Book, Architects and TV...

I just finished the 10th Anniversary Edition of the "Not So Big House". To me, it's about making the house about you and your needs and wants, not standards set by other people. It is about making dual purpose areas to save on spending for extra square footage that isn't necessary. It is about quality vs. quantity. It is about making a space comfortable and tailored to the homeowner. It was a good book to read and have many good points. A lot of the pictures and homes seem to have the design of Arts and Crafts type of homes. They have a lot of trim and detailed wood work. I don't plan on having a house so detailed. I would rather have artwork and the use of different materials to help develop the space. I do like the thought of keeping the ceiling height down to a minimum (not having the height of the room be more than the sum of the length and width). I find myself liking spaces that are proportionate to human size. Meaning, I like tall ceilings, but there comes to a point when tall is too tall. Wouldn't you like to have another room, such as a loft, rather than a very tall ceiling? This book is worth a read.

I recently exchanged emails with a architect and added a fact to my thinking process in designing and building a house. What stuck out the most to me is the need to have the soil tested. I was going to do this anyway due to a neighbors house that had foundation issues due to not checking on the type of soil in the area. I don't want to have that problem. What I didn't know was that the test will reveal what type of foundation will work best for the house. Square or Rectangle? Or...octagon? Well, not that crazy, but it will have a lot to do with design. Hence, I'm going to try very hard to focus on thinking of areas that I want in the house. The book mentioned above spoke of looking at your house as series of places you use and for what purpose. This is where I eat, entertain, watch TV, read, etc. This is trying to stay away from the focus of the formal and informal living spaces. So, build a house you will use, not what you consider the standard. OK, back to design and foundations. I may still design portions of the house in my head and look at what I need vs. want vs. wish for in a house, but will consider the need to not get so focused on any one layout. I will keep open to new ideas and try to constantly improve spaces in my head. Now, I wish I could just draw you what I see in my head.

Why TV? Well, I have enjoyed watching a show on hgtv called "Beyond the Box". On a recent episode, they had two different things that I enjoyed looking at and will consider with the new house. First, I saw the kitchen countertops were made using flooring. Linoleum. It looked like suede or leather. It was very rich looking and very, very different. Who said you have to be traditional? Secondly, there was some uplighting in one room. It was gutters, yes outside gutters, that were painted the color of the room and attached to the wall. They were attached right above the top of the window, following that height around the room. Then, it had long florescent lights placed inside of them. Wow...what a way to save money and create such a spectacular feature in a room. It was just enough lighting to function in the space, unless you wanted to read. Perfect for visiting with friends in an ambient space or for just watching TV but not wanting all the lights turned off. I really liked the second idea. I can see myself doing that.

I will continue reading and doing my research. I've already started reading my next book, "Building your own home on a shoestring". I have only read the first chapter, but it seems to be an easy read and good information.

Have a good day!