Blog - Page 43 of 123 - Handmade Houses with Noah Bradley

House Design 101… part 1

I’m going to share with you in my next five postings one of the biggest secrets that I can offer with regard to designing an attractive home.

Shhhhh, don’t tell anyone.

Let’s call this posting… House Design 101… part 1

When I draw a set of plans for a home, my focus is always on the elevations (profiles), not the floorplan. I want to see what the house will look like when one arrives home. That’s not the standard practice of many design firms who focus on room layout and traffic flow.

I want my houses to look good from the outside… I’ve always found that getting the inside to look good is easy… combine nice windows, the best materials, skilled craftsmen, and talented decorators, and Wallah! any interior space can pop.

I’ve also observed that in most houses, built by others, that once the plans are complete and construction has begun, any additional thought or consideration to the appearance of the outside of the house is completely ignored. To make a change at that point would cost additional money, and it might indicate that the designer had made mistakes in his design. You know, a pride issue.

I’ve got no ego in that department. I just want my houses to be as good as I can make them.

The fact is that a house is different than a drawing of a house. A structure that you walk around in…. one that you can walk through… is no longer an idea on a piece of paper.

Notice in this photo… the piece of plywood that is tacked to the wall at the top of the ladder? The idea of adding a window to the side of the chimney was being discussed at this time.

I needed a visualization to see how it would look.

Originally posted 2015-06-01 13:49:15.

House Design 101… part 1Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:16:51+00:00

The Ruth house… part 21

A home office should have a “comfy place”… where guests or clients can feel valued and “at home”… or in the event that one should ever wish to get away the desk for a moment to gather their thoughts.

I like all the natural light that pours in through the dormer behind the couch… it’s so much better than the light provided by florescent tubes.

Originally posted 2015-05-31 14:03:57.

The Ruth house… part 21Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:16:50+00:00

The Ruth house… part 20

Not a bad home office, is it?

Originally posted 2015-05-31 13:37:48.

The Ruth house… part 20Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:16:49+00:00

The Ruth house… part 19

I had salvaged a two-story timber-frame that was nearing collapse, but my plans called for a steeply pitched one-story home.

I put back the first-story of the structure as she had originally been built and then I used all the bonus floor joists from the second floor to create a timbered rafter system.

This newly created space quickly became my favorite part of the home.

Originally posted 2015-05-31 13:27:57.

The Ruth house… part 19Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:16:48+00:00

Daniel Boone was a man

Here’s Daniel Boone’s log cabin… built in 1795 and still standing in Kentucky… amazing.

Originally posted 2015-05-30 15:49:33.

Daniel Boone was a manNoah Bradley2019-06-29T10:16:47+00:00

The Ruth house… part 18

Most people, when they think of a home built using a timber frame, they envision a huge barn-like structure with vast cathedral type ceilings… but that is not always the case… a timber frame can create a very cozy space.

Originally posted 2015-05-30 11:42:03.

The Ruth house… part 18Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:16:46+00:00

The Ruth house… part 17

Here’s a photo taken of the other end of the first floor of this timber frame section of the house. This room will become the master bedroom of the house.

I do love a first floor master bedroom. Those stairs get tiresome after a few hundred climbs up and down. lol

Notice the new framing off to the left, this is the area that will become the master bath.

One of the little tricks I do to lower costs on these “over the top quality homes” is make sure and use modern building techniques whenever I can… there is no need to make every room timber-frame or log… especially closets, baths, laundry rooms, etc.

It’s funny, but I never see log cabin kit manufacturers or timber frame suppliers offer, or even mention, this idea of combining various building forms into one house… I wonder why?… is it because they are trying to make as much money as possible by selling more product? hmmmm

Originally posted 2015-05-30 11:31:08.

The Ruth house… part 17Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:16:45+00:00

The Ruth House… part 16

Originally posted 2015-05-30 11:18:17.

The Ruth House… part 16Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:16:44+00:00

The Ruth house… part 15

Here’s the family room, all framed out.

The wall to the left is paneled in 1by6 new yellow pine… it being an interior wall, separating this room from the entry hall, it works great and is very attractive.

I love painted wood, it brightens a room, it showcases the antique wood better, and it’s a bit showy… as in… “I’ve got so much wood in my house that I can paint some of it”.

The ceiling above is made of tongue and groove 2by6’s, also new yellow pine, which makes for a real solid floor… and it too is painted for the reasons mentioned before.

The end wall is an exterior wall which is the drywall side of stress skin panels, which are large pre-made sandwiches of foam insulation with drywall on one side and plywood on the outside. They provide the home with a quick, solid, sturdy exterior to the timber frame. We then will plaster the interior wall surface and paint.

Originally posted 2015-05-30 11:05:23.

The Ruth house… part 15Noah Bradley2019-06-29T10:16:43+00:00