This week’s issue of Home Ideas explores Mastic Home Exteriors exclusive Designer Accents™ collection of finishing accessories. Our architects and designers recommend using Mastic on their house plans, because they offer a full-line of eco-friendly designer accents, which compliment any architectural style and are made to last a lifetime.

Last week I flew in from Maryland because my realtor had three great pieces of land to show me. It proved to be a great trip, since I found the perfect piece of waterfront land right at the end of Misquamicut State Beach. I can actually picture how beautiful my new house is going to look. I am going to build the Wind Song, a house plan I bought from this great company called The House Designers.

This house is as beautiful outside as it is inside. If I could have drawn my own plans I would have drawn just as many windows and patio entrances as this designer did to enjoy the ocean view and soak up the warm sun.

I especially like the fact that I will be able to easily entertain my friends and family and that I have the extra space for them to stay over. I love cooking and this kitchen has all the storage and workspace I could ever need. I highly recommend if you are looking to build a new home that you visit their collection of house plans, they are simply the best I’ve seen on the Internet and I’ve been looking for almost 10 years.

This dream home is beautiful inside and out.

First of all you need to decide what you want to use your garage for, besides housing your cars. Do you want to have a substantial amount of storage space for your recreational and seasonal items? Do you want to have a workshop? Do you need a home office? Do you plan on putting appliances like a garbage disposal or extra refrigerators in your garage? Do want additional living space, like a second floor suite or apartment?

Once you’ve decided how you will utilize your new garage, then you will be able to determine the appropriate size of your garage. Think down the road, because most likely you will have an additional vehicle or RV to store.

Most house plans give you the option to choose whether you want an attached or detached garage and whether you want a front, back or side-entry. Most attached garages have three points of entry: the garage door, an inside entryway into your home and a backdoor. One of your main considerations when deciding the location of your garage is how convenient it is for you and your family.

Your garage may not be at the forefront of rooms to furnish, but it can easily become the messiest area in your new home. Simple accessories like cabinets, work tables, benches, shelving and racks can get you quickly organized. Be sure that the items you choose are durable enough to withstand the elements and daily use and abuse.

If you plan on spending any valuable time working in your garage, then it is a good idea to choose adequate lighting, since most garages have limited access to natural light.

These are just basic tips and guidelines to help you design your garage. You can also get inspired by checking out the newest garage doors by Wayne-Dalton and Overhead Door.

The Wayne-Dalton 7400 models combine the classic swing-open appearance and detailing of carriage house wood doors with the convenience of standard sectional garage doors.

On of our best-selling ENERGY STAR® house plans is the Bellingham, a contemporary two-story craftsman with great curb appeal. From the eloquent pergola entry and covered porch to all the custom designed windows. Inside the open great room and hearth room share a double-sided fireplace. Entertaining is made easy with the over-sized kitchen area that leads into the dinette and hearth room or for outdoor living you can easily access the screened porch with fireplace and back deck. This plan comes with an optional basement that features a recreational room, game room, wet bar, wine room and additional bedroom. The three-car garage feeds into an oversized storage area with lots of built-in lockers and walk-in closet.

Enjoy the wet bar and wine room in this eco-friendly two-story house plan.

“We wanted to offer consumers more than just color photography and renderings, which is why we created our 3D house plan videos,” said Jerry Axelrod, architect and president of The House Designers. “Consumers have always enjoyed our collection of color photography, particularly our interior images. This is just another great tool to allow our consumers to view our house plans in great detail.”

Check out this week’s selection of our editor’s favorite 3D house plans in Dream Designs.

Take a virtual tour of this one-story house plan with 17 foot vaulted ceilings.

Whirlpool has launched a rebate finder tool for its Whirlpool, Maytag and KitchenAid brands, where consumers can enter the zip code and appliance type at the to learn the amount of applicable state rebates available. The rebate finder also scrolls the Web for utility rebate programs, where applicable.

The federal government is kicking in $300 million for states to disburse as part of the energy efficiency upgrade program, which came about after the Cash for Clunkers car rebate program. Also check out EcoRebates, a cool site designed to help consumers find rebates.

Even house plan websites like The House Designers are doing their part to share valuable coupons and rebates for home building products. The House Designers are the only house plan company to sell exclusive ENERGY STAR/Green House Plans.