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Structural engineers draw structural plans, which include detailed drawings of the structural components of a home only. Complete house plans will require additional work from an architect or draftsperson, whose drawings will take the structural drawings into account. They’ll also include more details about the finishing materials and layout of a home, including everything from roofing and flooring materials to the position of furniture, light fixtures, switches, and plumbing fixtures.

British architect John Nash is credited with creating the Italianate style of architecture. The style was further popularized in the U.S. by landscape architect Andrew Jackson Downing and architect Calvert Vaux. The style spread across the U.S. due to Downing’s popular book on the style and the availability of plans and materials due to the mass production of the Industrial Revolution.

Mediterranean architecture comes from traditional building styles of countries on the Mediterranean Sea mixed with French, Greek, and Moroccan influences. There are three main types of Mediterranean architecture: Italian Renaissance, Spanish Revival, and modern.

Some signature components of Mediterranean architecture include red terra cotta roofs, archways, stucco siding, and metal detailing on windows. These homes often have balconies and outdoor living areas.

Buying a house is easier than building one from scratch. Buying an existing home is almost always faster, even if you need to make renovations once you move in. When you hire the right team to build a home, they will simplify the design and build phases so that there is little guesswork throughout the process, but building new construction will almost always take longer than buying an existing home.