Los Arcos Straw Bale House

Picture of Los Arcos

Specifications

Square Footage

Total Above-ground living area 1629
  Main Level 1629
Lower level living area  
Footprint    
The dimensions shown are for the house only (indicating the smallest area needed to build). They do not include the garage, porches, or decks, unless they are an integral part of the design.
 54 W x 34 D

Rooms

Above-ground bedrooms 2
Above-ground bathrooms 1
Master suite Main
Lower-level bedrooms 0
Lower-level bathrooms 0

Attributes

Stories 1
Parking
Number of stalls
House height    
Traditionally, the overall height of a house is determined by measuring from the top of the finished floor on the main level, to the highest peak of the roof.
 17.5
Ceiling heights    
Raising or lowering the height of the ceilings on one or more floors of a house is often a simple change that can be made by your builder. However, if you want to raise the ceiling of the main floor of a two-story home, there has to be room to add steps to the existing staircase.
  Main level 10
Vaulted ceilings    
We consider a room to be vaulted if the ceiling - whether flat, angled, or curved - is above 10 feet at its highest point. If you prefer that one or more rooms not be vaulted in your new home, this is a very simple change that your builder can make for you.

KEY TO SYMBOLS:

LR = Living Room/Great Room
DR = Dining Room
FAM = Family Room
FOY = Foyer
STU = Study/Library/Den
KIT = Kitchen
SUN = Sunroom
MBR = Master Bedroom
MB = Master Bath
LOF = Loft
OFF = Office/Guest Room
REC = Recreation/Game Room
ALL = Entire Level
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Main Level Floor Plans For Los Arcos

Main Level Floor Plans For Los Arcos
Picture 1 of Los Arcos
Picture 2 of Los Arcos
Picture 3 of Los Arcos
Picture 4 of Los Arcos

After entering through the entry foyer, one passes through an interior arch into the main hallway. Straight ahead is an efficiently laid out kitchen with a view to the living/dining space, and views to the back patio. The open living/dining room has a window seat along one wall, and an opening, flanked by two wood columns, leads to the office space. A serving bar separates the living space from the kitchen. To the right of the entry foyer are two bedrooms, a shared bath, and a storage room. The master bedroom features a window seat and a door to a side patio. A display niche sits at the end of the hallway.

A solar hot water panel provides domestic hot water and heats the radiant-heated slab, as well as the outdoor shower that’s located at the side patio. The energy analysis for this house was 44% better than the National Energy Code, and 14% better than the Sustainable Energy Code.

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Front Elevation For Los Arcos

Front Elevation For Los Arcos

Rear Elevation For Los Arcos

Rear Elevation For Los Arcos

Side 1 Elevation For Los Arcos

Side 1 Elevation For Los Arcos

Side 2 Elevation For Los Arcos

Side 2 Elevation For Los Arcos

Brief Description

Los Arcos is a straw bale house that has a Southwestern feel. It is built with straw bale filled steel frame and rastra walls, and has an exterior of both stucco and stone veneer. Arched openings, niches, and window seats are carved from the walls, creating comfortable interior spaces.

Select One Plan Set Option

   

5 Set Package:

Printed on Bond paper; may be modified, but not duplicated

Mylar:

Printed on Mylar; may be modified right on the plans, which can then be duplicated locally. Includes extra copy printed on Bond paper

PDF:

Highly Recommended
By far the most popular option! Instant, cost-free delivery via email; can be emailed to builder(s) and others; comes with license to modify & duplicate

CAD:

For use by design professionals to make substantial changes; may be printed locally after modifications are made; cost-free delivery via email
Clear selection

Select Optional Add-ons

   

If you need more than 5 sets, you can add them to your initial order, or order them (by phone) at a later date.

This option is only available to folks ordering the 5-Set Package.

 $50 each
   

Often views or site characteristics make it either advantageous or necessary to build a house in the reverse of the way the plans were originally drawn. When reversed, the front of the house continues to face in the same direction, but rooms that were on the right side of the house as you face it will now be on the left, and vice versa. The lettering and numbers will appear as they would if you held the plans up to a mirror, but this will not present a problem for your builders, as they are quite familiar with this process.

We recommend that your order include both right-reading and mirror-reverse copies, since permit officials and lenders will need to see a right-reading version. There is a one-time cost of $50 to reverse the plans, whether you buy them all in your initial purchase, or a follow up order. The number you will need of each version is something your builder should advise you on.

Please note: If a right-reading reverse version of the plans is offered, this is definitely the version you should purchase, whether you're interested in bonds, vellums, or electronic files (when available).

 $50
SKU: RG-003
Or order by phone by calling 888-388-5735

Robert Gay – Architect


To learn about this architect or firm, and/or to view all of their other plans, just click on the name above.

Plan ID #

RG-003

Click on any item below to see full explanation

  • What is bond paper?

    Bond paper

    Printers stopped using blue ink many years ago - it was very difficult to read, and the fumes were dangerous to inhale. So what we used to refer to as blueprints are now called bond copies (black ink printed on white bond paper).
  • 5-Set Construction or Bid Set

    5-Set Construction or Bid Set

    If you are building in an area that requires very few copies to construct a house, all you might need is the 5-Set Package. It's also best for folks wanting either a quick bid process, or bids from more than one builder. In either case, you can always purchase more bond copies later on if you need them, or upgrade to a Mylar, PDF or CAD version (your original cost will be deducted from the price of the upgrade). Bond copies cannot be duplicated, but they come with a formal Copyright License that gives you the legal right to construct the house, and to modify the plans beforehand to suit your needs. If allowed in your area, modifications can be "marked up" (some people refer it as "red-lining") right on the plans.
  • What is mylar?

    Mylar

    Vellum paper is no longer being manufactured, so we've switched to a vastly superior product called Mylar. These semi-transparent sheets are actually a thin-film composite that was designed for plan modification, using a simple electric eraser. The ink that is printed on them sits on the surface (instead of sinking into a coated vellum sheet), so lines and dimensions can be erased and redrawn quite easily by any design professional.
  • Plans printed on Mylar

    Plans printed on Mylar

    If you - like the vast majority of our other customers - intend to modify the plans before construction, and you are building in an area where plans can't simply be "marked up" with a red pen, the Mylar copy is definitely what you should order (unless of course you prefer the PDF version). After the changes have been made to this "master" copy, you or your builder can then print as many copies as you need, whenever you need them, on regular bond paper. That way everyone - you, your builder, his or her subcontractors, local permit officials, and your lender - will have the final version of the plans to work with. Even though they cost a bit more initially, they will definitely save you time and money later on. Mylar copies come with a formal Copyright Release giving you the legal right to modify them in any way you wish, and to make as many copies of the plans as you need to successfully build one house. Mylar copies are shipped with a free bond copy of the plans, so that you have something to look over and mark up before making final decisions about the changes you want made to the "master" set.
  • What are PDF electronic files?

    PDF electronic files

    The acronym PDF stands for Portable Document Format. These are electronic files that can be emailed from computer to computer. You can open them on your own computer as well as email them to others, and the Copyright Release you receive with them allows you to make as many copies as you need before and after modifications are made.
  • Plans in PDF format

    Plans in PDF format

    THE most popular way to purchase plans these days is in PDF format. It's no more expensive than the Mylar version, plus you save $30 in shipping fees because the plans are emailed to you. But the biggest reason why they're so popular is because they can be passed along to others via email. The builder can zip them to their sub-contractors, truss manufacturers, and (if needed) an engineer; you can open them on your own computer to view at your home or office; and you can zip them to your builder (or builders), lender, and anyone needing to approve the plans before construction. If you'd still like to make modifications on Mylar sheets, your Copyright Release allows you (or your builder) to do this locally, and you'll only need to print a handful of the most important sheets.
  • What are CAD files?

    CAD files

    The acronym CAD stands for Computer-Aided Design. Design software from AutoCAD and numerous other companies - ArchiCAD, SoftPlan, VectorWorks, etc. - is used to draw plans in a format (DWG - short for drawing) that can be easily manipulated and modified on a computer. This can speed up the process of modification dramatically - for example, a change in one part of the plans creates an automatic change throughout the drawings -- potentially saving the person making the changes quite a bit of time, and thus saving you quite a bit of money!
  • Plans in CAD format

    Plans in CAD format

    Plans purchased in this electronic format are emailed, so you get them right away, and there's no shipping fee. Like the Mylar and PDF options, these plans come with a formal Copyright Release giving you the legal right to modify them in any way you wish, and to make as many copies of the plans as you need to successfully build one house. If the changes you wish to make to our plans are rather extensive, or structural in nature (including changing exterior wall systems), purchasing the plans in CAD format will almost certainly be your best option. Design professionals charge by the hour, and making changes to electronic files is much faster and easier than erasing and redrawing lines and dimensions on a Mylar copy. So purchasing an electronic version of the plans can save you both time and money. The files you receive will provide the drawings in at least two formats: .DWG files that will enable the person modifying your plans to do so using AutoCAD software (the standard for the entire construction and engineering communities); and .PDF files that will enable you to view the plans on your home or office computer. If the plans were originally drawn with a design software program other than AutoCAD (eg. SoftPlan, ArchiCAD, VectorWorks, etc.), this will be noted at the end of the Description of this house, and the email will include these files along with the .DWG and .PDF formats.
Bedrooms

We highly recommend that you click on two boxes – the number of bedrooms you know you need, and one less bedroom. For example, if you need 4 bedrooms, click on the boxes next to 4 and next to 3. Otherwise you will not see homes where existing rooms on the lower, main, or upper levels might work perfectly well as a bedroom instead of as an office, study, etc.

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