House Plans With Columns

House plans with columns give a sense of elegance and roominess and style yet the original purpose of columns was not exactly aesthetic. A column is a vertical structural element that transmits the weight of the structure above the column to the levels below by compression. In other words they take the weight of a structure.  Very often they were used in ancient Greek and Roman architectural structures to withstand earthquakes. Sometimes in churches or cathedrals they support beams or arches on which part of the ceilings rest.

Although many people associate columns with the graceful Parthenon the columns were used before that by the Nabateans in the ancient city of Petra below is the tax hall.

Modern house plans with columns are not just for support they are for an aesthetic value as well. Although the classical simple ancient Greek and Roman columns are as popular today as ever modern structures are supported by new and different materials. There are three types of house plans with columns the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Doric was the earliest, and it was not refined but a heavy sturdy thickset column with little decoration. Later came the Corinthian era column much more delicate in design, often topped with a type of decorative design and a separate plinth.

Although these columns are made today they are often made of fiberglass. They can be square or round with fluted edges or without; they give both attractiveness and a good base to support weight, because tiny glass threads are spun into thin strands and then woven into a hard surface.  They are then combined with plastic and molded into shape by heat. They have some distinct design advantages over the old type of house plan columns because they can be molded to any shape and they are weather resistant which makes them very suitable for cold climes. They are also resistant to being eaten by insects which in certain climates is useful.

House plan columns are now not often made of natural stone because the cost would be prohibitive; they now are often made of pre-cast stone, which is poured into a cast to mold to any shape. One of the beauties of this type of column is that they can be made new to appear old and weathered by time.

Today, columns can be utilized inside without the need to bear weight which means they can be placed where and when you want them. A common usage is to use columns to separate and divide large rooms without the need to close those rooms by walls.