An online search is a great way to find a beach house plan. You can instantly find thousands of plans that fit your needs, narrow search criteria, and find the home of your dreams -- all from the comfort of your own easy chair. Still, with so many plans to choose from, you may find these tips for finding beach house plans online to be useful.

You may very well know that you need a four bedroom beach house, but starting with such a narrow search may exclude some really wonderful plans that could easily be modified to meet your needs. Additionally, a search for “beach house plans” will likely reveal websites that may not rank as high in search engines with the more specific keywords. Begin your search with this goal in mind: to find a great resource for beach home plans, not to find the beach home plan itself.

Once you find a website that either specializes in beach house floor plans or has a category dedicated to beach homes, begin to narrow down your search. If you want a four bedroom home, consider setting the search parameters for a minimum of three and a maximum of five bedrooms. On the same note, if you are absolutely certain that you need four bedrooms without exception, it’s easy to search for four bedrooms, and you’ll save a lot of time by not seeing plans you don’t want.

When you’re down to the right number of bedrooms, add features one at a time to reduce the search results. Many – if not most – beach homes have wrap around porches, so choosing that option will probably not reduce the qualifying floor plan pool by much. Specifying plans with fireplaces, however, may lower the quantity quite a bit. Master bedrooms are to be found on nearly every level, but a walk-in kitchen pantry would be a luxury, indeed.

If you plan to live near the ocean, the sea spray and salt water can quickly damage your vehicle. If you looking for a vacation home, the quantity of sheltered parking spots is less important, but if your car is going to be a full time beach front resident, you’d be wise to protect the investment that you have in your car by keeping corrosive seaside elements at bay.

If you have plans for a coastal cottage, there’s a good chance that you will be able to rent it out for portions of the tourist season. If you would consider renting your home to someone else during your own vacation or would lease rooms to vacationers during the summer, look for a plan open to these possibilities. A lower floor with a bedroom, bathroom, and a kitchenette would be the ideal way to rent a room out during summer months, or even year round, with minimal disruption to your own family.

Put these guidelines together with the “wow” factor – that feeling you get when you first lay eyes on the home of your dreams – and you’ll soon find the beach house plan that is right for you.