Modern Farmhouse vs. Traditional Farmhouse vs. “Fake Farmhouse”: How to Tell the Difference
White siding and black windows don't make a farmhouse any more than a cowboy hat makes a cowboy. How to spot the real thing — and the costume.
Signs You’ve Outgrown Stock House Plans
If you've started photoshopping floor plans together at midnight, this article is for you. The telltale signs the catalog phase is over.
Why the Primary Suite in Most Stock Plans Feels Cramped
On paper, the primary suite looked generous. Then the king bed, two nightstands, and the dresser showed up. Why suites shrink between plan and real life.
The Rooms Missing From Most Stock House Plans
Stock plans were drawn for a family that doesn't work from home, buy in bulk, or own a dog. The rooms your actual life needs that the catalogs skip.
The Farmhouse Plan With a Safe Room or Storm Shelter
In tornado country, the question isn't whether to include a safe room — it's where to put it so it's actually reachable in ninety seconds, half asleep.
The Modern Farmhouse With Combined Laundry, Mudroom, and Pet Wash
The muddy dog, the muddy cleats, and the laundry all come through the same door. There's a right way to design for that, and it isn't a bigger hallway.
The Single-Story Farmhouse With a Parent Retreat Wing
Somewhere in the house, there should be one room the toys never reach. Designing the retreat that keeps parents sane in a full house.
The Modern Farmhouse With a Butler’s Pantry and Prep Kitchen
The secret to a spotless kitchen during Thanksgiving is a second, messier kitchen hiding behind a door. The prep kitchen, explained.
The Single-Story Farmhouse With a Bonus Room Over the Garage
The one exception we'll entertain to single-story living sits over the garage. What a bonus room is good for, and what it quietly costs.
The Modern Farmhouse Designed for Multi-Generational Living
Mom's moving in, and everyone's happy about it — as long as everyone also has a door to close. Multigenerational plans that keep the peace.
The Single-Story Farmhouse With a Kids’ Wing and Jack-and-Jill Bath
Two kids, one bathroom, seven a.m. — a Jack-and-Jill bath either solves this or makes it worse, depending entirely on how it's drawn.
The Single-Story Farmhouse With Split Bedroom Layout
Parents on one side, kids on the other, great room in between. The split-bedroom layout is beloved for good reason — and wrong for some families.
The Modern Farmhouse With a Separate Primary Suite Wing
There's a difference between a primary bedroom and a primary wing, and you feel it every single evening. How the retreat side of the house comes together.
The Modern Farmhouse With a Deep Covered Back Porch and Outdoor Kitchen
A porch that faces the wrong way gets used twice a year. One that's planned right becomes the most-fought-over room in the house.
The Modern Farmhouse With an Oversized 3-Car Garage and Workshop
Your crew cab is 22 feet long. Most garages are drawn at 20. Designing a garage around the truck you own, not the sedan the plan assumed.
The Modern Farmhouse With a Real Home Office and a Homeschool Room
The Zoom call and the spelling lesson cannot share a wall. Planning real work and school spaces into a home that hosts both all day.
The 5-Bedroom Single-Story Modern Farmhouse, 4,000–5,000 SF
Five bedrooms, zero stairs, and a roof that doesn't need a forest of beams to hold it up. It's a puzzle — here's how the pieces fit.
The Single-Story Modern Farmhouse With Mudroom and Walk-In Pantry
Guests come through the front door. Your groceries, backpacks, muddy boots, and dog do not. Designing the entrance your family actually uses.
The Single-Story Farmhouse With a Detached Guest Suite
The best guest room might not be in your house at all. What a detached suite does for holidays, long visits, and the decade you can't predict yet.
The 4-Bedroom, 3-Bath Single-Story Modern Farmhouse, 3,500–4,500 SF
Four bedrooms on one level sounds simple until you try to keep the kids' noise out of the primary suite. How the layout works when it works.