical aspects of the design that are needed before a building project can begin. They learn how to turn rough sketches and brief notes into a precise and detailed plan, expanding the technical details and providing the visual guidelines needed to complete the project. The professional drafter usually specializes in one particular area of drafting, such as architectural, mechanical, civil, or electrical.

To become an architect, you must graduate from a Drafting and Architecture School that is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board, and you must obtain a state license. Drafters must have completed post-secondary training, either through a career college or a traditional four-year university.

The annual salary range for architects and drafters is very broad (from $17k - $100k or more), and depends on education and experience.

To learn more about an exciting career in Drafting and Architecture, feel free to search the many options found at www.schoolsgalore.com.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com

Copyright 2006 - All Rights Reserved Michael Bustamante, in association with Media Positive Communications, Inc. for SchoolsGalore.com

M. Bustamante is a staff writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc. in association with SchoolsGalore.com . Find Drafting and Architecture Schools at SchoolsGalore.com; meeting your needs as your educational resource to locate schools.

Is Your Web Designer Unknowingly Harming Your Business?

Why? How? Because they're involved in software development. And before you start wondering what I'm talking about, I'd like to remind you that your web site (although cool) is nothing more than a software program running on a computer. And ever since people started writing software there have been very well defined roles and skill sets.

Now don't worry, I'm not going to bore you with roles and skills definitions for software development, however I am going to make it easy for you to figure out the type of web resources you may have at your disposal and whether they are helping your business - or unknowingly harming it (just in case you were wondering.)

An analogy that should help:

Does the interior decorator or designer of your home perform the same duties as the architect? What about the builder of your home, are they the same as your architect? Of course not, the interior designer works with the look and feel of your home, the builder erects the structure and the architect designs the master plan and oversees the development and ensures the finished product meets all the requirements (and the building code!)

There's no doubt that the builder and the interior designer are absolutely critical to the success of the project, however they follow the guidance of the architect and the plan the architect created. When put like this you immediately see it's a little foolish to assume all the roles are alike and how easily it would be for an over enthusiastic builder or designer to unknowingly cause you some problems because they had no master plan to follow.

So here's a quick cross reference and comparison for you:

• Architect - The master planner develops the architectural plan and oversees the project. They stay abreast of changing rules and ensure the sites optimal design and performance. Many factors are considered including marketing trends, SEO, usage data and so forth. The architect is very familiar with the latest construction technologies and with user interface design because they direct those aspects of the project.


• Builder - The Web Programmer codes the pages and works with architect. Some builders (web programmers) are specialists and code only databases while others focus on different specialties. And just like a construction site has a Foreman, there is an equivalency in programming and they're called the Lead Programmer. The LP often makes build decisions about the project and works directly with the architect. On small build teams the LP and the builder are one and the same.


• Designer - The Graphic Designer develops the look and feel of the site. They work closely with the builder(s) and the architect to meet the final objectives. The GD creates the unique personality of your site – again this is under the purview of the architect and the client. The GD helps to form the visitor's first impression of your site.


• Sales Rep - Ok, the whole building analogy gets a little fuzzy here, but the 'selling' on your web site relies heavily on words and writing for the web is not the same as writing for the print world (the architectural plan heavily affects the writing and the web copy aspect, mess this up and the nicest site with best code will not save you because your site will not be found.)

Many Hats

Often times a web resource has more than one skill set, after all there is a well defined career path and each step leads to new skill development. Usually the ‘art' path and the coding (building) path don't co-exist together – think oil and water, and writing code is usually more scientific than designing a beautiful interface.

And figuring out how to code the web page is not the same as deciding why that page should even exist, or what that page should accomplish functionally within the framework of a bigger picture – that's the architect's job.

However every once in a while you find a unique individual who has crossed back and forth between the art/design camp and the world of technical analysis and coding. It's rare, but they do exist – invariably they favour one area more than another.

Conclusions

There are at least four (4) discreet roles for your web project:

• Architect (plan/design),


• Builder (construction),


• Designer (look/feel),


• & Writer (words/messages).

Now you know why it can be risky assuming the person putting together your great looking web pages is also capable of formulating and architecting your sites master plan, and why your web designer (or your web programmer) may be unknowingly harming your business.

Remember, to person with a hammer, everything looks like a nail and programmers tend to think code fixes all ills, and graphic designers tend to think that graphics will save the day.

But I'm guessing you've figured that out after reading this article...

JAMES BURCHILL is an experienced Internet Marketing & Business Development consultant providing strategic and tactical services to select clients looking to architect their on and offline marketing success. James is a published author, a passionate advocate of technology and the Internet, as well as an avid study of classical advertising and marketing strategies. In his corporate roles, he's served as VP of Professional Services and VP of Information Technology & Consulting and has implemented multi-million dollar solutions for Oracle, the British and US Government, and Rolls Royce, among many others. Read more of James' insightful thoughts and articles on his daily blog at http://blog.jamesburchill.com and while you're there - visit his main site at http://www.jamesburchill.com

Software Project Architect: Must for Success of IT Project

Overview

Success of a masterpiece depends up on how it is architected. Any artifact and event need to be architected to take care of its fundamental and advanced need. Information Technology is more familiar with the word product architecture that project architecture. In some cases project architecture is used in case of product architecture considering that both is same.

We all know that Software product needs an architect but can we architect a Software project? Architecting a software product involves designing the product to be scalable, reliable and maintainable product. Who is responsible for cost effectively executing the project? Who will control the changes coming in the project? Who is responsible for overall execution?. Who will ensure that the client got the right product? How will we give value added idea to run the business of the client? Who will control the scope of the project?

This article defines a role for architecting a project that is the answer for all the above concerns.

Role of a project architect

One of the major reasons for the failure of a million dollar project is the lack of execution maturity. There are lots of maturity models/patterns available in the industry. CMM, CMMI, PCMM, RUP and Six Sigma are some of the industrially accepted standards. All of this standards defines the processes followed in the project, but does not hold with the dynamics of the projects, means the strategy of execution. Execution is different in different projects but it involves a common doctrine.

Every project except software project has defined a role called project architect. In software it is categorized separately as technical architect and that person will be only responsible for giving technical direction. Project manager will be overwhelmed by other responsibilities like Scheduling, Man management, Status Reporting and that role may not have bandwidth to think about execution.

Appropriate execution defines a need for defining a new role in the project called project architect. Project architect is the architect of project execution Project architect over sees the project in a detailed manner and understands nitty-gritty of the project and decided the course of action of the project. Project architect keeps a different perspective of project activities than a project manager. When project manager works on giving a workable environment for the team and track the schedule to identify any slippage, project architect work on taking the right decision or action in the project by closely analyzing the cost incurred in the project.

Project Architect should help project manager to understand what type of resources for what functionality is required. What is the grey area in the project? Which all areas we need commitment from customer. What is the root cause for an issue? Usually these areas are always handled by project manager along with other responsibilities and in turn giving a very secondary importance to the critical aspects of the project. By introducing project architect for this role, we are isolating and handling the most important and critical aspect of a project called project execution.

Responsibilities of a Project Architect

Project architect is responsible for the execution of the project. Project Architect should know each and every detail in the project. Below are the defined responsibilities of a project architect

• How to define which is cost effective path of execution?. It involved analyzing each and every activities and functionalities and identifies which is required path of execution.

• Project architect should have detailed business knowledge on all the modules so that responsible for identifying any dependency in the project.

• Conveys what is the technical problem in the project to technical team. Project Architect may not be the solution provider.

• Identify what is a change request and what is a requirement in the project.

• Identify business gaps in the project. Requirements can be captured to finest details but there can be still gaps in the understanding between the IT and the users. This gap has to be resolved during design phase. It is the responsibility of project architect to have the no gaps in the project after design phase.

• Analyze the cost/profit incurred in the project. Cost effective Execution also depends on the Cost /Profit Analysis of the project. For e.g. below graph provides idea of what is cost incurred in each week or phase.

Project manager can track cost and report the management when te cost is going above the expected limits. If a person has to architect the project in a cost effective manner for, he or she should know each and ever details of the project. If the project manager is spending time on that then the project will get executed in an uncontrolled manner. Considering project manager on this role is devastating.

Responsibilities of other roles in the Project

Account Manager:

Account Manager is responsible for stabilizing the account through effective client interaction Account Manager spends more time on the critical project with the project manager. He or She works above the hierarchy reporting the issues to the senior management.

Project Manager:

Project Manager is the owner of the project. Project Manager works with the support group for giving the environment for people to work and motivating the people. Project Manager is responsible for schedule tracking, procurement management, quality management, risk management, resource management etc.

Project Leader:

Responsible for making sure the project follows the right model. Responsible for deliverables of the project. Project Leader leads the team down the hierarchy working more with the team. Focus more on the critical path of the project. Project Leader is responsible for maintaining the quality of the product.

Technical Leader/Technical Architect:

Responsible for the design of the individual modules and owns the code devolved in the project. Technical Architect is responsible for taking the technical decision, creating a development habit among team members like good coding habits, enforcing the use of appropriate technology etc.

Architecting a Software Project.

Project Architect should know the requirements in detail, technical challenges, and dependencies with other departments before identifying the path of execution. With the mentioned details, project architect should be capable of judging the scope creep, critical path, most profitable path and resource utilization with in the project.

Project Architect need to be very diligent in watching the scope creep in the project. Scope Creep usually comes in the form of requirement changes. Change can come in any of the following ways.

1) Request not captured properly which creates a dilemma on whether it is change request or not.

2) Identifying the gaps in the project and removing it in the course of time. This is the toughest part of the project. Project architect can proactively take steps to reduce the gaps but removing it completely may not be possible.

3) Introducing new requirement to the project with out following proper Change Control Mechanism. Change requests are one of the profitable sources in a project. It need to be managed properly

Issue tracking through execution

We can only control the bugs/issues by proper execution but we cannot stop it completely. The important thing is to have a tracking mechanism. When an issue occur, the project manager increases the number of resources thinking that there is no efficient way to solve the problem other than increasing the hours. At that time there is no right person to identify the root cause of the problem. Project architect should own these issues in the project. Execution is not giving pat in the back of the people. Execution is not building a process and blindly following that. Execution is identifying the right process by properly analyzing the project and following it in a proper manner.

Reactive and Proactive approach for the project.

Project architect is a doer not a talker. Project architect is not only a problem solver but a person who avoids problem. By defining a role as project architect, we are introducing a person to be responsible for all the proactive and reactive aspects of the project. Project architect will own the executive decision of the project and identify way to tackle in the right way. Usually we define project leader as person to do things right and project manager to do right things. In a bigger perspective person who can do things right can only do right things. So defining a role called project architect, we are introducing a role just to do things right and right things in a project.

Krishnadas Pisharam

Over 7 years of IT development and management experience. Managed many mission critical projects successfully. Working as an architect/manager in one of the leading outsourcing company in Southern California.