An old English carpenter once told me that people will rarely ever notice the details of something done correctly but are quick to spot something done poorly.

I’ve found that to often be true.

When a person builds a handmade home there are so many details that every inch of the home needs to be carefully crafted. All it takes is one lapse of craftsmanship and the entire home is degraded.

Every notch of the cabin needs to be tight. Every chink joint needs to be applied correctly. Even the often overlooked bead on the siding needs to be properly scaled.

Originally posted 2015-07-03 15:36:09.

And here is the view of this cabin from other end of the home.

Not bad huh? If I say so myself. 🙂

One of the faults I find with so many new house plans… and therefore, so many newly built houses… is that they always offer a view of the house straight-on from the front, but they never offer a corner perspective.

Think about it… how often do you stand perfectly centered in front of a house before you take a look at it? Or do you see a homeowner arrive home, park perfectly centered out front and walk straight to the front door?… never once peering even a bit around the side?

So, why are we presented… why do we pay attention only… to the front perspective of a home during the design phase? The answer is because all of the focus of most designers (and therefore future homeowners) is on the floor-plan. Once the room layout is completed the front elevation of the home is pimped-up with faux elements, and unfortunately the sides and back are given no consideration at all.

The end result? So many new homes are ghastly when viewed from the corners, or the other sides. The plans looked great… but the neighbors will forever view an eyesore.

OK… off of my soapbox… sorry about that…

There are a few details in this photo that I’d like you to notice…

The copper roof, the heart-pine beaded siding, and the hip roof on the front porch really add a lot of class to this home don’t they?… Like an evening gown on a fine lady… (almost all of my homes are she’s… sorry about that guys)

If you look closer, on the end where we were putting up siding you can see that we installed vertical strips of wood on the house before the siding went up so that a gap was created to allow the siding to equally breath on all sides. This siding will outlast us all, even if the owner chooses to do zero maintenance.

And, notice the copper flashing that we added above each window. Flashing should outlast a window, if flashing ever fails above a window, the window will soon fail as well. I’ve seen most modern flashing materials fail before their warranty ended, or shortly after, and thus resulting in the loss of those windows.

Originally posted 2015-07-03 14:50:59.

When I start the design process for the houses that I build I begin by “doodling”.

But first, before I put pen to paper, I go visit the site where the house will one day set. I listen to the client’s description of their wants and needs. I envision the house as it is seen from the road and how it will be seen upon approach by future guests. I take in the views and pay attention to the path of the sun and the direction of the wind. And, so much more.

Upon returning home, while the experience is still fresh in my mind I take out a piece of paper and just start “doodling” recalling the site that I had just visited and reflecting on the homes and cabins that had impressed me over the years.

As you can see, my main focus in these first sketches is almost entirely on elevations… on building a home that is attractive from the outside. Floor-plans, how the rooms are laid out, often fall into place as a home is built.

If I were allowed just one criticism of the current construction world… architects, builders, plan books, future homeowners, and kit-home suppliers, is the overemphasis on floor-plans and the lack of attention to the elevations.

Originally posted 2015-07-03 13:52:43.