At Home Living: Building a house by first picking your style

In the home-building journey, the excitement is growing. Youve created a design portfolio of what youd like to see in your new home, gotten an idea of your lifes future plans and how they will impact the house, and talked to your lender about financing. Now its time to narrow down the specifics.

In your research, what house type style fits your needs and tastes best? Still not sure? Annette Stahl, personal design coach and marketing director for Dultmeier Homes said, When picking a home style its important to think about how do you want to live. Do you entertain large groups? Will you have elderly friends or family that will need to get in and out of your home? Will there be small children? Style is all about you and how you want to live.

The most common Topeka home style is the Ranch. This type is known for being built on one level with an efficient use of space. Ranch homes can be rectangular, or built in an L or U shape.

Kansans are pragmatic, Michael Wilson, President of Architect One said. We want the biggest bang for our buck. The Ranch is efficient and affordable, with a more open floor plan, lower pitched roof, and attached garages.

Ranch homes work well for most people. The single-floor living allows for the children to be on the same floor as the parents, as well as having the laundry room located on the same floor as the bedrooms. These homes can be handicapped accessible and easier to navigate as people age. Also, because of their single-level low profile, Ranch homes are energy efficient.

The con of a Ranch is lot size, Stahl said. Many times, to get as many bedrooms as families may need, especially with the increase of blended families, if they choose a Ranch, only two or three bedrooms will fit on the main floor and fit on the lot. Fifty-six percent of all new construction homes have three car garages, leaving little house on the main for a forth or fifth bedroom.

Wilson noted that many homes are not true Ranches anymore. Some are a hybrid mix of elements from other styles. For example, a ranch may have Craftsman elements or Italianate columns. Plus, there is always the Split-level Ranch, where one section of the house is lowered and another section is raised, with short flights of stairs leading from one level to the next.

Other popular home styles in Topeka include:

Craftsman, or Arts and Crafts Stylealso known as the bungalow style, this type of home has overhanging eaves, a low-pitched gabled roof, and a wide front porch with tapered, square columns. The home is built with lots of rough wood, stone and stucco. Inside is an open floor plan with wood built-in cabinets and shelving. In Topeka, a popular variation is the Airplane Bungalow, with a small second-floor area centered on the building known for looking like the cockpit of a plane. People liked this style because opening the upper floor windows allowed air to flow through and cool off the house on a hot summer evening.

American Foursquarealso known as the Prairie Box, this style became popular as a mail order house kit sold in catalogs. Built with brick, stone, stucco, concrete block or wood siding, this two and a half-story style has a simple box shape with a full front porch and large central attic dormer on top. Inside is a four-room over four-room floor plan.

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At Home Living: Building a house by first picking your style