Craftsman Style Home Plans

Craftsman Style Home Plans originated with the Arts and Crafts Movement in the 1880s. Although the movement began in England, two American designers gave it their own spin.

The Arts and Crafts movement was a return back to handcrafted items, simple forms, and natural materials. This original Arts and Crafts movement took place in England, but in the United States two designers named Charles Greene and Henry Green gave it their own spin. They were inspired by the homes built in China and Japan that used simple, clean architecture made primarily of wood.

These homes later were named Craftsman after a magazine that was put out by a furniture designer. Gustav Stickley published Craftsman magazine up until 1916. In his magazine, he published exact plans on how to build a Craftsman style home. This is the true and original Craftsman style home plan. Eventually, Craftsman became a general term to describe homes that were built in the spirit of the Arts and Crafts movement. The most popular style was the Bungalow house which was both affordable to build and maintained the simple architecture of the Craftsman movement.

Craftsman Style home plans share several common features. The homes have open floor plans with very few actual hallways. The openess of the house is further emphasized by the use of multiple windows throughout the home. Stained glass windows or leaded glass windows were often used. Beamed ceilings, wainscoting and molding are usually done in dark wood. Craftsman homes have many built in features such as cabinets, shelves and even seats.

On the outside of the home, the siding is made of wood, stucco or stone. Natural products are key. The roof has a low pitch and the roof rafters are exposed. The chimney is usually on the exterior of the home and is made of stone. Most craftsman style home plans call for a porch with thick columns. The columns could be square or round in shape. Craftsman style houses are usually bungalows, but many other styles of homes use Craftsman features. Mission, Prairie, Foursquare, and Western stick are all examples of home styles that have adapted parts of the Craftsman style home plan.

Craftsman style homes continue to be quite popular today. Many people restore these homes to look as close as possible to when they were built in the early 1900s. Craftsman style homes can be kept in their original condition, but they can also be easily updated to provide modern amenities. The charming attributes and simplistic styling make these sought after properties for many home buyers.

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