What's Your House Plan Style? Take a Fun Quiz to Find Out

Selecting a style for your house plan can be downright challenging – there are so many different architectural styles to choose from! Fortunately, HGTV’s FrontDoor.com has added a bit of fun to the process with its quiz, “What’s your architecture personality?” After answering few questions about your habits and preferences, you can learn which style of home plans is best for you.

Of course, that’s a bit optimistic. Sure, we encourage you to take the quiz and chuckle about your results. However, as designers of custom home plans, we encourage you to do a bit of additional heavy thinking about what you need in your home.

Although the search for the right home plans can seem Sisyphean at first, anyone can find the home of their dreams with a little forethought. Here are a few things to consider:

Family changes on the horizon. Newlywed homeowners want very different things than those who are retiring. Family size looms large in choosing a house plan. Will you have kids? If so, you’ll need more bedrooms. Or are you thinking of taking care of aging parents? A guest home or suite is probably a good idea. No one can predict the future, but by meditating on your future family, you can sift out the most important house plan features for you.

Home location. Many house plan buyers already have a location in mind for their dream home. If you have access to your home’s lot, consider how your home’s design will mesh with the landscape. Is there a certain landscape feature you’d like to highlight, such as a breathtaking mountain view? If so, think about how your home design can frame the favorite feature in common areas. For instance, if your family tends to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, perhaps a sunny, gorgeous kitchen with large mountain-facing windows should be included in your design. Also think about the proximity of windows to nearby neighbors when choosing home plans.

Prioritize everything. To figure out the most important home features for your family, brainstorm everything that you want. Get creative at this stage. Next, sort your choices into three columns: must-have, nice-to-have and not really necessary. While assessing different home plans, try to achieve as many must-have and nice-to-have priorities as your budget will allow.

Go ahead – take the Architecture Personality quiz to get your house plan hunt started. Then dive into the details listed above. Once you really know what you want and need in a home, you can assess which architectural style will best meet your needs. For instance, if you’re looking for an age-in-place design, home plans for a three-story Cape Cod are not for you – all those stairs would be nearly impossible for an elderly person to navigate.

Here are a couple of styles you will likely run across in your search for the best home plans:

Storybook. A whimsical style inspired by 1920s Hollywood. Look for unusual curved roofs, stucco or brick exteriors, and wrought iron.

French Country. A French Country home feels like a chateau, with its romantic arched doorways and curved windows. Stucco, brick and stone exteriors are common.

Spanish.Ornamental ironwork, clay tile and stucco are common building materials in Spanish or Mediterranean style homes.

Note: The home shown above is The Franciscan House Plan 2440.