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Building a Home

A Pattern Language (can you pick out the patterns?)

12 years ago

Our family is about 3 months from completion of what I would consider our dream home. I discovered the book A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander thanks to this website. This book was a real eye-opener as it answered a lot of the questions I had about determining what makes a home beautiful, pleasing, peaceful, or in general...a "home".

I tried to use as many patterns from the book as possible, but I'm not sure how successful I was with my design. Therefore, I would like to get opinions from others who are familar with the book.

Please review the following photos of my home and then let me know what patterns, if any, are obvious to you and then I'll list the ones I attempted to use. If you don't see any then please let me know as it won't hurt my feelings. I'm just curious how I did as I realize I can't change anything now and I'm happy with how everything is turning out.

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By bb19 at 2011-12-31

By bb19 at 2011-12-31

By bb19 at 2011-12-31

By bb19 at 2011-12-31

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By bb19 at 2011-12-31

By bb19 at 2011-12-31

By bb19 at 2011-12-31

By bb19 at 2011-12-31

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Comments (6)

worthy
12 years ago
I know I've seen this before. (With apologies for rummaging around in your electronic dresser drawers.) My theory is that we're always trying to recreate our perfect childhoods, at least for those so blessed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pattern Language
Kathy Beebe
Original Author
12 years ago
Yeah. Those were my inspiration pics. The top home is Asphodel plantation built in 1820s, the middle is a home built in LA by a popular architect from Baton Rouge, and the last is a home designed by A Hays Town. The last home is surrounded by 130 acres and recently sold to some fortunate family.

"My theory is that we're always trying to recreate our perfect childhoods, at least for those so blessed."

I agree with that to a certain degree. I grew up with 1500 acres of old growth hardwood behind my home which I explored daily. It was great and I miss it. The land we are building on is the closest thing I could find resembling that 1500 acres and it brings a bit of nostalgia.

The home on the other hand is a plan designed with input from my wife and me. It's changed a lot over the last 2 years from what we started with. Thank goodness I found this website otherwise I would have had a big soulless mcmansion. I'm not saying our home is perfect but at least I learned what we liked and what makes a home feel comfortable. Our first plan would have been a disaster.
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Whew - took a while to get some free time to reply. flgargoyle - No flame taken. I hope the discussion remains lively. :) A passive house (PH)is generally defined as one that uses little or no sources of external energy for heating and cooling. Imagine heating your house with a single 1500 W electric heater in the middle of an Indiana winter or New England. (Skagit_goat_man - "Thhhibbit" take that for no new england winters! a very mature repsponse) That is the target although most so-called passive houses use a bit more than that. Like, the equivalent of 1 cord of wood. Not bad. On to more interesting things. First, it is very difficult to have a big passive house in a cold climate. If you look at their criteria, Vermont Builds Greener suggests a "sweet spot" of 1600 to 2500 sq ft. http://www.bsr-vt.org/vbg/ Given that New England covers latitudes from about 41 to 43, a cape house with a 45 degree roof is nearly perfect for a solar water heater. Solar water heaters have good ROI, solar electric much riskier ROI. Cape code dormers fit "a pattern language" (APL) because they are cozy nooks for a window seat. I must agree. Dormers also provide more surface area for heat loss. However, a south-facing dormer can provide a net increase in heat gain. Modern structural insulated panels (SIPs) techniques can provide a highly insulated shell. I ran extensive spreadsheet calcs, and a Cape Cod is a very good shape for energy efficiency. It tends towards a cube which is the least possible exposed area (few houses are spheres). SIPS allow for super-insulated cathedral Cape roofs. DW wants a 1-level home. An insulated slab, timber frame, straw bale would do that. Bales inherently give the "thick walls" suggested by APL. OTOH, basements are considered necessary in NE. Beats me, 'cuz most of them end up wet! Here is a link that might be useful: very plain passive houses
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Received the pattern, and have patterns to offer free
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Dirt Under My Fingernails Do you mean the #4370? If so, it is yours. Please send me your snail mail address and I'll get these all out today. LindaLu I just sent you an email. Send me your snail mail address and the #9801 is yours. Enjoy! Gemini40 Not really, LOL! I'm just sharing some good karma. One of our members was so kind to send me a pattern she wasn't using and I was searching for. She wouldn't accept payment, so I thought I'd share some of my patterns and let a few others feel happy to get a new project. I still have two patterns looking for a home... ----- Very Easy Vogue, #7424, Skirt and asymmetrical top suit, sizes 12/14/16. http://www.antiquedollhouseofpatterns.com/shopcart/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=11&products_id=15420 ----- University Moda, #MU12, Patchwork Tiles quilt pattern. I can't find a link anywhere. It's based on fat-quarters and shows a 7" inch center square tihe four-patch corners and double 2x7 bars between the corners. It's a good pattern to highlight certain fabrics. ----- This has been fun for me. As I make more progress in the sewing room, maybe I can offer a few more things!
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scrappy25
12 years ago
Walking towards the light! Love what I see here, great design and timeless.
worthy
12 years ago
The Parthenon with dormers?

Can't argue with that model.
Kathy Beebe
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks Scrappy.

"The Parthenon with dormers?"

The side columns are a little more obvious than what I was imagining, but they don't seem to be as gaudy in person as appears in the first photo. I was originally going to use 12x12 cedar wood beams on the sides but I wasn't sure if mixing column styles was a good idea so I went with the tuscan.
Jack Kennedy
12 years ago
I think that it is fantastic that you used a pattern language to help design your house. Comparing your home to a Greek temple is so wrong. There is obviously a difference in scale there..... Many of the ideas presented in the book help make a home more of a home rather than a square box like so many houses are these days. Enjoy your new home!!

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