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My Dream Home

My two dreams of a modern sustainable home to last for generations!

By Lady SundayPublished 4 years ago 5 min read
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A-Frame style home design

I have imagined my dream home for years. I grew up in a world full of design plans (Architects and Engineers in my family) rolled up on our dining room table and imagined how someday maybe I would design my own home. There are two kinds of homes that have come to mind lately. Of course, both would be environmentally friendly! Have you read my blog on Global Warming? We now have available the best in cutting-edge technology to harness the powers of natural reusable energy sources when we design Earth friendly homes. Wired and wireless security (SimpliSafe is one wireless security system) features that run throughout homes are available, so all we have to do is tap our cellphones and...VOILA! instant access to locking and unlocking doors, shutting down lights, and we can even check to view real-time video inside our houses while we are away. These features windup paying for themselves over the long run. The proper building materials can ensure the home will last for generations of peaceful, green living!

Modern A-frame Sustainable Home

My first choice is to build on land that is set in a forest, far away from civilization. Of course, a small plot of trees will have to be cut down, but they can be reused in the building of my dream home which will be made from stone slab and natural wood. My A-frame will have a garage underneath the front door, a small bunker-type basement, a porch that stretches from the back to one side, an attached pool house, and a first and second floor. The first floor plan will have an open kitchen, pantry, a guest bathroom, laundry room, dining room, and living room.

My kitchen island will be made of stone, not the marble pictured.

The kitchen will have an island so there is a nice view out to the porch. The distinguishing feature will be the round stone fireplace set between the dining room and living room.

Stone gives off heat well.

Beyond the living room, the A-frame design allows for a wall of windows if wanted, there is a view of your porch and nature. Imagine sitting in your sunken living room on your thickly pillowed couch, the scent from burning logs and homemade chicken soup simmering on your stove, while you gaze out your windows at snow drifts, glowing softly under your solar lamps that still hold the energy they soaked up during the day!

The second floor of my A-frame is a loft style with 2 full bathrooms and 3 bedrooms. A set of stairs just near the front door can be found. The stairs also go down to adjacent doors for both the garage and the bunker. Up in the loft hallway, there is the master bedroom on one side of the loft, that has one bathroom for itself. Across the hall from that are the two smaller bedrooms, which share the other bathroom. With your solar panels being located on your pool house (accessible from the side porch) there is plenty of room in the slanted bedroom and bathroom ceilings for skylights. Yes, the pool house is just that. It has an indoor pool and hot tub, shower and bathroom. Since there is no budget, why not go all out? How beautiful to wake up with the sky above and even enjoy a nice read during lunch from the sun shining down! There is a railing at the edge of the loft landing so you can look down into the living room, and the heat from the fireplace disperses nicely in the open space keeping the whole home warm and cozy. During Summer? All you need is open skylights, ceiling fans, and the fresh forest air!

Renovated City Home

Victorian-era Cottage, Laurel Street, New Orleans LA

Inside city life there are many gems that are renovated or ready to be renovated for the use of renewable energy. One city that is on my bucket list of city living is New Orleans, Louisiana. When looking at listings, the most important thing to remember is LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! This diamond has solar panels, is NOT in a flood zone, and is located in the Irish Channel section of this beautiful city known as 'The Big Easy', for the city's spirit. As anyone knows, New Orleans is thought of as the place where people embrace life without fear of judgement and do things their own way. The floor plans of these homes definitely reflect that! 3504 Laurel St. is close to Magazine St. and near a lot of the food and fun of New Orleans.

Just looking at this floor plan of the inside for the listing above can make anyone a tad confused. So many people want a home that follows a pattern their familiar with! Is it a bet that the spirits of New Orleans have a difficult time navigating? It is quite different from any place else in the country.

Floor plan for 3504 Laurel St. New Orleans, LA

You will also find that homes in New Orleans have no basements. This is not unlike the other states that have the threat of flooding every Hurricane Season. I grew up in a home in New York that had a crawl space and it was near Lake Ontario...actually that was our backyard. It was a small, rocky cliff, which dropped down to the water about 50 feet below. Had the home a basement before, they probably would have had to stop digging. Basements originally served the purpose for the cold storage of food and wine. Especially in the South, where homes are below the sea level, there is a water table and a type of clay in and around the Mississippi River and along the coastlines. This all makes for mini-ecosystems in the swamps and wetlands, so anything put in the soil will be immediately inundated with water. When searching home listings, look for these words: NOT IN FLOOD ZONE. So many lives and homes have been lost during the high winds and flooding caused by Hurricane's. This never stops the spirit of this beautiful city and it's people keep going back to rebuild New Orleans, better and stronger! I would definitely move into my dream home there!

You can check out Elemental Green for ideas on your own 'Dream Home'. I wonder how many times you can change your floor plan? There are also houseboats...but that's for another blog!

Did you like what you read? If you did, why not leave me a tip? If not, you can check out my profile to see what else you like! Don't forget to 'heart' the stories on my profile that you like!

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About the Creator

Lady Sunday

I'm a self-publishing author of fiction and I love to research and write creative non-fiction.

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