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Posted by Warm Worm on May 10, 2006, 5:33 pm
> NOTE: I'm re-posting this, hoping for some comments that are actually
> useful and sincere. I really appreciate any *real* advice from someone
> who actually knows what they're talking about. That said...
>
> I'm having a general contractor build a house that I designed using
> Broderbund's 3D Home Architect software. It's a 2-story colonial, or
> maybe you'd call it a colonial revival. Here is a link to something
> that is similar...
>
> http://www.originalhome.com/gallery/gallery_baseplan1.html
>
> Our builder is very competent, but he's not very savvy when it comes to
> traditional architecture. Most of his houses are basic ranches. He's
> done some colonials and cape codes, and the workmanship is excellent,
> but I've noticed some annoying shortcomings when it comes to design,
> like the windows are not spaced uniformly, or he'll just leave out the
> center window on the second story, or he won't allow the proper amount
> of space between windows for shutters. I've mentioned some of these
> things, and his comments have included, "We'll I'm not a big fan of
> shutters, anyway." ...but this is a colonial!!!
> (Again, see the link above for the traditional look I'm trying to
> accomplish.) Other
> concerns include roof pitch, window trim, the front portico, door and
> baseboard trim, etc.
>
> So here's my question... Is there a book or online resource that I can
> refer to for information about standards for colonial architecture,
> like dimensions, proportions, window spacing, etc?
I'd be surprised if there wasn't. What have you come up with so far?
> I really want this guy to build our house, but he just needs a little
> help to make sure he
> doesn't overlook some important details that could make the house look
> really silly.
>
> Please help. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
John, check out your local library, bookstore and internet search engine,
and stop getting sidetracked with all your responses here. It seems you have
some homework to do!
If you've done the gist of your design in Broderbund-- whatever that is
exactly-- and your GC's execution's lacking, then, short of some
industrial-strength homework on your part, like maybe something next to a
degree in architecture, it seems to make sense to hire an architect.
Incidentally, has your GC already begun to build it, or is it still in the
design phase?
I'm a designer by trade, with a strong interest in architecture, but even by
my training and experience, I doubt I'd dream of winging it without an
architect.
In fact, if I was leading the political show, I'd be sorely tempted to
legislate something to the effect that anyone/any entity planning on
building, be legally obliged to have an architect approve all projects (if
they don't already, which to my understanding is not the case)... if only to
cut down on the usage of an expression I'm reminded of:
"There goes the neighborhood."
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Posted by Pierre Levesque, AIA on May 11, 2006, 9:05 am
> That's a long sentence!
>
Dang... I should have added a whole bunch of periods
.......................................and
comma's,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and "think about
that's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then the sentence might have made more
sense ;-P
> Milo
>
>
>
>
>
>
>> Now you find yourself in a mess as the detailing won't fit the given
>> existing dimensions that were built, your proportions are surely a mess
>> and you'll end up with some expensive "cobbled" together design and house
>> that cost many more times than if you'd have hired a professional
>> designer to begin with where your details would have been worked out
>> beforehand, where your specification would have determined how much
>> detailing would be involved, where a bid set would have given you exact
>> pricing for that detailing, and where your construction contract with
>> that GC would have been based on all the construction including all that
>> proportional Colonial detailing.
>>
>>
>
>
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Posted by R'zenboom on May 11, 2006, 3:18 pm
i'm guessing it's all those AIA newsletters you've been getting...
:]
--
R'zenboom
>
> > That's a long sentence!
> >
>
> Dang... I should have added a whole bunch of periods
> .......................................and
> comma's,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and "think about
> that's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then the sentence might have made more
> sense ;-P
>
>
> > Milo
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >> Now you find yourself in a mess as the detailing won't fit the given
> >> existing dimensions that were built, your proportions are surely a mess
> >> and you'll end up with some expensive "cobbled" together design and
house
> >> that cost many more times than if you'd have hired a professional
> >> designer to begin with where your details would have been worked out
> >> beforehand, where your specification would have determined how much
> >> detailing would be involved, where a bid set would have given you exact
> >> pricing for that detailing, and where your construction contract with
> >> that GC would have been based on all the construction including all
that
> >> proportional Colonial detailing.
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
>
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Posted by Pierre Levesque, AIA on May 11, 2006, 10:31 pm
.................toilet dog!!!!............!!!!!!!!!
> Maybe Pierre shouldn't have left out the *filthy
> dog.....!!!!!!!!!....!!!!!* part.
>
>
>
>> i'm guessing it's all those AIA newsletters you've been getting...
>> :]
>>
>> --
>> R'zenboom
>>
>>>
>>> > That's a long sentence!
>>> >
>>>
>>> Dang... I should have added a whole bunch of periods
>>> .......................................and
>>> comma's,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and "think about
>>> that's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then the sentence might have made
>>> more
>>> sense ;-P
>>>
>>>
>>> > Milo
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >> Now you find yourself in a mess as the detailing won't fit the given
>>> >> existing dimensions that were built, your proportions are surely a
>>> >> mess
>>> >> and you'll end up with some expensive "cobbled" together design and
>> house
>>> >> that cost many more times than if you'd have hired a professional
>>> >> designer to begin with where your details would have been worked out
>>> >> beforehand, where your specification would have determined how much
>>> >> detailing would be involved, where a bid set would have given you
>>> >> exact
>>> >> pricing for that detailing, and where your construction contract with
>>> >> that GC would have been based on all the construction including all
>> that
>>> >> proportional Colonial detailing.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >
>>> >
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> NewsGuy.Com 30Gb $9.95 Carry Forward and On Demand Bandwidth
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Posted by on May 11, 2006, 11:07 pm
john@vieth.info wrote:
> NOTE: I'm re-posting this, hoping for some comments that are actually
> useful and sincere. I really appreciate any *real* advice from someone
> who actually knows what they're talking about. That said...
>
> I'm having a general contractor build a house that I designed using
> Broderbund's 3D Home Architect software. It's a 2-story colonial, or
> maybe you'd call it a colonial revival. Here is a link to something
> that is similar...
>
> http://www.originalhome.com/gallery/gallery_baseplan1.html
>
> Our builder is very competent, but he's not very savvy when it comes to
> traditional architecture. Most of his houses are basic ranches. He's
> done some colonials and cape codes, and the workmanship is excellent,
> but I've noticed some annoying shortcomings when it comes to design,
> like the windows are not spaced uniformly, or he'll just leave out the
> center window on the second story, or he won't allow the proper amount
> of space between windows for shutters. I've mentioned some of these
> things, and his comments have included, "We'll I'm not a big fan of
> shutters, anyway." ...but this is a colonial!!!
'Colonial' is in fact a family of distinct 'traditional' building
styles, used by original European settlers who relied substantially on
their respective 'native' methods of design and construction. Hence
colonial includes Spanish, Dutch, Georgian, Federal, etc. etc. etc. The
image you link to doesn't actually reflect any of these styles
specifically but is a watered down version of a copy of a copy of a
copy that may have had Federalist or Georgian origins. As such it is
more proper to call it simply 'vernacular'.
Even so, the architectural characteristics you're looking for are not
primarily characterized by a lack or presence of shutters, nor by a
centrally located window above the doorway. Plenty of Federalist houses
exist without these features, for instance.
As for references, try googling 'colonial revival' and you'll get
oodles of images that you can pick and choose from.
Window placement is a function of inside as well as outside. Having a
grid of windows on a house invariably means having windows not
centrally located in rooms, which is what your GC may actually be
trying to achieve.
We get people here all the time who use products like Broderbund and
think they are actually designers when they do so. Fortunately, there
is a lot more to architecture than using a $70.00 cut and paste CAD
product.
Marcello
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