Building a stick frame house in the woods in 90 days

[dave1949]

And they will repaint it with phoebe-poo on a daily basis from the nests they build in there.

That they will, if allowed.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I know i would !!!!!:mur: Acutally if you tell the builder that you want to make the wall shorter and he just looks at you and smiles, can i tell you what he is really saying.:laughing:
It looks much better shorter.
Then one wonders why the bill keeps going up.:thumbsup:

Peter i think you might likethis cape cod tapered post and not the stone one. I think it looks better with the house.http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/1834504/list/Renovation-Detail--The-Tapered-Craftsman-Column

In this case I don't think the builder would be upset. We've been on jobs where we do what the homeowner asks but when done it just doesn't look right to both us and the homeowner. It is a change but a needed one as it's cheaper to change now then after everything is finished.

 

[pacerron]

I didn't try to blend shadows here. Just an idea of the way it would look without the triangle. Peter really needs to fix the siding color and do the rocks right to see what is going on.
Ron

 

[pacerron]

Here's a quicky with his stone added. It should have been resized to be the same scale first, but the color is correct.
Peter will have to do the paint as I have no clue as to what shade of cream it will be.
Ron

 

[J F]

I may have taken a couple of liberties.

Your mom is now living in the giant woods. :laughing:

 

[mjncad]

MJNCAD,
Go to eplans.com and select 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1500-1600 sf That will take you right to it within a page or so.
As I recall it was with finished basement. Been a while since I looked.
Some interesting designs in there. Don't let your wife look or you may be busy:laughing:

Ron

I was designing our last house as that is something I've always wanted to do; but since my wife has no interest whatsoever, we have our 35-acres on the market. I wish we never bought the dirt. So if she were to look at eplans.com, nothing would happen.

I don't like the top 3 courses of block at all. I think it should all be the same height unless you want it to look like a prison.

Just my 2 cents - Stu.

Think I agree with Stu and Ron. That wall hides the entry too much for my tastes. Just isn't as inviting. Overall I think you are getting a great build and thanks for sharing.

MarkV

I feel it. So something like this, right?

BINGO! Much better. Having that high wall might work on a mid-century modern in the city as a way to offer some outdoor privacy on the front (public) side of the house; but your Mom's place isn't a mid-century modern, and the courtyard should be used as a welcoming transition from the rough and tumble outdoor spaces to the indoor spaces.

The builder is going to kill me.

No he won't, he will just smile a toothy grin with each tooth representing more $$$$.

I think the open triangle is going to be okay. It sort of begs for something ornamental to make it look not so much an open void. You'll know it when you see it.

Here, I know the phoebes would be all over the acute angle end for a nesting spot.

I like the open triangle as it makes the garage look less prominent when approaching the house, and it will help to bring natural light to the front door. I assume phoebes are birds or bugs that like to nest in various protected nooks and crannies. Around here barn swallows are the nuisance bird for that behavior; but there are ways to discourage them...some ugly...some unobtrusive.

As for the column; don't do it in stone as it's not big enough in length or width to make it look right. Using siding is the quick and easy way out; but tends to look cheap and unimaginative. You don't have much column to work with, so making it look attractive without being gaudy is going to be a challenge.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

He could always wrap the column in coil stock the same as his fascias.

 

[PILOON]

If you are you are asking for poll, LOL, I vote lower wall only (not above and around garage door).

 

[pacerron]

I may have taken a couple of liberties.
Your mom is now living in the giant woods. :laughing:
[/IMG]

Jay,
That's a good rendering. I used to have a software like that back in W-98 days. It let you put a photo of your house in and finish it with all kinds of stuff, flowers, rocks, gardens, scrolls, etc.

One thing my wife keeps bringing up as this progresses is that the stick out wall to the right of the garage front is a bit too long to look right. As I said pages ago, pictures can really throw the actual off, so you need to walk the driveway and photograph the front of the house in about 10 foot intervals. Leave your zoom setting at 50mm equivalent for all shots, as this best represents the view your eyes see.
In todays world of modulation we tend to build everything in 4 x 8 proportions and wonder why we get a headache when looking at it. The ancients had a much better grasp of how things should be proportioned to look right in our minds when done.
A simple formula they used called "golden proportion" or "divine proportion" cannot be forgotten in most cases if we want a pleasing design.
For the wall the rule works as well.
Ron

 

[FairfaxStu]

Jay,
That's a good rendering. I used to have a software like that back in W-98 days. It let you put a photo of your house in and finish it with all kinds of stuff, flowers, rocks, gardens, scrolls, etc.
Ron

The rendering is not quite right because the wall is not straight accross. It offsets toward the house on the left side. See the second picture that Peter posted on yesterday's update. Also, I was wondering what it would look like with a pair of motion activated lights one per side just to the left and right of the entrance to the courtyard. I think I would do it but maybe it is not what Peter's Mom likes.
-Stu