Are the gable windows in living space or attic? Is there a 2nd floor?

Hi PPF,

It is a bungalow no second floor, or living space.. We asked to place those gable windows to give it a "Charm".

What about the other three elevations? Are they the unwanted children?

Why do you have a house attached to a garage?

Its what we affectionately call a "wedgie". It's impossible to say how serious it is without a plan but it's never a good idea. This is one of those houses that looks as if it was originally large but made smaller to fit a narrow lot. It contains every possible builder cliche in one small facade.

Its usually possible to make the roof drain but snow will be trapped and eventually end up in front of the garage door. Make sure your car gets to park on the left side and you're good to go.

Its embarrassing that the developer's drawing looks better than yours. I would ditch the hipped roof.

This house might tolerate two gables but not three.

Kudos to your designer for pointing out the problem area in the roof. Usually problems like the one baked into your current home design are identified during construction or after move-in. It's a catch-all that will collect leaves, pine needles, snow (if you're not blessed to live in a warm climate, that is,) and funnel a large volume of water to a single point when it rains.

I agree with RES2 about ditching the hipped roof. I'd look to simplify the design and move it closer to it's Craftsman roots.

I'd also suggest the term "frou frou" be used in lieu of "builder cliche." They're both French, but frou frou is more fun to say, doesn't need any accent, and the repetition of the root word makes the point that there's an excess. There's probably a term for that, but I didn't major in English and nobody looks to me for help in that department.

Thanks to all for sharing your experience.

@PPF. Your suggestion was Option 2

We will ask the designer to hold off until we figure it out :( :(

Wouldn't we have the same issue if we follow the developer's layout or if we would keep the eyebrows?

If so, what is the major "technicall" difference from the option we like and the other twos as their roofs look the same to us.

I know it was mentioned not using hipped roof, which one would you suggest if we keep the 3 pitch ( really like it :( :(

@cpartist, answering your question: maybe as the weather gets cold people around here prefer a attached garage.. even on larger lots we see the same.:)

Cp was making a point about the garage appearing larger than the house. All the design problems stem from that proportional problem.

I don't understand what you mean by "3 pitch" or the "curved part" so I'm having trouble following the discussion,

The grand twin pediments on a modest one story house reminds of the Volks Royce beetles of the 60's.

Hi RES2, sorry .... lack of proper wording :) :) . the 3 pitch I meant the 3 gables ( you refer it as pendiments) and the "curved" is only refering to the front of the porch not being straight but in a curved shape ( i guess this doesn't matter to the issue).

Still would like to learn what is the difference from the option we picked and the one the developer has. We could just use theirs if we will not have the same roof/ice buildup issue.

Thanks again..

Look at the SHAPE of the roof that is suggested by PPF, above. Although it retains two gables, the roof is NOT a hip roof. Three things appear to be suggested here by the PROs. One: lose the hip roof. Two: Lose the BIGGEST gable. (That will minimize at least one of the MAJOR contributors to the single outlet for roof drainage. Three: Shorten the height of your home (by reducing the pitch of your roof) AND, in doing so, reduce the scale of your front porch (whether you make the opening square or curved.) While we all understand that you like the three gable look...it is NOT well designed. And it WILL be problematic. So....Simplify the roof system. You will not regret it. Beyond that...it is about SCALE. Keeping the roof in proper proportion with the structure beneath it. In your original drawings the roof dwarfs the home/living space. Good luck with your project.

I find it hard to get beyond the fact that your descriptions of the options doesn't agree with the drawings you posted. Is the "baseline" from the developer or from a neighbor's house? Why is it a "baseline"; it this what is in the contract? The "first" option/version doesn't show the eyebrow roof window. I guess the "current version" is the one without a name and is the one you like.

Looking at the the drawings you posted I don't see a difference between them in regard to architectural proportion and roof drainage. The developer's design is better only because the main roof is not hipped so the house has some shoulders. They all have the wedgie.

Combining front facing roof gables/pediments of the English tradition with hipped roofs of the French tradition always looks awkward to me; its really a difficult thing to pull off. I suspect its popularity is due to the cost savings of the fewest number of roof trusses.

Its usually unwise to suggest solutions without seeing the plans and elevations but here's an idea for making a strong architectural statement on a small house.

I would shingle it to make it clear its not pretending to be a miniature grand formal house. This design would also be less expensive to build. I would avoid roof trusses and provide a stair to the attic which would increase the resale value. What is better than a "forever house" is one that sells for enough to allow you to move closer to your grandkids or where you can get the care you need.

Whether you realize it or not, you have a couple of really good, experienced architects and a good builder providing you with free, good advice. Think seriously about following it.

I'm just a lowly retired appraiser. But, I've owned a lot of houses, built a few and renovated a bunch of them.

They are making excellent points. Water flows downhill. It doesn't like to meet obstacles. It always wins. The three pediment design with the hipped roof creates dams, valleys and obstacles. It's is a bad design that will cost you extra money to install and maintain. You will always worry about that valley.

Hipped roofs are an awful waste of money, space and material, too. Pitched roofs are more efficient and practical. They are designed to effectively shed water.

The simplest roofline is often the most efficient, the least expensive and strangely the most pleasing to the eye. Take a hard look at PPF's and RES2's illustrations. Take those renderings to your designer and discuss their merits versus the three elevations that you have provided.

I think you will discover that they are easier to build, will cost less to install and maintain and your home will be just a little different from everyone else on the street. Both architects have managed to keep that cottage vibe that you seem to like with their changes. Style points plus efficiency. These designs also have the advantage that they help to minimize they huge garage door that is trying to eat the front of the house.

With a little planning, the shed dormer on RES2 would allow you to finish off part of the attic and increase the usefulness of the space and increase your property value.

Keep an open mind. You are getting some really good advice.

Hi, thank you so much for such valuable information.

The " baseline" was one of the model from the developer that we said we liked and gave them a start up point to change it a little bit to ensure we all don't have the same front. Thanks for explaining that the 2nd option doesn't have an eyebrow, I missundertood and the designer didn't correct me.

I already booked a meeting on Monday to go over and make some changes. Will work on lowering the pitch, maybe "break" the garage door into two and for sure discuss PPF, RES2's and all of your suggestion. Will organise all comments so I can explain it better.

Thank you for helping us to understand the issues we would be facing. I don't have experience and all these roof names don't make sense to me. I will try finding some homes so I can visualize the diferences as on paper they all look the same to me.

Designing one aspect of a house independent of all the other aspects is the most common mistake homeowners make. Despite repeated requests you still haven't posted the plan or the other elevations so there's no way to know if our advice is useful.

Hold onto your hat when the they give you the pricing for these "upgrades"..........................

I don't know how many home sites remain in the development, but developers are motivated to sell properties. RES2's sketch of a more authentic Craftsman style home has enhanced curb appeal and it would be simpler to build compared with the "house of too many gables." It may be close to cost neutral not counting the design cost. I hope it inspires an upgrade in the architectural quality of the remaining homes.

This probably won't help but I learned there is a difference in how people visualize. When someone says, envision a piece of pie, I "see" a triangle and my daughter "sees" a three dimensional, rotating piece of pie.

Even knowing this, I recently had to return a medicine cabinet I ordered online because although it fit the wall space, (height/width), I forgot that it would protrude i.e. depth. When I saw the OP's original drawings, it took me a second to realize that the outlined white space was a hip roof. I'm not at all sure how that would look "in real life", without a 3D model for me to see.

How large is your lot that you need a garage facing front that is wider than the actual front width of the house?

Sorry for my late reply.

At this point we only have a floor plan and no other elevation.

Now and thanks to this wonderfull comunity I am understanding it a little bit more and hopefully will be able to ask good questions to them. Now I can see these upgrades were going to add cost us.

@cpartist the lot front is 50ft wide (50×150ft) and with the township regulation we can only built a 41 ft wide house. The garage is 20 ft wide, our foyer ( long. Hallway. :( :(..) 7'4" and the study is 12 ft. Wide. the house will have cement board as siding and the developer needs to approve, layout, colour and material ( already dictated by them. )

I have to appologize as I didn't understand the request for more information.

If I may, what is the pitch would you suggest?

I will post the changes after talking with them. Thanks again

The main roof pitch will depend largely on the depth of the house which I assume will be pretty deep. If you have a floor plan, you know the depth of the house.

I hope you realize that a 20' wide garage will not fit two full sized cars.

following

Hi cpartist, thanks for bringing it up to our attention. We understand the 20ft W garage will not fit two full sized cars. As we are planning on downsizing we will probably have 2 small cars.

Developers in my area have been building on narrow lots by pulling the garage forward 25 ft and entering it from a courtyard in front of a small entrance porch.

A small 2 car garage would reduce the resale value.

Hi RES2 and all,

I hear you about what the developers are doing. our 50 ft x 150 ft lot is becoming large ( it is hard to believe on it, isn't it?). All garages in the new developments and it seems even on the old ones are around 20 ft wide, so when I asked this question to them they advised we wouldn't have an issue on reducing the resale value. They even showed me some that are 18 ft wide. ( very tight... for me..)

Front elevation on the works and as soon as the designer has something I will share with you all.

I asked for a gable roof and some other changes. I am still concerned on the pitch l as the house is very deep

Thank you all!

. I have attached the floor plan. Just note that this is still in progress. this is just to give an idea of how deep the house is.

This is a typical roof for a house like yours.

"so when I asked this question to them they advised we wouldn't have an issue on reducing the resale value."

They are in the business to sell new construction houses They would tell you a smaller garage would RAISE the resale value if they felt it would help them close a deal.

PPF and all,

Thanks for the suggestion. I hope the designer will think on the same way, just to be safe I will forward the suggestion to them.

@millworkman, I guess looking on this aspect it makes sense. LOL .