Old simple house plans - design inspiration

I posted an article the other day on gaining inspiration from old houses. Below is another great example - a bungalow that I stumbled upon near Forestville, California. It is so simple yet so well done. Why aren't builders and designers creating more homes like this anymore? Has the idea of doing a modest, simple and well detailed home escaped them? There must be a niche for this kind of house plan, but perhaps it's a lost art.

So here is the brilliant idea:

• keep the overall form and roof line very simple - this costs less to build
• use nice deep overhangs - this protects the walls, windows and doors from the elements
• create a good composition of windows - here picture windows are combined with double hungs and centered between the porch columns and the wall surfaces
• use minimal ornamentation - the window grid patterns and the exposed rafter tails are pretty much the extent of it here
• create a focal point - the simple shed dormer with louvers and the stair that is "captured" with side walls helps to create a center line and create focus on the entry
• give the house a base - the white clapboard siding provides a platform for the house to sit on and it contrasts nicely with the red shingle siding.

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Footing and Stemwall

This week (10/26 - 10/30) Happy Halloween!!!

-Monday: We stripped off the forms on the inside of the footing, and we all were assigned our first weekly duties. Devin is the safety foreman, John is the cameraman, Dan is keeping track of weekly progress, and Dillon is keeping the trailer clean.

-Tuesday: We put the ARXX insulating stemwall blocks on the footing, this included adding rebar to the inside for tensile strength.

-Wednesday: We scraped concrete off of forms, built a window frame, and made sure that the ARXX blocks where level

-Friday: Assembled scaffolding, put the window frame in place, and prepared to pour the stemwall.

Finding Design Inspiration in Old Houses

My better half and I just got back home from a short trip to the Napa Valley area. We don't really go for the wine, although that's nice too. For us it is really about the scenery. The area really has such a subtle beauty that we just love. On our trips I of course like to see the local architecture. I try to take snap shots of things I see that I might draw some inspiration from later on. Anyway I thought I'd show you an example from this recent trip and illustrate what I am trying to learn.

Here is a snap shot of the gable end of a historic home (the Kelley house) in Mendocino. I love the simplicity in form and the strength of it's details. This is a key to good design. If you have a simple form you need to pay attention to the details. Here are my thoughts:

• The proportions of the gable are quite nice - neither too slender or too squat with roof pitch neither too steep or too flat.
• I love the depth of the gable end roof overhang (this is called the rake end). The brackets underneath provide a sense of support for the overhang.
• The crown molding at the fascia creates additional shadow line and adds a subtle detail.
• A wide frieze board (that's the white trim on the wall below the overhang) provides a nice transition between the siding and roof overhang.
• The siding lap is nice and narrow. The proportion of the entire gable would be altered if the siding had a wider lap.
• I like the narrowness of the windows, and the fact the pair of windows are separated. Look closely and you can see a subtle little "pilaster" detail at the jambs and mullion. Also the trim at the head projects outward creating additional shadow line and interest.
• One thing I don't care for here is that the upper windows are nearly identical to the lower windows. I would rather see a bit of hierarchy - with the lower windows being a bit larger and more detailed than the upper windows. Another thing that bothers me slightly is the upper window intrudes upon the frieze board. It looks a little "crowded".

All in all it's a very pleasant composition and I can take away some good thoughts that I can apply on a future design.

Extra! Extra!

Check out the article about us in the Juneau Empire!

First Few Steps Done

I've finished building the first few steps up to the landing. So far everything is working out well... all the steps are the same size and they're square and level.

Footing

Last week (10/21 10/23)

-Wednesday: We poured the footing for the house. Everything went well (no blowouts), and we finished the pour fairly quickly.

-Thursday: Was a grunt work day, we moved materials around to make room for the Arxx blocks and other equipment. We also cleaned the tools that where in the trailer and hit 'em with WD-40 to keep out the Juneau rust.

-Friday: Our 7th member, Kevin, finally joined us today and helped us remove the the top of the forms from the footings so we could start setting up for the stemwall.

-Tyler Rental generously donated a generator to us until the completion of the house.

New Dutch Colonial House Plan Unveiled!

Simply Elegant Home Designs has just made the "Tonka Dutch Colonial" house plan available for purchase. The home was designed by Larson Brenner in Stillwater, Minnesota. Larson Brenner; who has been featured in a number of National and Regional publications has gained a reputation for designing charming and functional modestly sized homes. You can obtain more information on this house plan by visiting the following link:

Tonka Dutch Colonial House Plans

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Revit House Plans

It's taken me a while but I am really convinced that Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Traditionally buildings have been drawn using 2 dimensional CAD technology - or by hand drafting. But with BIM you create a 3 dimensional "virtual" model of the building. In order to communicate the design to client and contractors you then generate various views from the model (plans, elevations, sections, etc). I'll show you an example of how this works below.

Here you can see an axonometric view of the 3 dimensional model of this house plan. The model was created using REVIT software, by Autodesk.

Now I have "sliced" a view from overhead looking down onto the plan. What is great here is you can see the relationships between the various elements (windows, doors, trim and even furniture) so that you can better evaluate the design.

Here is another sliced view, but this time from a side. You can see the roof, ceilings and the decorative trusses.

The section below is just another "slice" taken from the model. The walls, floors roof and ceiling profiles are all in precisely the correct position. To make it into a construction drawing you just need to add the pertinent detailed information.

Here the virtual model has been exported into Google Sketchup, which is a great design tool. In this case all I did was added the materials, colors and a little entourage. Isn't this a better way to convey the interior design concept?

All images above are of the "Hudson Cottage" house plan which is available for sale at Simply Elegant Home Designs.

It takes a while to learn and become efficient at BIM. But in the end I am convinced it is a better way to understand your design, a better way to communicate the design and a better way to assemble the construction drawings.

Site Prep

Last week (10/12 to 10/14) we finished the following steps in making the footings.

-The site was cleared.

-D1 gravel: We had a gravel pad made on the lot by Admiralty Construction.

-Stone retaining wall: There is a large stone retaining wall that was assembled by Admiralty Construction.

-Excavation: Once again, this was made possible by Admiralty Construction.

-Survey lines : Our class made the survey lines. We squared the corners using the Pythagorean Theorem, then checked for squarness by measuring diagonals.

We would like to extend a big thanks to Admiralty Construction, they did a great job doing the groundwork for the site.

The Crew

Get to know the students who are working on the JDHS house with some fun and interesting facts!

Name: John

Nickname: J-Man, Johnny Boy, Fatty

Age: 17

Favorite part of the ACE Academy/what are you most excited about on this project: "This project is a great way for me to get out of the classroom, but still get credit. I don't do well sitting at a desk and here there are none."

Specialty skill(s): "I am an ETT medical service provider in the state of Alaska. I have worked construction in the past and prefer it to working with paper and pencil."

When I am not in school I am usually..."with my friends or trying to be. Trying to prepare myself for firefighting."

When I graduate high school I would like to... "begin a career in firefighting."

Why am I taking this class: "I figure knowing how a house is built will help me in a career as a firefighter."

Name: Dillon

Nickname: DJ

Age: 16

Favorite part of the ACE Academy/what are you most excited about on this project: "Being able to do something that I may never get to do again...possibly."

Specialty skill(s): "Sailing, chopping wood, and sleeping."

When I am not in school I am usually... "driving or at sports practice."

When I graduate high school I would like to... "build another house and learn more welding skills."

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?


Name: Kevin

Nickname: "Nope"

Age: 17

Favorite part of the ACE Academy/what are you most excited about on this project: "Getting the chance to build a house."

Specialty skill(s): "Cooking"

When I am not in school I am usually... "working."

When I graduate high school I would like to... "I am not sure."


Name: Chris

Nickname: Budbill

Age: 17

Favorite part of the ACE Academy/what are you most excited about on this project: "Seeing the finished product of the house."

Specialty skill(s): "I am really skilled at being awesome. And hockey."

When I am not in school I am usually... "at the ice rink or at my girlfriend's house."

When I graduate high school I would like to... "weld stuff, or be an engineer."

Name: Brian

Nickname: Condor

Age: 18

Favorite part of the ACE Academy/what are you most excited about on this project: "This Class."

Specialty skill(s): "Ski racing and tennis."

When I am not in school I am usually... "playing tennis or ski racing."

When I graduate high school I would like to... "I am supposed to graduate early, but Mr. Dukes said that he was going to fail me so I would have to stay in this class to finish the house, but when I do graduate I would like to work construction and go trolling."

What is your goal in this class: "Work as a team, keep moving forward on the house, and learn from the experience."

Name: Devon

Nickname: None

Age: 18

Favorite part of the ACE Academy/what are you most excited about on this project: "Just getting the chance to experience all of the skills needed to build a house.

When I am not in school I am usually... "running around with friends."

When I graduate high school I would like to... "stay in the construction field."

Name: Dan

Nickname: Forklift, Danimal

Age: 17

Favorite part of the ACE Academy/what are you most excited about on this project: "I like putting stuff together and watching my work take shape."

Specialty skill(s): "I'm pretty good at welding. And being awesome."

When I am not in school I am usually... "hanging out with my friends, listening to music, or hiking around in the woods."

When I graduate high school I would like to... "travel the globe and get certified for welding."

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow: "African or European Swallow?"

Name: Elway

Nickname: Smellway

Age: In dog or human years?

Favorite part of the ACE Academy/what are you most excited about on this project: "I get lots of visitors and sticks to chew."

Specialty skill(s): "Chasing sticks, chewing sticks, hanging out, and sleeping."

When I am not in school I am usually... "out in the woods looking for sticks!"

When I graduate high school I would like to..."High school? I'm a dog. I already graduated from obedience school."

Why am I taking this class: "Make sure everyone on the job site is working and staying safe. I also like sticks."

Building a Set of Stairs

I've started building the main-floor stairs. Although it appears simple enough, building a set of stairs is definitely not an easy task. Getting all of the "underneath" parts to fit together so that the rise (the distance from the top of one step to the top of the next step) and the run (the distance from the front edge of the step to the back edge) are all correct is pretty tricky.

I'm using LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) for the stringers. It's very strong and won't warp or shrink. The steps will be made of two layers of 3/4" plywood. Everything will be glued and screwed together. When they're done, they should be strong and squeak free.

The first task was to build the landing. It's constructed of 2x8's and is supported on the outside walls by the same ledger beam that supports the floor. The inside corner is supported by a stub wall. There is a post in the basement that sits directly below the stub wall; so the corner of the landing is supported all the way down to a concrete footing in the basement. The floor of the landing is made from two layers of 3/4" plywood.

The Project

• The house is being built by the students in the ACE Academy at Juneau Douglas High School with on site instruction by Colin Dukes, JDHS Trades Instructor.

• This project is designed for JDHS students to learn hands-on skills in building a house while involving them in all aspects of the process from site prep to foundation to framing to finish.

• The district is reviving this successful house-building program, which has been dormant for several years, but successfully operated over 4 decades in the district.

• The goal of this house-building program to engage students in an authentic, community-based project and provide students with hands-on workplace skills that prepares them for jobs in the construction industry.

• Construction management will be provided by SAGA in coordination with district teachers to facilitate the ongoing work of the house build around the schedule of the students coming and going to the worksite.

• House building plans were developed by the students in the ACE Academy and were submitted to the City for review and approval for building permits in spring 2009.
  
  

• Funds from the sale of the house will replenish the funding outlay by the district for purchase of the land, building, and sale of the house and construction management for the next year’s house build project.

Afraid of Color?

apartment therapy - an interior design blog is having their fifth annual contest called "Room for Color 2009". In October they are looking for the most colorful, beautiful room on the planet.

It's a good idea because adding color is one of the most affordable ways of changing a rooms character. But many of the folks are afraid of using color. Well as you can see from the examples below some of these folks really are not afraid at all.

photos courtesy of apartment therapy

You can see more entries at Room for Color. Check it out - you'll find lots of ideas. Some bold and crazy; and some simple yet sophisticated.

Simple,Unique, Small House Plans Cottage, Craftsman and Modern Home Plans

Toolshed

While waiting to begin construction on the house we built this toolshed. The original plan was to disassemble it and move it to the jobsite and then refabricate it. Admiralty construction generously donated one of their trailiers for us to use instead. Now this toolshed is for sale for $1,200 including transportation and setup.

Housing Industry Needs to Reinvent

The housing industry (builders and designers) is in dire need of a new system / approach to building. I'll list a few reasons here:

• Construction costs and land / development costs have gotten out of control in recent years.
• The housing bubble has dramatically dropped the value of our homes.
• The fact right now is that you cannot build a new home inexpensive enough to compete with the glut of existing homes on the market.
• If we are seeing an economic recovery it's a small one - and the job market is not expected to improve for several years.
• New buyers are having difficulty getting loans or do not qualify for enough loan to build the kind of house they might have a few years ago.
• Home buyers are becoming much more aware of "value".
• Home buyers are increasingly environmentally conscious.
• Home buyers are more "hip" and expect good design and construction quality.

So what the people want is a really cool, sustainable, well constructed cheap house. Is anyone out there providing that? Or is this an impossible combination?

Indeed, times are tough and it is truly a time of survival of the fittest in the housing market. The housing industry needs to pull their collective head out of the sand and adapt. I believe that the industry needs to look at things fresh and perhaps create an entirely new business model.

In looking for new ideas I have looked to old ones. What about the old days when a fellow purchased a house from Sears Roebuck Company? The house was shipped to them and they built it themselves, or had local tradespeople construct it. Why did that business model go away? One reason I think is because people stopped being handy. They no longer had the skills to put anything together as complicated as a stick framed house. Even if they could it would take forever; and banks don't like that.

Enter a new system devised in Germany called HIB. HIB is a building block system that goes together like Lego's. They say that the simplicity and speed of putting the system together makes it an ideal candidate for an owner built project. The company also touts the product's insulating capabilities, sustainability and economy.

Sounds too good to be true honestly. But I am inviting a company representative in to discuss the product further. I'll let you know what I find out.

Really Small House Plans

I have alerts set up to tell me about new posts relating to house plans and home design in general. Lately I have been receiving many alerts relating to tiny house plans. It must be a sign of the times. Many of these tiny homes are so small that I really cannot see how anyone can live in them. They have taken the idea of restrained living to the extreme (for an example see new small house plan available today) . There seems to be a competition over who can create the tiniest home.

But recently I ran across a company called "Reclaimed Space" where I found a couple of their prototypes to be quite nice. Their niche seems to be creating very well crafted really small homes - but not necessarily tiny. These are sort of studio apartment sized homes. And they are really nice - trimmed out with recycled lumber, corrugated metal and other fine finishes. Now these are the kinds of tiny houses that I could actually see myself living in.

Check out the photos below. If you want to see more go to reclaimed space .

one of their modules en-route

eating / kitchen area

kitchen

bed area

bath

Simple,Unique, Small House Plans Cottage, Craftsman and Modern Home Plans

Rio 2016 Olympic Images

This post is not related to house plans or home design but I thought would be interesting for everyone. As you know Rio De Janeiro has been awarded the 2016 Olympic games. The Architectural firm of BCMF Arquietetos was responsible for envisioning the Olympic environment. I have included a few of the images they created. Some pretty cool stuff.

Chicago is a pretty nice town, but it is difficult to imagine a more dramatic backdrop for the Olympic games than Rio? I am looking forward to watching in 2016.

If you want to see more Rio Olympic images you can go to the official Rio 2016 web site

Simple,Unique, Small House Plans Cottage, Craftsman and Modern Home Plans

Under construction (always wear your safety glasses)

Plumbing Vent Details

This plumbing vent stack is made from 2" ABS pipe that protrudes up through the roof. A plastic and rubber flashing goes over top the vent pipe. The rubber top on the flashing is supposed to be self-sealing around the pipe, but because of the steep angle of the roof, the rubber didn't fit tightly around the vent pipe. I put some silicone around the joint, then put a second rubber flashing over the vent... similar to the storm collar that goes around the chimney.



The vent flashing is also just like the chimney flashing in that the shingles sit on top of the flashing on the upside of the slope, and the flashing sits on top of the shingles on the downside of the slope.



On underside of the roof, the pipe is secured to the roof framing with pipe strapping. The bottom end of the vent stack will eventually connect to the rest of the DWV (drain/waste/vent) system.