Life is messy, generally speaking. With all your responsibilities, your hobbies, your children (furry or otherwise) requiring love, attention, and dedication. Maybe everyone else has their lives put together in a reasonable, logical fashion. Not in my house! Our constant on-the-go lifestyle has turned our garage and mudroom into a catch-all of school items, dog leashes, pantry items, and seasonal clothings. It’s a disaster zone.

With the weather warming and swimsuit season looming, we are all thinking about when we can rush off to the beach or lake! Stunningly hot afternoons punctuated with lazy relief cooling in the water and soothing sunburns on your vacation home covered porch. Who else is ready life to resemble something a little more normal? I’ve got a craving for sandy toes and tan lines!

There are a few months yet until anyone can safely capitalize on these warm and sunny days. For empty-nesters, growing families, and everyone in between, turning your vacation home into a permanent residence is more than a pipe dream! I’ve gathered some of our best coastal vacation house plans to jumpstart your beach mode:

The Aspen Retreat house plan is designed by award-winning designer Michael E. Nelson. Aspen Retreat is a rustic craftsman bungalow style house plan with 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths. With 3,698 square feet of living space, this pleasantly inviting home plan emphasizes togetherness and entertainment. From the vaulted ceilings in the Great Room to the angled rear covered porch to the expansive Media Room, Aspen Retreat brings modern-day to the rustic, mountain-inspired craftsman home!

We spend so much of our time focusing on the walls, the flooring, the very expensive (but wildly charming) crown molding all to improve and personalize our home. Far too often, the ceiling is left simple. Now, there is nothing wrong with simplicity. But choosing an alternative to the conventional ceiling is an amazing way to redefine your home! Opting for a specific ceiling type can emphasize your open floor plan or add depth to a Master Suite. I've gathered a list of unique ceiling alternatives to highlight your wide range of options when building your home:

Like most of the country right now, we’re all spending a fair portion of our life at home. Some of us are still working from home and the paperwork stacking up is highlighting how difficult working off the kitchen table can be. Some of us are trying to keep busy with housework and truly regret not adding extra shelving and storage space, I mean, honestly, where does all this stuff go? Others yet are managing both tasks with a small entourage of youths squeaking hungry demands every 20 minutes (Hang in there, folks).

The biggest thing happening to my family is a desperate need for more space on all fronts. An active part of our time at home now belongs to organizing what room we currently and planning on expanding. That dream home Pinterest board has really come in handy after all. To make the transition easier for anyone else cramped in not-so-cozy quarters, here are some of my favorite new house plans with plenty of room to move, grow, and breathe in! Find your favorite room and start envisioning the upgrade!

FAKRO

Focusing on providing environmentally conscious skylights, roof windows, and attic ladders, FAKRO is one of our exclusive partners for builders and homeowners. We’ll be taking an in-depth look at the wide range of products FAKRO offers!

It’s been nothing but wet and gray for weeks here. Not only is this the first sunny day in a hot minute; it’s also warming up to a toasty 80 degrees. I know we are still social distancing and isolating. If you’re looking for a good excuse to sit outside or keep busy, now is the time to plan your outdoor cleaning!

Homeschool In Your New Home

COVID-19 has everyone wary of big gatherings. We are all practicing social distancing, refreshing our hand-washing technique, and staying home as often as possible. If you are feeling a little stir-crazy or have little ones roaming about the home, I’ve gathered some sanity-saving ideas, as well as free programs and activities to keep everyone entertained and healthy.

My neck of the woods didn’t get a true winter this year. It was soggy and dreary, that’s for sure! Now that spring is starting to show, we all are chomping at the bit to get outdoors again. Fresh air, sunshine, and flowers blooming begging our attention outdoors. Unfortunately, we don’t always like what we see when we do finally get outside. Luckily, you’ve chosen a Nelson Design Group house plan to stand out from the cookie-cutter homes in your neighborhood. How do you create a lawn to match?