I like lists, too.

64. Where appropriate, arrange rooms on an axis toward a vista.

I think I see where you are going with this one, but not completely. Can you flesh it out a little for this non-designer? Or maybe show an example?

91. What does it mean to cut a building section? Is it drawing from the side as opposed to an overhead view?

(I like #94. It reminds me of my DMIL who, when asked about having 7 children, replied "well, one child took up all my time, so I figured how much worse could 7 be?")

Love the list. the design process is the BEST part of building. And sharing that with theclient, but sharing the pen, really makes the client feel heard and engaged. Well done, as usual, Doug.

(Edited - you know when you type something and you are like 'this isn't right' and yet you don't stop and ponder and fix it - and then get distracted by other shiny objects? yea - that was me - apologies to DOUG...)

Great list that give good advice and insight into both sides of the design process.

Thank you, but that would be Doug that put the list together.

It ranks up there with his ”The Year in Quotes”.

Wasn’t #87 rephrased from Michangelo? (actually, i looked it up and it is not actually attributed to any sculptor but rather to writers in telling a little story.)

Doug!!! I was JUST talking about you....😁

I bought a house you could see from the back deck of your former rental. Who would have thought?! It's the house with the stone front off that tiny loop. The lot is huge (comparatively speaking), the backyard is incredibly private and has plenty of room for a pool, plus it was already fenced in for the 2 maniacs. 😁 The house itself is kinda meh, but it was clean and well maintained, we got a smoking good deal- and once I finish pouring some money into it, it will be awesome.

We could have been neighbors. It's probably why you moved. LOL. 😆

This is my favorite:

92. Great residential design is not so much about how a house looks as about how a house feels.

I don't understand this one below though. Can Doug or anyone give an example of this?

2. The more specific a design idea is, the greater its appeal is likely to be.

"specific" = clearly defined or identified ... similar to: "distinct" = recognizably different in nature from something else of a similar type .... opposite of "generic"

So glad you reposted this great list again.

Your first idea is most likely not your best idea. Design is a patient search.

I have always liked "Design your house as if your life depends on it."

Specific to me: say a person likes modern with 'bumpouts' as part of the design - then that huge 'detail' pleases.

A person wants a castle turret specifically, then that one feature might 'sell them the house.' ... is this something like it? Or specific about windows: black metal beams and all black window frames?

As we're about to start framing on our first custom built house (although we live in a custom home designed by/for someone else), I love everything on this list!

51. Work with general contractors who have worked with architects and respect them.

I worked on a project where the general contractor had no respect for architects. By the end of the project I think he had respect for maybe one architect. It took seven years.

(I like #94. It reminds me of my DMIL who, when asked about having 7 children, replied "well, one child took up all my time, so I figured how much worse could 7 be?")

Yep. ;-)

Edited to add:

My favorite -- at the moment -- from Mr. Doug's list is this one:

67. Welcome whimsy; express it in the details.

The world is seriously lacking in whimsy.

@Architectrunnerguy,

Your list is a great start on a book about residential design from a practitioner's perspective. To the extent that many architecture programs don't include much, if anything, about residential design--and how to deal with residential customers-- it would be a great service to young architects.

Ok, I'm cleaned up from a run so let me address @bpath questions:

Here's an example of arranging spaces along an axis when there's a view involved:

View:

Design:

A building section is a view slicing vertically through the building. In design they're typically lacking technical detail like this:

And in a technical drawing I like to cut them through a stair so I can show landing heights and be sure there's headroom as well as bearing dimensions for the pre-fab stair...

@User We'd still be in Rehoboth if the traffic wasn't so bad. But we own a condo there and are there often in the off season. As a matter of fact when in town I come over to the Thomas's (33) to play pool.

And thanks everyone. Glad everyone enjoyed it!

Thank you for the axis and cross-sections illustrations. They remind me of the David Macaulley books. And for a residential build I can see the usefulness of the view.

Great house Doug. Im not building again but just curious ….how many sq ft is it?

7. Doors should relate to the ground; windows should relate to the sky.

Will you explain this please?

19. Pocket doors are either loved or hated.

I don't know that I love or hate them, but I think they've gotta be in the right place.

I really appreciate this list. Obviously my home didn't follow this one exactly - rather difficult to balance a 52 acre lot with coverage, even should I have that amount of money... (Admittedly most of it is wood lot....)

7. Doors should relate to the ground; windows should relate to the sky.

Windows in doors relate to the person on the other side of it.

Totally agree with nearly everything here - I was going to list some of your best points, but they are most of them!

Some comments / questions, though:

7: Doors should relate to the ground; windows should relate to the sky. I'm with Mrs Pete asking for further clarification. I figure doors are best at preferred access and egress points, but I can see in a passive solar way, taking this into account for window sizes and placements.

11. Design circulation through rooms, rather than halls, where possible. Of course, you don't want to circulate through bedrooms to other bedrooms, so sometimes a hall is essential. Also, not a fan of Jack and Jill bathrooms, or closets that lead elsewhere.

19. Pocket doors are either loved or hated.. I worried about high humidity issues, and so did not use these. I don't hate them, however - but I do remember someone temporarily getting stuck in his pocket door entry office in a climate-controlled building. But I see their functionality in the appropriate space. As a corollary, I'd note: If you have the right sort of house there is nothing wrong with appropriate barn doors. Preferably for a closet, say. (I have a log home. They would have worked here, but I have neither barn nor pocket doors after all.)

35. Maximize daylight. Well, maybe not on the west side...

58. Outdoor spaces which are "left over" will rarely be used. Well, not until I put in the chicken coops, the raised veggie beds, or the maple syrup taps... Plus, I like the vista.

81. Bring the indoors out and the outdoors in. Well, maybe not the mud on the boots or the chicken feathers... Or, worse yet, the ticks.

83. If there is one design principle you should cherish, it’s hierarchy.. I would like to see a further explanation of hierarchy in this context?

7. Doors should relate to the ground; windows should relate to the sky.

Will you explain this please?

I understand this to mean that:

Doors are for walking through ("relate to the ground").

Windows should be higher up ("relate to the sky") to allow maximum sunlight into the house; not necessarily aligned with doors.

For some reason, folks like to line up the tops of doors and windows, when it makes more sense to place windows as close to the ceiling as possible, which of course is at odds with door placement, lol.

HEY,, HOUZZ powers that be, can we NOT get our ability back to LIKE an initial post which starts off a discussion thread??? I don't need to follow, I want to LIKE?

35. Maximize daylight. Well, maybe not on the west side...

When I worked in a hotel, i learned the concept of ”optimize”. In hotels, you don’t necessarily want to maximize occupancy if the room rates are too low. Nor do you want to maximize price at the cost of occupancy, like top rates but only 2/3 of the rooms sold. (Guests might generate other sales, like food and beverage, lobby shop, return visits, etc)

I’d say daylight can be optimized, maybe not maximized. I don’t want all the daylight going into the closets, and west light maybe can be mitigated in some way, while north light in winter can be improved. ”Optimize” then would be the umbrella term (so to speak).

Thank you for posting the list. It is wonderful.

Waited the last few days for hopefully all the questions to come in as I wanted to get back one last time to answer those:

@ILoveRed That house is around 3200SF.

@Mrs Pete and @artemis_ma That’s one of @res2architect ’s thoughts and when I read and saved it I think of it along the same lines as @One Devoted Dame . Doors are normally some kind of egress point. I usually have one or more along an organizational axis that continues to the exterior where I like to have that axis relate to something on the outside if I can. Regarding windows, unlike doors where one can physically go through to the outside, windows function more for light and view reasons. And in trying to explain that I probably ran afoul of #72…..lol…..

@artemis_ma .....Hierarchy….Focus on the “Big idea” first. In architect’s parlance it’s called the “Parti”. Get a strong central concept developed and then worry about smaller and smaller design issues. For example, so many time’s here I see overall central concepts to a home considered after or at the same time sub issues like the kitchen work triangle, barn doors, bathroom layouts, etc. Not that the latter things aren’t important just don’t let them get in the way of “the big picture”. #37 basically says the same thing “Design the big ideas and use the small ones to reinforce them”

@bpath Yes. Agree that “optimize” would be a better word to use. Thanks!