What is comfort? What makes you feel warm and satisfied, regardless of your mood? For me, that is pizza (or mac-n-cheese). Why pizza? Pizza has options that make the sky the limit. Thin or thick crust? White or red sauce? Meat, veggies, seafood, cheese…You decide. With the right crust base, you won’t go wrong. Building a house is like building a pizza. Endless choices and options. Start with a good base and you can’t go wrong. This plan, the Montevino, by Frank Snodgrass of Living Concepts House Plans, gives you a solid start (like a crust), of cottage/craftsman style, offering 2-stories with 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths in 4200 square feet and asks you to customize it ‘just the way you like it.”
Comfort: Pizza and Montevino
“Home is where the pizza is.” – Unknown
Well, home is where a lot of good things are, including pizza. Right away, the curb appeal of this house, is enticing, like gooey warm cheese. Cottage-style architecture brings you the front porch, this one covered, so you can enjoy sitting outdoors no matter the weather. A Charming oval window peeks under the covered porch for even more appeal. Window boxes for flowers will brighten and ‘flavor’ the exterior just perfectly. The natural materials and colors are common to both cottage and craftsman styling. The strong, squared columns of the porch are Craftsman-style.
Comfort: Pizza and Montevino
Foyer, Dining Room and Gathering Room
“Viva la pizza” – Unknown
Stepping across the threshold of the front door is like opening the top of the pizza box. You can hardly contain your excitement. You know there is something in here that you really want, you really like and are eager to have, so wait no more….open the box.
Your foyer has a long wall on the left for a bench with under storage for shoes, a blanket for chilly nights when you sit out on the porch or a table for your keys and the mail. To the right, your dining room is defined by columns. This space will be ideal for nightly dinners and holiday gatherings.
From the foyer, walk into your large gathering room. With a fireplace centered on one wall, your built-in shelves, ½ wall shelves or a low cabinet will warm the space without making it feel closed in. I know I can see myself sitting on a soft leather couch, remote ready to que up a movie, my favorite person sitting next to me with wine in a glass and a thick crust pizza supporting onions, garlic, basil and Castelvetrano olives (and lots of buttery cheese) ready to be inhaled. Along the back wall of the room, a staircase takes you up to the second floor. It’s nice not having a staircase that sicks out, intrudes or wastes space in a home. This one is perfect where it is. A door from here takes you out to your covered porch on the backside of the house. Perfect for when the days get warm and you want to feel the warmth of the sun, but not the rays or when the slight chill of autumn blows in, you can sit in a rocker with a blanket, and think about what pizza you’ll make on your grill for dinner.
Comfort: Pizza and Montevino
Kitchen, Breakfast area and Screened Porch
“I can’t turn water into wine, but I can turn pizza into breakfast’ – Unknown
Your gathering room takes you to the breakfast/eating area of the kitchen. Breakfast you say? Breakfast pizza? Nothing wrong with a store-bought pizza dough, drizzle with olive oil, eggs, meat of your choice, some red peppers, fresh herbs, lots of cheese and bake, right? That and a cup of coffee will start your day off just right. Enjoy this treat and coffee either at your table, right next to windows that face the back yard, or sitting at your kitchen island. There is a lot of counter space and cabinets in here. A large island with room for a utility sink and barstools will be just for place for eating, chatting with family and friends, meal prepping and daydreaming. Don’t be afraid to throw a good ole’ party, invite people because it makes you (and them) happy. This house, this kitchen can handle people and give them a good time.
There is a door from the breakfast area that leads to a screened porch. Bugs during dinner time out here? Not anymore. Well, maybe not so many…..screen porches are great for mealtimes or for easy chairs and tables when sitting and sipping iced tea and reading your monthly Southern Living magazine.
Comfort: Pizza and Montevino
Guest Suite and Hallway Spaces
“Pizza never goes out of style” – Unknown
From the hallway to the right of the foyer, walk past the dining room and you are in the daily ‘necessities’ of the home. A closet/pantry is located here for extra kitchen or cleaning supplies. A left turn takes you to the first guest suite. This room has door access to the screen porch. While there is no closet in this space, there is a pocket door that leads to a powder room with a shower. Hall entry also accesses this powder room. A laundry room with a utility sink is off a ‘corner’ mudroom area with a closet and door to your three-plus car garage.
What’s great about this whole area is that if you’ve been working in the yard, in the garage, or get dirty, it’s so convenient to walk in the back door, take off your shoes in the mud room (because you have a bench, hooks and an organizing space), take a quick shower and dump your dirty clothes in the laundry room when you’re done.
Now, the garage…this is like the ‘specialty’ type of pizza. It is not just a cheese and pepperoni style garage. This garage has a two-space area and a single-space area. There is a utility door to the outside and even a workspace with a sink built in. This garage says “Hey, build a gym out here (burn the pizza carbs), get that convertible, or make this your ideal hobby space. I have plenty of room for you.” This is a supreme pizza garage.
Comfort: Pizza and Montevino
Master Bedroom
“Sleep feels like the way pizza tastes.” – Bill Murray
The left side of the house is where you will start and end your day – in the master suite. This is the room to make comfortable, perfect for you, and get a good night sleep in. Here you also have door access to the covered porch. Your large bedroom area has several windows to let in light, but there is good wall area for a bed, dressers and even a comfie corner chair.
The master bath is large and can make more than one person happy – like when you get one pizza and do the half and half topping thing. Single vanity sinks are side by side, but between them, a cabinet with storage. ‘Behind” these separate but close sinks, are also, separate but close walk-in closets. One for me, one for you. No more combining. Going halfsies works just fine. A soaking tub, separate shower and a little private room for the toilet round out this bathroom.
Comfort: Pizza and Montevino
“Pizza is always a good idea.” – Unknown
Upstairs
Like a Chicago-style pizza, crust on the bottom a layer of cheese, then fillings and sauce, this house is built strong and solid. No slippage of filling or structure failures here. Head up the stairs to meet more functional, fabulous living. At the top of the stairs, you have one suite with a closet and ensuite bath. A library/sitting room will be where you hold book club get-togethers, maybe an office or hobby space. Then, another suite, with a closet and bath, accessible from the bedroom and hallway, offers privacy, and convenience, to visitors. Just to the left of the stairs is a large rec room. Teenagers? This is their space – for playing video games, talking, hanging out, anything. This is where I’d put a ‘man-cave’ too. Just to the left of this room is an office. Just the right spot to work, create and dream. Across the hall from the office is storage area that can lead to more storage area, if you chose to build it out.
Lastly, there is a tray ceiling media room. If, the weather is like an oven and too hot to go outdoors……1) order a pizza for carry-out and 2) bring it up here, into the media room, to eat. This fantastic room is for the large screen, the popcorn machine, the ‘escape’ into any genre and mood you visually want. This room is for a fridge, snacks and always a few pizzas. This is the melty cheese, the tangy sauce…the ‘just the way you want it space’.
This plan is all about comfort, about choices. About making this the home you want to be surrounded by daily. Montevino is the Friday night special and the daily happy. Click the green ‘add to cart’ button and get busy building the home you love. Now, instead of my usual “Make this your Own. Welcome Home”, thought, just this once, I’ll say this:
Work hard, be nice, eat pizza.