From inspiration to reality...
I thought it would be fun to share the sources of inspiration that come to us and how we reinterpret them to make it our own.
For example, this is the house we built. We were visiting Mom in FL and they had a huge development going in (over 1,000 homes) and they had 12 model homes open to look at so we went and visited. Got the brochure, and despite our years of struggle with design, it all came together when we went back to this one. So appropriate for our New England location, no?
Not exactly. But what it was, was I fell in love with the kitchen/family room arrangement. We were in that kitchen a long time with tape measure and note book in hand. We had abandoned this design for a long time, and it wasn't until we went back to it that it all came together.
This was the floor plan
But we had a long, narrow space on which to build given we wanted the home on our southern facing slope overlooking the pond, but it was close to the road in the front and wetlands in the back. So we shoved boxes around (thank you Lynette Jennings for helping me understand house design as a series of boxes...) to make a long and narrow floor plan. We started with the kitchen/FR, and moved the garage to the left and back....then we shoved the LR/DR up and created a "hallway" between the DR and LR that led to the bedrooms and bath which we stuck on the end. We had to tweak the dimensions and a few other things like how we enter the pantry, and put the entrance to the garage though the laundry/mud room. And in our plan, the stairs go down and not up and are L shaped, not curved....and so on. But it was that inspiration that really set us on the right path.
One of the big problems was getting an exterior that wasn't too....too colonial, too tudor, too contemporary...or whatever. We were building a ranch with a full finished open lower level, but didn't want it to look like a ranch. We wanted something that didn't look odd next to our 200 year old barn and out house. And, despite architect's objections, we wanted the garage doors facing front for the short driveway, and the convenience and because we wanted to make sure guests came to our front door, not through the garage as is often the case when the garage is sideways. It was a real struggle, until I came across a Clopay Garage door ad. The ad was in the back of a mag, and it was about the size of a thumbprint, but I saw it and loved it.
What's even more interesting is that I saw it in later versions where they had a light colored garage door and I didn't like it at all...in fact, had I only seen the photo with the light colored door, I would've kept on going. It was like fate that this version of the pic was there, struck me and became the inspiration for our home's exterior.
Comments (32)
gaonmymind
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agosweet.reverie
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Best Tips for working with an architect
Comments (36)Dadereni, it was largely a matter of time spent with them (which we paid for !) and messing with designs. At some point, it became obvious that "he wasn't getting it". One architect put together a lovely house plan, but he missed the view entirely. Then, when we said we wanted vinyl siding, he paled and said had he known that, he might not have worked with us at all. One guy was going to charge us very little and essentially wanted to draft up our floor plan and send us on our way....he didn't see it as complex or aesthetically challenging...it felt like he was a step up from what a custom builder would offer. We could tell he wasn't willing to put enough of himself into the place. Another put together a plan that might have worked based on what we were asking for at the time, but it was out of our price range in terms of what we wanted to spend to build it. Another architect was very focused on energy efficiency and we learned a lot from him about layout for solar design, but his floor layouts...and we went through a lot of them... still missed the mark, despite our sitting with him sketching for several hours at a time. Another architectural firm, we spent very little time with...when they started talking about custom cutters to make their own custom designed woodwork, we knew they weren't for us. Then there was the other guy who we also spent only a meet and greet with. (I loved him...he was Greek....I've never met a greek guy I didn't fall for....must've been a past life!) He was going to design our house for us and we were going to like it! He was going to pick out everything including switch plate covers and our job was to enjoy this lovely home he built for us. Definitely not our guy. So we ended up back with Uncle Joe. I think our first go round with him was a disappointment because we expected to walk in, describe what we wanted and get it. It took awhile for us to learn that that wasn't going to happen, no matter who we went with. After we left Uncle Joe and went through these other guys, fate had it that we ran into each other in the mall, so we sat down and had a nice conversation. He said, "You know, I can build your house for you." Something in the way he said it told us that he "got" where we were going and that he was willing to stick with us for as long as it took to get there. Well it took several more years and lots of designs, but we got there. (I chalk that up to my "tuition fees" as it took awhile for me to learn what's necessary to make an exterior and interior work together to create a lovely house, to think in 3d....and control freak that I am, plus with my interest in interior design, I was not willing to let go of the interior layout as that's where we live and feel the house on a daily basis.) So, from my POV, the most important thing is, (in addition to obvious core competencies and licensing) can you collaborate with the person? Can you duke it out over various issues while both maintaining your focus on your common goal of creating the perfect house for you? Can you see enough creativity and vision in the architect that stumbling blocks and trade-offs can be worked out? Does s/he have enough pride in their work and is s/he willing to put themselves into the project to make it their own as well as yours? As you collaborate, are you finding your visions converging or diverging? Below is a link to a thread where I talk about how we turned our inspiration into reality. Here is a link that might be useful: From inspiration to reality......See MoreArchitect's plan from our inspiration plan, your ideas and opinio
Comments (10)Garages are a love-hate thing, in part because they block off natural light. By dividing your garage in this way, you're allowing this major drawback to occur on TWO sides of your house. I would consider making the boat's garage a detached unit. I share your idea of keeping the bedroom clutter-free by planning a large closet that can eliminate dressers in the bedroom, BUT this closet is oversized. I do not like the master bath. When you walk in (assuming the toilet closet door isn't open, blocking your way), you're going to have a view of . . . the closet door. The tub seems squished into a small spot, and the shower looks too narrow for comfort. Nothing about this bathroom looks inviting or comfortable. You have plenty of space between the bath and the closet, and you absolutely can lay out something better without changing the footprint. Your stairs look pretty much dead-on to me. The fold-back design is a space-hog, but it doesn't appear to be over-sized or under-sized. I like the idea of ditching the closet that backs up to the stairs and replacing it with a drop zone -- it'll be a nice size. However, I would want to harness the space under those stairs somehow. I think the kitchen is a good size -- not too big, not too small, good flow throughout -- but the pantry is too small. For this kitchen to work, you need more space, and the pantry is the best option. I'm tempted to say use the closet that backs up to the stairs as a second pantry . . . but then you don't have your drop space. I'm not in the camp of "My laundry room must be massive with all the bells and whistles", but this one is overly cramped. If a parent will eventually live in this bedroom, I don't think it's adequate. I mean, the room is fine, but the bathroom will be a problem if the parent needs a walker or wheelchair, and the sink is just plain too small regardless. I would consider a walk-in shower instead of a tub; it's easier for an elderly person to access, and you have space here to make it nice and big -- big enough for a shower chair. Also, the closet probably isn't enough for an adult. Overall, I think your functional spaces on the guest room /kitchen /casual entry area side are just too small. I think you need a couple more feet to make this all comfortable. Love the dining area and the arrangement of the kitchen and living room. Everything's connected in a comfortable way. The front porch is too narrow for real use, but it will be a nice look and will allow you to decorate for holidays (that's pretty important in my book). Concerns about this 2142 sq ft new plan that I can see, I really want to hear all the good and bad. : 1) Laundry room too small 2) No drop zone 3) Kitchen and kitchen pantry too small 4) Is the master closet too big? I have know idea how big it should be to hold all our clothes and things 5) Is the hole for the stairs too big 6) Worried we have simplified the foundation so much we will loose all character. Hoping to be able to add gables, interior ceiling features to boost up the character. 7) Master shower too little Here is the new plan offered to us from the architect:...See MoreWhy just one lamp? Staging vs reality?
Comments (16)I like the double sconce above the nightstand, too. In my bedroom for reading, I have something like this. It's pretty unobtrusive, doesn't take up much room and could be used on the far side of the beds, so when there are couples in one bed, each could have their own light. I have mine on a dimmer cord that I hang on the headboard so I can dim or shut the light off from any sleeping position. All metal finishes are available and they do make some with shades that would be closer to the double sconce style....See MoreWhen reality meets fantasy - Help me redirect from the dream room
Comments (10)The chairs look beige to me, but they are neutral enough to work in a dark blue room. See if you can come up with a plan for all the surfaces. The inspiration room was not done piecemeal, but was carefully planned by the designer. Before you purchase anything else, have an idea of a rug, paint color, window treatments (not the white shades you have now), pillows, furniture, etc. tartanmeup is correct in her comments about metals, textures, colors and patterns--they all work together. You can get the feel of the inspiration room without slavishly copying every detail, but first you need a plan. As an aside, you'd need to get very lucky to make a "profit" on reselling the chairs (the retail price is not relevant since 1) hardly anyone pays retail, and 2) they aren't new). Also, if this is your reading room, why are you needing to "appease" the hubs?...See Moremyhappyspace
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agogbsim1
11 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
ILoveRed
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agogbsim1
11 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
Lori Wagerman_Walker
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agokirkhall
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agopbx2_gw
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoAnnie Deighnaugh
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoI have this thing about railings which always perfectly align at eye level when I'm sitting, but I wanted to be able to enjoy the view from our deck, so we went with glass and are so glad we did....
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Annie Deighnaugh
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agokirkhall, just for you....got permission from architect to post floor plan. I deleted dimensions and added his copyright as he requested....I'll post the lower level when I finish it....sorry I don't know how to make it larger, but you can see the fundamental layout if you zoom it some. Let me know if you have any questions....
autumn.4
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agokirkhall
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoboymom23
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoAnnie Deighnaugh
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoNo the window trim is like an almond color to match the windows. I don't know a color name for it as it was custom blended to match. Perhaps this pic will help.
Annie Deighnaugh
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoHere's more inspiration to reality.
We had a huge collection of books from my FIL and I always loved the look of a library, so we designed a room to be our library/living room.
Here was the initial inspiration picture:
Then we tweaked it to make it our own. The look was fine for around the fireplace, but we had a longer wall than that...what to do? I was in the University Club in DC and they had a wonderful library there, but they didn't run the book cases up to the ceiling...they stopped them short and used above the book cases for display. Problem solved. Also, the inspiration picture had full arches above the bookcase, but our house has what I call a "broken arch" theme running through it, so we changed the tops to the broken arch and singled up the bookcases given the dimensions I had to work with. We also went with rope lighting to light all the bookshelves rather than the spotlight just to light the top shelf. Here's my scale drawing which the carpenter used to build the bookcases and mantel for me.
And here's the final outcome:
And let me tell you, when you're building, a good finish carpenter is worth his weight in gold (in our case it was a lot as he was 6'4"!)
autumn.4
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoAnnie Deighnaugh
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoSpottythecat
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoautumn.4
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoAnnie Deighnaugh
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoThank you for the kind words.
Our shower uses the same corian for the counters as for the shower surround and the bench seating inside. We have a glass door with a transom to handle the steam. The door swings in and out....in so it's out of the way and can dry, out so you can reach in to turn on the controls without getting soaked.
Annie Deighnaugh
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoWe used GAF Camelot Aged Oak for our roofing shingles.
The stone is new england field stone from stoneyard.com...the stone is real stone that is sawed thin so it installs like thin stone.Much of the stone walls and terracing came from stone dug out of the foundation when we built the house....it blended in very nicely with the purchased stone which was applied to the foundation wall.
I need to update this pic...every time I look at it, it annoys me. We have since painted that garage door to match the trim color.
This post was edited by AnnieDeighnaugh on Fri, Feb 1, 13 at 9:23
autumn.4
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoAnnie Deighnaugh
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoYes, that's one reason why we went with corian...it is softer and warmer than granite. Everyone we talked to who had a granite bench all mentioned how cold it was to sit on. The other reason was I wanted the seamless sinks as they are so much easier to clean.
Also, we put the shower on inside walls...steam showers in colder climes work better there than on outside walls which can be colder.
This post was edited by AnnieDeighnaugh on Fri, Feb 1, 13 at 10:27
oldbat2be
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Annie DeighnaughOriginal Author