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How about input on what you think makes a house great? Sure beats getting depressed about what you hate. How about things like; pitches 8/12 or better, think wood moldings with crisp detail lines, built-up architectural crown moldings, cabinet head door trims and solid wood doors.
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Hey Michael,
Yes sir......all of the above. Plus....(and this is a major deal) a top quailty paint job. Even the best of woodworking can be ruined by a slack painter. I'd add top notch hardware and good quality carpet. Those of us who have been around the block a few times can just "feel" when a house has been built right and care has been taken with the details. I don't know how to explain it......maybe someone else here can put it into words.
Ed. Williams
*one word.....character! Old houses are just plain better! Just my opinion...but....the wife has finally realized yet another downside to marrying me is the fact she'll never live in a brand new house! No character....nothing fun to fix! Usually still stuff to fix....but it's no fun fixing stuff when it's supposed to still work well! I like "fine-tuning" the old stuff. Jeff
*Right on Mike & Ed. Attention to detail goes along way. Like a good caulk job on paint-grade trim. I usually do my own if I don't have control over who paints. It makes the job. A lot of the nicer trim details are usually budget driven, but sometimes I'll throw in some trim extras if the customers have been easy to get along with. Also, returns on all trim dead-ends, blocking for bath fixtures, hand rails and closet poles. No stinkin' cardboard sheathing!!!! (Can cut through plastic siding,cardboard and DW with utility knife!)Nice $400K house!!How about back priming all exterior trim, positive grade fall,house wrap! I do a lot of remodel work and am constantly amazed with the amount of pure dogshit work that is passing, even in the higher priced subs. Joe Schmoe doesn't know! Sorry, letting a little steam out and defeating Mikes request.Happy HalloweenKimball
*I really don't understand character the fact that my house was under built is not character. I was watching TV and they described how victorian homes were built using the majority of the money on detail work. The trivial things like foundations and framing in general were often overlooked. what makes a house great? floors that don't bounce like a trampoline or sag in the middle. A 100 year roof guarantee dito for the no maintenance siding. A dry basement, being able to heat the 10 room mansion with a candle and a guest house 100+ miles away for the inlaws when they want to visit.
*Stain grade trim with good miters and copes. Wood floors with inlays of woods that complement each other (such as maple and walnut etc.).Rooms with true raised panels or wainscoat.
*I'll forego commenting on materials since not everyone can afford real clapboard or hardwood floors. A quality house in my view is one that's been properly engineered and located. No slabs on grade or flat roofs in climates that get a lot of rain for instance or frame houses made from untreated lumber in termite zones. Ground sloped away from the foundation, simple roof lines, rainwater control, good insulation and weatherization, good electricals and plumbing. A house that can stand up to a severe storm or earthquake without damage. If it's in a flood zone or on the coast, a design for that. If a house has a good "under-structure" I can live with some cheap details since they can be improved on later. It's a lot harder to improve a bad foundation.
*Timber framing. No metal connections, or in certain cases, decorative metal, hopefully created in a blacksmith shop. Wood detailing, coffered ceilings, raised panel wainscoating, window pediments, walk up attics, high ceilings but not all this ridiculous vaulted, cathedral-type wasted space designed to impress friends.Staircases as focal points, not cheap afterthoughts.Spanish tile. Radiant in-floor heating. Using light in the design. High quality materials in flooring, siding and doors. Landscaping designed by landscape architects. Colored and/or textured concrete. The more archaic in material composition the better. Design is the most important consideration though...MD
*How about a wide overhang and drain tile in and around the basement? A nice hardwood staircase,insulated garage doors , non-vinyl windows(sorry they always look cheap)and my favorite, functional built-ins.
*attics where you can store stuff, a good looking practical means to get in there. If you can't have "real" attic. Light, well insulated. real kitchens.
*A batpole for quick exits when Gotham city needs you.
*1. good light fixtures, that give off light.2. good windows, that open with out a pry bar and lock with a finger. 3. windows with trim, not just sheet rock. most new home buyers (under $500k) don't know what they are missing out on here.4. windows placed to take advantage of the view (if there is anything to look at) and to allow light in when needed, and not everybody view looking in.5. good faucets, not all that gold plastic.just to start. David Jalovec D..& S. construction Watauga, ax
*Real Architecture! Not all these damned glorified, oversized tract home. Not the homes from plans picked out of magazines purchased in supermarket checkout lanes--"500 Dream Homes You Can Buy." (What glorified draftsman designs those gawdawful things anyway?)By real architecture, I speak not so much of "style," but of good design that enriches the lives of a home's inhabitants. One must consider not just how a house will look, but how a house will function.Square footage where it counts the most, well thought out traffic areas, good use of natural lighting and ventilation, flexibility, efficiency, responsible use of natural resources......cohesiveness, elegance, a designer who actually knows who Andrea Palladio, Edwin Lutyens, and Frank Lloyd Wright were...Most of the people I know who live in the McMansions never, ever use the formal dining room, except as a place to stack their old newspapers--meanwhile everyone crowds into the cramped, thoughlessly designed kitchens and family rooms.And which is better--four or five cheaply constructed bathrooms with cruddy fiberglass resin fixtures and big plastic crystals for faucet handles--or one or two really nice, spacious bathrooms with nice materials and natural light?What's definitely tacky? Looking into the big, classically incorrect, Palladian-esque window stuck on the front of the house and seeing a garage-door opener hanging there. Pseudo-Victorian "verandahs" made of off-the-rack gingerbread that are only four feet deep--and thus only useful for stacking firewood and a couple 'o' potted plants. Ranch casing--why even bother?
*i a designer who actually knows who Andrea Palladio, Edwin Lutyens, and Frank Lloyd Wright were ...But who will hopefully not combine their styles in one building!
*Anthony, Just curious how you provide a lot of natural light into a bathroom. From reading this board it seems that skylights often introduce moisture problems for bathrooms. People who place windows in bathrooms seem to forget that most of us take off our clothes to bathe. Thus, the windows get covered and the lights get turned on anyway. That frosty glass some use just provides a nice visual effect for the observer outside, but it doesn't really protect modesty. So, how do you do it? Frank Lloyd Wright once designed a house where the master bedroom was entirely outside, just covered by a carport-like roof. Frankly, that doesn't seem to really follow the function of the room very well to me. I guess others agree, I believe the home is now a landmark, owned and lived in by nobody. Fine Architecture does not always allow for actual living.
*As far as designing windows to let light into bathrooms, but allow privacy, I can think of a couple of options right off the bat. Use long narrow windows placed high on the wall (like a 2040 with the sill height at about 5 feet) this allows light, but makes it relatively hard for anyone to get a significant peek. Have the window look out onto a private patio which is fenced in or otherwise screened with vegetation. the outside patio could be a private reading area off of the master bath & bedroom. I am sure there are a lot of other design ideas to make this work without having to use curtains or trnaslucent glass.
*Real wet-wall plaster.-- J.S.
*What makes a house "great"?Well to me it is a house that first of all is functional. If it doesn't make life enjoyable for the occupants I don't care if it wins every design award, it isn't a good house; let alone a great house.Second, it is efficient. That is it doesn't use more resources for its's construction and operation than are necessary to meet the design goals.Third, it fits the neighborhood. The design and finished value should be obviously harmonious with the houses around it.Next, it should be well constructed. The fit and finish of the visible and invisible portions of the house should be workmanlike and reflecting the pride of those who did the manual labor.Lastly, a great house shows pride of ownership. The best build house in the world will become shabby in short order if it isn't well maintained.You notice I didn't comment on design details, ornamentation or price. Those to me are just that, details. While they are important and covered in my comments, that is far too specific to make a house great. Like anything else, a great house occurs when everyone pays attention to the fundementals, not the frills.
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How about input on what you think makes a house great? Sure beats getting depressed about what you hate. How about things like; pitches 8/12 or better, think wood moldings with crisp detail lines, built-up architectural crown moldings, cabinet head door trims and solid wood doors.