Around the World

Guides on house plans, building costs, permits, materials and energy efficiency, with plans you can buy today.

Around the World · 8 min read 7 Reasons a US House Goes Up Faster Than in Germany or Poland, and What Slows It Down A wood-framed American house can be dried in within weeks, while a masonry house in Poland can take a whole season to reach the same point. Here is what that comparison teaches about your own build schedule. Read more → Around the World · 8 min read Open Plan or Separate Kitchen? What American Builders Can Learn From European Homes The kitchen island and great room feel universal, but families in Germany, Poland and Finland often choose otherwise, and for practical reasons. Here is what their choices can teach you before you buy a one-story plan. Read more → Around the World · 8 min read 7 Ways US Energy Codes Compare to Canada, Germany, Poland and Lithuania How much insulation, airtightness and mechanical equipment a new American home really needs, measured against some of the strictest codes in the world, and what that means for the plan you choose. Read more → Around the World · 9 min read Attic Rooms or a Full Second Floor? Story-and-a-Half Homes Around the World Builders in Poland, Germany, Romania and Lithuania have put bedrooms under the roof for generations. Here is what their experience means for an American Cape Cod, a 1.5-story home or a bonus room over the garage. Read more → Around the World · 8 min read 7 Steps from a Stock House Plan to a Building Permit: The US vs Europe Buying a ready-made house plan is a normal way to build in America, and in much of Europe too. Here is how the road from plan to permit works at home, compared with Poland, Germany and Romania. Read more → Around the World · 8 min read Wood Frame or Masonry? How an American Family's House Compares to Europe's One Ohio family builds a farmhouse and keeps hearing that European houses are "built better." We follow their project to see what wood frame, block and concrete walls really mean for warmth, cost and build time in the US. Read more → Around the World · 10 min read Attached, Built-In or Carport: How the American Garage Compares Around the World The American family home gives the car 400 to 800 square feet under the main roof. See how Canada, the Baltics, Poland and Germany handle the garage, and what that means for your own floor plan. Read more → Around the World · 8 min read What a Small One-Story House Costs to Build: US vs Canada, Germany and Poland The same 1,200 sq ft one-story floor plan can cost under $200,000 or well over $400,000, depending on the country it is built in. Here is why, and what it means for building a small home in the US. Read more → Around the World · 8 min read Basement or Slab? Why Americans, Canadians, Germans and Poles Build Foundations Differently Half of America digs a basement and the other half pours a slab, and the reasons are mostly about climate and soil. Here is how the US compares with Canada, Germany and Poland, and what it means for the foundation under your next house. Read more →