McMansions vs. Small, Functional House Plans
February 15, 2009 by boygreen
Tightly spaced rows of enormous look-alike homes have been criticized for years, dubbed “McMansions.” With more and more people looking to green their lifestyles, we may see less of these oversized, expensive, energy guzzling homes popping up as they struggle to compete with smaller, more affordable green housing.
It’s no surprise that given the current economic situation, heating, cooling and electrical costs are a factor in the decision making process when it comes to designing a new home. A green “less is more” approach encourages home designers to include creative storage solutions and find unique ways to reduce square footage and energy consumption without reducing functionality. Just a few ideas on how to improve the functionality of a small house plan include:
- Swapping out formal living rooms for open kitchen-family room layouts with separate teen rooms, play rooms or craft rooms adds functionality for many families without increasing the size or cost of the home.
- Removing hallways and opting for a split bedroom layout can eliminate wasted square footage and dark hallways, helping to lower utility bills.
- Stacking cabinets to the ceiling can add valuable storage space without taking up floor space.
- Organizing closets and pantries with extra tall doors and added shelving provides storage for off-season clothing or bulk items without adding square footage.
- Careful window placement can help lower heating/cooling costs and can provide daylighting so lights don’t have to be turned on during the day.
- Reducing bedroom sizes can allow for larger closets, mudrooms, or living areas where square footage is more efficiently used.
View some examples of small (yet functional) house plans:
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It is amazing to see the difference between large homes that are planned poorly with huge space that isn’t functional, and a smaller home where the designer took into consideration how the family would use the home. Most people believe there is more square footage than there actually is in the smaller home because they are designed to eliminate wasted space and feel more livable.