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!