Our ultimate project
- Thread starter blurrybill
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Scott_F
Silver Member
And here's the living room and fireplace. Move day went well - no major injuries and no broken furniture or dishes. Wife was like a crazy woman yesterday unpacking boxes - she almost has everything put away already. Now I just need to get that Power Trac and get to work outside..../w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
Scott
Scott
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pajoube
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2001
- Messages
- 2,225
- Location
- Montana (Near Bozeman)
- Tractor
- Former Owner PowerTrac 425 (September 2003)
Scott, beautiful home, congratulations. Is that a rap-around porch?
PJ
PJ
MossRoad
Super Moderator
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2001
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- 66,387
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- South Bend, Indiana (near)
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- Power Trac PT425 2001 Model Year
Very nice.
Scott_F
Silver Member
Paul,
No rapping on my porch, I'm kind of partial to classic rock/w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif. Sorry, couldn't resist. Actually, only the part on the (left) end of the house is a porch. It's about 10'x18'. The part under the shed roof across the front is a sun room to the left of the front door and the kitchen to the right of the front door. I haven't done the calculations yet, but I hope to get a good bit of solar gain from the sun room in the winter. The overhangs on the front are 2' to keep the sun out in the summer.
Scott
No rapping on my porch, I'm kind of partial to classic rock/w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif. Sorry, couldn't resist. Actually, only the part on the (left) end of the house is a porch. It's about 10'x18'. The part under the shed roof across the front is a sun room to the left of the front door and the kitchen to the right of the front door. I haven't done the calculations yet, but I hope to get a good bit of solar gain from the sun room in the winter. The overhangs on the front are 2' to keep the sun out in the summer.
Scott
Golfgar4
Elite Member
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2002
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- 4,342
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- Janesville, Wisconsin
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- None -yet. Until then FunBuggy (EZ-Go) will have to do!
Scott,
VERY nice home! Good pictures, too. Now, where exactly will the tractor's home be?/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
VERY nice home! Good pictures, too. Now, where exactly will the tractor's home be?/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
MDNY
Platinum Member
Scott,
Very nice. You have a beautiful home. I like the colors and the natural wood tones inside. Nice stone fireplace too. Is that a restaurant style fridge it looks real big.
Very nice. You have a beautiful home. I like the colors and the natural wood tones inside. Nice stone fireplace too. Is that a restaurant style fridge it looks real big.
OP
blurrybill
Gold Member
Scott,
Terrific! We have been gone for a week, so I'm just catching up. Really like the way the elements of the house are integrated. Like the reduced pitch on the lower level. Just lovely. You and yours must be really happy. Again, this offers encouragement for those of us in the early stages. Congratulations!
Bill
Terrific! We have been gone for a week, so I'm just catching up. Really like the way the elements of the house are integrated. Like the reduced pitch on the lower level. Just lovely. You and yours must be really happy. Again, this offers encouragement for those of us in the early stages. Congratulations!
Bill
OP
blurrybill
Gold Member
Update: Since I have to wait for such a painfully long time for the tractor, thought I'd let you know how we have progressed. BTW, I'll very soon post some pictures of "the Land" and explain where our home will be located.
Besides securing the services of a reputable builder, we are thrilled about an agreement in the last couple of weeks reached with a nationally known architect who was featured in the Not So Big House book several of you have seen.
Our project is relatively modest, but she was willing to commit to us based on our love of the land and by what we hope to accomplish there. The fees are steep, but we hope that the resulting structure will "live" on the land as much as our magnificent oaks.
We're so excited and the architect's schedule matches that of our builder. Looks as though we'll be starting construction in late September. We should have a model and preliminary design completed in about a month.
I'll try to post pictures of our property either tonight or in the next day or so. It's important to us and hopefully won't bore TBNers. The big adventure progresses...
Bill
Besides securing the services of a reputable builder, we are thrilled about an agreement in the last couple of weeks reached with a nationally known architect who was featured in the Not So Big House book several of you have seen.
Our project is relatively modest, but she was willing to commit to us based on our love of the land and by what we hope to accomplish there. The fees are steep, but we hope that the resulting structure will "live" on the land as much as our magnificent oaks.
We're so excited and the architect's schedule matches that of our builder. Looks as though we'll be starting construction in late September. We should have a model and preliminary design completed in about a month.
I'll try to post pictures of our property either tonight or in the next day or so. It's important to us and hopefully won't bore TBNers. The big adventure progresses...
Bill
yooperdave
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2001
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- Marinette, WI
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- Tool Cat 5600, LS XJ2025H, Branson 4215HC
Hi Bill,
What kind of fees are you being charged? Most Architects that I know do not usually charge enough and end up working for minimum wage. Are you receiving a stamped set of design calculations from a licensed professional engineer? I have also seen numerous houses of all price ranges get sub-standard structural specifications and details. Make sure that lip service gets followed up by some action. This is a big investment, and you deserve some documented piece of mind.
Good luck with your project.
Dave
What kind of fees are you being charged? Most Architects that I know do not usually charge enough and end up working for minimum wage. Are you receiving a stamped set of design calculations from a licensed professional engineer? I have also seen numerous houses of all price ranges get sub-standard structural specifications and details. Make sure that lip service gets followed up by some action. This is a big investment, and you deserve some documented piece of mind.
Good luck with your project.
Dave
RobS
Super Member
Bill, can't wait to see some pictures of your project. We're having a blast with ours /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
RocketJSquirrel
Bronze Member
Mark me down as also looking forward to hearing your installments on this project. I just received The Not So Big House and Creating The Not So Big House for my birthday. I actually liked the first one better than the second but they both are good. I have a lot of trouble learning and remembering to buy quality stuff instead of cheap stuff. When you buy for quality you only have to cry once, as they say.
/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
OP
blurrybill
Gold Member
Dave,
The fee will approach 12% of construction costs and includes consultation with a structural engineer. My dad was an architect and I know that he would turn over in his grave if we completed this dream without one. We will sacrifice size and perhaps some detail for a well-engineered and designed home that fits our lifestyle. Dad earned the AIA medal at Iowa State and had a strong engineering background. He constantly preached that people on a limited budget CAN afford an architect -- for what homes cost these days, we felt that the extra expense is worth it. Still, we worry about costs and hope we can lock in a loan by next spring or before interest rates rise.
Don't worry about this architect; she is well-known and commands a good fee; we signed the contract, so she'll get it!
Bill
The fee will approach 12% of construction costs and includes consultation with a structural engineer. My dad was an architect and I know that he would turn over in his grave if we completed this dream without one. We will sacrifice size and perhaps some detail for a well-engineered and designed home that fits our lifestyle. Dad earned the AIA medal at Iowa State and had a strong engineering background. He constantly preached that people on a limited budget CAN afford an architect -- for what homes cost these days, we felt that the extra expense is worth it. Still, we worry about costs and hope we can lock in a loan by next spring or before interest rates rise.
Don't worry about this architect; she is well-known and commands a good fee; we signed the contract, so she'll get it!
Bill
OP
blurrybill
Gold Member
Rob,
Glad to hear that your project is going so well. Let's keep in touch as we go along.
Bill
Glad to hear that your project is going so well. Let's keep in touch as we go along.
Bill
OP
blurrybill
Gold Member
Don,
Your comments interest me, especially since we liked the first book better than the second, as well. I was educated with these concepts by my Dad. The books put a voice to what we had believed for some time, so we were really excited when we found them. You'll probably be interested to know that we have hired Michaela Mahady for our project. We don't have all that much money for this, but she loved my dissertation research about attachment to place and, even though she is doing MUCH more expensive projects, she decided to tackle ours. We are thrilled to say the least and she is an exceptionally warm, modest, and approachable individual. We think at this point that the fit is really good between Michaela and our family. We gave her a 36 page document with narrative and scanned pictures for the "programming phase." We're so excited we could burst, but we're taking things a day at a time and are experienced enough to know that lots of things, both good and bad, can happen. We'll keep you posted, if you're interested.
Bill
Your comments interest me, especially since we liked the first book better than the second, as well. I was educated with these concepts by my Dad. The books put a voice to what we had believed for some time, so we were really excited when we found them. You'll probably be interested to know that we have hired Michaela Mahady for our project. We don't have all that much money for this, but she loved my dissertation research about attachment to place and, even though she is doing MUCH more expensive projects, she decided to tackle ours. We are thrilled to say the least and she is an exceptionally warm, modest, and approachable individual. We think at this point that the fit is really good between Michaela and our family. We gave her a 36 page document with narrative and scanned pictures for the "programming phase." We're so excited we could burst, but we're taking things a day at a time and are experienced enough to know that lots of things, both good and bad, can happen. We'll keep you posted, if you're interested.
Bill
Bill, That fee is quite reasonable for a recognized architect. Many times they have to put in as much or more work for a smaller home than a large expensive one. On our project, quality in the basics comes first. I will be adding the finished surfaces over the next 5 or more years myself. Fortunately, our contractor encourages the homeowner to work along with his crew. I look forward to pics of your progress.
Scott_F
Silver Member
Bill,
That's really great. I'm sure you'll end up with a house you love to live in (and show off). As I mentioned in earlier posts in this thread, we used the "not so big" priciples in designing our house and we couldn't be happier with it.
Good luck and keep us informed on how it's going.
Scott
That's really great. I'm sure you'll end up with a house you love to live in (and show off). As I mentioned in earlier posts in this thread, we used the "not so big" priciples in designing our house and we couldn't be happier with it.
Good luck and keep us informed on how it's going.
Scott
OP
blurrybill
Gold Member
Thanks, Scott. We decided that an aggressive "form" wasn't as important to us as some detail and a clean design, so we're not following current trends, but the fit appears to be fantastic so far, as you can imagine with your interest in similar design principles.
I may start another thread, once I understand how to post pictures with the digital camera - it's been hectic lately and it's simply a question of loading the software and playing with it for a while. The Sony F707 has an email feature that creates smaller pictures along with the larger ones for easy posting. Can't wait 'till I figure it out.
Bill
I may start another thread, once I understand how to post pictures with the digital camera - it's been hectic lately and it's simply a question of loading the software and playing with it for a while. The Sony F707 has an email feature that creates smaller pictures along with the larger ones for easy posting. Can't wait 'till I figure it out.
Bill
OP
blurrybill
Gold Member
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