We're moving to Bellevue! We decided to buy the last lot in YS Development's Bellevue 41st project.
Location
We can give a list of place descriptors, but unlike Seattle or Kirkland where geographic labels mean something to us, we do not really know what these labels entail. The good thing is that even you folks outside of Seattle will have only slightly less understanding of our description than we do.
The site is on Somerset Hill (this one makes sense; it's a geographic feature), near the Factoria Mall (but what is the Factoria area?), but also in the Newport area (the high school and library near-by are named after this), in the south part of Bellevue (the actual city). One thing we know is that people react much more positively when we say "we'll be living on Somerset Hill" than when we say "we'll be living in Factoria."
View Larger Map
Basically, the site is just south of I-90 (major east-west freeway that heads west into Seattle, and east out to the Cascade Mountains and Eastern Washington) and just east of I-405 (major north-south freeway that parallels I-5 on the east side of Lake Washington — this is the main corridor for the Eastside).
This area seems out-of-the-way to someone who lives up in Kirkland. From there, we rarely have any reason to go south of I-90 unless we're going all the way to the airport, which is another 10 miles beyond Factoria. Shopping, stores, and most other activities we frequent are either in Seattle or in the Kirkland-Redmond-Bellevue (downtown) area. We don't go down to Factoria regularly (we've probably been down there less than a half-dozen times). We only pass by it as part of a longer trip south. That makes it seem far away.
But in driving distance, it isn't far. If traffic on 405 is good, we can make it down there in about 15 minutes; taking the back roads is maybe 20-25 minutes. Coming from Microsoft, downtown Bellevue, or even downtown Kirkland is less than that. The only awkward part to the location is commuting by bus between there and Kirkland; which is, unfortunately, what Erika does (however, we've already discussed alternative options for her, so we can hopefully find something reasonable).
Project and Site
The project consists of five custom homes; the others are in the range of 2300-2900 sq ft. and $800k-$900k in price. We're going to be coming in a bit below that at closer to 2000 sq ft. and a bit over $700k (which was the high end of the Taltree project). The houses are arranged with a short driveway down the middle and two houses on the upslope, three on the downslope.
The houses will probably all be oriented toward the west to take advantage of the views — a few trees close in on the lot, then across Lake Washington to some hills in the south part of Seattle. The upper floors should be able to see some of the lake, too. This development won't have the same major community features as Taltree, but there is already discussion of putting in some shared amenities near the end of the driveway. This development is well along; as of several weeks ago, the first house was fully framed; the second had most of the foundation laid; the third was in design; and the fourth is close to being sold. I'm guessing we'll start design on a similar schedule with the fourth house.
We are taking the fifth lot, which is closest to the (very quiet residential) road, but is at the western edge of the group (on a western slope, so there will be one house behind/upslope from us, but we shouldn't have anything besides trees blocking our view). There is a trail that we are hoping the city will develop into real stairs that lead down to the Factoria Mall. The trail goes right by what will be our backyard, and leaves a nice gap in the trees for the western view. We do have a view of the freeway, and there is some noise; but I found that as soon as you stopped paying attention it disappeared; inside it should be completely quiet. There should also be enough flat space between the house and tree line to the west for a backyard, which will be below street level.
Design
What does this mean from a design perspective? We're not as familiar with the lot yet (we'll be meeting with the architect soon for some preliminary layout); but a three-story house has been suggested to take advantage of the slope, with the lower floor being just one room; potentially a media room or guest room. We're assuming that the entry and garage will be on the east side at the main floor, with the major social areas there; and private living spaces upstairs.
It will probably be mostly west and south oriented; since north is closest to the next house over, and east will be towards the driveway and another house. West and south are more private, have good light, and have better views. But we don't yet have a good idea of what the overall shape or layout of the building will be. The backyard will be at the lowest level, which may be below the main social space, so we may have a larger deck off the main floor (one of the houses currently under construction has this setup). Overall, though, we want the same functionality and general relationship between areas as we discussed for the Taltree project. On the upside, now we will have a personal garage right next to our house, instead of a shared one in a different area of the site.
Personal Thoughts
In the end, how do we feel about this? Well, it is a shame that the Taltree project wasn't coming together in our time frame. While there is no hard limit in our current location (in fact, we've been quite happy here and could probably stay a lot longer), after more than nine months of waiting, we are very ready to finally have our project underway. This has the best timeline and least uncertainty of all the options; and also gives us the best value — being part of a project that already has agreements with various manufacturers, we will get those same deals.
We are not familiar with the neighborhood down there, so that is a source of uncertainty. We did a little bit of exploring, and there are ups and downs. While it is considered very walkable (an 82/100 on WalkScore), that is pretty much all to the Factoria Mall. This is not exactly the most pedestrian-friendly areas, but there is a good variety of businesses. Certainly more than Taltree which only had walking access to a (much smaller) strip mall. Being up on the hill is nice. It provides psychological separation from the mall even though it is only a short (though steep) walk away.
Jeff's commute will improve; he may not even need to drive to the near-by park and ride to catch a bus into downtown Seattle. If he ever ends up working on the Eastside, he'll be a short drive away. Erika is not as happy, since the best bus is a route that takes about 50 minutes from Factoria Boulevard up to Google Kirkland. On the other hand, she knows there are co-workers who live in that area which might make car-pooling an option; or if she is willing to drive, it will be fairly reasonable, even avoiding the freeway. Certainly not as good as Taltree would be, though.
While the community will not be as extensive as it probably would be at Taltree, the existing members have formed a good community already, and it sounds like a nice group. It is difficult to predict what will happen; but even at the other development, nothing is assured.
One disadvantage is that we'll have to change this blog name... (any suggestions?)
Overall, we're happy. We've both decided it is the best decision; we are happy to be moving forward; and still happy to be working with YS Development.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Update: Site Changes
Apologies for the infrequency of recent posts; we haven't abandoned this blog, but not much has been happening until just recently. First, a little catch-up for some proposed Taltree changes; and then some information about a choice we have to make now.
A few months ago, we got word that the garage plan for the Taltree site was changing. The underground garage was deemed too expensive, and changing it to above-ground parking would allow for a change in unit mix. There was little demand for the largest units, and more demand for the smallest units. A more cost-effective parking setup would the largest units could be eliminated in exchange for more small- and mid-sized units. The exact details of the proposal kept changing; options included: parking directly attached to most units, parking mostly at the front of the lot with some attached parking along the south, and parking spread out (with a garage for us at the south-east corner, nearish our unit). This change had some advantages, so we were fairly happy with it; but wanted to wait until the change was finalized before posting details.
However, a few weeks ago we started talking about some alternate options. The Taltree project still has an indefinite timeline due to difficulties finding enough committed buyers for the project. Talking with Yuval, we came up with a few options to consider: take the last lot at the Bellevue 41st project, reduce the community aspect of the Taltree site in such a way as to allow that project to happen in stages, or find a stand-alone lot elsewhere to buy and build on.
Bellevue 41st
The Bellevue 41st project is five lots, each with a single-family home with personal garage (no shared parking) down in south Bellevue (it is in Somerset Hill, right next to the Factoria Mall, but several hundred feet up). The homes and lots (and therefore prices) are bigger than Taltree, and the location is further south than we would prefer; so we originally weren't considering it as a possibility. However, this project was started earlier than Taltree, so is much further along; in fact, the first house is already framed, the second has a foundation laid; and the third is in design already. If we decided on this, we could start design right away, and be ready to move in roughly 12-13 months later. The trick is meeting our budget: we're aiming for $100k-200k less than the other homes in this development; however, we also want a smaller home. If we can get the lot at a reasonable price, we could be a home there within our budget.
The main site is nice, up on a hill with some really great western views and trees around it. The neighborhood is pretty nice, and has some of the best schools in the area. The general location, however, is not ideal. It is further from Kirkland, where Erika works, and further from where most of our friends live now. However, it is quicker to get into Seattle, where I work, and driving the backroads between Kirkland/Redmond and Factoria does not take as long as it seems like it should; it's even faster if you take I-405 (as long as there isn't traffic). There are more restaurants and stores within walking distance (even if they're all in strip malls or the main mall). The community wouldn't be the same as at Taltree, as there is no group parking, and there is a (short) driveway between the houses. However, the current members have already started to form a good community and are talking about adding some small shared amenities at the end of the driveway.
Taltree (phased)
Another option is to change the plan at the Taltree site. One proposal was to subdivide the land into several lots. One half-acre lot would have a smaller community of four houses; the other half-acre would be divided into two or three lots with a single home each. The individual lots could start development before the community section, and they would be developed independently. Since the number of total units would be reduced, this change would would depend on getting a good deal for the land from the bank. However, it would allow parts of the project get started sooner and allow the builder to stage development. It would also make it easier to hit the threshold of the community section to start development on that. For this option, we'd get our choice of lot and total time would be maybe 14-16 months. On the downside, this setup would probably not have the same kind of community as the original Taltree proposal. Plus, since we would be in the first phase of building with others at indeterminate times, we might be living right next to other construction for a while.
Compared to Bellevue, this location continues to have the same advantages it did before: it is close to friends, it is a good commute for Erika, and, although it is not quite as walkable as the Bellevue location, it is still a pretty walkable location.
Separate Lot
The final option is to find a separate lot in a different neighborhood, and build a single house there. This would require more work to find the lot, and get it ready to build. The timeline would be more like 18 months. Since this would have no community at all, the main advantages would be finding the best location (preferably within walking distance of Houghton, where Erika works; and/or downtown Kirkland; both locations would put me within walking distance of the main bus that would take me to downtown Seattle for my work), and maybe a slightly larger lot for more gardening/play space (since we won't have shared spaces for these things). Unfortunately, it looks like all the lots that even meet the location criteria are going to be more expensive than we like, and would probably push our overall cost up by around $100k. Between the cost, longer timeline, and difficulty of finding/developing a new lot, this option is the least-feasible right now.
So...
We have not made a final decision yet, but we will soon. In the next few weeks, we will find out if we can successfully get a good-enough deal on the land at either Taltree or Bellevue 41st to make those options possible. At that point, we will need to make a decision (or have already decided), since there are other potential buyers interested, too. Once we've decided, then actual development can start relative to the time frames listed above. By the end of the month, we should know where we'll be living!
A few months ago, we got word that the garage plan for the Taltree site was changing. The underground garage was deemed too expensive, and changing it to above-ground parking would allow for a change in unit mix. There was little demand for the largest units, and more demand for the smallest units. A more cost-effective parking setup would the largest units could be eliminated in exchange for more small- and mid-sized units. The exact details of the proposal kept changing; options included: parking directly attached to most units, parking mostly at the front of the lot with some attached parking along the south, and parking spread out (with a garage for us at the south-east corner, nearish our unit). This change had some advantages, so we were fairly happy with it; but wanted to wait until the change was finalized before posting details.
However, a few weeks ago we started talking about some alternate options. The Taltree project still has an indefinite timeline due to difficulties finding enough committed buyers for the project. Talking with Yuval, we came up with a few options to consider: take the last lot at the Bellevue 41st project, reduce the community aspect of the Taltree site in such a way as to allow that project to happen in stages, or find a stand-alone lot elsewhere to buy and build on.
Bellevue 41st
The Bellevue 41st project is five lots, each with a single-family home with personal garage (no shared parking) down in south Bellevue (it is in Somerset Hill, right next to the Factoria Mall, but several hundred feet up). The homes and lots (and therefore prices) are bigger than Taltree, and the location is further south than we would prefer; so we originally weren't considering it as a possibility. However, this project was started earlier than Taltree, so is much further along; in fact, the first house is already framed, the second has a foundation laid; and the third is in design already. If we decided on this, we could start design right away, and be ready to move in roughly 12-13 months later. The trick is meeting our budget: we're aiming for $100k-200k less than the other homes in this development; however, we also want a smaller home. If we can get the lot at a reasonable price, we could be a home there within our budget.
The main site is nice, up on a hill with some really great western views and trees around it. The neighborhood is pretty nice, and has some of the best schools in the area. The general location, however, is not ideal. It is further from Kirkland, where Erika works, and further from where most of our friends live now. However, it is quicker to get into Seattle, where I work, and driving the backroads between Kirkland/Redmond and Factoria does not take as long as it seems like it should; it's even faster if you take I-405 (as long as there isn't traffic). There are more restaurants and stores within walking distance (even if they're all in strip malls or the main mall). The community wouldn't be the same as at Taltree, as there is no group parking, and there is a (short) driveway between the houses. However, the current members have already started to form a good community and are talking about adding some small shared amenities at the end of the driveway.
Taltree (phased)
Another option is to change the plan at the Taltree site. One proposal was to subdivide the land into several lots. One half-acre lot would have a smaller community of four houses; the other half-acre would be divided into two or three lots with a single home each. The individual lots could start development before the community section, and they would be developed independently. Since the number of total units would be reduced, this change would would depend on getting a good deal for the land from the bank. However, it would allow parts of the project get started sooner and allow the builder to stage development. It would also make it easier to hit the threshold of the community section to start development on that. For this option, we'd get our choice of lot and total time would be maybe 14-16 months. On the downside, this setup would probably not have the same kind of community as the original Taltree proposal. Plus, since we would be in the first phase of building with others at indeterminate times, we might be living right next to other construction for a while.
Compared to Bellevue, this location continues to have the same advantages it did before: it is close to friends, it is a good commute for Erika, and, although it is not quite as walkable as the Bellevue location, it is still a pretty walkable location.
Separate Lot
The final option is to find a separate lot in a different neighborhood, and build a single house there. This would require more work to find the lot, and get it ready to build. The timeline would be more like 18 months. Since this would have no community at all, the main advantages would be finding the best location (preferably within walking distance of Houghton, where Erika works; and/or downtown Kirkland; both locations would put me within walking distance of the main bus that would take me to downtown Seattle for my work), and maybe a slightly larger lot for more gardening/play space (since we won't have shared spaces for these things). Unfortunately, it looks like all the lots that even meet the location criteria are going to be more expensive than we like, and would probably push our overall cost up by around $100k. Between the cost, longer timeline, and difficulty of finding/developing a new lot, this option is the least-feasible right now.
So...
We have not made a final decision yet, but we will soon. In the next few weeks, we will find out if we can successfully get a good-enough deal on the land at either Taltree or Bellevue 41st to make those options possible. At that point, we will need to make a decision (or have already decided), since there are other potential buyers interested, too. Once we've decided, then actual development can start relative to the time frames listed above. By the end of the month, we should know where we'll be living!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Inspiration: Metal & Wood
Nearly all design styles feature wood as an element of living spaces. It is a soft, warm, organic material that feels welcoming and cozy. When sanded and polished with a simple stain, it can look and feel luxurious. Left a bit rougher and unfinished and it provides a more rustic, natural feel.
Because of its industrial and non-traditional associations, metal appears less often as a design element in homes. Stainless steel appliances are probably the most common use of metal. However, it can be used to great effect as an accent material, and often is used as such in modern design. It is a cold, hard, inorganic material, and large amounts can make a room feel clinical, sterile, and generally inhospitable. But just a little bit can draw the eye, provide a contrast in touch, and provide some extra interest to a room. Like wood, it can be polished to bring out the natural grain of the material and show off its natural beauty.
Together, metal and wood can be used to provide contrast: the coldness of metal versus the warmth of wood; hard versus soft; organic versus inorganic; and browns, tans, reds versus silver, white, gold. The best balance usually involves more wood and less metal; for example, a common application is to have open wooden stair treads (thick slabs of wood), with a metal banister and thin metal wires in the railing (thin threads of metal).
With judicious use, metal can provide elegant, modern style to a home. Just a bit of metal accent can both complement and contrast beautifully with the wood in a house.
Photos from:
Because of its industrial and non-traditional associations, metal appears less often as a design element in homes. Stainless steel appliances are probably the most common use of metal. However, it can be used to great effect as an accent material, and often is used as such in modern design. It is a cold, hard, inorganic material, and large amounts can make a room feel clinical, sterile, and generally inhospitable. But just a little bit can draw the eye, provide a contrast in touch, and provide some extra interest to a room. Like wood, it can be polished to bring out the natural grain of the material and show off its natural beauty.
Together, metal and wood can be used to provide contrast: the coldness of metal versus the warmth of wood; hard versus soft; organic versus inorganic; and browns, tans, reds versus silver, white, gold. The best balance usually involves more wood and less metal; for example, a common application is to have open wooden stair treads (thick slabs of wood), with a metal banister and thin metal wires in the railing (thin threads of metal).
With judicious use, metal can provide elegant, modern style to a home. Just a bit of metal accent can both complement and contrast beautifully with the wood in a house.
Photos from:
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Outdoor Spaces: The Garage
The garage will be primarily for vehicles and activities related to them. It could be used for other outdoor work/hobbies, but we currently don't have any.
The main house will have a single primary entrance for both residents and guests. The garage, however, needs two distinct entrances: one for people and one for cars. A garage door does not work for people — it is the wrong scale and feels awkward. That entrance operates mechanically, via a remote. This works from a vehicle, but feels slow and annoying to a pedestrian. To accommodate people, we will have a second, standard sized door. Ideally this will be connected to some kind of covered walkway that leads to the front door of the house. For most single family homes, where the garage is right next to the house, this would be a short gap of less than 10 feet; but in the Taltree development it will likely be longer.
The garage should have space for parking two cars. There should be enough space on all sides of the car to comfortably load/unload people and parcels. (Including the front — while most cars load people from the sides and parcels from the rear, some cars, such as Porsches, have storage space up front and the engine in the rear. Even more interesting, the Tesla Model S has all the hardware in the floor, so both front and rear are storage; and the rear includes two seats for children.) The garage floor should be level and smooth.
The interior should have good lighting. Light sources should include a mix of natural and artificial sources. Most garages are fairly dim; light makes them feel more comfortable and welcoming. It also improves safety and makes it easier to load and unload the car. We would like to have the lights on a timer and/or sensors, so they automatically come on when entering the garage and turn off once everyone has left.
We like to clean and detail our car(s), and being able to do this in the garage would be delightful. It would allow us to keep the car looking good even in the winter or when it is raining. Detailing is about more than making a a car look nice — wax or paint sealant helps to protect the metal and paint from water and dirt, so regular detailing can help maintain the car. For detailing, we need a drain and hose spigot inside the garage, plus ample surrounding space. An electric outlet would provide power for detailing tools.
I like to work on my cars. In addition to work space, this requires storage space for tools, jack, stands, parts, etc. Both overhead and movable task lighting are required. Both lighting and tools need regularly-spaced outlets. We will also need storage storage space for wheels/tires and other seasonal items. Car work can be dirty, so an in garage sink would be nice.
We will need space for cabinets, drawers, and other organizational aids to store supplies and tools. We may not install all of the cabinets we want at once, but it is important to design in the room for these things.
Looking forward, we want to be able to eventually install an electric car charging station. A normal household circuit is 120V at 15 or 20 amps. Large appliances (such as washer/dryer) might run at 240V/30 amps. Electric cars can use a larger circuit to charge more quickly. For example, Tesla's site lists home charging up to 240V/90 amps; and it has support for 440V commercial circuits (I don't even know if that is possible to get installed in a residential home). Getting a very high-amp 240V circuit run to the garage seems like a good thing to have done up front.
Even if it is not part of the main house and is a more focused space, the garage will have a big impact on the quality and enjoyment of our living situation; so making sure to think it through carefully before we start building is important.
The main house will have a single primary entrance for both residents and guests. The garage, however, needs two distinct entrances: one for people and one for cars. A garage door does not work for people — it is the wrong scale and feels awkward. That entrance operates mechanically, via a remote. This works from a vehicle, but feels slow and annoying to a pedestrian. To accommodate people, we will have a second, standard sized door. Ideally this will be connected to some kind of covered walkway that leads to the front door of the house. For most single family homes, where the garage is right next to the house, this would be a short gap of less than 10 feet; but in the Taltree development it will likely be longer.
The garage should have space for parking two cars. There should be enough space on all sides of the car to comfortably load/unload people and parcels. (Including the front — while most cars load people from the sides and parcels from the rear, some cars, such as Porsches, have storage space up front and the engine in the rear. Even more interesting, the Tesla Model S has all the hardware in the floor, so both front and rear are storage; and the rear includes two seats for children.) The garage floor should be level and smooth.
The interior should have good lighting. Light sources should include a mix of natural and artificial sources. Most garages are fairly dim; light makes them feel more comfortable and welcoming. It also improves safety and makes it easier to load and unload the car. We would like to have the lights on a timer and/or sensors, so they automatically come on when entering the garage and turn off once everyone has left.
We like to clean and detail our car(s), and being able to do this in the garage would be delightful. It would allow us to keep the car looking good even in the winter or when it is raining. Detailing is about more than making a a car look nice — wax or paint sealant helps to protect the metal and paint from water and dirt, so regular detailing can help maintain the car. For detailing, we need a drain and hose spigot inside the garage, plus ample surrounding space. An electric outlet would provide power for detailing tools.
I like to work on my cars. In addition to work space, this requires storage space for tools, jack, stands, parts, etc. Both overhead and movable task lighting are required. Both lighting and tools need regularly-spaced outlets. We will also need storage storage space for wheels/tires and other seasonal items. Car work can be dirty, so an in garage sink would be nice.
We will need space for cabinets, drawers, and other organizational aids to store supplies and tools. We may not install all of the cabinets we want at once, but it is important to design in the room for these things.
Looking forward, we want to be able to eventually install an electric car charging station. A normal household circuit is 120V at 15 or 20 amps. Large appliances (such as washer/dryer) might run at 240V/30 amps. Electric cars can use a larger circuit to charge more quickly. For example, Tesla's site lists home charging up to 240V/90 amps; and it has support for 440V commercial circuits (I don't even know if that is possible to get installed in a residential home). Getting a very high-amp 240V circuit run to the garage seems like a good thing to have done up front.
Even if it is not part of the main house and is a more focused space, the garage will have a big impact on the quality and enjoyment of our living situation; so making sure to think it through carefully before we start building is important.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Private Spaces: Second Floor
The second area (and second floor) of our house contains the private spaces. The activities located here are more personal: sleeping, bathing, dressing, and quiet activities such as reading, writing, crafts, etc. There will also be storage and laundry space. The second floor works well for all of these, as it is separated from the public areas of the first floor, and is "deeper" into the house than the first floor — you must cross through the public areas and go up the stairs (a transition) to get to the private spaces. This provides a feeling of privacy and security.
Mirroring the first floor, the second floor must have an entry. Where the stairs enter into the second floor should be a landing or distribution area. Unlike the first floor, where the open public spaces allow flow through each area, the second floor should have direct entry to most of the spaces (e.g., you should not have to cross through the master bedroom to get to one of the children's bedrooms).
Our bedroom (the master bedroom) will contain two functional areas: sleeping, and dressing. In most bedrooms these areas are combined into one large room; we are considering having them a bit more separate, but we haven't decided for sure yet. Clothes storage is part of the dressing area, but this does not mean we'll have a traditional walk-in closet; instead, we may look at built-ins along the wall which would conserve floor space while still providing plenty of storage. One of the areas should accommodate some quiet activities that require light — for example, reading a book, or writing a journal before bed.
Attached to the master bedroom will be the master bath, with most of the normal pieces: shower, sink and toilet. We will probably skip a bathtub, as neither of us use it regularly; instead, we'll just have a larger shower and still save space. We do want two sinks so we can share the use of the bathroom.
The other main area for upstairs will be bedrooms for children (we want children; but we prefer to have only one major life change at a time, so we'll wait until the house is done). Planning ahead for children can be a bit tricky, and the needs of children change over time; building in one particular way might not work even if we already had kids. We're thinking about starting out with a shared room (with private bed alcoves) for when they are young. We would design it in such a way that it could be divided as they get older (especially if they end up being different genders). This could possibly be accomplished with dynamic walls that allow us (or them) to join or separate the rooms as desired.
We think that the convention that adults should have elaborate master suites while children should have simple boxes is backwards. The rooms for the children should accommodate sleeping, dressing, play, homework and many other activities that we, as adults, would use the office or living area for. They will also need a bathroom, which will have a combined shower/tub, since it is much easier to use a tub when kids are young.
The laundry room will be upstairs, near the bedrooms, as that is the most convenient place to use it. We will probably have space for both machine and hand wash (a large sink, for example), and machine and hand dry (racks and lines for drying).
There will be various storage upstairs — for linens, towels, clothes, kids toys, books, etc. Don't tell the kids, but we also want to design a small "secret" storage place into each child's room (different in each room, of course).
We will also have some space for pets upstairs. Right now this is a pair of cats, and all their associated litter, water, food, toys, etc. We would like a space that is semi-private for them to feel secure in; and that is easy to clean up messes (hairballs), food spills, litter, hair (i.e., not carpet!).
Mirroring the first floor, the second floor must have an entry. Where the stairs enter into the second floor should be a landing or distribution area. Unlike the first floor, where the open public spaces allow flow through each area, the second floor should have direct entry to most of the spaces (e.g., you should not have to cross through the master bedroom to get to one of the children's bedrooms).
Our bedroom (the master bedroom) will contain two functional areas: sleeping, and dressing. In most bedrooms these areas are combined into one large room; we are considering having them a bit more separate, but we haven't decided for sure yet. Clothes storage is part of the dressing area, but this does not mean we'll have a traditional walk-in closet; instead, we may look at built-ins along the wall which would conserve floor space while still providing plenty of storage. One of the areas should accommodate some quiet activities that require light — for example, reading a book, or writing a journal before bed.
Attached to the master bedroom will be the master bath, with most of the normal pieces: shower, sink and toilet. We will probably skip a bathtub, as neither of us use it regularly; instead, we'll just have a larger shower and still save space. We do want two sinks so we can share the use of the bathroom.
The other main area for upstairs will be bedrooms for children (we want children; but we prefer to have only one major life change at a time, so we'll wait until the house is done). Planning ahead for children can be a bit tricky, and the needs of children change over time; building in one particular way might not work even if we already had kids. We're thinking about starting out with a shared room (with private bed alcoves) for when they are young. We would design it in such a way that it could be divided as they get older (especially if they end up being different genders). This could possibly be accomplished with dynamic walls that allow us (or them) to join or separate the rooms as desired.
We think that the convention that adults should have elaborate master suites while children should have simple boxes is backwards. The rooms for the children should accommodate sleeping, dressing, play, homework and many other activities that we, as adults, would use the office or living area for. They will also need a bathroom, which will have a combined shower/tub, since it is much easier to use a tub when kids are young.
The laundry room will be upstairs, near the bedrooms, as that is the most convenient place to use it. We will probably have space for both machine and hand wash (a large sink, for example), and machine and hand dry (racks and lines for drying).
There will be various storage upstairs — for linens, towels, clothes, kids toys, books, etc. Don't tell the kids, but we also want to design a small "secret" storage place into each child's room (different in each room, of course).
We will also have some space for pets upstairs. Right now this is a pair of cats, and all their associated litter, water, food, toys, etc. We would like a space that is semi-private for them to feel secure in; and that is easy to clean up messes (hairballs), food spills, litter, hair (i.e., not carpet!).
Monday, May 24, 2010
Inspiration: Black & White
One of the simplest design elements to play with is contrast and color. A mix of black and white elements can look sleek and elegant*. Some modern designs will go for an all-white look, which does look very modern; but is usually too sterile, or too distracting in the absolute perfection of all that white surface area. Mixing in black provides contrast to help define elements, to give the eye variety, but also to make it look more natural or normal. Black and white are are also basic tones to work with — they can mix with a variety of other colors and materials, they can easily serve as a background setting for other elements, and they don't need to draw attention if used correctly.
In the pictures below, there are several things to notice. Black & white can be used just for individual pieces of furniture, or for whole rooms.
The combination of black and white may be used strictly, or it can provide a foundation on which other elements can build.
Very few natural materials are purely black or white. However, many natural materials can provide shades of black and white. This provides variety of material and color, while linking everything together through this simple choice of colors.
* Note: Erika is totally not inspired by black and white. She thinks it's okay if Jeff finds them inspiring, but she will be writing her own color inspiration post once she gets around to it.
Images from:
Elysium 169 House
Vivienda 19 House
Villa Amstelveen
Book Shelves by Acerbis
In the pictures below, there are several things to notice. Black & white can be used just for individual pieces of furniture, or for whole rooms.
The combination of black and white may be used strictly, or it can provide a foundation on which other elements can build.
Very few natural materials are purely black or white. However, many natural materials can provide shades of black and white. This provides variety of material and color, while linking everything together through this simple choice of colors.
* Note: Erika is totally not inspired by black and white. She thinks it's okay if Jeff finds them inspiring, but she will be writing her own color inspiration post once she gets around to it.
Images from:
Elysium 169 House
Vivienda 19 House
Villa Amstelveen
Book Shelves by Acerbis
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Public Spaces: First Floor
Our first region is the "public" region. Since we are designing a home in the community, it is worth pointing out that these are the "private public" regions of our home, not the shared community spaces. We will talk about those later.
We want the public region to be the heart of our home. This will be where we conduct many of our day-to-day activities and welcome and entertain our guests. These spaces include the entry way and areas for socializing, dining, cooking, and entertaining (i.e., media usage).
The entryway is the most public area of the home and the place where people enter and leave the building. It is rarely designed as its own room in contemporary homes. In fact, the area as a whole is often sorely neglected; in many homes it is little more than whatever space was leftover near the door with a closet thrown in for storage. However, the entry way is important both functionally and socially. It needs to pack a lot of functionality into a small space. It should connect well with the rest of the public area, both carefully revealing the home and welcoming visitors into it. We will likely have our entry open into the living area or some space between the kitchen and living area.
We want the social, dining, and cooking areas to be closely integrated, so we plan to have a fairly open plan that includes the kitchen, dining area, and living area. These areas will not have walls between them, but they will be differentiated by changes in flooring type or height, ceiling height, room shape, furniture clusters, and for the kitchen, the appliances and counters. We are inspired by the Farmhouse Kitchen pattern. This does not refer to the decor of the space but rather to the connection between the spaces.
The living area will be focused on socializing, not media usage, so there will be no display screen. The focal point will probably be a view through a window. The emphasis will be on interacting with other people — chit-chat, serious discussion, board games, etc. This area will hopefully be connected to a patio where we can move our socializing when the weather is nice.
The kitchen should accommodate the two of us cooking and baking together. It will have to handle prep, cooking, baking, clean-up, and serving — for simple dinners for the two of us; for nicer dinner parties; for our weekly potluck with friends; for parties where there is not much cooking or baking, but lots of food set out for snacking; and for special holiday gatherings with tons of food and people. It should be well-placed to serve both the dining area and living area.
The dining area should be able to hold a table big enough for a large group of people (at least a dozen), and it should be well-placed to serve or dish food from the kitchen. We do not feel the need for a formal dining room, and are happy to have it open to the kitchen and other areas.
We often entertain with the aid of digital media, but integrating a TV into a social area is difficult. Although these two activities are often combined in contemporary homes, they have different goals. For entertainment, you want everyone focused on a single point — the screen. For socializing, you want everyone focused on each other, which usually means some form of a circle or other convex shape. Additionally, when both activities might be happening at the same time, isolating the entertainment area (and its attendant noise) provides a benefit for everyone.
We plan to have a dedicated media room that can be better acoustically and visually controlled than a common room, and can have a more focused setup that helps optimize the number of people who can comfortably consume media together. This allows us to optimize the living area for socialization, in turn. Some ability to link the two would be nice — perhaps via french doors or a moveable wall, but that is still speculation at this point.
A guest room is a semi-public space. It does not quite belong in the private family spaces, but it should not be open to the rest of the public space. An office is also a semi-public space. It should allow isolation when needed, but we will often want to remain connected to the public areas of the home while we are using it. To address both these concerns, we plan to have an office that can be converted to a bedroom on the first floor. Having the guest room and a full bath on the first floor will also be useful as our relatives get older. It will give us the option of moving our own room downstairs as we age.
Finally, there must be some access for the stairs to the upper level. This will likely be towards the back, away from the entry and (at most) on the very edge of the public spaces. There is a balance needed here between being a dividing line to the private spaces that keeps away visitors, but also welcoming residents to the more private areas of the house.
Next we'll move on to the upper floor and private spaces.
We want the public region to be the heart of our home. This will be where we conduct many of our day-to-day activities and welcome and entertain our guests. These spaces include the entry way and areas for socializing, dining, cooking, and entertaining (i.e., media usage).
The entryway is the most public area of the home and the place where people enter and leave the building. It is rarely designed as its own room in contemporary homes. In fact, the area as a whole is often sorely neglected; in many homes it is little more than whatever space was leftover near the door with a closet thrown in for storage. However, the entry way is important both functionally and socially. It needs to pack a lot of functionality into a small space. It should connect well with the rest of the public area, both carefully revealing the home and welcoming visitors into it. We will likely have our entry open into the living area or some space between the kitchen and living area.
We want the social, dining, and cooking areas to be closely integrated, so we plan to have a fairly open plan that includes the kitchen, dining area, and living area. These areas will not have walls between them, but they will be differentiated by changes in flooring type or height, ceiling height, room shape, furniture clusters, and for the kitchen, the appliances and counters. We are inspired by the Farmhouse Kitchen pattern. This does not refer to the decor of the space but rather to the connection between the spaces.
The living area will be focused on socializing, not media usage, so there will be no display screen. The focal point will probably be a view through a window. The emphasis will be on interacting with other people — chit-chat, serious discussion, board games, etc. This area will hopefully be connected to a patio where we can move our socializing when the weather is nice.
The kitchen should accommodate the two of us cooking and baking together. It will have to handle prep, cooking, baking, clean-up, and serving — for simple dinners for the two of us; for nicer dinner parties; for our weekly potluck with friends; for parties where there is not much cooking or baking, but lots of food set out for snacking; and for special holiday gatherings with tons of food and people. It should be well-placed to serve both the dining area and living area.
The dining area should be able to hold a table big enough for a large group of people (at least a dozen), and it should be well-placed to serve or dish food from the kitchen. We do not feel the need for a formal dining room, and are happy to have it open to the kitchen and other areas.
We often entertain with the aid of digital media, but integrating a TV into a social area is difficult. Although these two activities are often combined in contemporary homes, they have different goals. For entertainment, you want everyone focused on a single point — the screen. For socializing, you want everyone focused on each other, which usually means some form of a circle or other convex shape. Additionally, when both activities might be happening at the same time, isolating the entertainment area (and its attendant noise) provides a benefit for everyone.
We plan to have a dedicated media room that can be better acoustically and visually controlled than a common room, and can have a more focused setup that helps optimize the number of people who can comfortably consume media together. This allows us to optimize the living area for socialization, in turn. Some ability to link the two would be nice — perhaps via french doors or a moveable wall, but that is still speculation at this point.
A guest room is a semi-public space. It does not quite belong in the private family spaces, but it should not be open to the rest of the public space. An office is also a semi-public space. It should allow isolation when needed, but we will often want to remain connected to the public areas of the home while we are using it. To address both these concerns, we plan to have an office that can be converted to a bedroom on the first floor. Having the guest room and a full bath on the first floor will also be useful as our relatives get older. It will give us the option of moving our own room downstairs as we age.
Finally, there must be some access for the stairs to the upper level. This will likely be towards the back, away from the entry and (at most) on the very edge of the public spaces. There is a balance needed here between being a dividing line to the private spaces that keeps away visitors, but also welcoming residents to the more private areas of the house.
Next we'll move on to the upper floor and private spaces.
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