if you already own a house in a city, and you have money to spare, one thing you can do is build yourself a cottage out in a remote area, maybe by a lake or in the mountains. there are lots of plans for smaller log cabin cottages, but maybe you want a cottage that's a little bit larger and includes a grilling porch.

going in the front door, through the large covered porch, we see a closet up ahead, which is a really convenient area to put our coats and other outdoor accessories. the foyer opens into the great room, which i think truly lives up to its name. this great room is a really important part of the house, and i think it offers just so much flexibility. there's a lot of room for furniture, but you can also put a large tv in there, in case you still want amenities like that.

at the back of the house, attached to the great room, we find the dining room and the kitchen. for a cabin, the kitchen offers lots of counter space, and its proximity to the dining room is also very convenient. more importantly, the kitchen is also close to the grilling porch that's accessible through the door at the back of the house. this placement allows you to prepare your food in the kitchen, conveniently bring it out back to the grilling porch, and here you can bbq the food before bringing it back in the house and serving it in the dining room.

heading down the hallway leading from the great room to the bedrooms, we pass a utility closet, as well as another closet that has space for the washer and dryer. across from this closet we find the bathroom, which is quite good for a cabin. it has a linen closet, two sinks, lots of counter space, a toilet and a tub. there are two bedrooms in this house. the one in the front has a closet, while the bedroom in the back has a walk-in closet.

i think this is a really good cabin or country home for city folk who want to experience the best of both worlds. maybe they don't want to give up all of the amenities of city life, but still want to easily go fishing and have bbqs and maybe go camping too. this is the sort of house that such a family should look into building.

way back when, my granny used to live on the farm in a farmhouse build by our ancestors. i've got lots of fond memories of that house, and so i was really pleased to see that a similarly designed traditional farmhouse plan is available today, but updated for a more modern living style.

being a farmhouse, it's all about practicality and making the best use possible out of absolutely everything, since that's what farming comes down to in so many ways. of course, it wouldn't be a farmhouse without having a glorious front porch! i remember my granny sitting on her front porch that looked just like this, sipping her tea and enjoying the country life.

inside, behind the front door, there's a small area for boots and shoes, as well as a coat closet. the main floor is very open, with the living room and the dining room combining into one large open area. this is a great design because it allows for a very flexible arrangement of furniture.

the living area opens directly into the kitchen, which also has ample space left for an island or a table in the middle of the room. in the back corner of the house, we find a small washroom, as well as a utility closet that can hold a washer and dryer. there's a back door located between the kitchen and the washroom. the back of the house is also designed in such a way that a mudroom can be added on to the back. i really like this design, and it's a great idea especially if this house is built out in the country and the family living in it has a few kids. kids living on the farm or in the country always manage to get dirty when playing outside, and a mudroom can become essential!

the stairs leading upstairs are located along the side of the house, with the base near the front door's closet. going upstairs we find a very simple but efficient design. at the front of the house there's a large bedroom with lots of closet space. behind this we find another bedroom, with one more bedroom between this bedroom and the back of the house. all three bedrooms share one bathroom that includes a tub, a toilet and a sink with a counter. there's a small linen closet at the top of the stairs, as well.

this is a great house and i think it's a very proven design. after all, if designs like this were good enough for hard-working farmers who knew how to make the most of everything, it should work perfectly well for a modern family that wants the same, even if they aren't necessarily farmers.

it's very rare that i see a house that has not just one master suite, but rather two master suites! well, that is exactly what this three-story house has. of course, that's not all this house offers. it has so much more, too!

the first floor has a magnificent garage. one of the two garage stalls is big enough to hold not merely a car, but an rv! even if you don't use it for storing an rv, that still leaves a lot of storage room towards the rear for other stuff like maybe a motorcycle or yard equipment or bicycles.

the house itself has a majestic two story foyer that also includes the base of the regal curved staircase. to the right of the foyer, though large double doors, we find a parlor. there are just so many things you could do with this room! it could be used as a study, or it could be used as a home office, or it could be turned into a library furnished with the finest reading material, or it could even just become a sitting room.

on the other side of the foyer we find the dining room. one very exquisite thing about the dining room is that the curved stairway makes up one of the walls. this gives it a very unique appearance no doubt. the dining room connects to the kitchen, which includes an island. just behind the kitchen we find a nook, which i think would make a great place to eat breakfast. the nook also opens onto the deck.

beside the kitchen, at the back and side of the house, we find the large family room. this is a marvelous room, as it includes a corner fireplace as well as a double door opening onto the deck out back. this deck, which like i mentioned earlier connects to the nook through a door, also connects to the garage. i think this deck is a really special one because it gives so much room for having bbq parties and other outdoor social gatherings. back inside the house, we find a closet and a small washroom between the parlor and the family room.

we can now go up the curved stairs, which must be absolutely stunning to walk through when you consider that they're within the two story foyer. at the top of the stairs we find a utility room, as well as two bedrooms. each of these bedrooms has a closet, and they share a washroom in between them. this washroom has a tub, a toilet, and a counter with two sinks.

on the other side of the second floor we find another very unique feature of this house, namely its two master suites. the largest master suite is towards the back of the house. it includes a fireplace, and its very own private deck. one feature i really like about this master suite is its spacious walk-in closet. this is a very convenient place to put clothes. the shared master suite is accessed through the walk-in closet, too.

the master bathroom is shared with the other master suite. this bathroom includes two enclosed toilets, lots of counter space, two sinks, a large tub, and a shower. it is truly a magnificent bathroom! the other master suite isn't as large as the large master suite, but it still has a very nice walk-in closet, and like i mentioned earlier, it also has access to the shared master bathroom.

that's not all that this house offers. the lowest floor has a lot of potential, too. this area includes another garage, some storage areas, and even a shop. i really like how this house has a shop, because a shop is the kind of room that's practical and fun at the same time. some serious woodcrafting can be performed in this shop, and maybe even other forms of art like pottery making and sculpting. the lower floor also includes yet another bedroom, along with a bathroom, and a large rec room. i think this rec room would make a really great home theater, maybe with a bar in one corner.

this is a really remarkable house with so much to offer. the dual master suite arrangement is very unique, as is the large master bathroom that is shared between them. there are also several other bedrooms, and lots of living space, plus lots of space for storing cars and other vehicles. this is an extremely flexible and luxurious house, no doubt!

i just saw some pictures of a japanese house that reminds me of clouds. it's a very simple house and it makes very liberal use of white paint. when i look at the pictures, it makes me feel like i am walking through a house made of clouds! the picture of the stairway especially makes me feel this way because the stairs themselves are white and so i think it'd be like you're gliding up them!

the mountains are a truly beautiful place to live, but they can also be a hostile environment. when you're in such an environment, you need a house that's rugged and that can withstand the elements, but that is also comfortable to live in. a durable mountain house may be just what you're looking for.

this mountain house is clearly simple, yet comfortable. on the main floor, we find a nice large front porch that connects to the vaulted great room through a set of double doors. the great room has a large fireplace, which is just the sort of thing you need when the weather starts getting colder and you need to warm yourself up. the great room also offers lots of space, so you could probably even fit a television and lots of furniture in here too, if you so desired.

the dining area is connected to the great room, near the front entrance. there's no real barrier between the great room and the dining area, so they sort of flow into one giant room. along the wall opposite the fireplace we find a unique kitchen area. it's not really a distinct room but rather it's more an accessory to the great room in a way. it does include a stove, a fridge, sinks and ample counter space, just like one would expect from a full kitchen. it looks like there's even a small pantry at one end!

the back of the house features a small hallway that leads to a washroom, a closet, and the master bedroom. the bathroom includes a toilet, sink and a shower, presumably for use by the upper floor occupants. the bedroom is spacious, and connects to its own private deck through double doors along the side of the house. on the other side, we find the master bathroom, which consists of a tub, a toilet and a sink. this bedroom doesn't have a dedicated closet, but that shouldn't be a problem if you just use dressers to store clothes.

in the hallway leading to the master bedroom, there is a ladder leading up to the upper loft level. this level has a vaulted ceiling over the open loft area, and has lots of room for bunks. this would be a great place for guests to sleep, when they come to visit the beautiful mountain scenery and to partake in all of the glorious activities that mountain life allows for.

this is a mountain house that i think offers the strength one needs when living in the untamed wilderness, but it doesn't skimp on comfort at all! it lets you combine all of the amenities you'd expect from a more urban house with the best of mountain living.