Seeking Architect Tips for Smart $ Design
ajrlittle
4 years ago
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Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
4 years agoVirgil Carter Fine Art
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Seeking Floor Plan Inputs- building on a small lot
Comments (29)A two story would be cheaper and would be a much more pleasant existence. Having 3' to the property line is barely enough to have a walkway to the rear. It's really really claustrophobic. And unattractive. My first house was on a 50' wide city lot and it was 30' wide, with 10' to each side. The drive was allowed to be on the lot line and it led to a rear separate garage. This worked really well, as the house itself could occupy the width of the allowable setback without worrrying about a garage. I was in the old neighborhood recently and subsequent owners had converted the garage to a one car and the second bay was a poolhouse for the pool that they built. They had also popped out a dormer for the 1/2 story attic upstairs and what had been a 900 foot starter home was now probably a 1500 foot urban gem. It almost made me wish I had never sold it! (But then I remembered the crime wave that the neighborhood went through before it started being gentrified.) With a 53x100 lot, you could easily do something similar, with a drive to a rear garage that could be linked to the main house by a breezeway. The garage could even be a secondary construction at a later time to make the plan more affordable. The courtyard area between the two structures can be a charming jewel type garden/patio area. And the full two story structure can provide all of the needed living space without occupying 90% of the lot----which I think is a very unappealing look for a home....See MoreSeeking layout and cabinet advice (again!)
Comments (13)Oooooh, I was hoping you folks would chime in! So to answer (and ask more questions)... to the west of the espresso nook is the living room; it is in fact our "living" room, with large TV, etc. Here is a wider shot of the first floor: The door north of the kitchen is the one we will use; it's just off of the driveway. We are on a corner property; friends tend to come to both front and side doors equally. Re: the windows, a bump-out wouldn't even be necessary because the walls are a foot thick (wished these stone walls insulated better, though!) I would *love* a prep sink but am reluctant to give up the counter and underneath storage space for it. Re: the hood and space around it, we could make it wider but would have to shift the range west a little so that the hood didn't overlap the window. We could also go with an under-cabinet hood and fill in the space adjacent to the west of it with a cabinet-would that look too cluttered? The 24" cabinet to the east of the freezer was intended for the trash. We had seen a four-triangular-bin arrangement for that space, enough to house plastic bags and recyclables. I also might make it narrower (18"?) and make the pullout on the other side of the freezer wider, ideally to have baskets for potatoes and such. I'm, um, petite (vertically challenged?), so it might bug me to have to walk around the island to clean. I like your idea to make the aisles a tad wider and the island a tad narrower. Currently, there are 9"-wide pullouts on the east and west ends of the island which could be narrowed (by how much?) Re: the fridge, I checked the Thermador (and Bosch) column at the store. The door can either open ~120 degrees, or one can stick a pin in the hinge to stop it at 90 degrees. The hinge opens upon itself, so that the only necessary extra clearance on the side is for the thickness of the panel, about .75 inch. We had planned to leave ~3 inches to play with around the fridge and DW, just in case. Now forgive me, but I'm a newbie with regard to super/lazy susans. How does the geometry work, exactly? For the base cabinet, would I need to give up the pullout to the left of the sink to fit in the susan? Could you possibly superimpose it on my diagram? The "CBNT" cabinet is only about 11" deep. If it's made too narrow or too short, it starts to lose its usefulness for storage. Could you please explain what "flat-framing" is? Not to further complicate this thread, but could you give me ideas for a color scheme? The floors will remain a natural stain 3"-wide plank oak floor throughout LR, DR, and K. Our dining table is a medium-tone wood. I tend to prefer simpler styles and neutral colors. The software for the diagram is AutoCAD, drawn by my architect. I had a copy of it but it expired--I haven't renewed it because it's pricey! Not hard to learn, though. Thanks! ......See MoreAdmirer seeking advice
Comments (2)You'll have much better luck in the Kitchens forum if you haven't already tried there....See MoreCrossroads- seeking professional advice
Comments (11)Your opportunities as designer-only are (in my experience, others may disagree): working as a sales-designer role for a design-build firm. This is the best money but it's far from a "cushy" design gig. You earn that money by managing projects during the day, running sales calls late afternoon/evening, and squeezing in design/estimating time whenever. If you're money motivated, you learn that telemundo has the best boxing matches on at 2 am. At one firm the #1 designer was on track to make $225k when I left (I was #2 which really irked me). Our #20ish designer might have made $15k (it was a BIG company). An advantage is that they supply all the leads, you just have to work them, and if they like you you can steer the marketing in the right direction. working as a freelance designer/hired gun for other contractors. Can make ok money, but you're in a weird spot when it comes to estimating and negotiating if you're working for multiple companies. It's also awkward when you get the same lead from multiple contractor daddies. independent landscape designer. Some people make good money this way, and some kick up a heck of a wake and don't move forward in the water at all. If ALL you want to do is draw, think about what you want to gross for the year and divide it by the # of designs you need to sell. You want to make $50k and your average design fee is $1,000? You need to sell 50 designs. Which means, realistically, you need at least 80-100 leads a year. You're the boss, so how are you getting those leads? Some designers project manage their jobs to supplement, but you need to be able to sell your value. Why are you worth an additional 20% on top of what the contractor is charging? And at the end of the job, when the neighbors are raving about how good it looks, are they asking for your #? Or the installer's? I agree w/ gardengal that the best money is getting the projects built. And the happiest I've ever been has been designing my own projects and building my own projects. The more control I have over the process, the better the end product. Get yourself a copy of this book: https://www.amazon.com/Thriving-Landscape-Designer-Management-Profitability/dp/0692522379 It's a super smart overview of three paths to being a successful landscape designer, and it may well help you decide your next move....See Moreajrlittle
4 years agoVirgil Carter Fine Art
4 years agoD E
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agojmm1837
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoD E
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4 years agoajrlittle
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4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
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4 years agoB T
4 years agoCharles Ross Homes
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4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoRES, architect
4 years agoVirgil Carter Fine Art
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4 years agoVirgil Carter Fine Art
4 years agoMark Bischak, Architect
4 years agoAnglophilia
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4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoCharles Ross Homes
4 years agocpartist
4 years agojmm1837
4 years agoSapphireStitch
4 years agobry911
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoVirgil Carter Fine Art
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoD E
4 years agoBT
4 years agoajrlittle
4 years agojmm1837
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoBT
4 years agojmm1837
4 years agobeckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally
4 years agobeckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally
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