Decorating Your Craftsman Home
The craftsman home is one of the most distinctive kinds of home built by craftsmen. Built by ordinary people who love their crafts, craftsman homes give the utmost care and attention to detail. This is evident in every aspect of a craftsman home from the type of materials used, to the finishing touches. Unlike the common mass-produced homes of our time, craftsman homes have a kind of artisan appeal. If you're looking for a unique touch to your home, consider getting craftsman home plans.
A craftsman home is distinguished by its exteriors, especially its design. Most craftsman homes feature solid wood exteriors, with a hipped surface on the lower edge. They also use materials like brick and stone to create the interior, using such things as shutters, skylights, windows, doors, flooring, and fixtures like fireplaces. They use materials that are sustainable, like recycled materials and timbers, rather than materials that are not sustainable, like traditional lumber. American Craftsman homes feature classic architectural details like flat rooflines, sharp corners, open spaces, and large windows.
Although most craftsman homes will be of typical size and shape, they're not cookie-cutter types of shapes. Instead, craftsman homes will be distinctive, because the craftsman homeowner has tailored the building to fit his or her lifestyle, preferences, and needs. The best characteristic of an American Craftsman home is its open floor plan, allowing plenty of room to move around. The floor plan is often made with large windows, to allow natural light to flow into the rooms, and to keep warm during those cold winter months.
One feature of craftsman homes that's distinctive is the wide range of woods used for construction. Most craftsman home plans are either a stick-built construction, or one that is milled from actual logs. The latter is a more economical way to build a home, as well as a more efficient way to get a good solid seal. One important aspect of this type of log cabin is that all of the logs used have been hand picked and prepared for quality. Many craftsman homes kitchens use untreated hardwoods for their furniture and flooring.
One more feature of craftsman style homes is the use of heavy duty fixtures. Many homes use these fixtures because they aren't prone to rotting and warping, or because they require less maintenance than other types of materials, like light-colored wood. Thegardengranny are often listed in the National Register of Historic Places, due to their wide variety of features. In fact, some craftsman home designs can be found there!
Although craftsman homes tend to emphasize a beautiful layout, there are still plenty of ways to make them unique. For example, many craftsman home plans will feature a large porch or veranda, where the majority of family activities happen. If you live on a lot of land and have a beautiful garden out back, you might want to enclose it with an in ground basketball hoop. Smaller crafts like bird houses and outdoor furnishings can also become a focal point for your yard. By being creative, you can keep your craftsman home unique and save money!
Another feature common in craftsman home plans is the use of materials which can be harvested from the environment around them. In the case of low-pitched roofs and decks, this can mean anything from cork to dirt; the only limit is your imagination! Craftsman homes in rural areas can benefit from low-pitched roofs, as they allow for plenty of ventilation. In urban areas, overhanging eaves may be used instead, but make sure they are treated to repel insects. A covered front porch is another example of an appropriate material; it allows the light from inside the house to shine into the yard, but keeps the outdoor elements from making it too hot or unbearable!
If you love the look of log cabins but want something more modern, stickley homes are an option for you. While most stickley homes are built in North America, there are a few architectural craftsman home plans that will allow you to build a cabin in Canada. One great plan uses stone incorporated with PVC pipes to create a lovely rustic abode suitable for any forest-dwelling lifestyle. By incorporating a few environmentally-friendly features like solar panels and energy-efficient appliances, a stickley craftsman home can be both efficient and ecologically-friendly.