Spent over an hour looking at your site. Can’t recollect how I found it but am deeply intrigued. I am hoping you might be receptive/patient enough to give a moment to my now years old, house dream. It is actually a barn dream because initially I though it might be cheaper to build but by the time I finished putting on paper what was in my head, I am far from certain of that. After giving much consideration to what was in my head and trying to imagine measurements of existing houses/barns, this is what I came up with. A center structure larger then two smaller structures that I refer to as “wings” off each side and connected by two relatively small hall/walkways. The main structure to be a solid two stories high…26 or more feet tall, foundation may increase that? The perimeter approximately 24 x 38 with the two “wings” being roughly 18/20 x 22/24. Unfortunately, I love fireplaces and have waited all my life to get some that actually work. Would like a large stone fireplace in the main structure and two normal-sized fireplaces on the (farthest) outside walls of each “wing”. The one in the main structure could be see thru or just nice and large depending on where it would get placed. Either near the center of the structure(see thru) or along the rear wall in the center. All stone and preferably with nice stone hearths. I know, I fell greedy even mapping this out but I have questions, lol. I would like it to be sturdy with todays changing weather systems and would like a stone foundation and white lap boarding or board and batten on the outside with somewhat narrow elongated windows much like a barn would have. Would like typical vented or louvered coverings which could be propped outward or perhaps open to the side for functional use around the front and both sides, top and bottom. Perhaps a double hung one in the upper center with same louvers. Relatively simple in appearance. Would like french doors off the back, the smaller ones perhaps with a couple of stationary side panels depending on how the doors were used/spaced due to location of the fireplace along the rear wall(or not). This structure would house the kitchen, living room, dining area, laundry, and possibly a half bath, etc. and be as open as possible and the two “wings” would be accessed by maybe 6 x 6″ walkways that had near floor to ceiling windows or panels lining the street-side walls and perhaps lapboards( built in window seat type bench?) on the opposite walls. Each of the “wings” would house a fireplace facing the walkway on the farthest walls and bathrooms that could expand behind the walls with lapboards in the walkways, accessible from the bedrooms. Each bedroom would have flat closets, not walk-ins(not enough room) on the inside perimeter of the walls near the hallways opposite the bathroom walls facing where a bed or furniture might go. The bathrooms could be behind roughly 10′ of wall space that came out into the bedroom from the rear wall approximately 7 or 8′ (so a rectangle) with 6 x 6′ of additional bathroom spacing tucked behind the far wall of the hallways. Each bathroom would accommodate both a decent sized tub and shower, toilet and decent size vanities with ample walk space. The street side and fireplace walls would mimic the windows on the rest of the structures and have french doors off the rear. A tin roof would be super and a nicely transomed set of french doors on the front with a sliding barn door that split (4′ wide or so per side) with diagonally cut boards angled downwards coming together in the center when shut. Wide planked smooth wooden floors would be a treat. The cherry topping might be a few bullseye-glass panes in the transoms? If the large fireplace was at the rear of the structure then a nicely proportioned cupola in the center of the roofline might be quite charming. Okay, so maybe that’s two or three cherries. It’s a dream and nothing more but would be interested to hear your thoughts. If you can be gentle, lol.. Like so many of your other readers and homeowners, I need to have some space and my animals need to be free. Hopefully while they are still alive. So many thanks for your time in reading this and best wishes to you. How many banks would I need to rob???
Noah Bradley
April 6, 2016 at 2:16 pm
Wow Hannah… that was a read. 🙂
You go girl!
I’m so glad to hear that the site has been helpful for you… that’s what it’s all about.
You’ve clearly spent a lot of time imagining what you want, which is great. So many just live with what others have built.
I believe that anyone with drive, determination, a vision, someone who takes action, and refuses to quit, can acquire their dream home. This home you have imagined will be yours one day.
It would take me a good day, maybe a week, to respond point by point to your thoughts, so I can’t go there… but overall I could make a couple of comments… in designing your home… focus first on getting your elevations perfect, create a stunning exterior, if you don’t have a developed eye keep you focus on historic designs and try to follow them to the letter. Second, build one section at a time. And three, consider signing up for the “Academy” when it is released in a couple of weeks. Noah
Greetings!
Spent over an hour looking at your site. Can’t recollect how I found it but am deeply intrigued. I am hoping you might be receptive/patient enough to give a moment to my now years old, house dream. It is actually a barn dream because initially I though it might be cheaper to build but by the time I finished putting on paper what was in my head, I am far from certain of that. After giving much consideration to what was in my head and trying to imagine measurements of existing houses/barns, this is what I came up with. A center structure larger then two smaller structures that I refer to as “wings” off each side and connected by two relatively small hall/walkways. The main structure to be a solid two stories high…26 or more feet tall, foundation may increase that? The perimeter approximately 24 x 38 with the two “wings” being roughly 18/20 x 22/24. Unfortunately, I love fireplaces and have waited all my life to get some that actually work. Would like a large stone fireplace in the main structure and two normal-sized fireplaces on the (farthest) outside walls of each “wing”. The one in the main structure could be see thru or just nice and large depending on where it would get placed. Either near the center of the structure(see thru) or along the rear wall in the center. All stone and preferably with nice stone hearths. I know, I fell greedy even mapping this out but I have questions, lol. I would like it to be sturdy with todays changing weather systems and would like a stone foundation and white lap boarding or board and batten on the outside with somewhat narrow elongated windows much like a barn would have. Would like typical vented or louvered coverings which could be propped outward or perhaps open to the side for functional use around the front and both sides, top and bottom. Perhaps a double hung one in the upper center with same louvers. Relatively simple in appearance. Would like french doors off the back, the smaller ones perhaps with a couple of stationary side panels depending on how the doors were used/spaced due to location of the fireplace along the rear wall(or not). This structure would house the kitchen, living room, dining area, laundry, and possibly a half bath, etc. and be as open as possible and the two “wings” would be accessed by maybe 6 x 6″ walkways that had near floor to ceiling windows or panels lining the street-side walls and perhaps lapboards( built in window seat type bench?) on the opposite walls. Each of the “wings” would house a fireplace facing the walkway on the farthest walls and bathrooms that could expand behind the walls with lapboards in the walkways, accessible from the bedrooms. Each bedroom would have flat closets, not walk-ins(not enough room) on the inside perimeter of the walls near the hallways opposite the bathroom walls facing where a bed or furniture might go. The bathrooms could be behind roughly 10′ of wall space that came out into the bedroom from the rear wall approximately 7 or 8′ (so a rectangle) with 6 x 6′ of additional bathroom spacing tucked behind the far wall of the hallways. Each bathroom would accommodate both a decent sized tub and shower, toilet and decent size vanities with ample walk space. The street side and fireplace walls would mimic the windows on the rest of the structures and have french doors off the rear. A tin roof would be super and a nicely transomed set of french doors on the front with a sliding barn door that split (4′ wide or so per side) with diagonally cut boards angled downwards coming together in the center when shut. Wide planked smooth wooden floors would be a treat. The cherry topping might be a few bullseye-glass panes in the transoms? If the large fireplace was at the rear of the structure then a nicely proportioned cupola in the center of the roofline might be quite charming. Okay, so maybe that’s two or three cherries. It’s a dream and nothing more but would be interested to hear your thoughts. If you can be gentle, lol.. Like so many of your other readers and homeowners, I need to have some space and my animals need to be free. Hopefully while they are still alive. So many thanks for your time in reading this and best wishes to you. How many banks would I need to rob???
Wow Hannah… that was a read. 🙂
You go girl!
I’m so glad to hear that the site has been helpful for you… that’s what it’s all about.
You’ve clearly spent a lot of time imagining what you want, which is great. So many just live with what others have built.
I believe that anyone with drive, determination, a vision, someone who takes action, and refuses to quit, can acquire their dream home. This home you have imagined will be yours one day.
It would take me a good day, maybe a week, to respond point by point to your thoughts, so I can’t go there… but overall I could make a couple of comments… in designing your home… focus first on getting your elevations perfect, create a stunning exterior, if you don’t have a developed eye keep you focus on historic designs and try to follow them to the letter. Second, build one section at a time. And three, consider signing up for the “Academy” when it is released in a couple of weeks. Noah