Kit Houses - Building a Home in Less Than One Day

Posted in Building-a-Home, Real-Estate by Connie Ragen Green on August 4th, 2007
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Would you believe that you could be looking at pictures of new homes in a catalog one day and just a few weeks later that one of these homes could be built for you from several boxes of materials? That is just how over 100,000 people built new homes across the United States during the period between 1908 and 1940. This offered affordable housing to people who would otherwise not have been able to own a home of their own. Also, when the boxes arrived at your door the home could be assembled and completed that day!

Many people received the Sears catalog and would look through more than a hundred different models to find the one that would suit their needs. They ranged in price from about $400 for a three room model without a bathroom to over $3,000 for a seven room home with oak doors, shutters, and a granite bath tub.

These homes were referred to as “kit houses” and were very popular during this time. Sears offered a payment plan, a cross between a credit card and a mortgage, so that people could live in the house while they were still paying for it. You could also pay extra to have a construction supervisor assist you with putting the kit together.

Other companies like Montgomery Ward and Aladdin also sold homes by mail, but Sears was the most well known and sold more than the others. This was seen as an affordable and quick way to build a house for your family. Entire neighborhoods across the United States consist of these homes. Sometimes a company needed housing for its workers and ordered a dozen or more at a time. Water and sewer lines were connected and the new neighborhood could be completed within a week of receiving the materials.

Today there are still kit homes available from many companies that specialize in them. They are primarily used as vacation homes or cabins. Many communities prohibit manufactured homes in certain areas of town because of the belief that they will bring down property values.

Sears destroyed many records over the years so it is now impossible to find all of the homes. There are people who have made a hobby of locating them and listing them as historic buildings. Many times someone currently living in a kit home is not even aware that their home is of that type.

This is another part of the history of home building across the United States. The American dream of owning a home can take on many different forms and this is just one of them.

Connie Ragen Green is a Real Estate Broker and State Certified Residential Appraiser in California and has bought and sold over 100 properties since 1983. Visit her at http://www.BuyRealEstateforProfit.com for more information about buying and selling real estate.

Live in Spain - Enjoy Life

Posted in Building-a-Home, Real-Estate by Andrew Regan on May 8th, 2007
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Many people consider departing UK shores and creating a new life in Spain. Such a consideration is not limited only to those approaching retirement, but encapsulates the entire age spectrum; and those that do make the move find that they are stimulated and invigorated to adopt a new and refreshing alternative lifestyle. In excess of a half million people have purchased a property in Spain – and many have now made their home in the country.

But, what is the attraction of living abroad from the UK? Often, it is a growing element of dissatisfaction with living in the UK which often triggers the deliberation process. The most common complaint is the UK weather with its short summer period and lengthy dull winter; however issues such as security, congested roads, expensive living costs and the demanding pace of life are also becoming more prevalent considerations.

Once the decision to consider living in another country has been made, Spain rapidly becomes the number one choice. Spain was originally recognised as a place to spend holiday time, but recent years has seen Spain grow in stature as a country - particularly since joining the EU. Only a short two hour flight away, the people of Spain are warm, friendly, welcoming and accept those who arrive to develop the country. However, Spain has much more to offer potential property buyers than a warm welcome.

As a country, Spain is modern in outlook yet retaining an old world charm, and despite being a country five times the size of the UK, Spain has many obvious appeals, such as a lower population, an excellent communications network and a massive coastline, as well as mountains ranges in the north and inland all waiting to be explored. Meanwhile, all of Spain’s major cities have magnificent buildings, parks and museums to satisfy the most discerning culture vulture; while age-old traditions are maintained, with celebrations and fiestas occurring throughout the year.

Being a warm and substantially Mediterranean climate also has its advantages in dietary terms; masses of fresh, locally produced fruit and vegetables; an abundance of fresh fish caught the same day, and cooking with olive oil are all staples of typical Mediterranean cuisine. Furthermore, embracing the outdoor life also lends itself to a healthier lifestyle. All types of sport and leisure can be enjoyed in Spain, with football, basketball and cycling being especially ardent activities; additionally buying a Spanish property near to the coast affords the option of water sports. And of course, there is golf; courses are available for play every day of the year with no winter greens or course closures, and Spain boasts a superb choice of courses from nine holes to championship courses.

However, it’s not just the attractions that Spain offers that make it a popular choice. Everyday living costs are generally lower than in the UK, with the weekly food bill being the obvious one; as for motoring, not only is petrol cheaper but also road tax is lower. Plus, the need to heat a Spanish home is a rarity, thus considerably reduced heating costs are attained. Furthermore, Local authority service charges are also low in comparison to the UK.

Moving abroad doesn’t mean cutting yourself off from your friends and family left behind either. With the UK being only two hours flight time away, visits to family in the UK are easy, with an array of flights serving most UK airports. This travel time compares favourably with driving time from Manchester to London, for example, and can prove to be a lot less stressful.

For those considering moving to Spain, a key element in finding a suitable property is to make contact with a reputable, established property agent. In Costa Calida and Costa Blanca - two of the most established and growing areas - many companies offer a search-and-find Spanish property service. However, it is essential to choose an agent carefully so that professional advice is provided to cover all aspects of the buying process. SpainDirect4U, for example, not only provide a full search-and-find operation for new build Spanish properties, but can also effect introductions to companies providing all the necessary services to cover every eventuality arising from ownership of Spanish home.

Life in Spain gives you the feeling of being in a vibrant, developing, progressive country unfettered with the restrictions and limitations of the UK. Not only can you enjoy the benefits that an outdoor lifestyle brings in terms of health and wellbeing, but pocket a bonus as well; it costs considerably less to live in Spain than in the UK.

Andrew Regan is an online, freelance journalist. SpainDirect4U is based in Nuneaton, UK and is a specialist Spanish property agent.

Building Environmentally Sound Homes

Posted in Building-a-Home, Real-Estate by Arow Blackdragon on April 6th, 2007
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As our planet continues to take more and more of a beating, there has been a real emergence of building environmentally conscious housing. In years past homes were constructed with materials that were not only damaging to the environment but as we eventually discovered, harmful to us as well. Prime examples of this were the use of things like lead based paint and piping and asbestos. These materials have caused an amazing amount of damage to the planet and to people’s health.

Today the concept of constructing homes that are considerate to the planet has become more than an idea, it has become an absolute necessity. The focus of this movement is the construction of homes using recycled and renewable resources. It also focuses on clean power sources. These power sources have little to no negative impact on the environment as they harness the power of sun (solar power) and aim to reduce the amount of electrical and gas power needed to keep the home comfortable. Another great idea that is helping the environment is designing homes with efficient drainage which assists in the replenishing of ground water resources.

Homes that are properly insulated require far less electricity to heat. The end result of this kind of building philosophy is that it will cost less for the owner to heat and maintain. However the most desirable result of these type of homes and policies is the reduced impact that construction is having on the environment and the planet. With the population on the rise and industry on the rise too, we as residents of this planet need to do everything in our power to ensure the safety and longevity of our habitat.

Arow Blackdragon is a representative of ChicagoHomeEstates.com, the foremost source for Chicago real estate. For all your Chicago property needs, Chicago Home Estates has you covered.

Searching For Benidorm Propertry

Posted in Building-a-Home, Real-Estate by Peter H. Wilson on January 2nd, 2007
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The growth in Benidorm has been occurring at a rapid rate. There are many reasons for this. It ranges from people building a vacation home to those that are using the property as an investment to use as rental or lease property.

Here are some tips for buying property in Benidorm, Spain. First do your research. Look into potential areas of growth as well as locating the hot spots. Look at the trends and determine where people are buying the most property or which section is the most likely to be developed so as to attract the most people if you are looking at investment property. Look at the location and talk to local realtors to determine where the best spot will be.

Make sure that you go and look at several areas on your own to determine what you view to be the best investment. Look into making multiple trips or making multiple stops on a single trip in order to help you in your decision making process.

Make sure you know how much you can spend when you are looking into getting these properties. Determine your limits and figure out how much house or rental property that you will be able to maintain. You do not want to lose your primary property in the process as it will in most cases be used as collateral.

When you do decide to go and visit different locations on your visit to Spain make sure that you use a real estate agent. They will be able to get you in and out of properties easier as well as be able to set up multiple visits in one day. If you do not speak Spanish, be sure to locate an agent that speaks your language.

Make sure that you have an attorney who is familiar with real estate law in Spain to make your purchase go smoother. This will make your Benidorm property purchase smooth and easy.

Determine If You Will Rent Or Own In Benidorm

Make sure that if you will be renting during your visit that you do book far enough in advance so as to secure the property that you want to use while you are there. Make sure you know when the peak seasons are on the Costa Blanca so as to determine what will work best for you.

If you want to own and do not want to live in n area that is very busy you may want to consider looking into one of the outlying areas of Benidorm.

The writer Peter J. Wilson is specifically passionate about subjects dealing with tips on buying Property in Benidorm Spain. You can find his publications on Benidorm Property and Spain over at his site and other sources for tips on buying Property in Benidorm Spain information.

Your Front Door - Designing The Entry To Your Home

Posted in Building-a-Home, Real-Estate by Richard Taylor, AIA on December 16th, 2006
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Here’s a subject that’s rarely given enough thought in custom home design…the way you enter and leave your house. We’re just talking about a door, right? A hole in the wall, a way in and a way out; what more is there to consider?

It’s easy to overlook the design of the entrance to our houses. We spend our time working on the design of the exterior and creating the spaces inside the house. But the front door and the spaces connected to it occupy an important middle ground between indoors and out and set the stage for the success of the entire custom home design. The entry begins to establish your home’s personality and suggests how the rest of the house should be. The entry is a symbolic passage from the public realm of the street to the private realm of the family and tells the world something about the people within.

If Walls Could Speak

It’s a cliché to say that the front of a house “makes a statement”, but clichés usually have some basis in truth. The entry can be a barrier or an invitation, obvious or concealed, pompous or humble; it can welcome you in or it can keep you at arm’s length. The front door and the area around it can be a message board for the neighborhood - hung with wreaths and ivy during the holidays, festooned with red, white, and blue on the Fourth of July, and decorated with pumpkins and corn shocks at Halloween.

Each element that makes up the home’s entry has something to say. The classic American front porch is a good example; it’s the outdoor social center, a place to watch the activity of the street, a place to meet and greet neighbors and friends. A front porch is an outdoor room, neither completely public nor private and easing the transition into and out of the house. A house with a big, broad front porch tells the world that the family inside values the social fabric of the street, welcoming neighbors and friends and inviting them to stop and visit.

The Entry Sequence

But the front porch is just one part of a sequence of spaces and elements creating a transition from the public realm (the street) to the private realm (the house). That sequence includes walks, landscaping, steps, porches, overhangs, lights, doors, and interior entry spaces. A successful entry sequence considers the placement and design of all of these elements and their relationship to each other.

The entry to a home begins long before you’ve stepped onto the property. It starts in the street with the initial visual cues — where the entrance to the property is, and where the entrance to the house is.

At first glance from the street, the entry to the house should be seen or at least hinted at to provide a clear destination for our guests. Our old friend the front porch is a great way to indicate clearly where the entrance is to be found. A porch or overhang at the entry also keeps your guests out of the weather while they’re waiting for you to answer the door.

A path from the street or driveway to the front door should be direct - people look ahead subconsciously as they approach a building, searching for the shortest path to the entrance. The beginning of the path should be well lit so that it can be found in the dark, and should be wide enough for two people to walk comfortably abreast. This is also a great place for colorful landscaping. In temperate and cold climates, leave areas open where shoveled snow can be piled alongside the walk without burying the planting beds.

A little mystery isn’t a bad idea here either - vary the direction of the path a bit so the scenery changes and the front door moves in and out of view.

It’s A House, Not A Greek Temple

Historically, the design of a home’s entry gave the public an indication of the wealth and status of its owners. The entrances to grand homes are often flanked by huge classical columns, their doors framed by elaborately carved surrounds. But when more modest homes take up these motifs, they often feel out of place and forced. An entry can be too easily seen from the street, announcing itself too boldly (as if it were an entrance to an office building), and draining all of the warmth from the entry sequence.

Better to design the entry on a human scale, using familiar elements that don’t overwhelm the visitor. Benches, small windows, potted plants, brick paths and porch railings all contribute to the comfort we want our guests to feel as they are welcomed into our homes.

The human scale should continue on the other side of the door. Although some larger homes are appropriately fitted with double curved stairs and four hundred square foot entry halls, these features overwhelm a typical family home. Entry halls and foyers should welcome guests, allow them to get oriented to the house, provide a place to hang their coats, and direct them efficiently to the “public” rooms of the house. There’s a place for splendor and majesty of course, but that’s best left to the grand homes.

Hey, I didn’t invent this stuff…

Other cultures also place a high value on the design of a home’s entry. The Ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui dictates exactly where a home’s front door should be to attract good Chi (energy flow) and block harmful Chi. It’s a complex relationship between compass position, proximity to other structures, roads and paths, access to sunlight, and views to the outside. According to Feng Shui, a well-placed and well-designed front door can enhance luck, promote business success, and increase the health of the occupants. Although deeply rooted in ancient culture, much of Feng Shui is simply good design practice that we can apply to the design of the ways that we enter and exit our own homes.

Welcome Home To… Your Laundry Room?

Although the introduction of the automobile has had a profound impact on the way we enter our houses, it was the popularization of the attached garage in the mid 20th century that eventually relegated the traditional front door and porch to ceremonial status. Ironically, we rarely use the impressive entries we build in our homes. We’re content to enter our own house through the garage - often through a laundry room or mudroom. Is that what we’ve worked so hard for? Providing grand entry experiences for our few visitors or the annual holiday gatherings while we trudge daily through the dirty laundry? The owners of the house should be welcomed into their sanctuary through a space designed to greet them, to acknowledge them, and to recognize them as the reason it exists.

On a recent pre-design tour through a remodeling client’s home, the client and I entered through the garage and laundry room, moving aside bicycles, toys, and baskets of dirty clothes to get into the kitchen. She hadn’t thought about it, but I suggested we consider reworking the way she enters her house as a part of the remodeling. She agreed, and the result is a small but well appointed “owner’s entry hall” directly off of the garage and connecting to the kitchen and breakfast room. The laundry and mudrooms are adjacent to but closed off from this entry. She’s already told me how much she enjoys the new space and how it brightens her spirits at the end of the day.

Knock, knock…

But what about the front door itself? The front door is at once a bridge and a barrier. Should it be big, small, opaque, transparent, rectangular or arched? I prefer a big door wide enough to make the furniture movers happy - at least 42 inches wide. Because the front door will be used every day, durability and resistance to weather damage are important. A bit of glass in the door allows permits residents to see someone outside without allowing the stranger a view of the interior. A lot of glass in the door is less private, but brings in more light from the outside.

Although a wood door is susceptible to damage from the elements, it always looks better than metal or fiberglass imitations. And if properly protected with an overhanging roof, a quality wood door should last the life of the house.

An Open And Shut Case

The front door is one part of many elements that make up an entry design. A successful entry sequence starts in the public realm of the street and moves through a sequence of spaces on its way to the private realm of the house. The design of the entry communicates with the neighborhood and is scaled appropriately to the rest of the house.

That “hole-in-the-wall” is much more than just a way in and a way out.

Richard L. Taylor, AIA is a published author and recognized expert in Residential Architecture. He is President of Richard Taylor Architects, a 5-person firm in Historic Dublin, Ohio. Residential Architect | Luxury Home Plans

Empty Nester Housing

Posted in Building-a-Home, Real-Estate by Richard Taylor, AIA on December 16th, 2006
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Retirement. Florida. Golf. Boredom. What do these terms have in common? Not much, according to a mountain of recent studies of the lifestyles and demographics of aging baby-boomers. Today’s “empty-nesters” are a more diverse group then ever before, taking advantage of their newly found free time and discretionary income. They’re changing the way we think about the second half of life, living out their dreams and fulfilling life goals.

The notion that life after the children leave necessarily means loneliness and boredom has been swept away. That myth, it seems, grew from 1960s research on women being treated for depression, according to My Turn, a 1997 book by author Patricia Gottlieb Shapiro. Shapiro researched the lives of 45 women whose children had “left the nest” and discovered that most felt a sense of relief and freedom. Other scientific studies have found similar results.

Nearly one-third of America’s population (75 million people) are considered “maturing baby-boomers”, a very large and relatively affluent group that is looking for much more from the “after-family” years than rocking chairs and meals-on-wheels.

Sales Of Bermuda Shorts Plummet

You’ve got to look harder to find empty nesters these days because they’re not living where you’d expect them. BUILDER Magazine commissioned research in early 2000 to study the housing goals, preferences, and priorities of people aged 45 and older and came up with some eye-opening results.

“Mature Buyers” (the home-building industry’s term) it seems, aren’t planning to flock to the Sunbelt in droves. While climate is still an important consideration in choosing an after-family home, it ranks below proximity to family and friends. Only one-third of respondents planning to move in the next five years will head for another region of the country; of the remaining local movers, one-half won’t go farther than 25 miles from their current homes.

What, No Shuffleboard?

Mom and Dad aren’t much interested in living with folks their own age, either. Only 18% of the future movers in the BUILDER survey say they plan to move into “age-qualified” communities, where a minimum age is required for admission. Instead, they’d rather be around people of all ages, especially children, and away from “old folks”. That’s understandable - we’re talking about a younger, healthier, wealthier, more mobile group. They’re determined to remain independent for as long as possible. And medical research validates their lifestyle choices - activity has a direct impact on long-term health.

For the increasingly smaller (though still very large) group choosing golf-course communities in the Southwest and Southeast, outdoor activities are easy to come by year-round. The group staying closer to home, however, works a little harder to find the kind of mentally and physically stimulating avocations they demand. They’re finding that tonic in community activities, volunteer work, and startup businesses.

The growth of the “aging-in-place” group demands that the design professions closely scrutinize the effects of an aging population on the design of after-family homes. There are two general categories of home environment to consider - the newly built home for the group intending to move and the existing home to be remodeled for changing uses.

Wanted: Smaller (and better) Nest

OK, you’re living in a 4-bedroom 2-story colonial home in the Midwestern United States, and the kids have (finally!) graduated college. You’ve probably figured out by now that you’ve got about two bedrooms too many. There are ten years left on the mortgage, and the cost of heating the big family home has gone way up. Your life has suddenly changed, shouldn’t your home?

For many in this situation, this is a chance to upgrade to a higher quality (but smaller) low-maintenance house. And many after-family couples have the money to do it. A survey by Kemper Funds reveals that almost 6 in 10 affluent empty nesters (incomes over $50,000 per year) have at least $5000 a year in additional spending money once they’ve written their last tuition check. A smaller group finds themselves with $10,000 or more.

While some folks are indeed using the post-tuition windfall to build or buy new, a growing number are staying put - they like where they live and intend to stay there as long as they’re able.

Second Life For The Family Home

The transition from family home to after-family home is easier in some existing houses than in others. At my residential architectural practice, we often design new homes that are to varying degrees prepared for changes in the occupant’s lifestyle. A recent project for a young family includes closet space that can be converted for a future elevator, should the need arise. But even in homes where the lifestyles of future empty nesters haven’t been considered there are numerous changes that can make it easier to continue living comfortably for many years.

While some of the more dramatic changes fall into the remodeling category and involve large areas of the house, many modifications are small and isolated to specific rooms.

Moving Downstairs

But let’s get the big changes out of the way first. Can the house be adapted to one-level living? This is often the first consideration of after-family couples. Trudging up and down 15 or 16 steps several times a day doesn’t sound much like leisure living. Often a study or living room can be easily converted to a first floor bedroom, or perhaps the after-tuition windfall is enough to allow the addition of a complete first-floor master suite.

Since privacy from the children is now a moot point, removing a few doors can make circulation through the house easier and make better use of the entire level for everyday living.

Simple Steps to Ease Everyday Life

The homeowners, with little more than simple hand tools, can often make smaller changes themselves. Doorknobs, for example, can be replaced with simpler-to-operate lever handles. Luminous light switches can be installed in bedrooms, baths, and hallways. Matte finish paint, flooring, and countertops reduce glare. And a programmable thermostat need only be set once - even those of us with good vision have trouble with those tiny levers and numbers!

Bathrooms are usually relatively tight spaces for adults of all ages but a number of small changes can make big improvements. A seat in the shower helps decrease bending over to wash; grab bars on the shower walls make using the shower safer; and an anti-scald shower valve has obvious benefits.

Higher countertops, lever faucets, and a phone jack can also help keep the bath functional and safe later in life.

Now We’re Cooking

Everyone has experienced the transformation of the kitchen from utility to social space as our home lives have become less formal. We eat, cook, relax, and entertain here - it’s the center of the house. Nowhere in the house is it more important to adapt space to changing needs and again, small modifications can make all the difference.

Most kitchen improvements are designed to reduce the need to bend at the waist and eliminate reaching over obstacles. A side-by-side refrigerator, for example, is much easier to use than a model that requires reaching deep into a bottom freezer. Pull-out shelves in the lower cabinets and adjustable shelves in the upper cabinets have a similar positive effect.

The kitchen is an obstacle course, really - full of tools and appliances that sometimes seem poorly designed for adults of any age. Decorative cabinet knobs and pulls, while pretty, can be difficult to grasp. They’re quickly replaced, however, with hardware designed for ease of use. And here’s something that works for everyone once the kids have grown - a cooktop with front-mounted controls.

Just Like Home

As more and more empty nesters choose to stay in their existing homes, they’re finding a fulfilling life in familiar surroundings. It’s a positive trend that should be reinforced by designing new homes with the flexibility to accommodate changing families. And many existing homes are easily remodeled to keep the new empty nesters close to the diversity of life experience and the exposure to people of all ages that many of them prefer.

But hey, that doesn’t mean you can’t visit the Sunshine State once in a while. Don’t forget your golf clubs.

Richard L. Taylor, AIA is a published author and recognized expert in Residential Architecture. He is President of Richard Taylor Architects, a 5-person firm in Historic Dublin, Ohio. Residential Architect | Luxury Home Plans

Energy Efficient Home Design - The Basics

Posted in Building-a-Home, Real-Estate by Richard Taylor, AIA on December 16th, 2006
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Good house design takes its form in part from the forces that act on it. Climate and weather are two of the strongest form-makers (there are no igloos in the tropics) since houses must be designed and built to repel the damaging effects of the world we live in. Mother Nature is always trying to tear our buildings down.

Climate and weather also affect the comfort of our homes, and cause us to seek out ways to maintain the temperature and humidity of our homes within tolerable levels. A great deal of design effort is devoted to keeping the heat in or keeping the heat out, depending on the climate and season.

This Old House

At times throughout American history, the forms of our homes have reflected - to greater or lesser extents - our ingenuity in making our homes’ internal climates more comfortable.

Settlers in the Deep South built deep porches around their low-slung homes to shade them from the harsh sun and to create a reservoir of cooler air that could be drawn into the house.

New Englanders built compact homes with small windows to shield them from winter winds and to hold in as much heat as possible. And prairie homes, often built of stacked sod, were half-buried in the earth to even out the temperature swings and to protect them from the frequent violent storms that sweep the plains each summer.

Simple and effective strategies like these were necessary because fuel for heating homes was limited. We created houses that conserved resources; we didn’t know how not to.

That changed with the era of cheap and plentiful electricity and natural gas for home heating, and with the introduction of the first air conditioners for private homes in 1928. Suddenly, houses didn’t need to respond to their environment; any home could easily be kept as warm or as cool as desired using mechanical means regardless of the weather outside. Little thought was given to energy conservation strategies until the early 1970s, when the cheap energy we’d taken for granted became suddenly very expensive, and the climate-ignorant houses we’d built for decades became expensive to heat and cool.

That 70’s Show

But then a very cool thing happened. Architects and builders across the country began to revive the “lost art” of designing homes that responded to climate and weather. Ancient ideas like earth-sheltering and thermal massing were used again. New passive-cooling strategies and unique ideas like the Trombe wall were invented.

And most interestingly, the houses using low-energy techniques took on new, exciting forms. Suddenly there was something else out there beside Old World inspired design. It was a fun time full of invention and experimentation.

But that era was short-lived. By the mid-1980s fuel was cheap again and energy-efficient unique home design was all but forgotten.

Back To The Future

So it’s no surprise that we now find ourselves having come full circle, with rising energy prices and a revised interest in home energy efficiency. It’s a critical concern in a time when some studies show residential buildings consuming up to 21% of the nation’s energy.

Today’s home energy efficient strategies are different than they were 30 years ago, however. Today the focus is on technology rather than on design. New materials are techniques have been developed that make otherwise climate-insensitive home designs (and there are plenty) better stewards of the energy they need to maintain human comfort.

Technical solutions can be expensive, however, since they demand that common building materials perform at a higher level. Windows have “high-tech” glass with low-emissivity coatings, Argon gas-filled spaces, and up to three sheets of glazing. Heating systems are running at higher efficiencies, and may come equipped with programmable thermostats and insulated ductwork. Solutions like these do conserve energy and are important components in any home but the technology crutch shouldn’t be leaned on too heavily. We also need better design.

Designer’s Challenge

What if, instead of spending hundreds of additional dollars on high-tech glazing to keep the sun’s heat out, we more carefully located our windows to avoid direct sunlight in the first place? What if we used elements of the house itself to shade those windows from heat radiation and UV rays?

Suppose we took better advantage of the ground’s relatively stable temperature to stabilize the temperatures in our houses, rather than exposing every square foot of a home’s exterior surface to the elements? Instead of constant mechanical air conditioning to remove heat and humidity, why not try opening windows onto shady porches and let the breeze cool the house?

And what if we opened our minds a bit - stopped thinking so much about fashion and resale value - and allowed the forms of our houses to be shaped more by how they respond to the climate and the environment we live in?

The surprising result might be interesting and beautiful homes that cost very little to heat and cool - just like the old days.

Richard L. Taylor, AIA is a published author and recognized expert in Residential Architecture. He is President of Richard Taylor Architects, a 5-person firm in Historic Dublin, Ohio. Residential Architect - Luxury Home Plans

Building Codes And Remodeling

Posted in Building-a-Home, Real-Estate by Richard Taylor, AIA on December 12th, 2006
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Building codes are regulations that control almost every aspect of home design and construction. Every new home, remodeling project, or room addition must be designed and built in accordance with the codes that regulate the structural design, energy efficiency, construction quality, and overall safety of structures occupied by the public.

Codes dictate the size and configuration of stairs; the number and type of windows and glass; the amount of energy the house consumes; methods and materials of construction; the location of smoke detectors; and hundreds of other items.

A new homeowner may only be minimally aware of the impact of building codes on his home, since most code issues are addressed before he occupies it. But homeowners undertaking a remodeling or room addition are likely to become very familiar with how building codes affect the design, construction, and cost of their project.

That’s because building codes often require work to be done to parts of the house that seem otherwise sound - it can be an unpleasant surprise to find that you’ve got to tear out the ceiling of a room in which you’d planned no significant work.

Below are a few of the larger code-related issues often encountered in home remodeling, and some suggestions on how you can plan for them.

More Power!

It should be assumed that any home more than thirty years old will require an update of the electrical system. Usually the culprit is too little power to serve the needs of modern life; current electrical codes require about three times the number of power outlets than a few decades ago.

These additional outlets will necessitate a larger electrical panel, which may in turn require a larger electrical service (more power!).

Unfortunately this is a hard problem to avoid. If you’re planning to add on or remodel, be sure your contractor budgets for an electrical upgrade.

What’s Holding You Up?

The older a home is the less it’s likely to meet today’s codes for structural strength. If work is done in an area of original construction, the structure will probably need some reinforcing - even if the structure’s been standing solidly for years.

Any remodeling that exposes existing structure or changes the way loads are distributed on the floors and walls will require a review of the home’s structure. Additions also often cause structural changes as existing supports are altered or removed to make way for the new work.

But reworking the structural elements of a home often plants a bigger (and more expensive) obstacle in the way - the necessary relocation of existing electrical wiring and ductwork that may be routed through the framing. It’s part of what’s called the “ripple effect” - a small change in one area ripples throughout the house. Whenever possible, minimize the ripple effect by designing an addition that doesn’t disrupt the house’s structure and by remodeling existing rooms without moving walls.

Where there’s Smoke…

Smoke detectors are of two types, battery powered and “hard-wired”. Hard-wired detectors are powered from the homes’ electrical system, and are interconnected - when one goes off, they all go off. Residential codes require that all new homes have hard-wired detectors, and most jurisdictions require their installation throughout the home when any part of it is remodeled.

Carbon monoxide detectors are a new addition to many local codes. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in America. CO2 detectors are similar in appearance to the more familiar smoke detectors and cost about $40 retail.

Plan on being required to add both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to any significant remodeling or addition project.

Watch Your Steps

Stairs are probably the single most dangerous part of any house. Accidental falls on stairs happen for many reasons (each year about 239,000 or 9% of all stair accidents happen to women in high heels and children). In the past several years, residential stair requirements have been gradually increasing to make stairs less steep and easier to negotiate.

The least restrictive stair geometry allows a maximum step height (”riser”) of 8 ¼” and a minimum step depth (”tread”) of 9″. Code writers are in the process of decreasing the riser height to 7″ and increasing the tread depth to 11″, resulting in a much less steep stair and hopefully, improved stair safety.

But these safer stairs are also larger - be sure to know the stair codes in your area before you lay out the design of your project.

Good Help Isn’t Hard To Find

Experienced architects, remodeling contractors, plan examiners, and building inspectors can help you to anticipate many of the potential code issues hidden in older homes. A little time and money invested in a qualified review of your ideas can help you to avoid expensive surprises later on.

Richard L. Taylor, AIA is a published author and recognized expert in Residential Architecture. He is President of Richard Taylor Architects, a 5-person firm in Historic Dublin, Ohio. Residential Architect - Luxury Home Plans

Architectural Review Boards and How to Work With Them

Posted in Building-a-Home, Real-Estate by Richard Taylor, AIA on December 10th, 2006
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If you’re planning on building a custom home in a new development or remodeling a home in an older neighborhood, you’ll likely to find your plans subject to design review. Design review boards go by different names; ARB (Architectural Review Board), DRC (Design Review Committee), ARC (Architectural Review Committee) and others. They’ve been called less flattering names, too, by homeowners whose proposals don’t get favorable treatment from the board.

But design review serves an important function in maintaining character, consistency, and property values in neighborhoods where it is used and should be seen as something that works in every homeowner’s favor.

Why Architectural Review Boards Exist When you live in an architecturally restricted area, you are not the only "owner" of your house. The look of your house, and the role that it occupies in the fabric of your neighborhood are "owned", in part, by the community. For some homeowners it’s a hard concept to swallow. But if you keep in mind that it is probably the character of the neighborhood that attracted you to it in the first place, you’ll begin to understand why the whole community has a stake in the appearance of your home. You have to share that character and protect it for your neighbors, as they protect theirs for you. Organized design review exists to help protect your investment, and to help you to develop your property in a way that protects the investments of your neighbors.

What ARBs do Review boards come in two varieties, public and private, and they vary in what aspects of design and building they control. Some are informal and relaxed in what they review while others are very restrictive. In historic neighborhoods for example, design review may be organized around guidelines published by the National Park Service that detail how to preserve and restore properties with historic significance.

In older but less historic areas, preserving history isn’t a much a concern as maintaining the unique character of the area. Often these areas are near the center of cities and have been through several cycles of redevelopment, each time losing valuable buildings forever. "Losing" a building doesn’t necessary mean demolishing it; poorly conceived additions and remodeling projects can also obscure important parts of the neighborhood’s architectural fabric.

In new residential developments, the developers may start with a concept for the homes that includes a certain level of architectural design and detail, a palette of exterior materials, even a restriction on the architectural style of the homes in the development.

Types of ARBs Public boards are almost always made up of appointed citizens who preside over scheduled public meetings. These are usually municipal boards that oversee older, established neighborhoods. Proposed projects are submitted for inclusion on an agenda and the public is invited to comment. The meetings are forums for give and take between the board and the homeowner and allow for projects to be reworked before a final vote is taken.

Newer developments engage in private design review. It is often done by a subcontracted architectural firm and is almost never in public view. Drawings are submitted whenever they’re ready, and they’re returned with or without comment at a later date. This type of review can be more difficult to navigate and shouldn’t be done without a clear idea of what is likely to be approved.

What to expect from a Design Review As a veteran of countless design review meetings for my own projects I’ve learned a lot about how to and how not to present a project for review. And as a member of an ARB, I’ve seen it from the other side of the table. Here’s some of what I’ve learned.

Read and understand the design guidelines. Board members love projects that are easy to approve. If the project you want to build doesn’t address the guidelines or the character of the community it’ll be difficult to get it through. Remember that it’s the community that wants the guidelines enforced.

Ask for a concept review. Many projects benefit from a preliminary concept review. It’s an informal and non-binding once-over by the review board, and can highlight issues of concern. This is the time to find out what the board likes and what they object to, and to negotiate solutions before the project is committed to final drawings. It isn’t unusual in concept review for new solutions to arise, and they’re often more efficient than the original idea.

Be flexible. There are almost always other possible solutions, and the board may want to explore them with you. You might find that a small change to your design gets you the votes you need.

Be patient. You’ve been working on this project for a long time but it’s the first time the board has seen it. Give them time to study it, ask questions, and consider its impact on the community. And since your project probably isn’t the only one on the agenda, bring along a cup of coffee and a magazine. You may be there a while!

Present complete documents. Public review boards, in particular, require voluminous applications. Prepare detailed drawings that don’t leave unanswered questions. Bring material samples and paint colors. The clearer your submittal, the fewer things the board will find to question.

Prepare to Negotiate. Go into the meeting knowing what you’re willing to give up, and what you must keep. Design review boards will often happily trade something you want in return for the elimination of an undesirable feature.

And finally, keep in mind that the ARB that reviews your project is the same one that keeps your next-door neighbor from painting his house purple.

Richard L. Taylor, AIA is a published author and recognized expert in Residential Architecture. He is President of Richard Taylor Architects, a 5-person firm in Historic Dublin, Ohio. Residential Architect | Luxury Home Plans

Redecorate, Remodel, Build A New Home, Or Move?

Posted in Building-a-Home, Real-Estate by Richard Taylor, AIA on December 9th, 2006
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So you’re outgrowing your house, or the kids are leaving you with an empty nest, or you wake up one morning and realize that your carpet and paint are twenty years old. You want to know what makes the most sense for you and your family - how do you decide whether to redecorate, remodel, build new, or move? When you start thinking about your home design, remodeling, or redecorating project, you’ll probably find that everyone from your kids to your mailman has ideas about what you should or shouldn’t do. Everybody just wants to help, but their opinions conflict and you’re not sure who really knows what they’re talking about. But you’re eager for some advice, since the design process is new to you and you don’t want to make mistakes.

A Little Market Research An experienced real estate agent is a great source of information as you begin to form the first thoughts about your project. If you’re leaning towards remodeling, a good agent can tell you about neighborhood trends and clue you in to what’s going on in your area - is money being spent on remodeling, or are people moving away? Maybe you live in a “hot” area and your house has appreciated dramatically - do you stay there or do you cash out?

If you’re thinking you’d like to build a new home, a well-informed real estate agent can quickly narrow down your property choices, saving you a lot of time. He might also know about lots that haven’t come on to the market yet - and might be just what you’re looking for.

Most far-sighted agents will be happy to consult with you at this point whether or not you’re planning on buying a house or a lot; be sure to choose someone who knows your area very well.

Get Organized Before you jump into the deep end of this pool, get organized - that’s the key to sorting through the advice you’re hearing, and to managing the hundreds of decisions you’ll have to make for even a small redecorating project. A good place to start is with a design notebook, a three-ring binder filled with manila pocket folders, each one labeled with a room in the house or a design task you want to accomplish. Into these pockets go paint chips, magazine clippings, photos, and notes scribbled from conversations with friends. The design notebook becomes a record of your decisions and helps you explain to others what you’re trying to do.

With your impeccably organized design notebook in hand, you’ll find - as if by magic - that the advice of your confidants becomes much more focused and clear. Suddenly their comments will start to help you (rather than add to your confusion) and you’ll be able to ask their opinions on specific choices you’ve made.

Making Plans Now you’ve got a pretty good idea what you need, but what form should it take? Your neighbors have suggested adding a room on the first floor; your uncle (the part-time carpenter) thinks you ought to tear off the roof and add a second floor; your boss insists that finishing off the basement is the cheapest way to go; your niece (who’s taking evening classes in interior design) is sure that new furniture and window treatments will do the trick, and you’d like to look into building a new home. How do you make sense of all the possibilities?

The design process is all about making choices, often about subjects you’re not very familiar with. Design professionals (architects and interior designers) are trained to help you organize your ideas and sort through all of your choices in addition to their “traditional” design tasks. They can review the factors that influence your decisions and show you what’s possible and what’s not. They’ll document the design process through meeting notes and drawings. They’ll show you more than one solution and help you to decide what fits you best, and the best pros will be able to help you accomplish all of this creatively. Design pros can help you choose a builder, and keep an eye on the construction process.

And you don’t necessarily have to engage a design professional for a full range of services. Most will be happy to work up a few preliminary sketches for you, or even just consult with you for a couple of hours.

Before long, you’ll find the whole process much less daunting, maybe even exciting. You’ll be making informed decisions, and looking forward to construction. Your friends and family will be able to point out with pride the ideas of theirs that you found a way to incorporate into your design. Your kids will appreciate the rooms you designed just the way they wanted, and even the mailman will remind you of how he suggested the location for the mailbox.

Richard L. Taylor, AIA is a published author and recognized expert in Residential Architecture. He is President of Richard Taylor Architects, a 5-person firm in Historic Dublin, Ohio. Residential Architect | Luxury Home Plans