Modern House Plans: The Ventana Design

First impressions are important in contemporary design

When building your new home, or even, before this, choosing your modern house plans, it is vital to consider the first impressions that this new home will provide to guests, visitors and in the future, potential buyers.

The front door

This is one of the great things about this house plan. As you walk up to the front door, you are greeted by an impressive entrance – both warm and welcoming, surrounded on three sides by amazing windows. Lovely! It immediately gives the sense of an expansive, airy and honest home.

This sense continues once you step inside. This design has a total living area of 1,929 Sq. Ft. which is very reasonable for a three-bedroom, two bathroom home. The house itself fits into a 59' 0" x 68' 8" space.

You can see that the designers of this single storey home drew from South-western and Mediterranean architectural styles in their plans – contemporising them with fantastic vaulted ceilings and extensive use of glass to maximise natural light.

Modern Kitchen Design

Many of us are now living lives where the kitchen really is the heart of the home. This house centralises the role of the family kitchen, whilst maintaining a clear separation between communal areas and private quarters – a must in any single-storey home!

The kitchen includes a desirable central island unit (excellent for the kids to chase each other around…. oh, did I say that???) Also, this is great for socialising with friends and a glass of wine after work whilst preparing the meal.

Finally, the kitchen has access to the back porch. This is a great idea for unloading all those groceries… no need to carry them all the way through the house, invariably dropping some on the way.

Need to look your best?

The huge 16' 0" x 13' 8" Master Bedroom suite has its own private porch, luxurious en-suite bathroom and, sky-lit, yes, a sky-lit dressing area – so now you will know if that scarf clashes with the rest of your outfit before stepping out the door!

The use of high ceilings to achieve a sense of space

After a feeling of space? Raise the ceilings! This was a typical design feature in the homes of the wealthy Victorians and Edwardians. This house is no different, with respectable 9 foot ceilings throughout the house, except in the master bedroom in which the ceiling soars to eleven feet!

Concluding Comments

So, in conclusion, this contemporary design is a perfect mixture of contemporary styles, efficient layout and perfectly chosen materials to give you a home you can, and will be proud of.

This modern house plan can be found, and even purchased online here.

All designs are copyright by the designer, Donald A. Gardner Architects.

If you are looking for something a little bit different, why not try the following sites:

House Plans from Cool House Plans

Donald A. Gardner Architects Modern Designs

Modern House Plans: Reviews – Kananagh Design

Wood and Glass Usage in a Modern House

The Kananagh modern house plan (Available here) is a fine example of contemporary design. This house design skilfully unites natural and semi-natural materials (wood and glass) and with the extensive conservatory-style wall brings the outdoors inside and seems to extend your living space as far as your eye can see.



Vaulted Ceilings in Modern Houses

One aspect of modern design which I’m thrilled with is the reinterpretation of ancient concepts in a new way. Vaulted ceilings have been around for hundreds of years, but not quite like this! The vaulted ceiling reaches from low down on one side, high up over the great room, and as this opens on to the deck, you really do get the feeling of incredible space (so useful in our frantic, stressful lives.)


The Master Suite

At the end of a long day, running around after the kids or at the office, having a space of your own to which you can retreat is such a relief. This modern house plan accommodates an amazing private master suite, with a luxurious bathroom, incorporating a massive whirlpool tub – you can feel the day’s stress already departing!

The master bedroom also (for those Romantics out there) has it’s own fireplace, access to the sun-room balcony and a huge amount of built in storage space.

I really like the incorporation of the fireplace in the bedroom. This was actually quite a common feature in Victorian times in England – as coal fires were used to heat the rooms. It is wonderful to see this contemporised in this modern home.

Floor Plans

Here are some floor plans to show you the layout of this house. They can be accessed in even more detail, along with specifications at the architect's site.


Upstairs


Ground Floor
One tip which might be helpful is to bear in mind that you can always reverse and mirror image such plans, often on the designer's websites themselves. This is good to do, so that you can fit the house best into your plot and landscape.

References and Sites

I hope these comments and images (all copyright Donald A Gardner) help you to select or draw up your own modern house plans. If you are looking for other, similar designs, I would encourage you to try the following sites:

this modern house plan – The Kavanagh


modern house plans from coolhouseplans.com


modern house plans from Donald A Gardner Architects

Modern House Plans: Reviews - Introduction

What I would like to do here is review a range of modern house plans which are readily available to purchase online.

How you use these reviews is up to you, but here are two suggestions:

You could look at each of the designs, identify the aspects and features which you adore, and then compile your thoughts, ideas and desires together in a scrapbook of sorts to create your modern home with the help of an architect.

Alternatively you can download or order your favourite home plans. It’s up to you.

At a conference in London last week, I was chatting with a Lecturer in Architecture from Cambridge University (and formerly of one of the better-known Boston Schools) and when I was telling him about the prices of these plans, he indicated the normal prices of such house plans – generally about 10% of the whole building cost – 8% on Architect Fees, and 2% on the structural fees. What this means is that on a (relatively small) project costing, say, $200,000, there is an additional $20,000 to pay for just these plans.

The more I think about it, if you like the house designs and architectural styles, these plans are a bargain. Depending on where you get them from they cost from something like $500 - $2000 for full structural plans, and some even include materials lists… Not bad compared to what you could pay!

Anyway, here are some sites on which you can find some modern house plans.

Modern House Plans From Donald A. Gardner Architects


Modern House Plans from Cool House Plans