House Trend: More Playful Homes

The playful Hip Cottage with Basement.

According to a RealtorMag.com article by Barbara Ballinger, more playful homes are what people want.  Why?  "Americans work harder now than ever, with many delaying retirement or starting second careers, so they want their homes to be a refuge and a place to unwind."

Adding that playful aspect to a house is something we know how to do.

Basement bonus room with kitchenette.

We design small homes for those looking to downsize, yet retain that playful space to relax. After deciding on a footprint for the necessary rooms, like the living room, kitchen, bedrooms, and baths, we look for ways to increase the enjoyment of your home life.  Adding a basement bonus room to a small house provides a place to unwind after the pressures of the day.  A theater room, billiards table, ping pong table or just a cushy couch and tv provide a place to loosen up and relax.  By adding a kitchenette to the room you've increased the opportunities.   
Example:  The Hip Cottage with Basement Foundation.

Porches Cottage with Roof Deck

We design homes that take advantage of the space under your house as well as above it.  If you're able to, building a basement under your house provides a place for a recreation or bonus room, as mentioned above.  Another way to add playfulness to your home is to build a roof deck above it.  A roof deck provides a place to watch the sunset or entertain guests at a dinner party with a spectacular view.  It's a spot to grill, a location to soak up the sun, or a place just sit and unwind.
Example:  The Lookout Cottage with Basement Foundation and the Porches Cottage with Roof Deck.

Backyard putting green by Carolina Custom Putting Greens.

Some of the ways you can get a more playful home is dependent on the lot you buy.  Look for one where you can have fun things like a backyard pool, your own putting green, a fire pit, install that pizza oven you've always wanted, or landscape the beautiful gardens you've seen in magazines.


If you're interested in designing or remodeling your home to add more playfulness to it, let us help you create a design at www.mcleodarchitect.com.  Or view our architect designed house plans, including the cottages mentioned above, at www.southerncottages.com.

The Island Cottage Survived Hurricane Sandy

Last November we received the following email from a client who built the Island Cottage.

Island Cottage with crawlspace foundation

Hi Mike,

I built your coastal cottage design over ten years ago. My family and I have enjoyed the home very much and live on a point on the bay with water on both sides. We have weathered many bad storms in this house and we really owe its success to your design. The roof plays a huge role in protecting us from nor'easter storms which hit us often. This is our primary residence. Recently we were hit with hurricane Sandy the eye hitting our community directly. Homes on either side and many more were destroyed by the ferocious wind and waves. We were left with some cosmetic damage lost stairs and railings but structurally we were ok and are currently up and running in our home while unfortunately most of the community is abandoned. Thank you for designing a heavy duty house. Check out YouTube put in Tuckerton, NJ sandy you will see your design under direct attack in the storm. Also the picture was on Fox, CNN and many other news cast around the country. Most of this community calls our house the blue lighthouse and use it as a landmark and GPS and radar setting for their boats. Anyway thanks Mike.

Please watch this portion of a newscast after hurricane Sandy which shows the Island Cottage spoken about in the letter above (the home with the blue roof).  We believe that the Island Cottage would have gotten more air time if the damage hadn't been so minimal.  This is proof that the Island Cottage was designed for both style and strength.

All of our Southern Cottages house plans were designed to meet coastal conditions and codes in the state of North Carolina at the time they were designed, with a basic design windspeed of 130 mph, to make them storm resistant.  Our houses on piling foundations were designed to withstand hurricanes by meeting coastal and flood plain and high wind zone construction in the state of North Carolina at the time they were designed.  To see more storm resistant home designs for coastal conditions by Michael R. McLeod Architect, P.A., please visit the Southern Cottages website.  We have a number of house plans for the beach or any waterfront property.

Let us help you create a building to serve your needs at www.mcleodarchitect.com.  
View our architect designed house plans at www.southerncottages.com.

Porches Cottage Interior

The Porches Cottage is one of our coastal house plans.  What makes this house unique is that the design locates the living spaces on the top floor to maximize views, while the bedrooms occupy the first floor. This "inverted living area" arrangement works well for a beach community or other location where the view is a primary attribute of the site. 

This is the front of the Porches Cottage.  As the name suggests, this home has wonderful porches to take advantage of the outdoors.  Whether you are relaxing on the first floor porch or entertaining on the second floor porch, your outdoor living space will be the envy of your guests.   

The following are some interior pictures of the Porches Cottage that were sent to us from two different clients.

As mentioned earlier, the majority of the bedrooms are located on the first level of the Porches Cottage.  Each has a spacious closet, plenty of space for furniture and access to a conveniently located bathroom, which is usually attached.

The bedrooms provide a cozy space to retreat after a long day at the beach.  There are also plenty of windows that let in natural light during the day and make for an enjoyable sleeping space at night.

The living and entertaining spaces of the Porches Cottage are located on the top floor.  This provides a way to maximize the views, whether you are right on the ocean, or a lot or two beyond.  The livingroom and diningroom are arranged in one continuous space along the back of the house and toward your view.   A vaulted ceiling provides an airy feel and helps bathe the room in light.   

In another version of the house, the client added some wainscot, crown molding and decorative features to add an upscale feeling to the livingroom.  The fireplace is a central design element in the room and can provide a nice atmosphere during entertaining. 

The wainscot and molding were also continued into the diningroom, which is visually separated from the livingroom by columns.  Even though the ceiling is not vaulted, the atmosphere still provides an open feeling and a lovely space.

The kitchen is another exciting feature of the Porches Cottage.  It opens to the diningroom and livingroom to share in the exterior view and provide for a great entertaining space.  In this view from the diningroom, we look toward the kitchen and then beyond to the second level front porch door. In case you are wondering where the stairs to the first level is, it is located to the left of the porch door.  As you can see, there is still plenty of exterior light coming in through the front of the house.

In this upgraded and custom-modified-by-the-client kitchen, marble countertops, custom cabinets, and double ovens highlight what is possible in this versatile house plan.

In addition to all these features, the Porches Cottage works well on a narrow lot. Views are afforded front to back from nearly all rooms even if adjacent houses are close together on a crowded waterfront site.

There are four different versions of the Porches Cottage available.  Some of the options available are piling or crawlspace foundation, enclosed garage, a residential elevator, a roof deck and a range of three to four bedrooms.

The Woods Cottage

The Woods Cottage is similar to our Shingle Cottage with the added feature of an attached two car garage with bonus room above.  This is an extremely livable house with a cottage charm and many amenities suitable for a large family.  Below are some pictures of a built Woods Cottage sent to us from a past client. 

This is the front of the Woods Cottage.  From this view you can see the way the garage comes together with the main house.  The wood plank siding with white trim provide a comfortable look and feel to this cottage.

In this view we see the front of the cottage from the other side of the front yard.  The porch is a welcoming area with plenty of space for furniture, such as rocking chairs, to enjoy the outdoors.  The house reveals the dining room on the right as it steps away from the main volume, as well as the family room fireplace by way of the chimney.

When we walk through the front door we are greeted in the foyer by the stairs.  To the left is the living room, to the right is the family room, straight ahead leads to the remainder of the first floor, and up the stairs leads to bedrooms and additional family spaces.

The living room is visually separated from the foyer by four columns (two of which can be seen in this picture).  This is a great space to make a formal area to greet visitors.  Two sets of windows bring natural light into the room.

The family room is separated from the foyer by a pocket door, in essence making it possible to close off the family spaces from the formal ones.  This room features a fire place, built-in shelving (not shown), a pass-thru to the kitchen (not shown) and plenty of natural light.

The dining room is off of the family room and also opens to the kitchen.  There are windows facing three sides of the house: the front, the back and the side.  These windows provide beautiful views as you enjoy your meals.

The first floor also features a large kitchen, master bedroom suite with an enlarged whirlpool bath, a spacious laundry room, a powder room and an office which connects the garage to the house.

Upstairs, there is plenty of room for a family to move and grow.  There are three generously sized bedrooms (each with its own large window), two baths and a den leading to the large bonus room over the garage.

For more information on the Woods Cottage please visit our Southern Cottages website.

Waterfront House Plans

These waterfront house plans were designed to maximize views and create delightful living spaces for gracious coastal living. Each house plan design incorporates a timber piling foundation system to provide protection from flooding and to meet coastal code requirements.

The Winds Cottage is a contemporary adaptation of southern coastal design elements put together in a new and exciting waterfront house plan.

The Island Cottage House Plan is a playful, waterfront cottage getaway. With it's wrap around porch, roof decks and roof-top observation loft, it's a great waterfront house plan.

The Porches Cottage is ideal for a streetscape lot in a beach house community or anywhere that large, covered porches are desirable. The "inverted living area" floor plan maximizes distant views from the living/dining areas on the top floor and makes this a special waterfront house plan.

The Lookout Cottage is a magnificent treehouse with roof decks, balconies and a rooftop observation deck perfect for overlooking surrounding trees and distant views.

The Grand Peaks Cottage provides "rooms in the roof" and a cascading, sheltering roofline to give this waterfront house plan a distinctive appearance and interesting interior spaces.

The Shelter Cottage has a large, sheltering roof and ample covered outdoor living spaces. The linear plan allows for views both front and back from most all rooms making it a light and airy waterfront house plan.

Nags Head Cottage

The Nags Head Cottage was designed in the tradition of the Nags Head Vernacular of the Outer Banks of the North Carolina Coast. Wrap-around porches provide protection from the elements. Rooftop balconies take advantage of magnificent views.

Some features of the Nags Head Cottage include 4 bedrooms, each with their own bathroom; a half bath for guests; 3,161 square feet of heated space on three levels; a game room; garage space for two cars; plenty of storage; and an outdoor shower for rinsing off the salt and sand when you come back from the beach.

Front Elevation

Left Elevation

Rear Elevation

Right Elevation

Hotel vs. Motel

Ever wondered what the actual difference was between a hotel and a motel? Or even, where the words hotel and motel came from? Here are a few facts you may or may not have known about these terms of lodging.

The English word hotel comes from French, where the world also means residence. It is derived from the Old French term hostel.

The word motel, is a blend of motor and hotel or motorists' hotel. It is a type of hotel consisting of a single building of connected rooms whose door faced a parking lot.

We recently wrapped up a hotel project in Leland, NC. The West Gate Best Western is now open for travelers looking for a place to rest and relax and enjoy that beautiful North Carolina weather!

Best Western West Gate Inn & Suites

Hotel Lobby - Front Desk

Hotel Lobby

Breakfast Area

Breakfast Area

Swimming Pool