When it comes to choosing an architectural style, there are several major house plans to choose from like Colonial, Farmhouse, Cape Cod, Ranch, Traditional, Contemporary and European.

Traditional Floor Plans are one of the most popular floor plan styles in America. The roofs are generally steep with front facing gables and the exteriors are often brick, stucco or clapboard. The interior typical features a loft and high interior ceilings to provide a very spacious and flexible interior.

Ranch floor plans, also known as one story house plans, are generally one story high with an “L” shaped floor plan with all the bedrooms grouped on one side of the home. Commonly, the master bedroom is somewhat separated from the other bedrooms on the main floor. All ranch house plans share one thing in common — a design for one story living.

Contemporary or modern house plans are characterized by an absence of any historical style, which makes each design very unique. Contemporary house plans typically have large expanses of windows, dramatic rooflines, sleek and bold shapes and an open and informal floor plan.

European Style Floor Plans include a wide range of architectural styles — Spanish, Mediterranean and French — which all seek to achieve an elegant, grand look with interior and exterior accents.

This is just a sampling of some of the most popular styles, however we offer nearly 60 architectural styles and collections of house plans, including our collection of exclusive ENERGY STAR® house plans, 3-D designs and exclusive plans found only at Direct from the Designers.