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Building a HomeDesign Dilemma
stephanie_abney

Critique our house plans

Stephanie Abney
3 years ago

My husband and I are building on our 150 acre farm that’s mostly wooded. We surveyed off 5 acres, close to the main road, and cleared 2-3 acres to build on a slightly sloped lot. We are working with an architect and a builder. The house is a ranch on a walkout basement to the left. We intend on living in this home as long as possible so I would like your constructive criticism if there is anything we could improve. I apologize as the pictures are not the best but our architect is old school and draws everything by hand. Thanks in advance.



Featured Answer
  • Architectrunnerguy
    3 years ago

    Let me ask this as gently and constructive as possible (when I do this I pretend you're actually sitting across my conference table from me) but how did you come across this architect? How'd his design process work? Did he do any design work with you at the table? Did he explore different design approaches? Is there any drawings with the house on the site (topo, driveway approaches, etc.)?


    I know these are deeper kinds of questions compared to say, where the powder room is, but they're probably the ones you should be asking yourself right now.


    Probably the best thing you can do right now is to get a little understanding of what makes for a good house. Here's a link to some great book suggestions on home design, and don't worry, I suggest these to all my clients also https://www.houzz.com/discussions/3281434/book-suggestionsprobably the best book is "Patterns of Home".


    And some other threads also

    https://www.houzz.com/discussions/3285825/what-makes-a-house-have-good-design

    https://www.houzz.com/discussions/3836931/what-are-you-doing-to-make-your-house-enrich-your-life

    https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5370217/what-s-a-well-designed-house


    But the best of luck with your build. Exciting times ahead!

    Comments (61)

    • chispa
      3 years ago

      I would add windows on the left wall of the north bedroom and a window on the east wall of the south bedroom. Always much nicer to have windows on two walls of a room if possible.

      Also add a high transom window above the tub/shower in the kids bathroom. No reason to have a completely windowless bathroom when it is placed on an outside wall.

    • PRO
      PPF.
      3 years ago

      For this plan, lots of other suggestions, like doing the Laundry and closet like this so the laundry gets a window, and is buffered from the master.

      Master bath seems large.


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    • PRO
      PPF.
      3 years ago

      How will these closets work? All are odd size.

      Bathroom would be nice to have window, and not one over the tub.


    • bpath
      3 years ago
      last modified: 3 years ago

      The front bedroom closet isn’t bad. My son‘s closet is like that, but with bypass doors. We like the depth because he has elfa in it, and the drawers pull out without ever hitting the doors, and the sides are deep enough for hooks for his robe, jacket, a tie rack, and so on.

      The back bedroom closet, though, is not good. The door takes up the space for the hanging at the entrance, and for the rest the child will have to shimmy along through a 2’ soace to get to his clothes. That one will become a dark dumping ground at the far end.

      Master suite. Boy, I do not want to walk through or past shoes, jackets, and off-to-school-and-vacation staging in the family entrance every single time, especially not at the end of the day. And yes, the bathroom is huge, all that floor space in the middle.

      Do you need a home office to work or keep household records in? I know, most stuff is digital, but there is still paper.

    • Stephanie Abney
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      Thank you @Chispa. Great suggestions!

      @PPF very good point about creating a buffer between the laundry and the master. The closets don’t necessarily bother me. I think they will work fine for the kids. I would like a window in that bathroom. Is there a problem with placing a transom above the tub/shower like Chipsa suggested?

    • Stephanie Abney
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      @Bpath yes, I agree the master bathroom is too wide. We plan to have an office area in the basement for now. I have thought about walking past the mud room area too. I am hoping to have covered cubbies to hide the mess. I’m not sure though. Maybe we should close that area in?

    • PRO
      Virgil Carter Fine Art
      3 years ago

      Some random comments:


      --You entertain often, but the powder room is a week's trek from the living room if it can be found;

      --Master bath unnecessarily large;

      --Hopefully the rear of your house faces south;

      --A combination of hip and gable roofs is seldom harmonious--make them consistently one or the other

    • Seabornman
      3 years ago

      I'll let others tackle the plan. You have a lot of property. Do you have plans for outbuildings, garden, horses, whatever? I see houses with huge attached garages and think maybe some of that space could be elsewhere, like in a barn with cold storage, shop, greenhouse.

    • Stephanie Abney
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      @Virgil your comment made me laugh. Yes both bathrooms are far away for guests to use. But I’m not sure of a better place to put one? I agree the MB is too large. The rear of our house faces East. 😬 I am not sure what hip and gable roofs are but I will google it.

    • Stephanie Abney
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      @Seabornman we do have an old barn in somewhat rough shape that will be around 100 yards or so past our house. It needs some TLC but we are currently housing our tractor and ATV there. There is around a 6 acre field that is cleared further back on the property that will have a garden as well.

    • Stephanie Abney
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      Here is a picture of our land, if it helps. The red area, drawn on the bottom, is the area we cleared and will be building in. The other picture is of the lot immediately after being bulldozed. We planned to build based on facing the existing gravel driveway on the property (the purple line). Since woods will surround us on all sides, is there a reason we should face the house another direction?

    • PRO
      PPF.
      3 years ago

      There are better ways to show this but this should give you an idea of how the sun shines summer (green) and winter (red).

      In summer the sun is generally overhead shining down, in winter, the sun is much lower in the southern sky.

      During the winter, when days are shorter and temps are colder, the sun will shine on your garage, closet and bathroom. Of course you will get some morning and evening light on the front and rear, but most will fall on the southern side of the house.

      In summer, when shade is appreciated, your house will get an extra dose of morning and afternoon sun.

      Generally, placing the garage and other utility spaces to the west to block the summer afternoon sun, and spreading the house out so the public spaces face South is a good place to start.


    • Stephanie Abney
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      @PPF thank you so much for explaining that! Makes perfect sense!

    • PRO
      Mark Bischak, Architect
      3 years ago

      I avoid:

      1. Designs that do not relate to the site.
      2. Closets where hanging clothes turn corners.
      3. Windowless walk-in closets.
      4. Large expanses of exterior wall without windows.
      5. Walk-in closets that will be difficult to walk into.
      6. Hallways less than four feet wide.
      7. Stairs less than 3'-6" wide.
      8. Freestanding tubs that do not have sufficient space to clean around.
      9. Master bathrooms that are overly large.
      10. Closets with doors that insufficiently provide full access to the closet's content.
      11. Dimension that show a wall 4" thick.
      12. Bedrooms next to a bathroom without a sound barrier.
      13. Clothes closets accessible from a bathroom.
      14. Corner bedrooms with only one window.
      15. Walk-in closets overly sized.
      16. Notes with "Imaginary" in them.
      17. Undersized stair treads
      18. Different ceilings in an open space that do not transition well.
      19. Three foot wide doors into bedrooms unless they are barrier free.

      to name a few.

    • Stephanie Abney
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      @Mark, that is a very long list just “to name a few” Yikes!

      @Architectrunnerguy thank you for not being too harsh! The architect was recommended to us by several people we talked to, including two different builders. We brought different floor plans to him that we liked, and he basically talked to us about what we liked/didn’t like and we worked together to develop this plan. This was all before social distancing started. We only met with him once and then we received this first draft. We haven’t met with our builder yet in person to discuss the plans, although he has seen pictures.

      Based on what some of you have said, is there a way to make this plan work?

    • PRO
      PPF.
      3 years ago

      is there a way to make this plan work?

      What do you think?

    • Stephanie Abney
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      @PPF I think we would like to keep this general layout while fixing the issues that people have pointed out.

    • bpath
      3 years ago

      So, what if . . . The kitchen moves back. In its place is a continuation of the passing way from the secondary bedrooms. It leads to the back hall, with your bedroom door first, then the utility areas. There is another doorway to the kitchen from the utility areas.

      Perhaps the kitchen isn't seasoned from the continuation of the passageway, but by a backsplash behind the sink.

      But I'm trying to encourage in-and-out foot traffic not to traverse the LR on the diagonal, and give you easy access to the kids at night, and let you get your morning coffee without tripping over someone's boots.

    • PRO
      Edward J. Shannon, Architect PLC
      3 years ago
      last modified: 3 years ago

      With all due respect, I have to wonder if you have any confidence in your "architect"? As a Licensed Architect, I feel I have no business critiquing a fellow licensed professional's design - unless solicited by the professional. This Architect has visited the site, met with you (hopefully numerous times), assessed your needs, and (hopefully) has gone through a thorough design process with you and your partner. Your Architect has a history with this project that none of us have! If you are not beyond pleased, but thrilled with your design and the process, your Architect is not a good fit for you!

    • AnnKH
      3 years ago

      I can't imagine having to walk through the kitchen and mudroom to get to my bedroom. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like it very much.


      I completely agree with PPF's suggestion regarding the laundry room/master closet. It's tough to vent a dryer from an interior room.


      4 feet is NOT wide enough for a walk-in closet. Your kid might be skinny now, but what if they turn into a 200-lb football player? And I admit, I sometimes put clothes away for my kids - and I would not fit in a 4' closet. You're building a brand new house - there is no reason to purposely build it so that you have to make do or adjust to the house. This is your chance to do it right - it is far too big an investment to get "OK for now".

    • vinmarks
      3 years ago

      Watch the dining room space. You have double doors opening in. Will your table and chairs fit leaving clearance around the table to move chairs out? You will need at least 36 inches from walls. The space is 12'-8" and you have doors opening in giving you much less room then 12'-8".

    • Anna (6B/7A in MD)
      3 years ago

      As I read some of the professionals' replies, I was thinking "Shouldn't her architect have explained this? Shouldn't he have considered the house position, etc.?"

      This does not bode well for the project and AnnKH is right, why are you settling when you're building from scratch? There's a difference between settling because you think it's "okay" and better than what you have now and compromising because of budget/rules; the difference is not just semantics.

      I've watched the professionals commenting here help many others like you asking for feedback. They do this out of a sincere desire to help the homeowners have a good result, they have nothing invested in this other than educating a homeowner---listen to them.

    • Stephanie Abney
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      We would like to get this right, and I do not want to settle for just okay. This is the biggest investment we have made. When you are emotionally invested in something, sometimes it is hard to accept critique. That is the reason I posted on this forum though, because I do value the professionals opinions. I apologize if that has not come across. I feel like we are in a unique position with coronavirus, in that we are not able to meet with our builder and architect as much as we would like. With my husband in healthcare, we are being extra cautious. I know that it is still very possible to have discussions remotely, but it is not as ideal. My architect did not mention the position of the house as it relates to North, South, East, West. So that was news to me. I think my intentions of posting were less about my architect though, and more about our personally decisions. I wanted to see what others would point out that we didn’t consider, such as the laundry room, window placement, etc. I wanted to figure out exactly what we wanted before discussing it with our architect and builder. I hope to meet with them in person within the next couple of weeks. We will definitely be communicating with them more and asking more questions. I can see the points that several of you have made, and I appreciate it!

    • Stephanie Abney
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      Adding to my last comment, I can see how everything you all have said relates, including input from our architect and our personal preferences. It should all be taken into consideration. Thanks!

    • Stephanie Abney
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      I am making a list of issues, questions, and possible solutions based on each comment you all have made. If you read this and see something else we should consider, that has not been mentioned, please feel free to comment.

    • Architectrunnerguy
      3 years ago

      I pointed you in the direction of a little self education because I thought the issues with the house were too numerous to fix via addressing isolated issues. One issue usually effects another so pretty soon we're looking at the whole house anyway. I still recommend backing up and doing a little reading.


      And regarding the limited meetings because of the coronavirus, sure, face to face meetings are always best but I've designed whole houses without ever actually phyically meeting the client that is sometimes states away so I doubt that's the reason the house appears to be coming up short.


      I asked my questions about your architects process because I wanted to understand how you got to where you're at. Normally "first drafts" don't look like construction docs so it appears your first draft is it after one meeting. Is that correct?


      "When you are emotionally invested in something, sometimes it is hard to accept critique." I hear you there. Sure it is. After doing this for 45 years I've learned to soften the message without compromising it. If you read the links I provided, on one I posted an 80 point list mostly of what an architect should be doing (recommend reading that too) and one of them is "A good architect isn't afraid to tell a client something they my not want to hear". But it's important for you to be open and not hung up on any previous idea or "plan".

    • BlueberryBundtcake - 6a/5b MA
      3 years ago

      In my experience, if you want to spend a lot of time on the patio, make sure it doesn't aim south, it will be hot and unpleasant. I know you said it aims east now, but it sound like you might consider reorientation ... make sure you take into consideration the sun on your patio, unless it will be covered.

      A thought on the kids' rooms and closets:

      Turn the back bedroom's closet so it's using the hall closet space.

      Flip the front bedroom, so the closet is on the other side

      Hall closet moves to sit on the hall side of the front bedroom's closet.



      Also, I'd move the powder room door to the east wall to make it a bit easier to find for guests and make it feel less like walking into the master bedroom space.

    • Stephanie Abney
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      @Architectrunnerguy I see your point. You are very good at communicating in a way that is well received, so thank you. I admit that I have not read your recommended reading but it has only been one day and I definitely intend to educate myself. This is all new to us, so we clearly have a lot to learn.

      We weren’t sure what to expect with our first meeting with the architect, to discuss plans. We had our two small children with us and the meeting lasted about 4 hours, so you can imagine how that went. The architect did a rough sketch of what we wanted at that meeting. I’m sure typically we would have met again but given the situation, I believe he went ahead and drew these blueprints for us to have and review. My husband was at work when I picked them up so we had to wait until he had a day off to go over them together. The architect told me to contact him with questions or changes we wanted to make. So yes this was after just one meeting. That is why I’m assuming coronavirus had an effect on this process. The current plan is to start building in July so we are early in the process and still have time to figure things out I hope.

    • Stephanie Abney
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      @Blueberrybundtcake perfect solution to the closet situation. Thank you so much for the drawing. It helps for me to visualize what you described. I am trying to figure out that whole side of the house with the mud room, half bath, laundry room, too large master bathroom situation. Thanks for the suggestions!

    • Stephanie Abney
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      @PPF the person we are working with is in fact an architect and not a designer.

    • PRO
      PPF.
      3 years ago

      Then have you considered another Architect?

    • Stephanie Abney
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      @PPF I think we will schedule another meeting and arrange a babysitter this time so that way we hopefully have a more productive session.

    • PRO
      PPF.
      3 years ago

      Please keep us informed. It's always interesting to see a project evolve.

    • partim
      3 years ago

      My parents' house has large south windows with a deep overhang. In winter it is so uplifting when the low winter sun penetrates almost the full depth of the house. In summer when the sun is high in the sky it doesn't heat up the house because the overhang shades it.

      In contrast my house has large west windows which broiled us with the setting sun on hot afternoons (before our trees got big). In winter the sun hardly enters our gloomy house. That's what yours will be like. The fact that your architect did not face the house to take advantage of the sun would be a big red flag for me.

      The fact that the builders recommended him may mean that he designs easy-to-build or profitable-to-build houses, not that people love living in them. I think it's odd that he made such detailed plans after just one meeting, and that he started with plans you brought in vs just asking about your needs and wants.

      I wouldn't want my bedroom to be so far from my children's bedrooms, both when they're small and when they're teens. (Probably OK between the ages of 8 and 11 LOL). You don't need to have adjacent walls - bathrooms and closets in between the master suite and the children's rooms can provide sufficient privacy.

      If your home office will be used during the day, I'd want it on the main floor with good windows.

      When you say you want to "keep the general layout" what aspects do you want to keep? What is it that you like about it?

      The book recommendations are excellent. You're going to be spending big bucks on this house and unfortunately you can't rely on anyone else to steer you right on it. You have to be an educated consumer. Since you're in the health field, I'll make the analogy that there's no substitute for being an informed patient, because you can't unquestioningly accept everything you're told by the one doctor you happen to end up with.

    • BlueberryBundtcake - 6a/5b MA
      3 years ago

      So I was messing around with the other end of the house ... I'm not an architect, but it's something different ... I'm sure others could do better.


      So I turned the pantry into the mudroom, and I moved the pantry to where the powder room was, though that required some rearrangement in the kitchen. Would you be open to a range instead of wall ovens? A kitchen designer might be able to get the wall ovens back in, but there's a reason they get paid for what they do. I did extend the wall a bit between the kitchen and living room, but it's still a pretty big opening. The island probably needs some tweaking/shifting, but my sketchy alterations aren't really suited to fine tuning.


      So what did I do with the powder room?

      I reconfigured and reduced the master bath, slid the master closet in next to it, and jammed the powder room in front of the laundry ... someone else might be able to make that part a bit less thrown together, but it's what I could come up with.


    • nhb22
      3 years ago

      PPF. - I loved how you showed Stephanie how the sun will hit her house. Now I am worried about how the sun will affect my new build. I have not thought much of where the sun rises and sets on our lot. It is in another town, so I cannot easily run over to check and see where N,S,E, and W falls on the lot. Is there a way for me to tell from looking on Google maps?

    • loobab
      3 years ago
      last modified: 3 years ago

      Stephanie-

      I would definitely add a home office in there somewhere. And build in a safe too, maybe in a wall.

      How many people would you have eat in your dining room on a holiday for example?

      because with the size it is, it cannot seat 10 people.

      It won't even seat 8 people, because a table for 8 people is 8 feet long, and you have to add 3 feet behind the table to add space for the chair and the person and moving the chair back.

      So scrap that entire ding room idea unless you are only going to sit 6 people in that dining room, and in that case, why bother with a dining room at all for just two guests?

      Just get a folding card table and set it up in the living room and save on building costs.

      And the doors that open into the dining room? How could you ever use curtains over those doors?

      Yes, you live in the middle of nowhere with no close neighbors.

      But do people sitting on the east end of the table need the sun in their eyes?

      I don't understand why people design houses with the laundry next to or anywhere near the master bedroom.

      Why ever would you want your (or your husband's) sleep disturbed?

      Maybe you two awaken early and one of you are the ones that do the wash now.

      Before you know it, your children will be active teens doing sports and slogging through mud, coming home late, etc and dong their own wash.

      Do you really want them doing the wash in a place near your bedroom and disrupting your sleep, or anything else?

      And in case you are thinking that when you are old how will you carry your wash to where ever, Well, they make a zillion and one different types of laundry carts with wheels.

      So when you design your laundry room, make sure there is storage space for at least two of those.

      Another thing, since you live in in a place with 4 seasons and you have children, I will make the kind assumption that you will be entertaining if not family, then friends and your children's friends and their family, etc.

      I would have two clothing closets at the front door.

      If you have that much land you probably live in a area that is not at all in the city, and teens probably drive, and end up driving themselves to high school by the time they are juniors or seniors.

      You may want to think about a big garage. Very big.

      No one wants to arrive at work wet and snowed upon.

      That's true even if you are younger and carrying your school backpack and laptop.

      Unless your children are always going to attend schools where they wear uniforms, please make sure their clothing closets are large enough.

      Also, please ensure their rooms are large enough for dressers, and desks and bookshelves.

      I would get some graph paper and look up dimensions of these things and beds etc and draw it all out.

      It looks to me that the children's bedrooms are not large enough.

      I would add an additional bathroom with shower somewhere for two reasons.

      1. So your guests have a bathroom to use that is not strewn with your children's products and wet towels all over the place

      2. While I hope you will be hale and hearty until 120, if at some time you need personal help in the house, that person needs a bathroom to use, and if you also have a guest visiting, well your live-in personal attendant needs their own bathroom.

      Did you say you have a basement? Please make sure your basement is configured in a way that it has a "storeroom" that is at least 3-4 times the size of your pantry.

      Before you start to say that's ridiculous-

      The open plan of your kitchen with no wall between kitchen and DR and kitchen and LR means you have lost 2 walls of storage space.

      Judging from the amount of land you have, you probably are not that close to the store to just hop in the car and drive 5 minutes to pick up what you need at the last minute.

      You need a well stocked home.

      Recent events have shown us that we can't predict what is going to happen and we all need to bell stocked, no matter where and how we live.

      In general, I am constitutionally opposed to kitchens open to living rooms and dining rooms.

      People conversing in the living room don't need to disturbed by the clatter in the kitchen, nor do they need to be eavesdropped on.

      People dining don't need to see the flotsam and jetsam of the meal prep.

      So for me, the whole plan would require more than just some walls, it would need re-arranging so one would not need to walk through the kitchen to get to the dining room. Even if the dining room was large enough.

      Oh yes, and if you enlarge the dining room, consider whether you would have additional furniture in there such as a hutch and/or buffet and account for those dimensions.

      I of course agree with the Pros here on the other things with the exception that I would never put a window in my closet. Clothing fades!

    • nhb22
      3 years ago
      last modified: 3 years ago

      I put a window in my closet because one would look better on the outside of the house. I never open because of the fading and the heat it generates. Only have one if that closet barely gets any sun. Mine only gets the morning sun, but still warms everything up quickly. If I had to do all over again, I would have put closed Faux shutters on the outside of the house to add balance.

    • Stephanie Abney
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      There have been several comments since yesterday, so I am not going to try to answer everyone’s specific questions. I am continuing to carefully read, take note and think through each of your comments though and they are very appreciated.

      I downloaded and read “Designing Your Perfect House” last night in it’s entirety so I was up later than usual, and my children are up with the sun! I will try to form a coherent response though. The kindle version of Patterns of Home was actually more expensive than the hard cover version so I did not download it but I did read the sample to determine the 10 patterns the architects identified.

      I can see the flaws in our home now in a way that I did not previously. While I feel that homes are greatly individualized to fit the needs of a specific family, I now know that there are elements that make a home work and not work. This post has been successful in that I am learning and feel more ready to design a home that works for us, with the help of our architect of course.

      Thank you all who have took the time to comment.

    • AnnKH
      3 years ago

      nhb22 - yes, Google maps will come up with North at the top.


      Keep in mind that the sun only rises in the east and sets in the west 2 days a year (on the spring and fall equinox). Where I live, the sun come up in the NE in the summer; in the winter, a south-facing window sees the sun all day, as it comes up in the SE and sets in the SW, and is low in the southern sky at noon.


      Planning for how the sun will hit the public areas of the home is so important!

    • PRO
      Mark Bischak, Architect
      3 years ago
      last modified: 3 years ago

      Do you have a site plan that shows the driveway? A site plan will show potential paths of how a first time visitor can get from the road to a parking spot and to the front door. The site should be designed so a first time visitor should be able to determine where to go and how to get there, and the house's design should relate to that.

    • loobab
      3 years ago

      Stephanie-

      Oh, you should know that of all the threads on Houzz, I think the

      "what do you think of my house plan" threads get the most critiques of all.

      Some of the people who put up these sorts of threads take umbrage at the critiques which really defeats the purpose of putting up the thread in the first place.

      You have done very well!

    • Holly Stockley
      3 years ago

      Stephanie, you're a gracious, intelligent woman. What you've done in trying to learn about home design here was the functional equivalent of trying to get a drink out of a fire hydrant. The information overload can really get overwhelming!


      I think you're moving in the right direction. And I don't think it's too unreasonable to go back to your architect and ask for another concept. Maybe even plan to go into a session where he sketches (not full drawings, just ideas) more than one concept so that you can see which direction you want to go in more fully.


      Some other thoughts, as well, since you said you want to stay here as long as you can:


      Drive around and get a feel for the local architecture. I think design is both more effective and more responsive when it encompasses the "spirit of place." This is especially true if you're looking to build something that seems like it always belonged there, rather than something that people will look at and say, "Oh, that house came from the 2020's!"


      More book recommendations:


      Gil Shafer's "A Place To Call Home"


      https://www.amazon.com/Place-Call-Home-Tradition-American/dp/0847860213


      Russell Versaci's "Roots of Home"


      https://www.amazon.com/Roots-Home-Our-Journey-House/dp/1561588679/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=


      If no one has suggested it yet, Susan Susanka's "Not So Big House" - which isn't as much about building a SMALL house as it is maximizing quality and livability over sheer square footage.


      https://www.amazon.com/Not-So-Big-House-Blueprint/dp/1600851509


      Hopefully, if you communicate with your architect how you live, and how you want the house to "feel", you'll come closer to a really great design than just trying to incorporate things you like about specific floorplans.


      Keep on keepin' on. It's so much easier to get it right on paper than it is to try to fix things once building starts.

    • BlueberryBundtcake - 6a/5b MA
      3 years ago

      12x12 should be plenty large enough for the kids' bedrooms, particularly given that they'll have pretty good closets.

    • Architectrunnerguy
      3 years ago
      last modified: 3 years ago

      Stephanie....Ok, with a little reading it looks like you've developed a small knowledge base to be in a better position to ask your architect good questions. "Designing your Perfect House" is an excellent book.

      What your second meeting should be like is for him to be sketching ideas with you all (and you'll probably be commanding the pen at times too) at the table like Holly suggested. And good idea getting Grandma or whoever to watch the kids. This will be an important meeting. I always envision a client coming to me with several large bags filled with $100 bills, putting them all on the table and saying "Here. We're trusting you to tell us the best way to spend this". We always have a fun time and laugh a lot doing these but at the same time this is serious business.

      To maybe take a little out of your apprehension, here's a photo of one of my meetings, a design charrette I call them:


      Over 4 ot 5 hours the house is concpetualized where we explore dozens of ideas in real time. Here's one freehand sketch:


      And here's the finetuned drawing, the "first draft" if you will:


      And then a 3D version after more development....cupola got axed.....sob!!!:




      To give credit where credit is due, I worked with another designer here, Nick Entrekin and he actually did most of the design development but hopefully you get the general drift of how things should progress. Every architect is different so bend with his approach but it is odd to hand over complete construction/permit docs after just one meeting.

      So good luck and let us know how it goes!

    • Holly Stockley
      3 years ago

      I still hold your cupola in my heart, ARG. We had to give up the widow's walk, too, so I feel your pain. :-D

    • jimandanne_mi
      3 years ago

      "The best book is Patterns of Home." (architectrunnerguy)

      I spent 6 YEARS designing our house (my husband kept not retiring), read lots of magazine articles, and bought and read lots of books. I agree with ARG that Patterns of Home is the BEST book. I read it, reread it multiple times, studied it, referred back to it when reading other things. Some of the house styles didn't appeal to me as I recall, but the book, though expensive new, was worth every dollar. When you have internalized the ideas elaborated on in the 10 essentials, you truly will know what makes a well-designed house special.

      Anne


    • nhb22
      3 years ago

      Thank you so much, AnnKH . I think our house positioning will be perfect for the sunrise and sunset locations. What location are you in?

    • Anna (6B/7A in MD)
      3 years ago

      Stephanie, Patterns of Home is available on eBay for less than $10, most are listed as “acceptable“ condition but some are better.

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