Posted by hhiii (My Page) on Tue, Mar 23, 10 at 14:01 "All good points and that is why I am asking for advice. I do know my drainage well in that location and my patio drains right iinto the first flag stone on the walkway. you can also see on one pic the edge closest to my patio a water line abouut 2 inches on my liner. I did build up that edge about an additional 2 inches or so to ensure no runooff into the pond but will not know for sure till the next gullie washer we have. as for my clear box that will house my gravity filter pump inside pond pumping water into the bottomm of filter pushing water through media. my intent was to use the clear box for 2 reasons for rock to lean against hiding all the out of water filter. and this way I can lift out filter box for cleaning.. I understand about the trraped gook the rocks will house and good point there... oh and i do have liner below the clear box to keep water form exiting pond. the filter box is water tight and only water will be dumped over the box onto a rock formation on he pond side of the clear box.. I do want too understannd your logic we might be thinking about the same things thanks for your input and if I am still missing your point please please restate so I can correct which is much easier now then later.. oh and the brick wall behind pond would never let water over it is it is well above grade on my back yard behind." hhiii, You never stated where you lived or your climate. I think you understand everything then. You stated too that you did put a two inch lip around the top of the hole. That's good; just be careful because a "gullie-washer" around here (midwest, near Kansas City) would wash out a pond in a level yard like yours... and that brings up all sorts of issues like: murky water because of sediment in the pond, lawn and garden chemicals contaminating the water, and debris entering the system that could clog a pump or filter. But it sounds like you're thinking about all the more advanced things you need to think about on a project like this... and from your indoor aquarium knowledge you probably know more than I do about water chemistry! There is one other thing I'll mention... On your clear filter box: do you plan to have some sort of horizontal plane or weir that the water will flow out over? This is important, I would think, since the way most water flows down a surface is to sort of cling to that surface. If I'm viewing your box correctly, I'm guessing you are planning for the water to come out of the lower opening (hole) and splash over the build-up of stones. That's what I was concerned with in my earlier posting. That interface right there with the water out of the box and the stones below. I'm afraid that the water may not get out IN FRONT of the stones, not quit far enough, and will move around the rocks or worse yet down the face of the box between the stack of rocks. You might want to test filling the clear filter box and the flow out of it by filling it with water from a large hose and seeing just how the water vacates the box.

christamarie, any room you design, you need to work from outside in at the same time you design inside out. The extension you put on your house has to go with the existing look of the house. Right now, I envision an ugly nose stuck in the middle of your current house without other information to go with. The window over the sink is not even centered on the extension as is. The roofline of the extension has to tie in nicely with the extension. This can be quite expensive depending on what you do. If the rooflines are not tied in well, you can conceivably create leak points. If the additions are not done well structurally, they tend to sag and fall apart from the existing house over next several years. You can see this when you look at old houses that had 'suboptimal' additions put on them. First, the esthetics of the extension from the ouside has to look harmonious and well designed with the existing house. This is what makes you look at the house and say 'that house looks ugly' or 'that house looks nice'. People will have a gut response to the exterior of the house immediately. A well-done extension will improve the look of the house. If not well done, it looks like an ugly sore. You also have an opportunity to improve the way the house relates to the natural light coming into the house. I see tiny little windows added to the extension. This is a wasted opportunity IMHO. Ourside corner windows can be used beautifully to add wonderful architectural interest to the house. In your case, you have put a pantry there. Try to get some 3D software and try to envision the exterior of the house first. There will be many iterations as you work the exterior as well as the interior at the same time. This type of design is NOT EASY...

Hello everyone. I was doing some research on home elevators for an upcoming seminar I am doing for retirees who want to "age in place" or build or buy their "forever home" and came across this thread. It's been very insightful to say the least. One thing that kept coming up is the appearance of an elevator and/or a chairlift for the stairs. Having worked with older adults and mature homeowners for the better part of 2 decades, I can tell you that when someone is faced with relocation to a senior community, assisted living or other such healthcare environment due to mobility issues, how their home looks is the least of their concerns. Before someone is at this point, the focus tends to be on appearances because we are still entertaining and "enjoying" our space. As one ages or health declines, their concern for appearances goes out the window. It's all about what needs to be done to stay here - at all costs. This is also NOT the time you want to be putting in an elevator or doing any major remodeling. People need all the energy they have to simply manage daily activities of daily living and personal care needs. I only say this because as the debate over whether to add or not add an elevator due to the way it looks (and size) tends to be one of younger retirees or empty nesters, if you are truly planning for this to be your forever home, it may be important to fast forward to what life will really be like should you "need" this amenity. My advice, for what it's worth, if you have the means and you are building a multi-level house, DO IT. Don't settle for the small model either - unless it will accommodate a wheelchair and/or full sized walker. That's the point right - mobility regardless of your situation, whether temporary or permanent. All the best. Thanks for letting me join the conversation.

Hi, some thoughts out loud as I iterate a bit more. The current house aside from the front is D5 high-quality vinyl siding and 5" trim which we are not replacing at this time. And plenty of fixed and casement around the bottom. We've enjoyed the Dryvit on the front but it's in need of repair. We're not rebuilding the existing roof, except to add in the porch roof and addition connection. So the white trim and belt with crown are used elsewhere. And the bow window will be deep under the porch but we think a porch is what we've been waiting for for 20 years. Good southern exposure anyway. But good points by everyone so far, so thanks very much! So, Kristin S, regarding the mixed siding materials... Here in NW Ohio anyway, I have 25+ photos of well-built homes that break all these rules with mashup of straight, stone, shake, vertical, some with all four. (Not to mention an insane number and complexity of gables, varying levels of stone heights.) Plus white trim, siding-colored trim, black exterior window frames, and everyone is nuts for standing seam porch (but only the porch). And one house with a crazy wide eyebrow roof VENT. So, I recognized as well what many on Houzz say, which is using so many materials don't make any "vernacular" or I guess I mean "functional" sense. But they give a little variety here and there. And people can do what they want, so I see how it happens. It seems to me that what pros such as yourselves are saying when it comes to mixing materials is that stone as a foundation makes sense. And maybe that one material per floor makes sense (like layers on top of each other). But of course our home is some interpretation of Craftsman, Prairie, Coastal, and look at a bit of each, but still wanting to stay on the simpler side. But we're also trying to push it a little on this addition, give it a little more flair. I'm cringing now at the first ideas, and pleased with everyone's comments helping us iterate again. So lyfia, I guess as we kept looking at this and many other photos, and trying many shapes, we just want something nice to happen, while including the belt. But maybe the proportion needs work. cpartist, our returns are actually flush, thanks for noticing because they shouldn't be "pork chop". But since I'm not changing everything all around, PPF, while I like the closed angled eave, I guess that seems out. (My flat soffits are beadboard look). PPF, going to look at the columns. Will try double in the center again. Trying to not block the door, or the bow, and the bow wall span is 15'ish, while the door span is 13'ish. In any case, will probably make them robust and with a little trim accents. RES 3d Sketches, shake is so beautiful, I'm planning to use fiber cement shake, which can be weaved, but I have white trim so much elsewhere. I do love the flaring though, going to look at that some more. I'm surprised no one mentioned the stone planter boxes in front of the porch! (Just trying it on for an idea). Actually, maybe there shouldn't be stone in front of the porch deck, since a porch doesn't sit on a foundation? Will post again soon.