Enlarge the kitchen, raise ceiling heights, expand the master bath, increase the number of windows, widen the porch, add a deck, change the exterior finish—these are just some of the ways you can personalize a home plan to fit your lifestyle. At Houseplans.com you can make changes to any plan to create a unique and custom house plan. This valuable service is the affordable way to achieve a quality custom home.

Customization (House Plan 18-4516): A pizza oven, built-in barbecue, and work island define this new outdoor kitchen.

1. For convenience sake, the outdoor kitchen is located near the interior kitchen.
2. Sink, barbecue, and oven form an efficient work triangle.
3. The island has room for seating on one side.
4. Under the window a long counter serves as a buffet.

A well-conceived deck provides flexible outdoor living space and a graceful transition to the backyard.

The new deck is a three-part invention—for sitting, dining, and entertaining—that gracefully connects house and yard. It allows the house to expand in good weather.

1. The built-in conversation alcove forms an open-air living room.
2. Wide steps make an easy transition from dining area to garden.
3. All-weather pads turn the lower wall into a comfortable bench seat.
4. With a simplified façade as backdrop, the deck becomes the main event.

In this example: House Plan 18-4516

BEFORE

AFTER

Customize your home's appearance by changing the siding, simplifying the front elevation, and adding a trellis. Call for info about our 3D customization services.

A simpler, crisper profile gives this home individuality and a stronger street presence. Adding French doors makes the porch useable for outdoor living.

1. Replace half timbering and brick with shingle siding.
2. Streamline the front- and end-gables, and the porch posts.
3. Add French doors opening to the porch.
4. Install a standing-seam metal roof.
5. Open up the overhang with a trellis for dappled shade.

In this example: House Plan 18-4516

BEFORE

AFTER

Customize your home plan by adding an all-weather sunroom—with glass walls that slide open—off the living room. Call for info about our 3D customization services.

1. Square off the dining area for a more comfortable space.
2. Unify the rear facade with a large gable pulling together dining area, living room, and master bedroom.
3. Add a roughly 12- by 12-foot gabled sunroom off the living room.
4. Give the addition a translucent roof and sliding glass doors so it can function as a sun-catcher in winter and breezeway in summer.

In this example: House Plan 18-4503

BEFORE

AFTER

Add a shed dormer over the great room to flood the space with daylight.

1. Open up the ceiling with a shed dormer containing a row of clerestory windows.
2. Incorporate the space of the small porch off the dining area into the great room.
3. Replace rear window and door with folding glass doors for a stronger garden connection.
4. Replace horizontal siding with vertical board and batten siding to unify the exterior.

In this example: House Plan 427-10

BEFORE

AFTER

What better way to refresh body and spirit than in your master bath—customized here as a spa. Call for info about our 3D customization services.

1. Incorporate the space of the adjacent study.
2. Add a walk-though dressing area.
3. Create an airy bathroom with a freestanding tub, glass-enclosed shower, and double vanities.
4. Connect to a walled Zen garden complete with hot tub.
5. Now–can you feel the stress draining away?

Here are some products we like:
Agape: egg-shaped tub
Kohler: vessel sinks
Axor: shower fixture
Simas: suspended toilet

In this example: House Plan 18-329

BEFORE

AFTER

Customize your home plan by adding a library/media alcove off the main bedroom. Call for info about our 3D customization services. Five basic changes make the plan more functional and spacious.

1. Add six feet to one end of the master bedroom to create a cozy sitting area.
2. Build a daybed into one side of the addition.
3. Install a vent-less fireplace (no flue required).
4. Wrap the space in low built-in bookshelves.
5. Attach a flat screen TV to the wall opposite the daybed.

In this example: House Plan 18-4529

BEFORE

AFTER

Customize the kitchen with a larger dining island, omitting the extra storage wall.

In this example: House Plan 427-1

BEFORE

AFTER

Customize the kitchen with an extra storage wall and a two-tiered food prep and breakfast island.

In this example: House Plan 427-1

BEFORE

AFTER

Simple Customization Strategies

1. Enlarge the Master Bedroom by incorporating the adjacent small porch.
2. Add a Trellis over the patio to create a shaded outdoor room.

In this example: House Plan 18-4512

You could : Raise the original 8-foot ceiling to 10 feet to allow taller windows for more light and spaciousness.

And you could use :

• Shingle siding
• Standing seam metal roof
• Simplified porch columns
• Shutter-less windows

for a warm contemporary look.

In this example: House Plan 18-1036

1. Add A Covered Back Porch.
2. Add French Doors and Accordion Window Doors.

In this example: House Plan 18-4523

1. Expand windows in existing bay to one foot above floor line.
2. Replace windows and single door with French Doors.
3. Increase ceiling height from 8 feet to 10 feet for spaciousness.

In this example: House Plan 18-2004