Wrap-around Porch 
In this category, we have included any house with a porch that 'wraps' from the front to the side or sides, even if it doesn't wrap all of the way to the back and join up with a rear porch.

Covered Rear Porch 
Similar to a covered front porch, a covered back porch is one that is large enough to provide ample escape from the hot summer sun or shelter from the spring rain plus a protected spot for you barbecue.

Screened Porch/Sunroom 
Any space that either allows ample sunshine or protection from pesky mosquitoes is included in this category. Often this space is not included in the total square footage as it is most often not heated or cooled space.

Breezeway
A breezeway is a covered portion of open space that connects a detached garage to the main house. This can be as narrow as a hallway or be wide enough to create at comfortable outdoor living space.

Courtyard
A courtyard most often occurs on homes that have a broad expanse in the front or rear. Often adorned with a fountain this space is the focal point of the home.

Suited for a View Lot 
To qualify for this category, we have chosen homes that have the majority of their living spaces positioned in such a way to take advantage of a view. This can be from any direction, not just out the back. Many beautiful view properties have their views out the front.

Suited for a Narrow Lot 
It seems like building lots in more and more subdivisions are becoming smaller and smaller. If you have one of these lots, this will help you save a little time by only showing you homes that are no wider that 50'-0".

Suited for a Sloping Lot 
This category includes homes that fit well into a sloping lot. Ranging from a full slope to the rear of the house creating a "daylight basement" to a simple side-to-side slope that maybe has a garage tucked under a portion of the house.

Suited for a Corner Lot 
This category includes homes that have any type of garage or carport that enters from the side while the main "front" of the house faces the street. This includes basement garages, drive under carports and the like. It also includes homes that have an obvious fit to a corner, as well as homes that have two prominent facades that are attractive from two adjacent sides.

Suited for a Vacation Home 
You may have already noticed, but we have a special category for vacation homes. This definition is used on houses that we feel shouldn't be excluded from the mainstream market, but that we also feel would make a great vacation get away.

KITCHEN TERMS:
Island 
A free- standing cabinet in the center of the kitchen that often includes an eating bar and room for bar stools. It can also include a smaller salad sink, or the cook-top.

Peninsula/Eating Bar 
Similar to the island, a peninsula is attached to the main cabinets and is open to only three sides. Most often a peninsula will include an overhanging eating bar that allows room for bar stools, but not always. The sink or cook-top can also be located here.

Walk-in Pantry 
A generous storage area either in, or adjacent to the Kitchen. Unlike a cabinet attached to the others in the Kitchen, a walk-in pantry can also include a bake center and provides an abundance of storage space.

Nook/Breakfast 
This term is reserved for a space that is adjacent to the Kitchen that is used for casual dining, and identified only when it is in addition to a formal Dining Room.

Butler's Pantry
This is a space that is located between the Kitchen and Dining Room. It features cabinets and usually a serving area that serves as a staging area to the Dining Room. It can include amenities such as a wine refrigerator, warming drawers, China storage, etc.

GARAGE TERMS:

Side Entry Garage 
This term refers to a garage whose doors are not located in the front facade of the house. They can be located facing the side of the property making them well suited to a corner lot or one that is wide enough to allow for backing out space. The doors in this type of garage can also be located on the side facing inward to where cars enter past the front entry to drive into the garage.

Rear Entry Garage 
Similar to the side entry garage, this garage has doors that are not visible from the front. This type of garage is well suited to corner lots or lots with alley access.

Rear Garage
Similar to the previous two, this term refers only to a garage that is located to the rear of the home regardless of the door location.

Tandem Garage
This type of garage is most often used with homes that are to be built on narrow lots, but an oversized garage is still desired. It provides a similar amount of square footage as a three or more car garage, but will only have the ability to enter through two doors. The disadvantage is that a car (or cars) would have to be parked behind one another.

Oversized Garage
This refers to any garage that is larger than the normal 2-car type. It can be big enough for 3 or more cars or space for storage or even a workshop.

Detached Garage
This is a garage is, obviously, not connected to the house regardless of its location. It often is connected to the house with an open breezeway.

Garage Under 
This type of garage is well suited to homes that are going to be built on sloping lots. Most designs of this type are for lots that slope up from the street, but can also be good for lots that slope to one side or the other or even the rear.

Carport
This is simply a garage without walls. It is a very economical method of providing protection from the elements for you and your car.

Workshop
This is space usually adjacent to the garage but can also be located in an unfinished basement. It is space that is well suited for crafts and hobbies.

INTERIOR TERMS:

Volume/Vaulted Ceilings 
This refers to any ceilings that are over 9'-0" or sloping. This can range from just being enough higher to create a greater sense of spaciousness to allowing you to look down into a room from an upper floor.

Open Floor Plan 
Open floor plans flow with today's casual lifestyles. They combine single-purpose spaces to make multifunction gathering areas--so the cooks aren't isolated in the kitchen while the rest of the family is in the next room playing video games. But openness doesn't stop there; it also means you'll want spacious, sunny rooms.

Great Room 
This space truly is the biggest room in an average-size home and accommodates a wide variety of functions. A great room typically handles the functions of the living/family room with casual dining spaces, entertainment centers, and visibility to the kitchen areas.

Family Room 
A casual living space, usually adjacent to the kitchen and nook where most of the family activities take place. Most often located to the rear of the home with access to the back yard.

Bonus Room 
This refers to any space that can be finished later. Most often located over a garage or in an unfinished daylight basement. It is most often not included in the listed square footage.

Den/Office/Computer 
This term refers to a variety of spaces. It be a private room that can be closed off from the daily chaos, or serve as the location of the family computer. Speaking of computers, we also use this category for the kid's computer alcove that is becoming more and more popular.

Exercise
A space for those with New Years resolutions hanging over their heads. It also serves some of us with a great place to store all of that pesky exercise equipment.

Hobby/Recreation Room
This is most commonly a space that is a bit more casual than a Family Room and is often located away for the main floor. This can either be in a basement or upper floor. It's a great space for the kids to scatter their stuff.

Loft/Balcony
We use the term 'balcony' to refer to any space that looks down to another, whether inside or out. It can be a transition space in a second floor that looks down into a Great Room, or an exterior deck that looks over the duck pond. The term 'loft' is used to describe a second floor space that is most often seen in vacation type houses and usually is open to the floor below.

Upstairs Laundry 
A fairly obvious one. A growing number of people prefer this arrangement because upstairs is most often the source of most of the laundry.

Friend's Entry
This term refers to a casual entrance usually located on the side and close to the garage entrance. It is often considered a 'mud room' with laundry facilities included, or more of a tidy entrance for guests to use without walking around to the front door. It is most often seen on homes with a side entry garage.

Media Room
This is most often a space for all the high-tech gadgets, big screen TV, home theater and video games. In its extreme, this space can acoustically designed to be just like going to the movies.

Library
A space that is normally set off from the normal noise as a quite space for reading or study.

BEDROOM TERMS:

Main Floor Master 
This term is only used for 2 story homes with the master bedroom suite on the main floor. If you only have one story, the master is obviously located on the main floor.

Walk-in Closet
This is a bedroom closet that you can walk into. (You don't need help with this one.)

Master Sitting Area 
This is a nice space to have a chair and side table to read the paper while the 'Missus' is getting ready.

Nursery
This term refers to a separate room that is usually adjacent to and accessible from the master bedroom for the little ones to be in until they start making too much noise.

Split Bedrooms 
This term most often refers to an arrangement in which the master bedroom is on one end of the house and the secondary bedrooms are on the other. This is where the kids that have been kicked out of the nursery go.

Teen Suite 
This refers to a bathroom that serves two secondary bedrooms. I can be accessible from that hallway but doesn't need to. We also use this term to refer to a secondary bedroom that has its own bath that is not shared with any other spaces.

Main Floor Bedroom & Bath
Similar to a main floor master, this space normally is more intended as a guest room and not usually as large as a typical Master suite.

Guest/In-law Quarters 
This is similar to the main floor bedroom and bath, except it can be located anywhere. They are often seen on a main floor but also in a daylight basement that affords a bit more privacy from the families quarters.

MISCELLANEOUS TERMS:

Unfinished/Future Space 
This term is a catch-all that refers to any space, regardless of its location, that can be finished at a later date. It often refers to a Bonus Room, or an unfinished daylight basement.

Storage
Extra space tucked anywhere that you can put the Christmas decorations, snow skis, or boxes of stuff that you just hang onto.

Wine Cellar
A special place for you prized collection. Today's wine cellars are often greatly embellished spaces that can even be climate controlled for the serious connoisseur.

Unfinished Basement 
Unlike 'unfinished/future space' this term is used to point out the presence of a full 'dark' basement that is built under a home on a flat lot. Building codes require that this type of basement have at least one window that is the same size as a typical bedroom window that can escape through.

Daylight Basement 
A full or partial basement that is well suited for a sloping lot. They can either be only partially in the ground allowing them to have larger windows for daylight or a full 'walk-out' type that usually has door that lead to a lower patio.

Handicap Accessible 
This refers to any house plan that has made definite provisions for people with mobility problems. Including but not limited to grab bars, wider doors and hallways, wheel chair maneuvering space, etc.

Handicap Adaptable
Any plan that has been designed to make future accessibility features easy to add. Normally, you would see similar features to the fully accessible house, without having the accessories actually present.

Empty-Nester 
This is a very broad term. We have used it most often for homes that we felt focused on those of us who's chicks have left the nest. We don't need all of the bedrooms anymore and at least ready access to them, so more attention is given to more elegant master suites, main floor dens, centrally located Great Rooms, etc. There are some plans that have all of the secondary bedrooms in a daylight basement for when the kids do come home for a visit.