Comments on: Client seeking home design input

By: professional home staging phoenix

professional home staging phoenix — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:14:19 +0000

unique design!

By: stephanie

stephanie — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 23:54:47 +0000

finally, a site worth viewing, you are inspirational

By: SRC

SRC — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:12:05 +0000

Wow. Crazy to make money by commenting on a blog. I do remain envious of the home and look forward to seeing the revised plans.

Ryan- I love the site. We are contemplating a move to Austin, and if we do, will certainly use you as a resource. I can’t wait to see more about your renovations.

Cheers!

By: Joy Nielsen

Joy Nielsen — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:00:20 +0000

Thanks so much to Ryan’s readers for their input. We met with Jay and Beth of Cottam Hargrave last night and worked through some issues. Your comments got us thinking about a deck off the living/dining, the view from the entrance foyer, and the flow of the stairway. We discussed these and a few other concerns with them. I think they came up with some great solutions and will soon put them on paper. Maybe Ryan will be so kind as to post the updated plans as well?

Regarding the energy issue- we are contemplating going with geothermal heat/cool, and C/H plans to use many efficient materials, i.e. the glass, spray foam, 8 inch concrete barrier walls.

Thanks again to all who take the time to help us. C/H actually encourages their clients to seek input from others and we are grateful for all comments.

By: Eric Rauser

Eric Rauser — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:47:50 +0000

Hello,

I have two comments.

First, though the living spaces and bedrooms are beautifully designed and the exterior is impeccable, the circulation spaces might be better. The entry is constricted; sometimes designers do this to create drama which is great as long as you are fine with the drama maybe wearing off eventually. Of more concern to me is the stair; the bottom seems like it will be dark without day-lighting, and the top has two swinging doors at a very small landing and might feel awkward in use.

My second comment has to do with energy usage. I don’t know if the architect did any sun studies, but the house seems fairly well shaded by trees. However, even a perfectly shaded window is the equivalent of an uninsulated wall. There are a lot of storefront and windows on the house which means not a lot of insulation. Also, there is a just lot of surface area in relationship to the house’s volume. Because of this, I would recommend getting an energy audit done by an independent auditor. It doesn’t cost much, and they will be able to tell you how much energy your house will consume. If you are looking at $300 per month, it would be nice to know that before hand. If you need a contact for this, email me.

Cheers,

Eric.

By: SRC

SRC — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:38:18 +0000

Great House plans. I am envious. It would be great if you could post your expereinces with price of the project. I’d love to do the same someday, and am interested in the real world pricing.

One comment on the design is that I would advocate making sure the upstairs “library” counts as a bedroom under your local code, so that the house could be sold someday as 3 br. It will still be an awkward design in terms of resale. I know this isn’t the main concern, but I think it is worth considering.

I would suggest maximizing a deck off the living/dining area. I think it would get far more use than the roof deck. It is not going to be that conducive to eat outside when you have to go across the house and upstairs.

Also, I think the house would be spectacular if there were more glass along the downhill wall opposite the entry. Since that doesn’t look structural, it would be great to walk in and see the outdoors immediately.