A European Home with Extras-extra what? Like extra cream in your coffee or sugar in your tea, anything “extra” can define a product. The Ivystone, a European home with extras, is one you will want to explore. At 4123 square feet, the house plan by Frank Snodgrass of Living Concepts, has two stories with four bedroom suites, four full baths and one half bath. The extras? Keep reading, and I will show them to you. First, though, let’s look at the exterior of the Ivystone.
A steep roofline is typical of the European home, as well as the use of stucco, stone and/or brick, especially when the latter shows various shades. Large windows, wooden shutters- all of this describes the Ivystone. Half-timbers above the garage window, wooden garage doors and the loggia/entranceway with the decorative arch above help to define the elegance of the home.
Ivystone, A European Home with Extras
First Floor: The Garage, Office and Study
First, you park your car in the garage, located on the left side of the house. There are two bays, so either side is fine. But wait! Didn’t I say this house has extras? Of course it does, because you have a space for your golf cart to the left of your car. So if you are making a quick trip to the club down that path made especially for golf carts, you’ll want to pull yours out first, and then park your car. Suppose, you are home and going right into your office, instead. Then, you step up and into your home, with the office immediately ahead. Smart, right? (99% of remote workers want to continue working at home).
The office space has (flipped) L-shaped countertops on the right side, allowing room for you to swivel between computers as you work, and it has a closet (another extra!), but perhaps you would like to use the study instead as your quiet place to work. It can be found on the opposite/right side of the house, accessible from the foyer. It has a fireplace, too, for those cool days or nights when you just want the edge taken off the chill.
Ivystone, A European Home with Extras
First Floor: Laundry and Powder Room
Your laundry room is to the left of the office. It has counter space to fold clothes and room for a utility sink for those messy jobs of cleaning up, or to bathe your furry best friend. Then, going towards the back of the home, the powder room is right next door (convenient for the office, too).
Ivystone, A European Home with Extras
First Floor: The Kitchen and Breakfast Area, Butler’s Pantry and Dining Room
The kitchen is also on the left side of the house; right upon entering, the space for your refrigerator is on the left. The stovetop/oven is located on the left side; L-shaped counter tops will give you ample room for prepping those appetizers or main meals your family and friends gather around to enjoy. The kitchen island has a double sink and space for the dishwasher. Also, this is where you will want the European influence to be prominent, As seen below, an elegant chandelier hangs above the dining table. (Just out of the picture is a reach-in pantry for those staples you do not want to put into your cabinets).
The breakfast area looks out onto the veranda, and has a door to the outside. Back inside, though, the dining room and butler’s pantry are to the left of the loggia, or entrance, of the home. A butler’s pantry is an extra, designed for convenience when you are preparing food for more than just one or two persons. This pantry has cabinets and countertops on either side. It is open to the hallway on your left and, of course, to the dining room, which is open to the foyer and hallway.
Ivystone, A European Home with Extras
First Floor: Gathering Room and Veranda
The gathering room, open to the breakfast room, can also be called a family room (or in old school terms-the den). Except gathering rooms offer so much more than a den- they are typically spacious, airy rooms that often lead to an outside space. This one has a fireplace on the right, flanked by bookcases on either side (time to get that new book). This gathering room opens up to the veranda, a covered space with a fireplace on the left side. Yes, that makes three fireplaces! An extra, indeed, especially when you want to entertain outside.
Ivystone, A European Home with Extras
First Floor: Master Suite and Bath
Like the Dunkirk plan, this European home has the master suite and bath on the right side of the home. From the foyer, and past the stairs going up to the second floor, you enter a short hallway. Immediately on your right is a reach-in closet, where you might hang your jacket upon entering your home. Then going forward and after the door, you enter the master suite. The room is spacious at 270 square feet; it has windows on two sides and a door that leads out onto your veranda.
Inside the master bath, using the same hallway that leads to your suite, you will find two single sinks on your left, graciously separated, with storage available for necessary toiletries. A walk-in shower, shelf tub (seen below) and enclosed toilet are all included. The walk-in closet is commodious and irregularly shaped (a polygon, if I remember my geometry correctly), allowing plenty of space for your formal and casual clothing.
Ivystone, A European Home with Extras
Second Floor: Bonus Room and Recreation Room
The bonus room is expansive (that’s one extra!). You will find more than 300 square feet in this area located above your garage. Though long and narrow, it could provide the perfect space for a media room, exercise gym or yoga studio. (We could all use a little more flexibility, right?). Then, across the hall on the second floor is the recreation room, another extra. At about 380 square feet, this space could be your game room, a billiards room, or even a library/sitting room.
Ivystone, A European Home with Extras
Second Floor: Three Bedroom Suites
The extras continue upstairs on the second floor. There are three bedroom sites, each with its own bathroom. Suite #2, to the right of the stairs, has a walk-in closet, and a bathroom that is shared with the recreation room. It has two single sinks and a walk-in shower. The third bedroom suite has a reach-in closet, with a bath that includes a shower/tub combination and single sink. Finally, the fourth bedroom suite, nearest to the bonus room, has two single sinks and a shower/tub combination. You might want to include the door (on the plans) to your bonus room- your choice!
Finally, when choosing a house plan that has the “extras” you are looking for, consider the Ivystone plan. It has elegance, practicality and square footage that is generous but not excessive.
*** An aside- this plan cannot be built again in NC, but hey! SC is close by. And if you plan on building out of NC because that’s where you live? Well, just another reason this plan may be for you! Be sure to look for the green button on the right side of this page.