The Making of a Homemade Floor Plan (Pt. 4)

By Paul Bielinski, CEO

Every Bielinski floor plan is homemade by us, and some of them are so popular that we make them again! We recently unveiled The Harmony Series, which is the modernized version of some of our floor plans. Here’s what goes into that process of modernization. 

WHEN DO WE UPDATE

First, we have to decide when it’s the right time for an update. The needs of the modern family never stop changing, which means we never stop revising our plans! We usually start by introducing one or two new floor plans to kick off a product line, and we keep adding plans until we feel the line is complete.  

Once the line is complete we go back to the beginning and introduce small tweaks to each plan to meet any small wants and needs that may have arisen for families since the plans were first introduced. If these small revisions turn into big revisions, then we start the cycle all over again by introducing a new line of homes.

WHY DO WE UPDATE

Like I said earlier, the needs of the modern family never stop changing. We always have our ear to the ground listening for cues of change. Sometimes a new product or technology is introduced and our plans need to accommodate it. Sometimes it’s just gradual cultural and lifestyle changes. There isn’t an exact science to the process, but almost 60 years of homebuilding experience helps us know what to look for and when to act.

Updating existing plans instead of creating new plans from scratch gives us a base to start with. If we need an 1,800-square-foot ranch in our collection, we know we can use one of our existing plans as a strong foundation to build upon. The plan might look completely different when all is said and done (most do) but the modernized plan is all built around the skeleton of the original. It’s much easier than staring at a blank piece of paper.

HOW DO WE UPDATE

We start from the ground up, with the smallest ranch plan—which often proves the most difficult since we have to fit a handful of new features in the smallest amount of space. From there we move up in size until we’ve finished the ranches. We do the same with the two stories. There’s often a lot of overlap, and most of the time we’re working on multiple plans, but that’s the basic process.

When we created The Harmony Series we included a bunch of additional features and options that our customers have been asking for like larger laundry areas, fewer dining spaces, expansive casual areas, and more storage. We’ve also added hard surface flooring to more rooms, a mudroom with mudroom bench, more convenience based bathroom configurations, taller bathroom mirrors, larger kitchen cabinets, rollout wastebasket bins, and so much more.



To learn more about our homemade floor plans, contact a New Home Consultant, and make sure you check out The Harmony Series to see what a truly modern floor plan can be.