Starter Homes Spotlight: Part 3



Starter Homes Spotlight: Part 3

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Starter Homes Spotlight: Part 3

Published at July 22 2024 by JFord

This week we are looking at great plans for starter homes. We’ve looked at the smaller homes in Part 1. All of those were under 2,000 square feet. We looked at plans that are the typical size of starter homes in Part 2. All of those plans were right around 2,000 square feet. Now we are going to look at some larger plans.

Remember a starter home is not necessarily just for young couples. These plans are great for builders and for anyone who is looking for that perfect family home. Check them out!


Ambrose Boulevard (NDG 844)Ambrose Boulevard (NDG 844) Floor PlanAmbrose Boulevard (NDG 844) Floor Plan

Ambrose Boulevard (NDG 844)

This 2,400 square foot home with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths gives you everything that you will need. This home also offers a 2-car garage. As you enter the home through the large covered porch you step into the foyer. On your right you see the Dining Room that gives you ample space to entertain.

Moving through the foyer and the 5-foot arched opening you find yourself in the central hallway of the home. The Great Room is right before you and features a brickwork fireplace with a media center and built in shelving on either side. On the right side of the great room you see the bar seating for the kitchen area which gives you 4 place settings. The kitchen is separated from the Great Room by this divide.

The Kitchen features a large pantry and an L-shaped countertop that gives you lots of counter space. The Breakfast Room gives you a place for informal dining and for those first cups of coffee in the Morning. The Great Room has large French doors and windows that open up onto a Grilling Porch. The Breakfast Nook can access it as well.

Returning to the main hallway, you can make your way to the Garage, Laundry Room with built-in space for hanging clothes, the half bath and the Kid’s Nook/Mudroom. If you go back to the Great Room, you will find the entrance to the Master Suite.

Adjacent to the Master Bedroom is a small Office/Computer area that will give you space to do business and check emails. The Master Bathroom has a whirlpool tub and a walk-in shower as well as access to the large walk in closet.

The second floor gives you Bedrooms 2, 3 and 4 with another bathroom. It also gives you a Computer Center that is perfect for the kids to do homework. The hallway between the rooms doubles as a balcony and overlooks the Great Room below.


Appalachian Retreat (MEN 5056)Appalachian Retreat (MEN 5056) Floor PlanAppalachian Retreat (MEN 5056) Floor Plan

Appalachian Retreat (MEN 5056)

This home is designed to give you all the amenities of city living in a rural setting. Our Appalachian Retreat plan is a contemporary mountain home with tons of space and character for everyone to enjoy. This home has nearly 4,000 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. This home rounds out with a 2-car garage with its own entrance to the home.

You approach the front of the home and are greeted by a large covered front porch. From there you enter the home through the foyer with expansive vaulted ceilings. The vaulted ceilings continue throughout much of the home.

If you step through the centrally located Hallway and into the Great Room, you will see those same vaulted ceilings and a natural stone half wall between the Great Room and the Kitchen Area. The Great Room features a large pass thru fireplace that connects with the Breakfast Nook in the Kitchen Area. The Kitchen features a pantry and a large island for entertaining and cooking.

Moving through the Kitchen, you find yourself in a large screened porch that opens up onto a grilling porch. As you walk around the outside of the home you will find that the large deck covers the entire back portion of the home and opens into the Master Suite through gorgeous French doors. This massive deck would be perfect for Moisture Shield and their marine proof products. The Master Bath contains a whirlpool tub and separate shower. Also included on this floor is a Laundry Room, Mudroom area, Dining Room and Office space.

And that was just the main floor! Just inside the door of the foyer you find a set of stairs that lead you down into the basement area. The stairs almost immediately open up into a large Game Room area with a built-in bar and small kitchen area. The rest of the basement contains Bedrooms 2 and 3 with adjoining Jack and Jill bathrooms. It also has plenty of room for storage and a Safe Room.


Auburn Dale Place (MEN 5139)Auburn Dale Place (MEN 5139) Floor PlanAuburn Dale Place (MEN 5139) Floor Plan

Auburn Dale Place (MEN 5139)

It features luxury styling for any budget. This plan gives you nearly 2,400 square feet of living space with 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths. This home also features a 3 car garage. We feature photos of this plan on our website so that you can have a glimpse of your future if you choose this plan.

As you step into the home from the covered porch, you find yourself in the Foyer with 10’ tall ceilings. The Dining Room is just to the right of the Foyer and gives your guests a taste of the elegance the rest of the house is going to offer them.

The Foyer turns into a Gallery that runs partway through the home. Just past there, you have the open floor plan featuring the Great Room, Kitchen and Breakfast Room. The Great Room is dominated by the large stone fireplace and vaulted ceilings.

The Kitchen features a large island with seating for 6 and space for the sink and dishwasher. The Breakfast Room opens onto the rear of the home with large double doors. This is where you could have an optional screened Grilling Porch added to the plan.

On the other side of the Great Room you have a small hallway that leads to a hall bathroom. This hallway also leads you to one of the bedrooms. The other end of the hall leads you to the second bedroom or what could be used as an office space that has a private entrance to the one car garage on this side of the home. This space would be ideal for an office because of the abundance of natural light coming in from the bay window facing the front of the home.

The other side of the plan is dominated by the Master Suite featuring a free standing tub and tiled shower. This plan also features an optional bonus room for a second floor of the home.


The Sunset Ridge – A BarnaLog Home (NDG B1064)The Sunset Ridge – A BarnaLog Home (NDG B1064) Floor PlanThe Sunset Ridge – A BarnaLog Home (NDG B1064) Floor Plan

The Sunset Ridge – A BarnaLog Home (NDG B1064)

This home has nearly 5,000 square feet featuring 4 bedrooms and 4.5 baths with a 3 bay garage. Walking through the covered front porch you step into the foyer and into and immense open space split between the Family Room, Great Room, Dining Room and Kitchen. The vaulted ceilings give the space the feeling of being larger than the square footage.

The Great Room is dominated by a fireplace and the Kitchen area is an open space with a central island for cooking and food prep. To the left of the Family Room is an opening to the Master Suite. Adjacent to the Master Suite is a large Master Bath with a whirlpool tub, corner shower and entrance to the large walk in closet.

To the right of the Family Room you can either go upstairs to the second floor, go down to the optional basement or go down a small hallway that leads to an office space with a corner stone fireplace. Imagine curling up in a leather chair and reading by that fire. Further down the hall you’ll find a large laundry area and a breeze way that leads to the garage.

Going upstairs you’ll find that the stairs open up to a loft that features a view of the rooms below. Bedrooms 2 and three with their adjoining bathrooms and walk in closets are on the right hand side while the left hand side features a Guest Bedroom that could double as a second Master Suite. This home is part of our BarnaLog collection and cannot be modified. If you want to see how it looks in real life, check out the photos from our happy clients who have had this plan built.


Preston Drive (SMN 1005)Preston Drive (SMN 1005) Floor Plan

Preston Drive (SMN 1005)

This 3 bedroom, 2 baths home exemplifies the Contemporary Modern Style. This design features a mixture of natural elements on the exterior of the home including stucco, stone, brick and horizontal wood siding. This mixture gives this home phenomenal curb appear.

As you walk up to the home, you are greeted by a covered front porch and double entry doors. This would be a perfect place for some of those large French doors from Panda Window and Doors. Once you enter the home you find yourself in a spacious, open floor plan. Here the Great Room, Kitchen and Dining Area are all in the same room. The Great Room area features a large stone fireplace and built in bookshelves on either side.

The kitchen features a large floating island to “separate" the space between the kitchen and the Great Room. A Pantry is conveniently located off of the kitchen area. As you move toward the hallway, you’ll pass the open Dining Area. The Dining Area is dominated by a series of windows that will let in an amazing amount of light.

As you move down the hallway you’ll pass the two bedrooms and linen closet. Each bedroom has access to its own closet and the Jack and Jill bathroom between them. At the end of the hallway you’ll find the Master Suite. This spacious room has its own private entrance to a small back porch. The adjoining Master Bath features double sinks and an enormous walk in shower as well as access to two walk in closets.

Moving out of the Master Bath, you’ll find your way to a large Laundry Area with room for your utilities. Coming from the Laundry Room, you enter a Kid’s Nook with built in shelving that can double as a Mudroom. From there you step right back into the Great Room/Kitchen/Dining Area.

Rounding this incredible design out is a massive outdoor living area with a built in area for a grill and storage for all those things that you need when you are entertaining outside. This gorgeous plan by designer Seth M. Nelson is sure to please any lover of the Contemporary Modern style.

Maybe you're looking for something in particular? Don’t worry, we have you covered. Come check out Nelson Design Group’s collection of over 1,800 house plans. And come check out the past blog posts in our house plan series:


Here at Nelson Design Group, we are always ready to make your dream home a reality. If we don’t have the plan that is right for you, we’ll make one. We are experts in our field and have been doing this for over 30 years. Give us a call today and we will be glad to help.


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