Arch-top windows (also called circle-head windows): Windows with a rounded top. Sometimes the arched top is actually a transom window.

Baluster: An upright, often vase-shaped support for a rail.

Bay window: A series of windows that project out from the home, creating a bay.

Beach House: A beach house is a house on or near a beach, generally used as a vacation or second home for people who commute to the house on weekends or during vacation periods. Beach houses are often associated with beach gardens with a special planting and a particular type of leisure use. The exteriors may have lap siding with standing seam metal roofs reflecting a true cottage style or they may be stucco clad with barrel tile roofs indicative of a Mediterranean villa, either completely at home in a coastal resort environment. Many beach style house plans feature elevated living spaces over an island style basement that is fitted to coastal site conditions where flooding is a concern. These lower spaces may feature parking, storage and unfinished areas that can be converted into such uses as game rooms, exercise rooms, or flex rooms that can accommodate visiting grandchildren (conditional upon site zoning requirements).

Bonus room: This is a flexible space that can either be finished while building or after the fact.

Bridge: see catwalk

Butler’s pantry: The butler’s pantry is typically between the kitchen and formal dining room, providing an additional counter space for staging meals, as well as storage for fine china and glassware. In our largest homes, a door conceals the butler’s pantry to enhance privacy while dining.

Butted glass window: A window created by joining separate pieces of glass without using a frame; these windows are often curved.

CAD: A plan format where AutoCAD drawings are supplied on CD-ROM. This plan format makes all types of changes easier, from minor to major. When purchasing CAD plans, you will receive one copy of the disk and permission to make up to twenty copies.

Catwalk: A cantilevered walkway between one side of the second floor and the other, typically adjacent to two-story living or great rooms.

Clerestory windows: A row of windows above eye height designed to add light to a given space.

Coastal style homes: Coastal style home plans reflect a casual resort atmosphere with exteriors that recall the cottage style with pastel colored siding, white trim and standing seam metal roofs, or a Nantucket feel with grayed split shake siding and wood shake roofing, or even a Mediterranean coastal villa with golden hued stucco and terra cotta tile roofing. Most feature informal great rooms that are interconnected with bright spacious kitchens and view oriented dining spaces. Many coastal style house plans feature elevated living spaces over an island style basement that is fitted to coastal site conditions where flooding is a concern. These lower spaces may feature parking, storage and unfinished areas that can be converted into such uses as game rooms, exercise rooms, or flex rooms that can accommodate visiting grandchildren (conditional upon site zoning requirements).

Computer center: A built-in desk area dedicated to the home computer. Sometimes located near the kitchen, other times it is located near the secondary bedrooms.

Cooktop island: Kitchen island with cooktop; ovens are typically built-in to nearby wall. 

Cottage: Originally in the Middle Ages, cottages housed agricultural workers and their families. The term "cottage" denoted the dwelling of a cotter. Thus, cottages were smaller peasant units. In that early period, a documentary reference to a cottage would most often mean, not a small stand-alone dwelling as today, but a complete farmhouse and yard (albeit a small one). Thus in the Middle-Ages, the word "cottage" seems to have meant not just a dwelling, but have included at least a dwelling and a barn, as well as, usually, a fenced yard or piece of land enclosed by a gate. Later on, "cottage" might also have denoted a smallholding comprising houses, outbuildings, and supporting farmland or woods. A cottage, in this sense, would typically include just a few acres of tilled land. Much later (from around the 18th century onwards), the development of industry led to the development of weavers' cottages and miners' cottages. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term 'cottage' is used in North America to represent 'a summer residence (often on a large and sumptuous scale) at a watering-place or a health or pleasure resort' with its first recognised use dating to 1882, in reference to Bar Harbor in Maine.

Crawl Space: Narrow opening between the ground and the underside of a structure, not tall enough to permit standing but sufficient to give access as needed to wiring, plumbing, and other utilities.

Cupola: A rounded vault resting on a usually circular base and forming a roof or a ceiling b: a small structure built on top of a roof.

Dormer: A window set vertically in a structure projecting through a sloping roof.

Eating bar: A counter adjoining the kitchen where bar stools can be placed to eat at the counter.

Elevation: A scale drawing of the side, front, or rear of a structure.

Fabric care studio: See utility room

Family valet: An elegant “mudroom” of sorts, the family valet is a convenient transition space to store purses, briefcases, bookbags and other items on their way in or out of the home.

Family zone: This term refers to an open arrangement of the kitchen, a leisure room and a casual dining nook. These casual living spaces do not have walls separating them, so family spends more time together, even while participating in different activities in the large space.

French doors: French doors on our plans typically refer to a set of doors that, in conjunction, open to make a doublewide opening.

Full bath: A bathroom containing a sink, toilet, as well as a bathtub and/or shower.

Full Reverse: Full reverse plans are redrawn with all the plans and elevations fully reversed with all the text and lettering reading correct, rather than mirrored.

Gable: the vertical triangular end of a building from cornice or eaves to ridge

Green building: A concept that refers to building with sustainable materials and practices. Typical intentions include reducing the waste generated during construction and reducing the energy consumption of the resulting home.

Half bath (or powder bath): A bathroom containing a sink and toilet but no bathtub or shower.

Hipped roof: A roof having sloping ends and sloping sides.

ICF Walls: Insulating concrete forms (ICFs) are rigid plastic foam forms that hold concrete in place during curing and remain in place afterwards to serve as thermal insulation for concrete walls. The foam sections are lightweight and result in energy-efficient, durable construction. ICFs can be used to form various structural configurations, such as a standard wall, post and beam, or grid. They provide backing for interior and exterior finishes. Typical insulation values range from R-17 to R-26, depending on thickness, compared to between R-13 and R-19 for most wood-framed walls. ICF walls are designed as reinforced concrete, having high wind and seismic resistance.

Island Basement: An island basement is a form of post and pier foundation that is commonly found in coastal areas where the ground floor is required to be a breakaway level in case of storm surge. 

Italianate: Italian in quality or characteristics.

Jack-and-Jill bath: A Jack-and-Jill bath is typically located between two bedrooms, providing direct bathroom access to both. Many Jack-and-Jill baths have a private, separated toilet and shower area so the sink can be used simultaneously.

Lanai: A type of covered patio that offers outdoor living space under the roofline of the main home.

Loggia: A type of covered patio that offers outdoor living space under the roofline of the main home.

Luxury style homes: Luxury style house plans come in almost any architectural exterior theme. Whether Mediterranean, French Country, Tuscan, Neo-Classical, or Andalusian, each style embraces the best in luxury living. Designing to maximize views is always an imperative in any Luxury style home. Such homes often feature outdoor fireplaces, morning kitchens, wet bars, pool baths and outdoor kitchens that further complement resort style living. Luxury homes may feature club or game rooms, exercise rooms, wine cellars, elevators, cabanas and more.

Media room: This room is dedicated to audio/visual entertainment. When building, you can make the room a full theatre with stadium seating and a popcorn machine, or simply wire the room with built-in surround sound and dimmable lights to maximize your viewing and listening pleasure.

Mitered glass: A window created by joining separate pieces of glass on a corner without using a frame, like you might see on a fish aquarium.

Morning kitchen (a.m. kitchen): A morning kitchen offers a small refrigerator, countertop, and sink for preparing juice and coffee while getting ready in the morning, without going to the main kitchen. Often found in master suites and secluded guest suites.

Old-world: Characteristic of the Old World in charm.

Paper sets: A traditional plan format, best for those who do not intend to change the plans. When purchasing paper sets, you will receive six sets of plans and do not have permission to make copies.

Pass-through: A pass-through typically allows the kitchen to more easily serve an adjoining area through an opening in the wall between the two spaces, especially between a kitchen and great room or kitchen and outdoor dining space.

Personal valet: A built-in area for dressing.

Pocketing sliders (aka retreating glass walls, disappearing sliders): A type of sliding glass door made of more than two panes of glass, which stack and have a pocketed storage compartment in the wall. 

Pool bath: A bath located for convenient pool use.

Portico: A covered space located at the entry to the home.

Porte-cochere: An area located near an entrance where a car can park in order to gain access to the home without exposure to weather.

Rendering: A drawing in perspective of a proposed structure.

Sidelight window: A window that flanks a door.

Skylights: Inoperable or operable windows located on the roof of a home, primarily to enhance daylighting. 

Slump arch: A less pronounced arch that is somewhere between a fully rounded arch and a square arch.

Split bedroom: An arrangement that increases privacy where the master bedroom is located on the other side of the common living area from the secondary bedrooms.

Sustainable: A method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.

Terrace: A type of covered patio that offers outdoor living space under the roofline of the main home.

Transom window: A window above a door or other window.

Turret: An ornamental tower structure. In our plans, stair turrets are common 

Two-sided fireplace: Generally, a fireplace that is open to both rooms that share the wall of the fireplace.  

Utility room: The utility room is a space for laundering and folding clothes, though expanded versions of traditional utility rooms often include a wash basin, countertops and built-in, custom cabinets to facilitate these tasks.

Vegetable sink: a smaller second sink in the kitchen.

Vellum: A plan format where the drawings are printed on a special erasable paper. This type of paper makes small changes easier. When purchasing Vellum plans, you will receive one set and permission to make up to twenty copies.

Veranda: A type of covered patio that offers outdoor living space under the roofline of the main home.

Walkout Basement: A feature that allows a door to open onto ground level from the basement level of the house, usually to the rear of the home.

WIC: An abbreviation for walk-in-closet.

Wainscoting: The lower three or four feet (about one meter) of an interior wall when finished differently from the remainder of the wall, especially in paneled wooden lining.

Widow’s walk: A railed observation platform atop a usually coastal house.