Chalet House Plans:
Classic Plans with Modern Touches

Chalet house plans area a great way to create old-world charm in a modern home. The way to get the most for your buck is to think through the design features as you're designing the home.

The typical chalet design is one that features steep roof pitches and large windows to take in the environment. With modern building materials you can take full advantage of these features without loosing out on energy efficiency.

Advances in technology have allowed designers to incorporate passive solar advantages in chalet house plans. Passive solar energy is solar energy that comes through windows and in turn heats dense surfaces in the home such as a cement floor or dividing wall.

These dense materials hold the heat of the sun and provides a residual heating effect into the evening. This capturing of the sun's energy requires no mechanical systems such as pumps or solar collectors and is a great way to add efficiencies to a home.

Advances in the thermal efficiency of windows and insulation compound the benefits of passive solar. But in order to maximize results you will need to position the house to capture the wintertime sun. This will require careful planning on your lot.

Every lot is different. Access to the nearest road and utilities, water and waste water placement and slope and soil type are all important factors that need to be considered along with sun access.

Sloped lots are an interesting challenge. If you can work with the slope when designing your home than you can incorporate such things as a walk out basement and perhaps a garage that will fit into otherwise unusable space.

Lots with running water will provide nice views, but they can also produce spring time flooding so the placement of the home must be planned accordingly.

Every lot will present its own challenges, so be sure to plan ahead.

The interiors of chalets provide a lot of flexibility with regards to layout. Most designs incorporate high ceilings that give a nice airy feeling and an opportunity to take advantage of an open floor plan.

Generally a two story design can incorporate additional bedrooms in the back of the first floor while providing a master suite with plenty of space on the second floor.

Chalet house plans offer unique features that provide flexible design and energy efficiency.

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