Why buy stock house plans vs. custom? - Part I

Written by Mark Mathis


Continued from page 1

Sincerepparttar home is being custom designed, specifically to meetrepparttar 150842 needs of that one person/family,repparttar 150843 costs associated withrepparttar 150844 development ofrepparttar 150845 house plans tend to be significantly larger than those for a similar set of stock house plans. However, in some cases,repparttar 150846 custom house plan may berepparttar 150847 only viable option based onrepparttar 150848 client's needs, home location, special building considerations, etc.

Advantages:

- Homeowner can get exactly what they want in home design -Special needs can be addressed inrepparttar 150849 design (i.e. extra large garage for boat, larger than normal master bath, handicapped access, etc.)

Disadvantages:

- Significantly more costly than stock houseplans - Longer, more arduous process to develop - Significantly more time consuming to produce (i.e. many meetings necessary with designer over several month period)


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Be sure to read Part II of this article at:
http://www.houseplancentral.com/articles.php?id=27
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Mark Mathis is a building designer and publisher of several stock house plan websites and informational resources including http://www.HousePlanCentral.com, http://www.HousePlanGallery.com, and http://www.moneytalks-bswalks.com.


No, No, No -- What Else is a Parent to Say?

Written by Michele R. Acosta


Continued from page 1

I have attempted to extricate myself from this circle in which no resembles yes more than it resembles itself. I have tried laughing; they laughed with me as they jumped fromrepparttar fourth step ofrepparttar 150841 stair case. I have tried getting onrepparttar 150842 floor and rolling around with them; they pinned me down and Alex almost choked me as he tried to climb on my back for a piggy-back-ride. At that moment, I again reverted to humor saying to my son, "Alex, you are an instigator. Do you know what that means?" He threw his arms up inrepparttar 150843 air and yelled, "Fun!"

I have tried to curb my use ofrepparttar 150844 word no by curbing my sons' activities. My attempts at discipline have included giving time-outs, sending them to their rooms, and putting them in corners. These methods seemed to have some immediate value, but only untilrepparttar 150845 next time. I even tried to instill more meaning inrepparttar 150846 word no by saying very seriously, "No means no!" I have to admit that I have been reduced to this innocuous statement more often than once.

There are times when I simply let chaos reign. I listen closely forrepparttar 150847 danger signals and intervene only if and when I hear them. I can also count on Joshua, who recently turned four, to tattle. It's wonderful because he even tattles on himself.

Recently, I ignored all ofrepparttar 150848 thuds and booms that I heard coming fromrepparttar 150849 toy room. I even ignoredrepparttar 150850 cries and screams since none lasted for more than a few seconds. Eventually, Joshua came downstairs to tell me that Alex was inrepparttar 150851 bathroom taking everything out ofrepparttar 150852 cabinet. I walked uprepparttar 150853 stairs, expecting to find towels strewn about. Instead, I found Alex standing onrepparttar 150854 vanity removing all ofrepparttar 150855 medicine fromrepparttar 150856 medicine cabinet. Joshua, who had followed me uprepparttar 150857 stairs, leftrepparttar 150858 bathroom and returned a few moments later with a large bottle of children's cough medicine and a small bottle of syrup of ipecac that he had found in Alex's bedroom.

Somehow, no did not pack enough power to deal withrepparttar 150859 situation, so I immediately purchased safety locks forrepparttar 150860 bathroom and laundry room doors. That eliminated several instances of no per day.

Since I cannot remove all ofrepparttar 150861 furniture from my house, and since I cannot alter my sons' perception ofrepparttar 150862 word no (any more than I can stop my brother from parking illegally downtown), I must continue my search for other successful methods of eliminating no from my vocabulary. The tactic that usually works best with any child is patience; although, it is difficult to be patient when your children are perpetually black and blue, so I must use patience cautiously when jumping and climbing are involved. There are, however, plenty of other occasions in whichrepparttar 150863 word no surfaces in my house. On these occasions, it is my goal to find another response torepparttar 150864 situations which arise. Sorepparttar 150865 next time I catch Alex eating Vaseline, before groaning or screeching - No! - I'll have to take a deep breath and say, "Alex, are you hungry?"

If I can successfully reduce these instances ofrepparttar 150866 word no in my vocabulary, I hope that, with age, my sons will eventually learn that no does have a meaning. Until that time arrives, I am left with several years of holding my breath every time I hear Joshua say, "Alex, let's jump!" Inrepparttar 150867 meantime, I have stocked up on Dalmatian Band-Aids and Bactine.

Michele R. Acosta is the mother of three boys, a writer, and a former English teacher who spends her time writing and teaching others to write. Visit TheWritingTutor.biz for more articles as well as other writing and educational resources for young authors, teachers, and parents. Copyright (c) 2004-2005 The Writing Tutor & Michele R. Acosta. All rights reserved.


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