The Foster

This plan is amazingly compact in size for a fourbedroom, ranchstyle home.

The Foster is amazingly compact in size for a four-bedroom, ranch-style home. Its square footage, minus the garage, measures in at about 1,600 square feet.

Yet it doesn't feel the least bit cramped inside because of the wide-open gathering spaces that run along one side.

This makes an ideal starter home for a family with plans for expansion, but it also works well for empty nesters who want some separate spaces for a home office, a crafts room and the like.

Bedroom four could be built with a direct-entry, exterior door onto the porch, if a family member occasionally meets with clients there.

Three front-facing gables put a welcoming face on the front facade, while shingled wainscoting adds touches of country charm.

On entering, you find yourself at the edge of a vaulted, window-bright and spacious dining area that flows unimpeded into a similarly inviting living room at the rear. Sliding glass doors there open onto a covered patio, which easily could be screened.

Counters wrap around three sides of the kitchen, which is open to the vaulted space across a flush eating bar. In the kitchen, cabinets fill most of three walls, above and below the counters. Standing at the kitchen sink, you can keep tabs on children playing out front.

The owners' suite is well away from the family living area. Sound from the other three bedrooms is buffered by closets and bathrooms. Owners' suite amenities include a walk-in closet and a two-section bathroom with dual vanity.

Laundry appliances are nearby, in a pass-through utility room that links with the Foster's two-car garage. Cabinets fill the wall above the washer and dryer, while counters flank the appliances on both sides.

Associated Designs is the original source for the Foster 30-846. For more information or to view other designs, go to www.AssociatedDesigns.com or call (800) 634-0123.