While the essence of architecture is utility, its approach to space and structure varies from era to era.
Finding the right architect for the job is an essential beginning to your custom home-building project.
Whether you want to take advantage of a hot real estate market by selling your home or want to show pictures to friends via the Web--or maybe even give photographs of your home to family and...
You love your house, but that highway nearby is so loud you can’t hear yourself think. Perhaps it's the freight trains on the tracks that didn’t look so close when you bought. Or maybe it’s the...
Building a new home is exciting, but can be stressful if you are having a difficult time finding the perfect site on which to build your new home. Knowing what to look for at the building site can...
Geodesic domes are relatively simple to construct, though the process can take hours. The premise of the dome was made popular by Buckminster Fuller. Geodesic domes can now be found just about...
A farm pond provides a source of water for farm animals, fish for eating and recreation if properly built and maintained. Using a current water source, such as a stream or water spring, is one way...
The job of a building's foundation is to support its structure. A soil investigation report performed by a geotechnical engineering firm helps to determine the type of structure needed for the...
A yurt, or ger (rhymes with "hair"), is a round dwelling used by Mongolian nomads on the steppes of central Asia. Designed to collapse small enough to fit on a draft animal and set up in half an...
For many of us, our biggest energy expenses are not from our cars, but our homes. The bills are paid to different places each month, the gas company, the electric company, and the heating oil...
The Craftsman style home reflects not only a type of architecture but also a lifestyle. First popular in the early 20th century, Craftsman architecture symbolized an ideology that valued nature,...
Beams are the long pieces of wood that pull the barn together. They hold no vertical load, only horizontal tension. Ordinarily barn beams fail due to the wearing out of the connection at the...
If you have fallen on hard times and find yourself in a position where you have to live in your van there are a few things to keep in mind to get through this rough spot. No one wants to suffer...
It used to be that when you thought of a log home, a picture of a rustic cabin in the woods came to mind. Today, a log home can be much more than that. If you want to build a log home you might...
Familiarize yourself with historical architectural styles to appreciate the post-modern era that began in the late 1970s and continues today. Post-modern architecture mixes and matches...
The health of the environment has become a major social concern. There are many ways to create a home that is more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Below are many of the areas of...
The quality and durability of the construction of a house has much to do with the framing process. There are several techniques used to frame a house. The technique described here is the...
What could be more exciting than moving into a new home? How about moving into a new home that's designed just for you and your family? If this is your situation--lucky you! Here's some advice to...
Victorian architecture became popular during the reign of England's Queen Victoria in the late 1800s to the early 1900s, but the period of Victorian architecture spans from 1825 to 1900. The most...
Art Deco architecture and decorative arts became internationally popular in the 1920's and 1930's. The design school, born in France and named for the city's 1925 Exposition of Decorative Art, was...