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SAVE UP TO $2500!
50% OFF INVENTORY SALE!
This is our first ever inventory clearance sale. Archival Designs has a small inventory of stock plans being offered to the public at 50% off their advertised price on our website! These are complete sets of plans that have not been used, and all vellums come with a License Agreement. These are being offered on a first-come-first-serve basis. To view the complete list of available house plans, click here.
If you've ever thought of combining two plans but didn't want to spend the money, or if you're a builder who would like to build multiple homes, this is the time to buy.
To view the complete list of available house plans CLICK HERE.



  House Plan of the Month

 Chateau Melliant
  Guest/Mother-In-Law Suite House Plan

Square Feet:

5745

Bedrooms:

4

Floors/Stories:

2

Bathrooms:

5

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  Archival Designs' Home Designer Blog

2009 Tax Credits Available for High-Performance Home Building

While the housing market has certainly seen better days, one thing is clear: home buyers are being more discriminating than ever and want to get the most bang for their buck. One of the few bright spots in the building industry is high-performance and green building. Buyers want homes that will save them money on utility bills, require less money to maintain and have better indoor air quality.

Thanks to federal and state tax credits, there has never been a better time to build a new home or remodel an existing home to high energy efficiency standards. Knowing these tax breaks allows for more informed budgetary decisions.

HOME BUILDERS

Home builders can apply for a $2,000 federal tax credit for each energy-efficient home completed after 2005 and sold in 2009 that reduces its energy consumption for heating and cooling by 50 percent when compared to the 2004 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). To qualify for the tax credit, building envelope improvements in areas such as insulation, exterior doors and pigmented metal roofs must account for 1/5 of the energy savings in each new home.

Home builders must document the energy savings by using a third-party Residential Energy Services network (RESNET)-accredited inspector to certify and model the home with software approved by the IRS and RESNET. EarthCraft House performs both of these services and can provide a tax credit recommendation report to assist builders in achieving the desired savings.

HOME OWNERS

Home owners can received federal tax credits for improving an existing home's building envelope, which includes insulation materials, exterior doors, windows, skylights, pigmented metal roofs, asphalt roofs and systems designed to reduce heat loss or gain. The combined total of these credits may not exceed ten percent of the costs or $500, with less than $200 dedicated to windows. Improvements should last a minimum of five years and must meet 2000 IECC criteria. Credits cannot compensate for installation costs.
Home owners can apply for federal tax credits for high-performance heating and cooling systems installed in new or existing homes, as well as federal and Georgia tax credits for clean energy resources. To collect credits for any heating, cooling or water heating equipment, home owners must make purchases during 2009 and meet the performance standards set for each technology. Home owners can collect credits totaling the entirety of any expenditure, without exceeding the following caps:

  • Electric Heat Pump Water heaters - $300
  • Electric Heat Pumps - $300
  • Geothermal Heat Pumps - $2,000
  • Central Air Conditioners - $300
  • Natural Gas, Propane or Oil Water heaters - $300
  • Natural Gas, Propane or Oil Furnace or Hot Water Boilers - $150
  • Advanced Main Air Circulating Fans - $50
  • Biomass Stoves - $300

Although clean energy resources vary by system, federal tax credits can cover up to 30 percent of installed costs, and Georgia tax credits can return up to 35 percent of costs. Both federal and state tax credits are subject to caps.


To claim state tax credits, a clean energy system must be placed in service between 2009 and 2012 and be operational or able to function as intended prior to proceeding with both the pre-application processes. Remember to keep clear and accurate records (including receipts, modeling reports and work details) to properly file for tax credits.


For more information about EarthCraft House, visit http://www.earthcrafthouse.com/.


Source: Atlanta Building News, 03/09




Read More From the House Designer Blog

  Luxury House Plans by Archival Designs

Want to Build A Beautiful Custom Home But Don't Want To Pay Exorbitant Architectural Fees?

Archival Designs offers a large portfolio of house designs, house plans and blueprint packages for people who want to build their own homes but don't want to pay huge architectural and engineering fees. We offer a wide range of house designs, and house plans from modest homes to starter castles.

Our plans provide all the elegance and design details of a custom house design at fraction of the cost.

Archival's library of award-winning house designs are used by architects, builders, construction professionals, plan publishers and individual homeowners throughout the United States and in countries throughout the world.

Although Archival is best known for luxury house plans such as our estate homes and starter castles, our more than 400 house plans include ranch and 2-story designs, contemporary and classic house designs, and home sizes from 1400 square feet to over 20,000 square feet.

Any Archival house design can be customized and modified for specific sites or needs. Archival Designs' Services Include:

  • A library of more than 400 house designs and house plans, from small home plans to castle homes.
  • Full blueprint packages that include applicable building codes and the most current updates for individual jurisdictions. Our building plans conform to national building codes including ICBO and CABO.
  • Modifications to adapt any plan for particular site or needs, or to give homes an individual signature and personality.
  • Elevations (exteriors) can also be modified
  • We provide promotional floor plans and renderings


"Archival Designs is one of the rarest companies that I've seen where every house, estate, and castle has a unique and distinctive flair - unlike other's plans from other organizations which are very repetitious - cookie-cutter like. I praise you and the design team, and I am extremely glad to have found you! The builder was correct when he told us that you provide really good plan modification capabilities. I would refer your company to all those looking to build their dream." - Amy Warren

Choose From More Than 400 House Designs and House Plans We offer house designs in a wide range of styles and sizes. Some of our more popular house designs include European-inspired Georgian and Palladian homes, English Manor house plans, Tuscan-style Italian villas, French chateaux, and Colonial house plans. Our Tuscan-style villas range from 1800 sf to 13,600 sf. Our Newport Classics house designs are gentrified New England-style cottages that range from 1500 to 5000 square feet. Our starter castles and estate homes are designed in the grand tradition of some of the most impressive homes in the world. And Chateau Novella is our most popular house design. Please feel free to search our house designs or browse our photo gallery to get a sense of the many styles and types of house designs we offer.


What sets Archival Designs' house designs apart from all others is that each house design, no matter the style or size, is based on the principles and proportions of the world's classic residences. Company founder and award-winning designer David Loftus intensively studied the great manor houses, chateaux and estate homes of Europe and the world, and artfully extracted the essential elements of design and proportion that made these homes great. He then adapted them for modern uses, while still retaining all their classical elements.

Archival Designs' house plans are known for their creative use of space, their open living spaces, their ideal balance between rooms, and between interior and exterior spaces, and their superb functionality. Regardless of house size or style, this artful blend of classical architecture, unwavering attention to design details and exquisite use of space are the hallmarks of Archival?s award-winning and enduring house designs, which never go out of style.

Award Winning House Designs
In addition to the rave reviews we receive from the builders and homeowners who have used our house designs to build their dream home, Archival has also received many industry awards and recognitions for our house designs, including:

  • Best Custom Home between $500,000-$1,000,000 - Maxwell Court-First Place Winner, Pinnacle Awards
  • "Best of Show" - At the American Institute of Building Design (AIBD) international competition (Cordelia house design)
  • 1st place Gold Award in the Luxury Custom Homes 2,000-4,000 sq ft category - AIBD's Atlanta Homebuilder's Association
  • Decorator Showhome Choice - Georgia Cancer Society (Stonepond design)
  • Best Of Show, Best Curb Appeal and Best Bedroom awards
  • Best Product Design, Best Product Design for a Parade home, and Best Landscape Design in the over 4,000 sf category - North Carolina

Building professionals and discriminating homeowners know that house design is the most important element of homebuilding, and that good design is vital for maximizing value and satisfaction for one of life's largest investments. Archival Designs blueprint package library is the ideal source for your house design and house plan needs. Let Archival Designs Help Make Your Dream Home a Reality!