A(nother) Home in the (different) Woods

[dstig1]

Good to see you here Eddie. I had done that in an earlier plan. What isn't shown is that the deck on the left in the bottom most view is a screened porch. That is pretty important if you want to use any outside space up here (and in the woods) between June and Sept. Yes, there could be a screen door there extending to a connector deck (what I had previously done) but the issues you run into are posts in the entrance path of the daily garage doors (the tuck-unders there). I don't want any errant spouses or kids hitting those (not that I ever would!), and then it become a distraction looking out the main window bank in the great room too. Also I just noticed there is a stairway down to the driveway below that is not shown there. I had the stair layers turned off for that view shot I guess.

There are a million decisions and revisions before the plan you see. I think I had 50-60+ actual plan-level revisions, from the point I got to this basic plan footprint. I can't count how many came before that...

If you live in Minnesota/Wisc when you hear the phrase "Interesting" it means this is the Scandinavian passive-aggressive way of saying "I hate that"...so do you find it actually interesting or are you from Minnesota

Thus like I said ...the risk of posting plans on TBN...

 

[EddieWalker]

If you live in Minnesota/Wisc when you hear the phrase "Interesting" it means this is the Scandinavian passive-aggressive way of saying "I hate that"...so do you find it actually interesting or are you from Minnesota

So far, I find it "actually interesting" but that's not to say that I'll hate it once you get started!!! :laughing::thumbsup:

Seriously, I like the different decks and the overall size of it. Depending on the materials you use, it has the potential to being something both unique and impressive.

As for the deck going across the top of the garage doors, that should be simple enough to do with the existing posts that you have in the drawing. I wasn't thinking about bugs, but more in visual appeal of an open walkway with a nice railing.

Eddie

 

[dstig1]

Thanks for the input Eddie. I've read many of your posts, and hope you stay in touch on mine. I am "hoping" to break ground this spring, but I am skeptical that it will happen. Next year seems more likely. Too many things yet to do, and every step I take shows how many things I still need to cover...

 

[mjncad]

How about a knee brace to support the deck to the wall with the garage doors?

I'm looking forward to seeing the plans and how this build progresses.

 

[Kyle241]

Like the progress :thumbsup:. The house image looks like quite the endeavour. Seems like you have really thought out what you're looking for in a house. I like how it's all connected.

 

[scoutcub]

OK, I posted something in another thread, so I might as well put it here too. This is a rough look at the site plan and the exterior, without anything in the way of architectural detailing. It's a 2-building setup that has the main house with a small second story "library" that allows a nice lookout view of the land, and a separate shop building for Woodworking, metal work and car work.

There are changes that have happened since I took these screen shots, but they are pretty close.

I know the risk of posting plans on TBN :laughing: So these are just (semi-)pretty pictures... Plans will come later on. I am currently slogging through getting the construction docs prepared for some quotes.

Dave -

Impressive looking place. What program are you using? Are you able to manipulate sizes/shapes pretty easily?

 

[dstig1]

Scoutcub - thanks. I used Chief Architect. I started back in Version X1, skipped over X2 and picked it back up in X3. I got the upgrade to X4 included with the X3 upgrade so it wasn't too bad. Pricey software compared to what "normal" people are familiar with but I use high end 3D CAD software all the time at work, so it actually looked cheap to me

I started the design process by myself and worked through a dozen or more concepts, with a couple themes static throughout (the second story section was a key one for some nice forest views). After I hacked through that for a while (probably a year) I hooked up with an Architect through the Chief forum who helped refine things for me. He gave me some very good ideas that really helped clean up some troublesome areas. Having the talent and background certainly does help, no question... From there I finished things off and have been working with a structural engineer to sort out those details. I've been working on the design on and off for probably 5 years now.

 

[mjncad]

Yeah that Chief Architect software is a lot pricier than I thought it would be. I figured they would try to undercut Autodesk's pricing to gain market share; but they didn't.

 

[Obed]

My wife spent a LONG time designing our house. When she had the basic design done, she took her plans to a house designer and then the process continued for a LONG time again. We solicited lots of input in the process and learned from looking at lots of houses and house plans. Getting the house plans right is a place you don't want to take shortcuts.
Obed

 

[dstig1]

Chief is actually a lot cheaper than Autocad is. Chief is pretty much all-inclusive, whereas AC needs a bunch of options to become really useful. I recall AC running $4-5k for a seat (license). We have some really expensive mechanical 3D CAD and surfacing software at work. $10-15k/seat is not uncommon, and the one really specialized one we use goes for something like $20-25k.

Obed - I couldn't agree more. But no matter how much planning you do, you will still miss something or not like how some aspect turned out. A friend who grew up in construction said they always had complaints with new construction, and the ones who were most satisfied were the ones that lived in a place a while and remodeled/added on. They knew the flaws from living with them, so they were able to fix them.