Energy Efficient Home Plans usually require the proper orientation on the building site in order to make the best advantage of the direction of the sun during different seasons of the year.
Handicap Accessibility Building Products have to be allowed for during the design of the home. Other features such as minimum door widths and other clearances have to be made to allow for wheel chairs. Showers and toilets also have to have special consideration.
Home addition plans are referenced separately. It is unusual to find complete drawings for home additions in references because they have to include changes indicated to existing structures. However, there are ideas for room additions such as do it yourself sunrooms. References are more likely to include how-to instructions for designing and planning additions.
Home design plans of many architects are also listed in the author index and in the alphabetical index. Home design includes a large number of subjects that are part of the development of house designs. Terms like sustainable architecture, green architecture refer to architecture that incorporates consideration for energy conservation and the environment into house design.
House plans and references to house plans are included for home design of many styles. House plans include more then floor plans. They generally include elevation drawings, detail drawings and drawings of other features, such as, trim that might not be obvious to the builder. Floor plans include also indicate the location of built in lights, electrical outlets, plumbing fixtures and other permanent features of the house. House styles have varied a great deal over the centuries. Many styles are related to cultures from different periods and to the development of material technologies over time. It is useful to understand these relationships when adapting styles from prior times to contemporary homes. Many decorative features that were done in plaster, metal or by hand carving, are now available in foam reproductions. Decorative features such as those found on Victorian style homes have to be shown on the house plans. See An Introduction to Architectural Drawings for samples.
Landscape design is treated separately even though, for new homes, it should be included in the home design. A full set of architectural drawings usually includes a plot plan with landscape design details.
Sustainable architecture is home design that includes suggestions for energy conservation and for alternative energy sources. It also include subjects like insulated concrete form (ICF) homes, solar energy in house designs, house plans for optimum solar energy use, for a healthy environment and for renewable energy use in the home.
