New for November, is the Bahama Breeze house plan, which was inspired by the casual elegant resorts of the Caribbean. This European-style, two-story home was designed with lots of large windows and sliders to capture the outdoors. There’s plenty of curb appeal with its beautiful mahogany and gas lantern entrance, front porch and balcony featuring large decorative columns and double entry doors. The grand room is magnificent with its wood beamed ceiling and staircase. When it comes to entertaining you have a large kitchen with island and open dining space. There are plenty of outdoor living spaces with the enclosed veranda, front and rear porch and balconies.

As for pampering and privacy, the second floor master suite has a see-thru fireplace into the spa-like bath retreat with garden tub and walk-in shower. The ceiling is vaulted with beams and there’s a large 20 ft wide window seat. There’s a wet bar and private access to a home office.

Additional amenities include a wet bar, elevator, exercise room with morning kitchen, 2 laundry rooms, second floor media room, a veranda with retractable screens and much more.

Capture the elegance and pampering of the Caribbean with this new house plan.

The editorial staff of The House Designers has spent several months working with their architects, designers and builders to find out what green building products they would recommend to consumers looking to build their dream home. Here is our list of Top 10 Green Home Building Products for 2009 based on performance, innovation and design:

1. GE Hybrid Water Heater

The new GE® Hybrid Water Heater is the first water heater to be ENERGY STAR® rated and the first to be listed on the U.S. Department of Energy‘s website. This new energy efficient heat pump electric water heater can reduce energy expenses up to 62%, saving as much as $320 annually on energy bills.

2. ALNO Kitchen Cabinet

The ALNOCLASS kitchen cabinet collection lowers the carbon footprint, while delivering high style and cutting-edge technology. The door fronts are constructed of 100 percent sustainable oak from FSC-certified forests and its matte lacquer finish is free of VOCs. Those looking to spice it up a bit can add a mobile multifunctional niche unit that keeps your most important kitchen utensils within arm’s reach. The best part is that the glass cover, which is used to conceal the components when not in use, can be outfitted with your choice of colored LED light fittings.

3. Benjamin Moore’s Green Promise® products

Benjamin Moore continues to grow its portfolio of Green Promise® products, which includes Aura, high–performance low–VOC paint; Natura Zero-VOC interior paint, which is considered one of the greenest and safest paints available in the residential market. The Green Promise® designation is Benjamin Moore’s assurance that its environmentally friendly coatings meet and exceed the strictest industry standards, while also delivering the premium levels of performance and color you would expect from Benjamin Moore. But how did they get to be so green? The reason is the combination of both the base paint and the colorant. In addition to Aura and Natura, the Green Promise line also includes Aura Bath & Spa, Waterborne Ceiling Paint and ben.

4. Brizo faucets and showers

Brizo®, the luxury brand of Delta Faucet Company (DFC), brings eco-friendly elegance into the home with a line of products that are both environmentally responsible and aesthetically pleasing. Showcased at the 2009 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, the new Brizo green platform includes a range of water-efficient products with luxurious and sustainable design. Many Brizo lavatory faucets, such as the Vesi® Channel and Vesi Curve design, flow at 1.5 gallons per minute (gpm) at 60 pounds per square inch (psi), saving approximately 30% of water. In the kitchen you’ll find many product lines featuring its new SmartTouch technology, which allows the user to turn the water on and off with just a tap anywhere on the spout or handle. The faucet’s hands-free functionality allows users to easily wash hands, dishes or food without ever touching the faucet. With this new technology, homeowners are able to conserve water and energy by activating water only when needed, saving an average of 0.3 gallons of water per minute.

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The federal government continues its push to boost the housing market by extending a popular tax credit and offering new incentives. The deadline for the $8,000 first time homebuyers tax credit has been extended until April 30th. It was set to expire at the end of this month. The government is also offering a $6,500 dollar tax credit for current homeowners looking to buy or build a new home. That credit is also good until the end of April, so now is the time to find your dream home or house plan so you can receive this tax credit, as well as additional rebates and credits.

Calling all home builders, THD would like you to share your home building experience and photo album with us on Facebook. By sharing your experiences with others, you can inspire them to build their dream home. We joined the popular social-networking site to stay in touch with our consumers, showcase our newest house plans and keep them updated on the newest and hottest products and trends, particularly when it comes to building green. Come visit us on Facebook….we’d love to hear from you!

If you are looking for a small house plan with big curb appeal and an open floor plan, they you’ll want to check out house plan 7739. This two-story Colonial is ideal for a narrow lot and still includes a two-car garage (which can alternate with a breakfast room). Inside this 1,553 square foot home you’ll find a spacious kitchen with a large walk-in pantry that flows into the dining area and living room with fireplace. Upstairs is a master suite with a tray ceiling, garden bath and walk-in closet. Two ample size bedrooms are also located on the second floor.

Free flowing design makes this two-story home feel larger.

This week we launched the first issue of Dream Savings, a monthly e-newsletter featuring the latest money savings coupons and rebates to help you save money on building or remodeling your new home. You don’t have to wait each month to learn about the latest savings, because we’ve added a new section to our website where you’ll find ALL the latest rebates, including kitchen appliances, garage doors, tax credits, house plan modifications and much more. We understand the challenges of building a new home in today’s economy and wanted to make it easy for you by finding the best savings and rebates on all home building products and services, particularly eco-friendly products offered by residential manufacturers dedicated to promoting sustainable products so you can live better and enjoy huge energy savings for the life of your home.

I’m always look forward to receiving my Dream Designs each week, because I have yet to find the best house design. I am of the mindset that with all the house plan companies online, there is no reason I should have to incur the added expense of hiring my own architect and worrying that the builder doesn’t run into lots of problems building this brand new, never-been-built house. I find it kind of funny that this week’s issue with a Halloween theme featured my dream home. The Siena was so unique looking that it immediately drew my attention. I knew I wanted a stone exterior with lots of different textures and earth tones, but this was such a treat with its cedar beams and accents, which give it a very warm, rustic appeal.

I love to cook and this kitchen design has everything I could ever ask for, including a gorgeous kitchen island and large walk-in pantry to store all by cooking supplies – and let me say I like to be very well stocked when it comes to food. The dining room was large enough for me to host holiday dinners. My current house doesn’t have a dining room so I actually have to rent a table for my kitchen area to fit the whole family.

It was so nice to actually be able to see photographs of the interior of this home. I couldn’t call my husband fast enough to tell him I was ordering this house plan.

The rustic feel of this cook's kitchen has great appeal.

I finally found the perfect house plan on your website, plan 6881. There were lots of things I was looking for in my new home, but a really awesome laundry room was at the top of my list as strange as that may sound. In our first home the laundry room was in the basement and a complete pain to get to. In our second home, the laundry was on the main floor but in a little closet off the kitchen with no storage room. I was looking for a really cool laundry room, just not a space, but a place where I could iron and store items. I’m sick of losing socks and feeling like the maid. We’re breaking ground before the snow comes, and by the beginning of next summer we should be all moved in. I’ll send you pictures of my decked out laundry room when it’s finished!

Great two-story with flexible living spaces.

There are plenty of amenities in this floor plan, including a large laundry room.

I was delighted to see your article “What Women Want in Home Designs.” We will soon be calling on an architect to help us plan our home and the ideas you mentioned in the article agree with what I’ve been telling my husband. In addition to those mentioned, we will also have drawers in the kitchen as opposed to lower cabinets. They’re much easier to get to the back without having to stand on one’s head! In Texas we must store things in the house because the heat in the attic or garage breaks down plastics, papers and other materials. The house we build will have a large utility room with a lot of storage as well as washer and dryer, utility sink and long counter for crafts, sorting recyclables and folding clothes.

I hadn’t thought about the space to set groceries near the pantry, but I know the driveway or garage where I unload my car will be closer to the kitchen than it is now!

Thanks again for your articles and inspiring collection of house plans.

Designing a small bathroom in a small house plan can be tricky, but I found lots of ideas in this great article.

I only have eight foot ceilings, but I ordered a mirror that goes from the sink all the way to the ceiling and painted vertical wide four inch stripes on the walls in off white and light tan and my small bathroom looks amazing. Thanks House Designers for helping make my small space look great and with a minimum budget.

I recommend checking out their Product Ideas section for great articles on everything related to building your new home.

You have started a very interesting discussion on kitchen design. I’m a cabinetmaker who really does not want to make kitchens for a living, because the most of what is done in the US is just boxes with a “choice of doors and drawer fronts,” the most of which are made in a factory somewhere. Boring. I want to do something else if I can, but what?

European design just absolutely blows my mind, and I find myself reading quite a bit on it, even though these are often modular kitchens that one would simply send away for and have installed by a local craftsman. But what fascinates me is the utter innovation of those designs, so I find myself returning to them quite a bit.

I am also looking to design a kitchen for my wife in a too small space in a tract home, which necessarily lets out those wonderful European designs that excite me so. And whenever I find myself going out on a limb with some idea or another for our kitchen, my wife always grounds me by saying, “If you stick with the classics, you won’t grow tired of them.”

So, what do you do that is different and yet timeless and practical and stimulating to make if you’re a cabinetmaker? Damned if I know, but if I ever figure it out, I mean to make it for us and splash that baby all over the Internet!

What you’ve written, though, has given me quite a bit to think about, and I thank you for sharing your concepts.

You'll find great cabinetry used throughout this design.

I have been searching for over a year for a flexible home plan that had around 2,000 square feet, but included a bonus room in the design so that I could add on to my new home down the road without having to pay extra to have my blueprints modified. I’m going to be married in the spring and we didn’t want to build a “starter” home – we wanted something we could grow into so we can have room for children and probably a home office. I receive many newsletters from house plan companies and I must say that Dream Designs from The House Designers is one of my favorites.

This week focused on flexible living spaces and I can’t tell you how happy I was when I clicked on the DeStio House Plan. It was a little bigger than we had been looking for – 2,253 square feet – but after speaking with our builder and visiting our lot again we were assured that this home would fit perfectly. All of the rooms are spacious and flexible so we can change the interior as often as we like. One of the best parts about this plan is that it comes with a bonus room above the two-car garage that is 247 square feet and an option for a three-car garage.

I must say, outside of purchasing my wedding gown this is the best purchase I’ve made all year.

This two-story house plan offers a bonus room and flexible living spaces.

My recent issue of Home Ideas was all about great home lighting designs and big savings from LAMPS PLUS®. Particularly interesting was the article on Lighting Up Your Home, which helped me decide what kind of lighting to use in each room based on my budget, usage and style. I didn’t realize that the lighting in my house plan wasn’t very specific about the type of fixtures and technology my builder should use.

I also wasn’t planning on adding a lot of ceiling fans until I read the design tip. Now I plan on talking to my builder and designer to make sure that they include one in every room, so I can benefit from cooling my house in the summer and circulating warm air in the winter to save money on my energy bills. LAMPS PLUS® has many great coupons and savings that they offer online and in their stores, as well as a $20 off $100 for all new homeowners.

This house plan features plenty of recessed lighting to control ambience and save energy.

I have been building homes for over 27 years and am always looking for ways to save money on high-quality, energy efficient products. This week I received an email from The House Designers about the LAMPS PLUS® Professional trade program, which is a free online trade pricing program for home lighting products. In addition to the great discounts on over 1,000 of name brand items, they offer free, on-site delivery and access to their design lighting experts. I know I’m guilty of not specifying engineering requirements, products or technology in my electrical house plan when I begin construction on a new home. It would certainly expedite the home building process to have one of their lighting professionals provide lighting design and engineering to my projects. From one trade professional to another, I highly recommend checking out this trade program from LAMPS PLUS® and joining The House Designers Preferred Builder Program.

I was looking for a unique mountain house plan so I could finally start building on my Vermont property and came across the Candlewood. It had everything I was looking for and more. I definitely wanted a 2 bedroom house and couldn’t believe this floor plan, which had 3 bedrooms and 3 baths…AND a private master suite on the top floor. My husband and I were so excited to know that we would enjoy our privacy while entertaining family and friends. Other great features to this home are the two-story great room and wrap-a-round deck. And did I mention the master suite has a balcony. When I called to order this plan, I was told that it was an exclusive design to THD and that I would be receiving a $50 discount off the house plan. Thanks THD!!! I’ll send photos when it’s finished.

This spacious two-story is the perfect mountain getaway.