Noah Bradley, Author at Handmade Houses with Noah Bradley

29 06, 2019

Flemish bond

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:09+00:00

Fall will be here soon.
Do you have your fireplace ready for the coming season?

The only thing that I would change would be the brick pattern in the fireplace… which is all running bond, a modern pattern that masons use on everything from brick ranchers to office buildings. A nice Flemish bond would have looked so much better, one where every few course every other brick would have presented an end profile.

Originally posted 2015-09-14 14:27:42.

Flemish bondNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:09+00:00

29 06, 2019

Where have all the chimneys gone?

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:08+00:00

Whenever I take a tour of a house under construction, most of them being in the 500k to 1M dollar range, I ask the builder why there is no masonry chimney. The response if often that buyers in this price range… upper middle class… can’t afford one.
I guess this country is getting poorer.
(I build my first home for $20k and I managed to budget in a chimney on it, similar to what you see here in this photo, so I don’t buy the line that people can’t afford them).

Originally posted 2015-09-14 14:17:51.

Where have all the chimneys gone?Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:08+00:00

29 06, 2019

So nice

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:07+00:00

She fits into the landscape so well.

Originally posted 2015-09-13 18:40:06.

So niceNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:07+00:00

29 06, 2019

What am I not seeing?

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:06+00:00

Please help me out here…
Which cabin would you choose?
The vintage design?
Or the modern design?
(assuming that both cost the same… which they likely would, if matching finishing details are applied)
I must admit that I was recently stunned when a large log cabin facebook page posted a photo of this orange cabin and then thousands of people chose to “like it” or make comments about how wonderful they thought it was.
I was… confused… at the response.
What am I not seeing?

Originally posted 2015-09-13 15:54:38.

What am I not seeing?Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:06+00:00

29 06, 2019

What happened to good design?

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:05+00:00

Why is it that every home in Colonial Williamsburg is so attractive, more than 200 years after they were designed, yet every home in the new subdivisions in my area are so ugly?

Originally posted 2015-09-13 15:12:37.

What happened to good design?Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:05+00:00

29 06, 2019

Hewn timber frame

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:04+00:00

I find that timber-framed buildings that are made of hewn timbers (those shaped with an axe, rather than a saw) are much more attractive than their more modern sawn counterparts. The same holds true of log cabins.
They look… handmade.

Originally posted 2015-09-13 14:54:51.

Hewn timber frameNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:04+00:00

29 06, 2019

The perfect oven

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:03+00:00

I do so love that stove!

Originally posted 2015-09-12 17:34:45.

The perfect ovenNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:03+00:00

29 06, 2019

Please, hire the right people

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:02+00:00

Such a nice log cabin.
It’s a shame that they hired a talented carpenter with no skill in historic aesthetics. (a very common mistake).
The cabin, overall, is wonderful.
But, my eye is quickly drawn to the pressure treated lattice applied under the porch (it would be a quick fix to pull that out), but then I nearly fell out of my chair when my eye caught a glimpse of the replacement “chimney”.
What were they thinking?
It would have been better to haven no chimney than this wooden box.

Originally posted 2015-09-12 15:30:41.

Please, hire the right peopleNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:02+00:00

29 06, 2019

Two windows on the front

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:01+00:00

Now isn’t this a fine place to come upon. 🙂

I’ve always found that a stone home with three windows across it’s front presents a formal, grand, impression. But a home with only two windows seems to be more like a cottage, more inviting, more intimate.

Originally posted 2015-09-12 14:39:03.

Two windows on the frontNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:01+00:00

29 06, 2019

Why are tiny houses attractive?

Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:00+00:00

1) Many small houses are visually appealing.
2) Large rural homes that are composed of a series of unique smaller structures each attached to the other are equally attractive.
3) Historically many farmhouses were built this way… start small, and add on as the family grew and as the funds were saved to pay for these additions.
4) This method of housing makes financial sense, as huge mortgages are avoided.
5) It all makes me wonder why we rarely build this way today.
6) And a more basic question… why is it that we find small houses so adorable?

BTW… this cute little place is located in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.

Originally posted 2015-09-11 16:58:58.

Why are tiny houses attractive?Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:21:00+00:00