Top ten architectural design flaws
metamerman
16 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (39)
bobleilani
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agobrutuses
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Tips for decorating the cheap and architecturally lacking house?
Comments (61)I've been skimming quickly, and have a few comments based on my quick read. First, everyone's work on their ranches - fabulous! However, and apologies if I've misread or misinterpreted, but cathleen has or will have a relatively limited budget and is not a DIYer. pirula's gorgeous reno looks like one that had a nice-sized budget, and joanneemb, you've said you and your DH did all the work yourselves. mtnr is 100% correct IMO that if cathleen has the budget to do all that kind of thing herself, she also the budget to get a nicer house from the start. "Built ins, higher baseboards, solid wood doors, new windows, custom moulding, new kitchen and bathrooms...... All of that is very expensive, especially if you are not DIY, and if you were you probably wouldn't be asking us. It kind of begs the question, if you can afford to do all of the above, you can afford a nicer house to begin with (especially since, often, all of the above are cash expenses and a nicer house you pay for over 30 years)." That list above - baseboards, wood doors, and so on - those are just the things you can see. Sometimes (not always, of course, but it could happen), there is basic work you have to do first, or you may have to do it in order to make the changes you envision. We had to have lots of electrical work done before we even got to the good stuff. Our electrician is great, a true artist if you will, and reasonable, compulsively careful and concientious. He told us that for what he had to charge to do the work on our house, he could have rewired an entire new house. We did everything we had to for safety plus some things we wanted to do - and there is still work we decided not to do because of the cost. We were so lucky to have found an excellent, very reasonable contractor. By our calculations, had we gone with anyone else, our total reno costs would easily be two-thirds higher than they've been. We would not have been able to do this work; it simply would have broken the budget, so badly damaged as it is anyway. That leads to: if you are not a DIYer but will want to make many changes to a house to transform its look and style, you will need to be confident of your ability to hire the right people. Our contractor has great taste and an aesthetic sense, as well as technical skills, and he has worked on many old houses. The guy before him, let's just say the work was perfectly competent, but he would have done only and exactly what we told him to do. That means we would have had to have been thoroughly informed and completely educated before starting anything. Through word of mouth, including our contractor's own recommendations, we now have competent, trustworthy people to work on every conceivable part of our house if necessary. The last find - finally - a great plumber. We just paid him ~$400 to fix a kludged-together mess with the kitchen plumbing.... That leads to another thing: cathleen, even after you've bought what you hope will be your perfect house and have budgeted for molding, wood doors and all the rest, you will still need to have plenty of funds available for fixes and problems that could pop up over time, things you might have failed to account for in the beginning. "If anyone knows where to find detailed cost breakdowns, please let me know. I have not been able to find this information." Can anyone steer cathleen to some websites or other places where this info is available?...See MoreHow 'fluid' are your architectural preferences?
Comments (26)Town was most important for the schools and distance from Boston (close). I wanted a Victorian with natural woodwork in my town that was originally a single family but now a 2 family that could easily be converted back to a single. It would probably be an estate sale since I couldn't afford anything else. I started to look for "my" home a year before we were ready to buy so that when the "perfect" home came on the market I was ready to pounce. A week into the initial search and a year before we were ready to buy I pounced on a 1825 brick federal home. It was structuraly sound but cosmetically challenged. The price I couldn't pass - easily converted back into a single BUT no natural woodwork. Those homes with beautiful woodwork were $300K - $400K MORE - way out of my price range. This is our forever house. I still long for natural woodwork. We stripped the doors and they're either black walnut (probably) or mahagany which I will leave natural with tung oil. We stripped some woodwork - hodgepodge of many types of wood so we painted again. I still long for that painted lady Victorian with beautiful natural woodwork inside but settled for the Federal brick home. A wing was added in 1840-1860. It was really muddled in 1914 when the house was converted into a 2 family. We gutted the kitchen and that wing (didn't want to gut all of it but ice dams and collapsing ceilings changed our mind). I had a hard time deciding on trim, door types (5 piece vs. 6 piece raised panel, etc.) Decided to go with the last major muddle - 1914. I could find the trim work as stock in the local lumber yard vs. buying knives for my 6" trim in the main house. This also helped me pick door wood type and style, flooring, etc. I let the house try to guide me in the right direction. Yes, I would like that Victorian but I love where I am now....See MoreEagle Windows -- Defective Design
Comments (63)I'll just make a couple general comments: 1) For the record, my Eagle casements and awnings have been excellent. Installed in 2010 there have had zero issues. That said, when the framer was ready to install I had the Eagle representative inspect the installation of the first window and explain in detail how they needed to be installed. I think that was critical. 2) Not all window designs are the same and although there are general "good practice" installation guidelines like mentioned earlier, each manufacturer has a specific set of installation requirements. It's hard to find framers that know every window, and unfortunately many don't read the enclosed installation protocol. It's my belief that much of the window failures come from not following the manufacturers procedure. Of course, any window can't be expected to survive a faulty architectural design. And when you do have failure, you have the trifecta of blame of the manufacturer, builder (framer), and architect, which usually gets ugly with the client held hostage. I hope this ends happily. Just watch out where the blame is laid....See MorePella Design Flaw?
Comments (6)Thank you for responding. I was hoping someone had already battled Pella over this DESIGN FLAW. Although my 2001 doors have this problem, Pella stopped making their French doors with this exposed weather stripping. None of our Pella casement windows have exposed weather stripping. None of our entry doors have exposed weather stripping. The *unexposed* weather stripping is fine. I have never had to replace weather stripping in 50 years of home-owning -- because it was never on the *exterior* of a door or window. Re-caulking, yes. Weather stripping, no. I believe I can use a narrow 'stick-on' strip over the edges of the door on the inactive French doors, leaving the good parts inside the jamb grooves. I may have to pay Pella to buy the elaborate stripping for the nine active doors. (I know they don't *make* it, but can't determine who does, and the manufacturer is probably wholesale-only.) I can pay a handyman to do the labor. He estimates 20 mins. per door to pull and replace. Do I even NEED this exterior strip? I don't know how to post a photo. The Pella part number is for a package of four TFH/CTFM Frame weather strips. Part # 09ZR0A94 I don't know if they show a photo of the item. I know I don't find anything like this at Lowe's or Home Depot....See Morebridget helm
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agocharliedawg
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agoallison0704
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agocarolyn53562
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agohousewitch
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agosolie
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agochisue
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agomikeyvon
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agokellyeng
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agohoosiergirl
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agocarterinms
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agoPhobie Privett
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agolorraineal
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agoowl_at_home
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agoallison0704
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agometamerman
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agoZoe52
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaphilla
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agobeware
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agocarolyn53562
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agolabradoodlelady
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agooruboris
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agolyfia
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agokellyeng
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agoZoe52
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agomightyanvil
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agoardent_learner
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agocharliedawg
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agomlauder
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agoallison0704
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agolorraineal
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agoutfan
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agochisue
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agofree_at_last
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agokats
16 years agolast modified: 9 years agobus_driver
16 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
Related Stories
BATHROOM DESIGNA Window Above the Bathroom Sink: Feature or Flaw?
See how clever design solutions let you have your vanity mirror and a great view, too
Full StoryBUDGET DECORATINGEasy Ways to Hide Your Home's Flaws
Clever concealing and distracting tactics help put your home's best face forward
Full StoryMATERIALSCor-Ten Steel Brings Enduring Texture to Landscapes
With its rich color and rusty patina, this material makes for an arresting and long-lasting choice for garden walls and more
Full StoryREMODELING GUIDES9 Top Siding Materials
Everyone knows brick and stucco, but what about fiber cement and metal? Learn about the options in exterior siding before you choose
Full StoryEVENTSGet Out and Get Inspired! 7 Top Design Events
See what's on the Houzz list of things to see and do Sept. 16-Oct. 7, 2011
Full Story10 Top Design Events: Oct. 28-Nov. 18, 2011
Go, see, do! See what's on the Houzz creative calendar this fall
Full Story7 Top Design Events: Sept. 30-Oct. 21, 2011
Get out and get inspired! See what's on the Houzz list of things to do this fall
Full StoryARCHITECTUREDesign Practice: How to Start Your Architecture Business
Pro to pro: Get your architecture or design practice out of your daydreams and into reality with these initial moves
Full StoryARCHITECTURERoots of Style: Prairie Architecture Ushers In Modern Design
Twentieth-century Midwestern architects gave us broad-shouldered homes inspired by the landscape and modern times
Full Story
charliedawg