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...