Courtyard Living Home Plans
The courtyard style has been extremely popular for centuries. Courtyard living home plans can provide a sense of this past, plus have some real advantages for modern living.
A courtyard is an open space usually contained within, or surrounded by the living space of the home. It might be thought of as an interior yard and is often used for just that. The idea dates back to very early times. Roman villas, for example, were built around open courtyards. The courtyard was a feature of medieval castles. Courtyard living home plans have been used more frequently in recent years in warmer climates. They are common in such design motifs as Spanish and Southwest American.
The reason that you find courtyard living home plans used more often in warmer climates is that they are thought of more as a way to enjoy the open air. Since they would not be as useful in winter, it was thought that it was not a practical use of space in less temperature climate zones. This is really a mistaken idea when one considers that a courtyard can easily be considered as yard space that is enclosed rather than being on the outside of the home.
Yard space is not used in the winter in Northern climates in the same way as it is in the other seasons, so enclosed yard space is not really wasted. Often the other advantages of the courtyard style far outweigh the cost of enclosing a portion of the yard within the structure of the home itself. One of the main advantages is privacy.
In today's more crowded living spaces, privacy is always a premium. Fenced backyards are often visible from adjoining buildings, but the courtyard can offer complete privacy with all the advantages of the fenced yard. It provides an outdoor area for play. Children playing outdoors in a courtyard are actually "inside" the house, and this is certainly a win/win situation for safety.
Courtyards can be used for a variety of purposes. Gardens or Koi ponds located in an interior courtyard bring a sense of luxury and a connection to the past to any floor plan. The possible methods of working an interior courtyard into the overall design are countless. It is true that the addition of a courtyard does create a need for additional exterior walls and this could increase the cost of the structure. There is also a need to consider drainage for open courtyards.