Recommendation for Architects/stock plans that utilize space well

11 years ago

I know each design from an architect is going to be different and some plans are going to be more efficient that others but do have a favorite architect/stock home plan site that seems to really take into consideration the prudent use of space?

I see people posting plans and all the great feedback they get from the knowledgeable folks on this site but it is amazing to me that these people are going to trained architects and yet they are coming up with plans that have so many "problems".

Every square foot counts when you are building (or at least it does to me, with our budget) and I am seeing so many designs with what I consider useless space. I know that "useless" is relative, but a 15 foot hallway that winds around the back of an interior kitchen seems silly. Or having a narrow, non-functional formal living room while you already have a family room but in turn not having a decent entry/foyer or coat closet. It would be nice to see plan that takes into consideration the building process as well, some of these houses can be gorgeous but the framing/roofing quickly make them unattainable.

I have looked on the websites of several architects in my area and frankly I am not impressed ( I am hoping I have just been looking at the wrong sites). I know you work with the architect to get what you want, but if I am going to pay someone that much money I want them to come to the table with the expertise to maximize space.

If it helps we are a family of 4 (2 young kids) and we plan to create our homestead and die here 50 years from now :)
In the pacific northwest (gloomy doomy)
5 acre flat lot with lots of trees (would like a view out the back)
Houses here are built with crawlspace/ no basement
~2400 square feet
3 bedrooms + small office
2 car garage
master on main (not required but full bath+ bedroom on main for when we are 80 and can't get up the stairs)
separate mudroom (utility room) entrance
kitchen that is against an outside wall (natural light)
small covered back porch
for the "looks" we like craftsman, farmhouse, cottage, bungalow
My husband is quite handy and is a woodworker so I know we can add a lot of character after the fact, but we really need some good "bones" to start with.

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Comments (7)

sweet.reverie
11 years ago
We looked at this plan but it did not work on our lot, plus we decided to go with one story for the other bedrooms. This plan does not offer everything you wanted but you could tweak it.

***If someone else is looking for small, energy efficient but cute houses, this site has a lot of other options.

Here is a link that might be useful: Perfect Little House Company
Oaktown
11 years ago
Kam76, I think your question is not so easy to answer because efficient use of space can be somewhat subjective -- while you don't want a narrow room or long hallway, someone else might find that ideal for a gallery.

I like the site that sweet.reverie linked. If you are interested in some others, you also might try the sites for the these architects (don't have all the URLs right now)

Ron Brenner (simply elegant home designs)
Allison Ramsey
Eric Moser
Ross Chapin (too small for you?)
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In general, a published design award that shows a floor plan is an advertisement so it usually doesn't mean much. I think you are wasting your time looking for award winning architects/designers in this manner. I've never submitted my work for a design award simply because none of my clients have never wanted their houses in a magazine, although my designs have turned up in magazines advertising a builder or a kitchen designer without the owner's permission I assume. If you are looking for a good architect/designer and have already asked your friends for recommendations, it is best to google "architect" with your zip code. For my zip code that would bring up all of the local architects along with their websites and a map showing some of them. I am listed right after the paid ads and on a map but I have no idea how that happened since I've never advertised. Once you have an architect/designer you can stop looking at houses designed for other people in other locations and enjoy the design process.
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hoosierbred
11 years ago
Our daughter got us hooked on Sarah Susanka's philosophy of the Not So Big House. I think I own all of Susanka's books. Although many of the houses she designs are bigger than we needed, she gives some great strategies on using space well. I've provided the link to her website below.

I hope you find a plan that works well for your family!

Here is a link that might be useful: Sarah Susanka
User
11 years ago
Don't confuse efficiency with good design. Efficiency is important for commercial projects. It is the ratio of income producing space to non-income producing space. Transitional spaces are important in residences and are justified if they are well designed.
sweet.reverie
11 years ago
Renovator, what are your recommendations?
User
11 years ago
I wish I could give you general recommendations but as anyone who has read my posts over the past 7 or so years knows, I design custom homes and renovations using a process that does not begin with finding a plan. I only see pre-designed houses when they are posted here.

For example:
One of my clients hated stairs and by the end of the design process the entire house was square with a series of quadrants spiraling up around a central stair. It had turned out that it was floor levels that did not communicate with each other that she hated. The top level overlooked the living room and the view of the Green Mountains was spectacular. It was actually pretty inexpensive too.

Another client had an extensive art collection so I put a wide formal hall along one side of all of the living spaces. I recently visited it and the second owner had a far better collection; It was like a grand gallery in a museum.

A client on the Cape had bought a 60's Yankee Barn with a heavy timber exposed structure and a 2 story living room. In the winter they were so miserable in it that they hired a local architect to build an addition next to it so they could use that in the winter and the Barn in the summer. No matter what they did they couldn't get satisfactory lighting in the living room. I took over the job and finally convinced them to say goodbye to the Yankee Barn and put a second floor in the 2 story space. They saved a small fortune and we saved a few beams in a bedroom as evidence of it's history.

IMO the design of a house is a collaboration between a family and a designer. I believe I am able to create good solutions for people because I listen to them very carefully and I am not afraid to suggest unusual solutions. Of course, I always let them feel that they were part of that discovery because, in fact, they were.

So all I can recommend is to start at the beginning of a structured process and allow everyone to be part of the process by carefully moderating the discussion. CAD floor plans can be so restricting and distracting during this process that I try to only show clients a hand drawn sketches until it is time for final design approval. A CAD drawing acts like Vonnegut's Ice Nine.

Here is the dreadful Yankee Barn:
User
11 years ago
Yankee Barn After

Recommendation for Architects/stock plans that utilize space well

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sweet.reverie

Oaktown

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