House style and home improvement columns from the Architecture Pages of About.com, a New York Times Digital Company.
What Style is Your House?
From Cape Cod to Geodesic Domes: Here are facts and photos for America’s favorite housing styles.
About Your Mail Order House
Did your old house come “in the mail”? Between 1906 and 1940, thousands of North American homes were built according to plans sold by mail order companies such as Sears and Montgomery Wards.
Find House Plans
This menu is your starting place for viewing and purchasing house plans, floor plans and blueprints for building your new home or your remodeling project.
Architectural Salvage : What You Need To Know
Why buy new when you can buy used building parts at a fraction of the
cost? Here’s how to find unusual, rare, or simply inexpensive building
parts at an architectural salvage center.
Do You Need An Architect?
The stunning homes you see in glossy magazines are almost always custom
designed by licensed architects. They are the unique creations of men
and women with the skill and the know-how to explore new and unexpected
possibilities. But, what if your own dreams are more modest? Is an architect
really necessary? And, how do you find the right pro to meet your needs?
Before You Build
Building a new home begins long before the foundation is poured. Listed
here are the five most important steps you must take to avoid costly
mistakes during the construction process. For each step, follow the
links for help and resources.
Build With Natural Materials
Build With Natural Materials Guide picks You can build an economical,
environmentally-friendly home using natural materials. These resources
provide information about earth, earth bermed, straw bale, cob, and
underground construction, and other varieties of ecological building
materials.
Paint Your House!
A well-chosen selection of contrasting trim and accent colors can draw
attention to architectural details and disguise design flaws. A poor
selection can make a house seem flat and featureless — Or so garish
that the color overwhelms the architecture. But, how do you decide?
Here are some pointers, along with links and resources.
Before You Remodel
It all begins with a dream. Cathedral ceilings! Skylights! Room-sized
closets! But, the dream may turn into a nightmare, unless you plan ahead.
Follow these steps to get your home improvement project on the right
start.
Top 10 Trends In Home Design
Tomorrow’s homes are on the drawing board and they are nothing like
the places you may recall from your childhood.
What is Feng Shui?
Stuck in your career? Trouble in your love life? The root of your problems
may be in the design of your home, say practitioners of the ancient
Chinese philosophy, feng shui.
