Building an Elberton Way by Mitch Ginn
American Craftsman Homes
9 years ago
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Sue Slade
9 years ago- PRO
American Craftsman Homes
8 years ago Related Discussions
Shook Hill fans
Comments (52)Karen Brubaker -- I think we did. It literally has been so long since we had the plans modified that I really can't remember. I know we enlarged the kitchen and living room. One of the really beautiful things about this plan is the windows. The lumber rep kept asking me if I wanted to shrink the window size and I refused. So glad I held my ground. We have a bonus room above the garage -- they are still working (does it ever end?) on the bathroom tile up there, but the views from that room are amazing. Here is a photo of the master bedroom....See MorePossible one-story layout?
Comments (26)We're planning a kitchen island that'll face the great room, but I'm not really concerned about the "people's butts" argument. We're planning a house for our retirement years. My husband and I will sit at the bar when it's "just us" eating breakfast, perhaps. But when we have guests, I'm imagining the bar as a place to set out munchies and drinks -- not as a place to sit and dine. I agree that low bookcases can be a lovely idea, but it also requires more space and creates an obstacle around which we must walk. BethOhio3, I made the comment about the guest bedrooms being "overkill". I don't think two bedrooms are too much -- three bedrooms is a pretty standard requirement for resale, even if you don't need them yourself. What I think is overkill is two full baths and two walk-in closets for occasional guests. Are they nice items? Oh, yes! But when you're talking about rooms that're just for guests -- unless your budget is unlimited -- it's an expensive luxury. 4Runner, I see the pantry: It's a small one and opens into the mudroom. This isn't ideal. Since the kitchen has miles of counterspace, I'd be willing to lose a little of that (especially since it's way over on the side anyway) to make the pantry open directly into the kitchen....See MoreGetting bids from builders
Comments (3)Yes it looks expensive to build, or rather inefficient, it will be quite a bit of money for the square footage you get. A few things I have learned as I picked a plan scrapped that plan and picked another. Roofs are expensive. The cheapest roof is one peak and a gable at each end. Every time you add another peak to the roof you subtract a decent amount of money from your pocket. Although I can't see the back I count at least 8 peaks on your plan + 2 different types of dormers. Straight exterior walls are cheaper than corners or round walls. The cheapest plans have four exterior corners. The plan you have has 24 corners, and quite honestly some of these corners are just for the neighbors. This is a gorgeous house but some of the bump-outs have no real impact on the interior of the house. For example, the small bump-out in the front bedroom/office adds no real value compared to just making that a straight wall all the way across. It shrinks the room, adds a roof peak and a lot of money for a slight aesthetic appeal. The same thing goes for the exterior wall by the pantry. You are basically paying quite a bit extra to shrink your pantry. Exterior walls are somewhat expensive, so the most efficient houses maximize space and minimize exterior walls. This means the more square your house is the more efficient it is. For example, 4 walls each 40' long will get you 1600 sq.ft. for 160 linear feet of wall. Where if 2 walls are 25' each. the other 2 walls will need to be 64' to get the same square footage, so 178 linear feet. A combination of 2 and 3 gets you the famed fourquare home. Four corners - square design. Since #1 exists it is usually cheaper to go up with your square footage than out. Open floor plans are generally more expensive. Open floor plans usually take either more expensive joists or beams. This is a trade off that many think is worth it. Cheaper if first and second floor walls line up. There is a nice lake near where I live and on that lake sits a luxury house boat, it is named Change Order. Probably one of the most overlooked things is plan, plan some more, plan even more, think of everything, then think of everything else, then start to build. The more you change after you start the more money you are going to spend. And change orders are expensive....See MoreArchitects...can I ask you a question?
Comments (69)While I can say I recommend hiring an architect, I realize that doing so may not be feasible for your pocketbook. We spoke to a couple of architects, and even toured some in-progress homes with one of them. The amount of design considerations they make is almost overwhelming - where living space is in relation to views, where/when sunlight will enter the house, noise mitigation, traffic flow, how spaces will be utilized, etc. It was interesting to see how different their process was from just picking out a plan and running with it. We purchased our land two years ago - a 2 acre lot with 125' of frontage and great soil. My wife and I then looked at when seemed to be EVERY SINGLE PLAN on the internet. We had bookmarked hundreds of them, and subsequently threw each one out based on them either not conforming to our lifestyle or not being a good fit for our lot. In the meantime, I started to lay out floor plans in Sketchup, which was all well and good until I had to add a second floor. W. T. F. It was incredibly frustrating. After a year of self-design, we engaged a local custom builder with a great reputation. We collaboratively designed a plan that my wife and I are extremely happy with. While we had set out to design a craftsman type home, our final design would definitely not fall under that category. We have a lot of craftsman-influenced details throughout the design, but in the end, neither of us cared at all whether it fit into some architectural category. Most people don't, so don't get hung up on that - especially if the architectural style doesn't fit your lifestyle. I also learned a lot about design considerations from reading these forums. There's a lot of good advice here. There's also a lot of very headstrong personalities here as well, so be mindful of that. It's very easy to let yourself be convinced that someone else's opinion is the standard. For instance, laminate flooring seems go get a lot of negative attention around here, but I have three young boys and a dog. Laminate fits our lifestyle a heck of a lot better than hardwood and it's inexpensive enough to change out as our lifestyle changes. My advice to you is to at least talk to an architect before going to a builder. Listen to how they designed their houses. It's truly eye-opening. It will make you swear off pre-fab plans forever. If you feel comfortable enough with one of them to hire, then go for it. Otherwise, take that knowledge and speak to some custom builders in your area and see how they work with you and don't be pressured to sign anything! Good luck!...See MoreSue Slade
8 years ago- PRO
American Craftsman Homes
8 years agoLove your ideas! That is the plan that I meant (not 4 beds). We love the loft area and the fact that that version had a bonus room over the garage. We plan on using that as our guest room, so guests can stay with us but still feel like they have their own "suite area." The picture below will be what I am modeling the kitchen after, just flip flopped around. How are you doing the vanities in the master bath? I've seen them done several different ways.
Sue Slade
8 years agoLove that kitchen! That is the other change we are making: putting the sink on the back wall with a large window over. Keeping the island plain and placing a cooktop/double wall ovens.
We haven't gotten very far in the master bath but Im thinking of eliminating the tub and doing a large, walk in shower in its place.
Thinking of modifying the exterior to something like this with a 3 car garage.
This is another Mitch Ginn SL home, Shook Hill. We like this exterior, side entrance.
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