L Shaped House Ideas

Ranch Style Homes

• The ranch style home lends itself to the L-shape easily. With bedrooms often clustered on one area of the "L" for added privacy and sound insulation, it allows busy family activities to take place in the center of the building. The garage often forms the other leg of the "L" shape. The garage door may face the street directly or be turned toward 90 degrees to a driveway closer to the front of the home, according to the HousePlans site. These ranch styles offer an attractive and functional solution for the L-shaped design.

Courtyard L-Shaped Design

• The L-shaped home is the perfect solution for those who need a courtyard area in the crook of the two legs for patio entertaining, gardening or other uses. The courtyard provides an attractive view from windows on both legs of the design, creating a unifying effect for the home. This open area between the crook of the two legs of the "L" can also be used to take advantage of panoramic views of the landscape, if you are fortunate enough to have one.

Two Story L-Shaped Home

• The L-shape home offers good use of land on small lots, particularly if both legs are two-stories. One leg can provide separation for upstairs bedrooms on the upper level of one leg and dining and living rooms on the lower floor. The second leg of the "L" can offer additional guest rooms or hobby rooms on the upper level, with family room and kitchen on the lower level. This type of design can accommodate a large guest suite on one leg, if desired, according to the ArchitecturalDesigns site.

Combined One-Story & Two-Story L-shape

• Building two-stories on one leg of the L-shape while leaving the other leg of the "L" on just one story allows for future expansion while providing the space and privacy needed for current family uses. This is a common feature in Prairie Style homes that often have two different wings, a one-story wing and a two-story wing, both with low-pitched roofs and fit onto lots with natural landscapes well. These windows are often fit with large areas of glass that let in sunlight.