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victoria593
Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 7
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 Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 7:55 pm Post subject: Blank slate |
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I am buying this ranch style house (link below), and I struggle with the flat face of it. I am not sure I want to invest in a complete overhaul since this house is located in a neighborhood where the lot values are very high, and I plan on selling it in ten years.....so I was thinking of staying with the wrought iron, traditional look. Perhaps painting the iron black, and having a copper awning crafted to lead into an extension of the porch with a walkway veering left to the drive. Break up the overly structured landscaping with xeriscape, and I'm done. Am I thinking correctly?
http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cfm?mlnum=5786886&backButton=Y |
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SDR
millennium club
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Posts: 1845
Location: San Francisco
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| Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 10:50 pm Post subject: |
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No, I don't believe so -- at least as to the architecture.
Leave the gable alone. Replace the spindly iron posts with something more substantial -- even black paint won't give them nearly enough scale to visually support the gable. If it must be iron, then go much fatter. Cheaper and more effective would be wood (fiberglass, etc) columns, ideally square in section, at least 8-9" in width, perhaps slightly tapered, and with simple capitals -- no Ionic or Corinthian scrolls. Paint them to match the rest of the woodwork.
The low and broad gable will make an interesting and novel effect on its four short evenly-spaced columns. (If the gable is really self-supporting, as I suspect, the posts could be removed altogether. But I think this isn't what you want, in this neighborhood. The existing iron was an unfortunate cheap-out by the builder.)
I assume the path from the drive can lead directly to the side of this porch, if shelter is the objective ? Adding a metal canopy at the front, even if well-crafted, would look cobbled-together, I think -- as if the house had been turned into a care facility ? -- and even worse if made asymmetrical. At last that's what your words suggest to me. Can you be more specific ?
SDR |
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justellus
Joined: 22 Jan 2009
Posts: 201
Location: World Wide
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| Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 8:31 pm Post subject: |
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What happened to the other house you were going to buy?
http://www.designcommunity.com/forums/post-3286640.html#3286640
Or are you seeking architectural design advice on various homes before deciding to buy one, if you can make it fit in with your needs?
It is common to see people wanting to do work on a home by themselves, without consulting a professional. This is not advized as well. A professional should be hired starting from the intial stages, in the search for a property, until the stages of renovation. A design professional can help with this, to select the correct home and then to come up with suggestions on a design, or give you advice on the design of a home before purchasing it, as a professional service. In any case, it best to have an actual designer work on the home you decide to purchase, rather then simply trying to design various homes before actually buying one. The design of a home can thus be worked out by the same professional helping. And the exterior features are not the only element to consider when renovating a home, as seen in the last post.
Frequently professionals like to help with advice on projects on these forums, when they can. A great way to do it, however, is to request the consultancy of a hired professional at all stages of the process, including the intial stage of looking for a home. One can imagine most people do not think of this. Instead, they purchase a home to later think about how to to renovate it. Thus, finding the correct professional who offers this service of design consultancy from the initial stages, prior to buying, is important. Perhaps someone may have a suggestion of a professional in your local area who can also help with this. It would be interesting to see how many professionals out there offer this type of consultancy. |
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victoria593
Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:11 pm Post subject: Justellus - I like your idea... |
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| ...about hiring a pro to help you find the right house. I have been trying so hard to get an older home with good bones without spending a mere fortune in the various inspections now required these days. This house has good bones, although it is not an architectural beauty. I agree with your points completely. The goal with this house is more investment than long-termed living. That is why I hesitate to spend a significant amount of money in a redo. Another post suggested simple columns. I like that as I am a minimilast by nature. I think that since I am not wanting to invest a great deal, yet desire input from a pro, I may pay a senior architectural student to give them a shot at adding to their portfolio. I am great at giving references, and in this tight job market, that might make a real difference for a young professional today. Also, I had to give up the contract on the other house. The seller wanted to get into our personal finances, and it just was weird. We decided to move on. I am a banker, and don't want to give out personal info to strangers. Thanks for keeping in touch. Are you an architect now? |
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victoria593
Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:13 pm Post subject: SDR - Terrific insight... |
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| ...about the beauty of incorporating simple columns, not ornate. I am a minimalist by nature, so this has great appeal. Cleaning out the wrought iron and stiff landscaping will sharpen your idea a lot I think. I just wrote to another member about hiring a student (see below). I appreciate your thinking very much. Thank you. |
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solidred
Joined: 05 Jan 2006
Posts: 728
Location: Scotland
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 3:27 pm Post subject: |
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Victoria, it's interesting to understand the mindset of someone wary of the potential expense of employing an architect. It seems like a simple job and so, on the surface, it would look to be a decent idea to employ a student with aesthetic knowledge instead.
However, remember that many students have grand design concepts far outstripping their technical knowledge. For example, I helped masterplan an international airport before I struggled with the detail work and contract running for a small office fit-out a couple of years later. See, an architectural education taught me more about the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze than it did about recognising dry rot. And no, I don't think Deleuze wrote dry rot 
What concerns me is that good intentions and inexperience all-round could lead to some very costly errors. I'm from Britain and I guess North America has a more solid tradition of people building their own houses but even the simplest seeming jobs have a raft of technical and contractual and regulatory issues that have to be dealt with. These can be anticipated and handled with much greater assurance by an experienced person than by an inexperienced, erm, genius. The student will have no problem designing the columns. But how much will he know about what they sit on, what they actually support (if anything) and how to make them?
Of course, you might be thinking that the student could simply put together not a technical design drawing, specification and building contract but rather a sketch view that you could hand over to a builder and get him to sort out the rest. You could, I guess. It's a Risk issue...  |
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victoria593
Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 5:09 pm Post subject: |
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Very good point. I have three sons, and as I think about them trying to get jobs after they finish school, I am concerned about their ability to get jobs considering the economy. I mentor several college students currently.
Costly mistakes from an eager learner are certainly a real risk, and I thank you for helping me. |
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