Essentials

Mike and I went on the local parade of homes this past Sunday. It was discouraging to see how much local builders want for new construction, some of it fairly shabby. This lead to a conversation about whether or not it is really worth it to build a new home--given the premium you pay for designing the home yourself. We plan to wait a year (afterall, our lot is not going to be accessible by road until then) before we set a final budget for building a home. At that point, we'll run the budget past our builder, along with what we'd like out of the home, and see if it is possible to get our "dream home" for what we are able to spend.

In the event that we aren't able to afford to build, we will be looking for an existing home to move into, perhaps after some renovations. Mike has a hard time believing that I could be happy with an existing home, given that we have looked at many homes together and there aren't many that I like. Of course, part of that is a poor match between Manhattan, KS homes and my tastes. I'm sure that there are other parts of the country that would have an abundance of homes that I would love (for Mike's sake I'll elaborate here: I like Debbie and Stephen's home in Virginia and I liked many homes in Camden, Maine.) I also loved our first home here in KS. In fact, there are probably many homes in Manhattan that I could love, but they are close to campus and, as such, near to trashy rentals. Sigh. The Little Apple does not do a good job of maintaining its historic neighborhoods. I'm not going to lay down $450,000 for a house next to a rental that is sporting a cut-out of a bikini-clad girl in the window and a half-empty keg in the yard. Maybe I'm just being picky, but I don't want Wilson and Henry to get offered a bong hit in lieu of candy on Halloween.

So, let's get down to essentials. What is it that I really need to be minimally satisfied with a house? Those things are:
1) A good Christmas tree spot. A good Christmas tree spot is an important part of a house, for me. This is defined as a place in the front area of the home that is fully exposed by a window to the street (Christmas trees should shine out for all to see.) On the inside of the house, there needs to be plenty of room around the tree for gifts and, on Christmas morning, for people to gather around and open gifts. So, this room should be a living room, study, or parlor. It can't be a dining room, as the table would be in the way.
2) Good natural light. This is defined as lots of southern, eastern and/or northern light and a minimum of western light. Bonus points for wide window sills and window seats, to help enjoy this light.
3) Working chimney and woodstove (or fireplace that could be replaced with a woodstove.)
4) Screened porch or sunroom.
5) At least as much kitchen cabinetry and counter space as we currently have.
6) At least a 2-car garage (detached is acceptable.)
7) Enough rooms to keep our lives organized, including: master bedroom, boys bedroom or two, office for Mike, playroom, dining room, living room, kitchen, laundry room.
8) Not on a busy street.

Okay, so those are the essentials, as I can think of them. What would I like, but don't "need."
1) White baseboards and crown moulding.
2) Lots of built-ins: bookcases, cabinets, window seats.
3) No oak or walnut woodwork. A darker cherry is my preference, but others might be okay.
4) Black and white tile floors. In the bathrooms, I like small, hexagonal tiles. In kitchens, I like 1' black and white squares.
5) Really prefer to have a dedicated guest room. I like having a guest room with a bed all made and ready, a selection of good books, and a few other things to make guests feel at home.
6) A room for me that would meet all my personal needs: computing, art, sewing, knitting, growing seedings.
7) A separate parlor/library to be used for quiet reading and studying.
8) A media room in the basement to keep our gigantic TV hidden away.
9) A more structured floorplan, where rooms can be closed off or opened up, using pocket doors.
10) A beautiful staircase.
11) A mudroom to keep all of the following organized: recycling, coats, boots/shoes, extra pantry items, mail, keys, bags etc...
12) A small foyer where you can sit to take off shoes and hooks to hang up coats.
13) A backyard seating/grilling area that is blocked from harsh evening sunlight.
14) On a cul-de-sac or other non-through street.
15) A fireplace and small sitting area in the master bedroom.

Wow! I look at the second list and it's no wonder that we worry about affording to build a house. That's quite a list of "wants!" We'll just have to wait and see how things play out for us financially between now and the time that our lot becomes available to build on.

Kitchen

Throughout most of the house, I'd like to have dark cherry wood floors, white trim and built-ins, with dark (slate or black) quartz countertop on surfaces that might be home to plants or drinks (e.g. low, hip-height bookcases that I would like to have along the south (window) side of our living room.) But, I've been thinking of inverting this in the kitchen: doing dark wood cabinets with white quartz countertops and black and white tile floors. The pictures below (taken from the February 2009 issue of House Beautiful) show the dark cabinets light countertop look. So, it would be something like this but with black and white floors: I like the wall color. I'm not a fan of the recessed ceiling or the marble backsplash behind the stove. I like how the upper cabinets go all the way to ceiling, eliminating that odd space above most upper cabinets that just

Nice French doors in the eat-in area of the kitchen.

Furniture Styles

Okay, I have another confession: I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to furniture styles. Yesterday, we tried to shop for coffee tables, and I found myself utterly unable to describe what I wanted. So, I'm trying to remedy my ignorance today by reading through a primer on furniture styles:
http://www.efi-costarica.com/Antique-Furniture-Styles.html
I like some aspects of the Sheraton Style (1751-1806) The website describes it as "remarkable for its refined elegance, excellent proportions and balanced distribution of ornaments. It also mirrored the influence of Robert Adam and the Louis XVI style, which Sheraton greatly admired." These chairs, an example of the style, are pretty:

Hmm.... going through the other styles, I some styles that I both like and dislike. Some styles are easily in the dislike category: Arts and Crafts and Mission styles are too plain and heavy looking. Gothic is too severe and imposing. I don't like English Country or Windsor styles.

I like some aspects of Chippendale (chairs) and Federal (tables) but don't like the larger cabinets/secretaries in either style.

I'm a little embarassed to admit that I kind of like mid-Georgian style (particularly Chinoiserie cabinets). It's a little frou frou and would be hard to fit into a home in KS. Late Georgian Style, apparently, includes the Sheraton style featured above. Another good website: http://www.furniturestyles.net/

Okay, so far I don't feel any closer to identifying my own style of furniture. More research is needed!

Wallpaper

Wallpaper can be a bit polarizing. People tend to have strong feelings about it. Currently, the tide seems to be in favor of hating it. It can be hard to install, even harder to remove, and the patterns tend to get dated. But, as risk of being unpopular, I'll admit that I like wallpaper. Not on a wall-to-wall, every room of your house way. But, used judiciously, I think that wallpaper can add something very unique to your home. And, at the risk of sounding completely insane, I like Asian panel wallpaper (Chinoiserie. ) I'm talking about the handpainted designs that were popular in Europe in the 17th century that, rather than feature a repeating pattern, represent a single image (e.g. of a landscape.) I particularly like ones that feature branches, flowers and birds, with a bit of gold leaf accents. When I say that I'd use this judiciously, I mean that I'd use it as if it was a work of art (and, given that they are still handpainted, they basically are works of art.) I'd do one wall of a dining room or the area over my bed. Or, I'd do the interior of a closet, which I think is a fun place to surprise people with wallpaper, as if you've wrapped it up like a gift.

Here are a couple of manufacturers:
http://www.griffinandwong.com/
http://www.graciestudio.com/

Susanka's Home by Design

It finally became my turn to check out Sarah Susanka's book "Home by Design" from our local library. This was suggested by the builder with whom we are most interested in working. I can see why he recommended it. In many ways, her approach mirrors some of the discussions Mike and I have had. One of our issues is balancing flow and more formal, private space. Susanka addresses this in her book, suggesting the making use of small spaces for alcoves (including window seats and nooks under stairways, which I love), flexible structure (e.g. moving walls and sliding doors) and framing spaces in interesting ways. I couldn't find the images from the book online, so I took a few photos of my favorite entries.



These pictures are of an entryway that is defined as a separate space by wide, framed doorways with framed glass around the top. In essence, there isn't a lot there, structurally, separating this entryway from the rest of the house, but the frame around the doorways defines the space and gives it a sense of being a "room" without really being one. Also, I love the white trim and the look of the stairway.
Here's an interesting alcove idea--defining the space with hanging, stained glass panels. Not sure if it's the best idea for a home designed to house two little boys.

This one is one I've always liked: using pass-throughs in kitchens. I prefer to have the kitchen closed off a bit, especially around the top of the room (to keep "cooking air" from dirtying the rest of the house.) A pass-through is a nice way to keep it open but closed.

This isn't an idea that I can recall seeing before. An opening between two rooms is double framed and a built-in bookcase is placed in the space in between. I love the idea of sneaking a little extra, built-in storage into a room, plus the beauty of this double frame.

More built-ins! I think using a hallway as a library is a fantastic use of space, and gives a real feeling of being substantial and useful.

Hidden Doors, Mysterious Things, Magic in our House

One thing that Mike and I can agree on is that we both love the idea of a few secret, curious, mysterious features in the house. Things like hidden doors, secret staircases, special hiding places, a dumbwaiter, that kind of thing. Clever, fun features that aren't found in more standard homes. I was searching on the internet today to find a photo for this post, and found a company that actually manufactures all kinds of hidden doors! http://www.hiddendoorsdirect.com/hidden-door-photos.html
Isn't that cool?? Mostly, when I imagine these features, I envision creating a sense of magic in the house for our kids. I want them to remember the home they were raised in as being a special place.

Dad's Suggestion

My dad suggested that I consider talking to my builder about adding extra circuits and outlets to the house, to make sure that the house functions at its best (e.g. avoid circuit overload.) Good idea! Something I wouldn't have thought of.

The Style Divide: The Chandelier Debate

So, I tend to like style that people would walk into and use adjectives like "graceful," "classic," "elegant," "old-fashioned" and "beautiful." I don't want a house that is so formal and elegant that it feels intimidating, uncomfortable or "too big for its britches." But, I do like elegant touches that make a house feel like it's a bit grand. So, I really liked the 12" high ceilings in the houses that we looked at today. I'd love to couple that ceiling height with some pretty crown moulding, at least in my dining room (which is where feel most free to express my desire to be formal and fancy.) I'd like to have a smooth, curving staircase with that ends in a swirly snail shell shape (you know what I mean?) Here's the problem: my husband thinks that stuff is going to make our house seem too formal. When I mentioned my desire to have crystal light fixures, he balked. Okay, maybe I used the word "chandeliers" which I, later, retracted. I don't really like chandeliers, per se. It's more small to medium sized light fixtures that have pretty crystals hanging from them. Like these (which are actually sconces, but imagine them in 360 degrees):
They are pretty little details. They refract the light in beautiful ways. And, in a small size (like the size of a normal light fixture), aren't too formal or intimdating. They do seem old fashioned to me, especially if you could find antique or vintage ones to reclaim (a hint to our potential builders!) The Schulz's house (the KSU Presidential home, on campus) is a really good example of this. They have at least two crystal light fixtures, but I think their home feels warm, nostalgic, and comfortable. Noel Schulz said that I can come by and take photos sometime. That may be what it takes to convince Mike to see my point-of-view. I'm not giving up on elegance! And, I think we can find a way to incorporate those elegant touches without making Mike feel like the house is too fancy for him.

Met a Builder/Architect Team in Topeka

Mike's mother met a builder/architect team in Topeka that she thought we might like. This morning, we went over and toured a few of their houses with them. We really liked their work. I just want to put down, stream of consciousness, some of the things that we liked (so we don't forget!) In referring to the houses that we saw, I have written "first house" and "second house" to refer to the two houses that were finished and to the "builders house" which is under construction.

1) Okay, start with 12 foot high ceilings. Gorgeous! Really gives a grand sense to a house (which, if you've been reading the blog, you know is important to me!)

2) The thing that impressed me most was the use of reclaimed materials throughout the homes. I hadn't ever made reclaimed flooring a priority, because I didn't think we'd find a builder willing to work with those materials. This team makes an abundant use of reclaimed wood, both for flooring and for their handmade/designed cabinetry. Amazing! The flooring really gives a lot of character to the homes. I also think that their use of reclaimed materials says something else about the team: mostly, a willingness to go the extra mile for quality and character. That's something lacking in most builders, at least around here! Mike felt that the reclaimed wood (and custom woodwork) gave an authenthic and substantial feel to the houses.

3) Use of transoms. I had forgotten that I like a window above doorways, like in the house my mother was raised in. They used transoms (fixed, not moving) above doorways and windows to extend the height of windows, giving a really historic feel and helping to match the height of the room (see #1).

4) Use of both "stained glass windows" and colored glass. They have some beautiful, simple stained glass work, mostly as transoms throughout their homes. Also, on one exterior wall, they used squares of colored glass, separated by wood moulding, to give a stained glass look.

5) Big closets with lots of shelving. And, as a bonus, a laundry room off of the master closet, that includes a table for folding clothes! The laundry room was sunken (down a few stairs) from the closet. Very nice design!

6) Mudrooms and pantries. The first house had a very open kitchen (something Mike loves and I don't, because he likes openness and I like structure, but anyway...) It seemed a bit small for my needs, until they showed a pantry that ran behind the entire length of the kitchen, with a wall of shelving. Wow! That really expands the storage of the kitchen! I'd like to combine this type of feature with a mudroom (which is what they had in the second house) so that it would include: storage of dry goods, chest freezer or even extra fridge, place to hang coats, place to put shoes, cubbies for purses and school bags, recycling center, a prep table, and maybe even a little desk for our home laptop.

7) Cool nooks/built-ins. They had some nice little built-ins. I'd like a whole lot of that: built-in shelving and cabinets. Secret little doors that open up to small storage places. In the home that they are building for the builder's family, they have some cool loft features that their kids are going to love! I'd also like a secret staircase, but I'm not sure how practical that really is. :)

8) Great bathroom design. We liked the master bath in both houses. They separated the bath, shower and toilet which I prefer (it's one of the features that I like about our current bath). The second house had a beautiful view from the bathtub. If I were to change one thing about it, it would be the placement of the toilet (which was also open to the windows) or raise that window a bit!

9) Mike really loved the way that the staircases looked in the second house. They curved around and you could look down through the center from the top floor to the basement. I also liked that arrangement. The changes that I would make would be to add a carpet runner down the stairs (fear of falling!) and to change the stylistic details from the Craftsman approach (very squared off) to something more circular and flowing (of course, that probably adds a lot of expense, so the latter isn't that important.) It reminded both of us of a staircase that was in a small hotel in Nice, France (pictured below)

This staircase adds an element that I really like: black and white tile. This type of tile design (with a diamond between square tiles) is one I really like. I also like small, hexagonal tile (white with a black accents) for bathrooms and large (12") black and white squares (in kitchens.) Though, we had horrible luck with this type of flooring in our first house (the nails from the underlayment popped up and make the floor all bumpy.) Guess who got a refund.

10) Lots of counter space in the second house's kitchen.

11) Using a fireplace to separate two living areas, with a wrap-around hearth.

What I would add/change in my own home:

1) More window seats. I really like this feature, particularly in bedrooms. This could be accomplished by flanking windows with built-in cabinets or shelving (so that the seat wouldn't just jut out on its own.)

2) Other flooring materials. The reclaimed wood is amazing and gorgeous, but I'd add tile in the bathrooms (cool if that could be reclaimed!) And low-pile carpet in the bedrooms.

3) More structure. I like my rooms to be a bit more separate (I know this is an issue that Mike and I differ on.) Our compromise, so far, has been to say that we will have large doorways separating rooms with pocket doors.

4) Darker wood flooring.

5) Wood burning stoves instead of gas fireplaces.

Something the tours gave me to think about:

1) Color of woodwork. I have wanted white mouldings and built-ins for a long time. I like the way that white gives a totally pure accent for paint colors. I love houses with vast stretches of shelving and built-ins, which would be dark and imposing if done in stained wood (especially given that I like darker woods, like cherry.) I also like having chair rails in white, and those white picture frame like things in the bottom half of the wall (I don't know what this is called, it's like wainscoting but not really. Or maybe it is wainscoting, as I found this photo with a Google search for wainscoting. This is what I'm talking about:

Anyway, these guys do beautiful work with reclaimed wood that really gives a old house feel. I liked the way the reclaimed wood looked around the window casings. But, I don't think I'd like a whole wall of built-ins in wood, just because I think that would look too dark. Hmm....

To this builder/architect team: Thanks for giving us your time. We're very interested in working with you!

Garden Show/Home Show

Today, it was both the Garden Show and Home Show in Manhattan. We met lots of professionals in the area. I had a nice talk with the owner and the landscape designer at Horticultural Services who seemed interested in my plans to use edibles and "nostaglic" flowers in my landscape. However, they don't do irrigation systems, so we'd have to work with them and another company. We also met representatives from Blueville Nursery, Master Landscape, Rothwell Landscape, Howe Landscape and Lee Creek Gardens.

We talked to Christopher Shaw, who sells the Quad-Lock system of insulated concrete forms. It's an interesting option, which substitutes concrete and rebar inside of sytrofoam forms for the traditional wood framing on a house. It's more insulating and stronger than a typical house. It also costs more. We will need to research it more to see if it's a good choice for us.

Not all of the builders came prepared to show examples of their work. That was a bit disappointing, since that was our reason for attending the home show! I realized, however, that it is probably best to select our architect, get the plans ready, then shop for builders. At this point, it feels a bit too abstract.

Landscaping

Ah, exhale. It's been a really long and busy week. Last night, I felt my personal tolerance for stress slip gently over the edge, during the clean up of our chest freezer's meltdown. As it turns out, our toddler had found the temperature control on the freezer, turning it up to "rotten meat" mode. After extensive clean-up, our house went from smelling like a back-alley slaughterhouse to simply smelling like a dead pig in a swimming pool (Mike's words.) This, coupled with a very busy week at work has led me to need some "la la" time. By that, I mean time to stick my fingers in my ears, say "la la la la" and escape reality for a while.

What better way to do this than to indulge myself in fantasizing about landscaping our future home? La la la! So, where do I start? Let's start with what I like. I like "old fashioned plants" (peonies, bridal wreath spirea, hollyhocks, lilac, iris, lilies) that give a feel of an older garden, ones that you might see on an old farmstead. I love the idea of including as many edible plants into the landscape as possible. Not just in a garden set aside for edibles, but sprinkled throughout the landscape (herbs, asparagus, rhubarb, plum bushes, cherry trees) I like the idea of using plants and hardscaping to make outdoor "rooms," dividing up a yard into usable spaces. I'd like to have mysterious places, secret spots, and a little magic in my yard. I prefer perennial, or self-seeding, plants. One-shot annuals feel like a waste to me.

Now, on to what I don't want in a landscape. I really don't like landscapes that feel sterile and corporate. If it would be appropriate for a golf course, I don't want it at my house. This includes shrubs groomed into ball shapes and large tufts of grass. I don't like surrounding my plants with rocks (both because it looks "cold" to me, and because it's a pain to dig up in the future.) I'm not into landscaping that is meant to blend seamlessly into the surrounding environment. I realize that sounds bad, maybe even offensive to some. How do I explain this? I want a garden that, while it's in tune with the environmental and soil conditions of our area, stands out from the prairie landscape. Something that feels like a human creation, rather than a slight shift from what is already there. I want a garden that would look at home near an English cottage or an old American farmstead. Something with gorgeous color, wild and untethered. I'm not really a fan of subtlety.

Ah, exhale. Nothing like a little trip into la la land.

Flooring

One of the biggest questions I've had about building a green house has been about flooring. As we plan to use a ground source heating unit and a passive solar design, there are certain issues for flooring. With radiant heating (from ground source) we need to consider the r-value of our flooring choices. If a floor covering is too insulating, the heat won't be able to transfer from the system to the room (or, for cooling, from the room to the system.) As far as I know, they recommend an r-value under 4.0 for radiant heat systems. For passive solar, you want flooring that can soak up the heat from sunlight coming through southern windows, then release the heat as the sun goes down.

For both of these systems, tile, stone or concrete work well. But, it's also my goal to make the house have a "historic feel" and "have a lot of character." In my aesthetic, these ideal materials fall short. Also, I really like having carpet in some rooms, both for its coziness but also because it keeps dirt from swirling about the house and causing an outbreak of dust bunnies.

So, I've been doing some research. Turns out, I may not need to sacrifice my style for the environment. A low pile, synethic carpet (r=.7) with a thin, slab rubber pad (r=.32) doesn't have a bad R-Value (total just over 1.) Linoleum (which I like for kitchens) has a typical r value of .4. Specifically, Marmoleum has a 2.45 value for the kind you install with adhesive and a 1.7 for the floating floor type. Hardwood floors tend to be around r=.7. Engineered wood flooring around .4.

At the same time, I'm shopping around for ceramic tile. Ceramic tile has a typical r-value of .25 (so, non-insulating) and is good as a passive solar mass. My hope is to find a tile that I really like and use that in the room(s) with the most southern exposure, while using flooring that I prefer for aesthetic or functional reasons in other rooms.

Just to keep myself organized, I'm pasting an e-mail from Marmoleum here:
"It will be fine to install either the Marmoleum sheet goods or the Click(our "floating" floor) over radiant heat. We do recommend having theheat shut off or turned down for at least 48 hours before installation,during and 72 hours after installation. It should then be raisedgradually, so adhesive and material can cure/adapt together. Thesubstrate temperature should never exceed 85 degrees. The R-Value of theMarmoleum sheet goods is 2.45, and the Click with a vapor barrier (whichwill be needed when installing over radiant heat) is 1.70.Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Jennifer Malloy Technical Services"

Kind of Like the Look of This

This is actually the front of a house, which seems strange to me. But, as the side of a house, there are some good elements to it. Well, what I think that I like is that it's white, and has lots of windows (with small, divided panes of glass) and has a screened in porch on one side. One odd thing about it is that the screened in porch is on the west side of the house (wouldn't want to be there in the evenings!) Also, I don't like the strangle little angular window that juts out on the lower, right hand side of the house. Otherwise, it captures something of the feel of the house that I'd like to build.

Beauty, Function and Performance

Our friend Mike, a professor of architecture at KSU, was nice enough to meet with us to discuss some of our beginning questions about the house. One question we were left with was what balance of beauty (aesthetic considerations), function (how the house will work for our needs) and performance (how energy and resource efficient the house will be) we are looking for. Of course, the answer is: we want it all!! But, realistically, we have to consider that there will be trade-offs. If we are honest with ourselves, the priorities come down like this:
1) Function: of course, function has to win out. We can't have features for aesthetic or performance reasons that compromise how the house will work for our needs.
2) Beauty: One of the big points of building my own house, rather than moving into someone else's house, is that I have a really particular aesthetic that I'm seeking. Building is a really long, scary, stressful, expensive process. We're willing to engage in the process to get a house that feels really right to us, and the look of it is a huge part of that.
3) Performance: We really do want to have a house that is as efficient as possible while still addressing 1 & 2.

So, one of the big questions is where the trade-offs will lie. We plan to meet with Mike again in a few weeks. I'm starting this particular post to begin collecting questions about features that we want that may conflict with performance.
1) Mike would like the front porch to wrap around the house to connect with a sunroom/porch on the back of the house. We plan to have the garage on the north side of the house (thought that would be good, to block the main house from the wind. So, the porch would need to wrap around the south side. We know that our southern windows will need to have some overhang to block the summer sun. But, would a porch provide too much shading and block the sun from warming our house in the winter? What if it was narrow?
2) What types of flooring materials would be good to use with ground source heating? We like to have bedrooms carpeted. How much would that interfere with the performance of radiant heating?
3) What types of flooring materials work well as a thermal mass to store heat? What are the worst materials? If what we want for our flooring (either for beauty or function) doesn't match up with our need for thermal mass, what would be an alternative thermal mass?

Okay, that's it for now. More later.

My Favorite House in the Little Apple

This is my favorite house in Manhattan. It's just north of the intersection of Juliette and Poyntz. I love the symmetry and balance of this house. I love the double layer porch with its the simple, substantial columns. I love how how the porches are topped by those slight arches (more rounded corners than true arches.) I also like the solid, weighted look of using limestone on the bottom of the porch. If you could look more closely, you would see that the front windows are decorative glass (not stained, but cut and leaded in a simple design.) It looks like a home that was lovingly built for a large family. It's beautiful, but simple. It has style without being fussy. It seems warm and welcoming, to me.

How Green?

On the way to work today, Mike asked me how green I wanted our new house to be. He pointed out that I have, in the past, dreamed of being "off the grid" (energy independent.) I still feel that this would be a wonderful goal. I definitely hope to use geothermal to heat and cool the house. I want to orient the house, the windows and the eaves in such a way that we are warmed by southern light in the winter and avoid harsh light in the summer (i.e. passive solar design.) As for active solar technology, I plan to look into it and see what the costs and benefits would be. We need to be sure that our local electricity company is willing to "buy back" any extra energy we produce during sunny days so that when we use energy on cloudy days, we aren't paying for all of it. I'd also like to use a whole house fan and plan the windows in such a away that we are able to capture breezes on warm days.

So, how green would I like the house to be? Very green. But, I'm not willing to sacrifice much in terms of comfort, convenience and style. For example, I'd love to capture rainwater to water the yard, but I really like the convenience of an automatic sprinkler system. So, maybe we can just say that I'll have a sprinkler system but I'll try to landscape in such a way that excessive watering isn't necessary? Maybe my rainwater could be funneled into a pretty water garden?

Let's face it, some "green" homes are just, fugly. Yeah, I said it. They are plain, odd, and asymmetrical. Some of them aren't as much fugly as they are just far too modern and angular for my tastes. Check out these examples.
No offense intended towards the owners of these very green homes. It's just that this isn't my style. I want a beautiful home; a home that is lovely, formal and a little bit opulent. One that shows my style and my personality. And, is as green as can be (without needing to be fugly.) In fact, I would go so far as to say that it would be good for the world for us to build an exceptionally beautiful home that is also green, just to show others that you don't have to sacrifice style for the environment.

What's My Style?

When I try to describe the style of house that I'd like to have, I use words like "historic," "cottagey," "farmhouse," and "Craftsman." The truth is, I know what kinds of houses I like when I see them, but I'm not exactly sure where my style fits in terms of architectural lingo. So, I set out to help myself define that. HGTV has some information on architectural styles that I found helpful. I'll go through each (of the styles that are remotely related to what I like) to describe what I do and don't like about it.

Craftsman Homes

Key Elements of Craftsman Homes
Built of natural materials. I actually don't want a house that is too woodsy looking. I don't want to use unpainted woods or stone. I prefer siding or painted brick.

Built-in furniture and light fixtures. LOVE built-ins.
Fireplace. A wood burning stove and a warm, inviting hearth area are things I like.
Porches. LOVE porches. I really like the porches to have solid columns, that are wider at the bottom than at the top. I think this is why I've always said that I like Craftsman homes.
Low-pitched roofs. I do really like the overhangs and wide eaves of Craftsman style.
Exposed beams. I like seeing the beams supporting the eaves, but don't want to see them inside the house.
Open floor plan. Actually, I don't like an open floor plan. I really like a formal, symmetrical floor plan. But, Mike loves openness. We hope to deal with this by having wide doorways between public rooms with pocket doors that can be opened fully for a more open look and closed for more formality.

Summary: I love the simple exterior elements of Craftsman, especially the porches framed by columns that are square and thicker at the bottom. I love the wide overhangs, both aesthetically and practically (for heating and cooling.) I don't want a house that looks too woodsy or "natural." Or a really open floor plan.

Victorian

Key Elements of Victorian Homes:
Two to three stories. I like 2-3 story homes. That's something that differs from the Craftsman style, which tend to be 1 1/2 stories.
Complicated, asymmetrical shape. Nope. I prefer a more symmetrical shape. Prefer simplicity, without plainness.
Decorative trim. Nope. Nothing decorative in a cutesy way.
One-story porch. I love porches, one or two story.
Towers. Towers seem a bit costumey to me. Overall, the Victorian style is a bit too ornate, too much like it's pretending to be a little gingerbread castle.
Vibrant colors. I like rich colors in interiors (offset by white moulding) but I don't like a vibrant colored exterior.
Summary: I like the height and formality of Victorian homes. But, overall, too fussy for me.

Colonial

Key Elements of Colonial Style: "These homes are often marked by a centrally located front door, evenly spaced double-hung windows and simple side-gabled roof. " I really like a central front door, but would prefer one that stood out from the exterior, containing a foyer with windows. I like the simple roofline on Colonial homes.

Square, symmetrical shape. I really like the formality and symmetry of Colonial homes.
Flattened columns on each side of door. Don't like this. In fact, I don't like any columns that are "wannabe" Greek looking. Much prefer the more substantial and humble columns on Craftsman homes.
Shutters. I like the look of shutters. I wonder sometimes if they are "real" or just for show. I'm the kind of person who is practical enough to want the shutters to have some kind of use.

History of Habitation

Both Mike and I grew up in ranch houses in suburban neighborhoods in the Midwest. While Mike really liked the style of his large, rambling ranch with a sunken family room, I was less inspired by the brick ranch that I grew up in. I always admired older, two-story homes, like the one that my grandmother lived in. It had a parlor behind pocket doors, a beautiful wood staircase, built-in cabinets and a cozy kitchen with black and white tile floors. This is the kind of home that feels like home to me.

In college, Mike lived in the dorms. He loved it and the food. Unusual. I lived in a second floor apartment in an old, run-down house. But, it had the tall, double-hung windows with wide window ledges that you only find in older homes. It was light and bright, and had a nice kitchen. If you ignored the fact that the exterior staircase to my apartment was likely to disintegrate or detach from the building at any minute, it was a great place.

From college, we moved together to Kansas City. Our apartment was another second-floor apartment in a very old building. How old? Old enough that, one night, one of the bed legs broke through the hardwood floors. It was cold, and kind of dark. The kitchen was tiny. The upside? Well, we were right next door to a chocolate shop. The other upside was the beautiful balcony. I'm a sucker for balconies. And chocolate. Eating chocolate on a balcony. Does it get better than that?

Our next apartment was a duplex in Charlottesville, VA. It was probably built around the 1950s. It was two story with hardwood floors throughout. It had gorgeous southern light pouring in through the front window. Our other light source was on the east, from a series of windows with ledges wide enough to put potted plants (a feature that I really like.) The kitchen was cute, with knotty pine cabinets and a little peak-through to the dining room.

For the next two years, we had two separate places. Mike continued to live in Charlottesville, splitting an old house with two classmates. From the outside, it was cute. Inside, it was too dark. And, dirty. Three busy graduate students does not equal a tidy house. I lived in Washington, DC, in the basement of my friend Amy's parents' house. It was a tiny little apartment, but had a nice kitchen and windows on the walkout side.

Once Mike finished his graduate coursework, he moved up to DC to live with me. We rented an apartment in a nice highrise building near my campus. While it wasn't charming, it was very comfortable, even luxurious, in its own way (e.g. dentist, hairdresser, convenience store, all in the building.) If something in the apartment broke, the maintenance men were on the scene within minutes. The best part was a giant picture window that took up half the living room. Once again, let me reiterate, I love light. Light, light, light. I also love a house that isn't plagued with maintenance problems.

We moved from DC to a small village deep in the rainforest of Papua New Guinea. There were no roads in or out of the village, only air (or foot) transportation. No power or running water. We lived in a small, two room house that Mike had built with the help of the village, the summer before. We had lots of windows and a nice front porch for socializing. There was a metal roof that amplified the pitter patter of raindrops (or the roar of a downpour.) I liked that little house, and the noisy roof. It would have been nice to have indoor plumbing and fewer uninvited guests (e.g. rats, geckos, bugs.) But, it was home for that year.

Ugh, moving back to the States we lived in this ground-level apartment in Fairfax, VA. It had bad light, a narrow kitchen. Nothing really redeemable about it. Our upstairs neighbors smoked and littered our little cement patio with cigarette butts. And, we spent the whole year writing dissertations. Whew--glad that's over.

After completing our dissertations, we both got jobs at Kansas State University. We rented an apartment on Houston St, behind the bank at 14th and Poyntz. It was a little two bedroom in an older home. The kitchen was adorable--knotty pine with cabinets that could be opened from both the kitchen and from the dining room. It also had one of those little peak-through joining the kitchen and dining room. I should clarify that I'm not actually such a huge fan of knotty pine that I's want it in my own home, but in that apartment, it was cute.

So, next was our first time as "real" home owners. It was a little 1 1/2 story house in St. George, KS. It was built sometime between the 1920s and 1940s (it was moved to its current site from another location, so it's hard to say for sure.) I was utterly charmed by this house. Screened porch, sunroom, hardwood floors, built-in cabinets, large windows, a walk-out basement, and all the difficult to quantify charm of an older home. I painted the kitchen a cool blue-green color and put in black and white tile (to remind me of my grandma's house.) Unfortunately, the house was very drafty. It needed new windows and a new roof. By the time that our son Wilson was born, we realized that the neighborhood was not one that we wanted to settle in. So, we searched for a house that would be more comfortable.

We settled upon a two-story house in the suburbs. It's about 20 years old. It's comfortable and easy to heat and cool. It has established landscaping including automatic sprinklers (which, I love.) It has a nice, fenced back yard that includes a paved basketball court that is great for our son to ride bikes on. The downsides? Most of the light comes from west windows, which is just blinding in the afternoons. Almost no light comes from the south. I elected to get rid of all my houseplants, because I couldn't find enough light for them. The house is in very good shape and many people would find it quite beautiful. But, asethetically, it has kind of a 1990's oak cabinet kind of feel when I'd prefer a 1940s vibe. It just doesn't feel right to me.

I realize that many, many people would look at my current house and think that I was crazy for not loving it. Here's my analogy: pretend our two houses are boyfriends. The first was a relationship with great passion. Unfortunately, he had fatal flaws (e.g. smoked crack.) The second boyfriend is perfect from everyone's perspective: he's a high paid doctor, who is handsome and takes me to Paris for weekend trips. But, call me crazy, there is just no spark there. It wouldn't be fair to either of us to commit to a long-term relationship when there isn't any passion between us.

So, what have I learned from the 11 places that I've lived?
1) I love light. Southern light. Don't like light from the west.
2) I love big windows with wide, window ledges. I'd also love a window seat, but I've never had one.
3) I love balconies, porches, and sunrooms. I'm not too thrilled about decks, due to high maintenance.
4) I love those touches that are unique to older homes: unique woodwork, grand staircases, built-ins, pocket doors.
5) I like formality and symmetry. Mike loves an informal, open floor plan. One compromise that we've considered is using pocket doors to give a more structured look when closed, or give more open flow between rooms when opened.
6) I like my maintenance to be easy. Love that my current yard waters itself. If it could weed itself, I'd be in heaven.
7) I want a house that is comfortable and energy efficient.

More about all of this in future posts.

Oh, the Agony of Defeat!

I called the city this morning to check on the special taxes of "our" lot. Turns out, it's owned. I called the owner who is very enthusiastic about building his own dream house on the lot. I'm so bummed. So, so bummed.

Woo hoo! Have We Found a Lot?

Mike and I think we may have found a good lot on which to build our dream house! We're very excited! I decided to start this blog so that I could keep my thoughts and plans for the house organized. So, coming soon will be more about our hopes for the new house, what we like and dislike in homes, photos, etc...