Been working with the structural portion of the design for this thing we’ll do next year. It has an interesting layout, with things I haven’t done before.
The main floor has a 2200 sf footprint, and the 800 sf second floor sits atop. Because of an open floor plan below, there are places where the second floor and its roof above need to have loads picked up by long span beams. One of the conditions requires a transverse beam beneath to pick up loads so the carrying beams above don’t have to be larger.
You can get the flavor of it by viewing the attached pic. The plans call out sizes of members, but the original house was built over in Vermont, where they don’t require seismic considerations in structural work. I am rechecking for seismic zone 2.
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Interesting -- what's the roof treatment to the first floor areas?
IanDG
Here it is with the roof planes shown. There are large areas of terrace and screened porch covered by roof, with appropriate post and beamwork bearing down through foundation walls and piers.
I like it Bob. Is that a prairie style design? Was your model house a well known structure?
jt8
It is a house designed for a private client, built in Stowe, Vermont, finished in '98, and used as the basis for an article in July '03 Fine Homebuilding. The article, by the author and architect Sarah Susanka, was called "rooms without walls." Ms. Susanka is a contributing editor of the mag, and for years has done the "design" column.
The plans are available from Healthy Home Designs. A version of the house was built as a trade show display at the International Builders Show in Las Vegas, this past January.
Aha! I've run into Susanka's "not so big" books. Some neat ideas in there.
Is this the correct home:Susanka Showhouse 2004-L
Both the showhouse and the prairie design are really neat looking houses. Be sure to keep us updated (with pics) as you progress.
jt8
2004-L is the version built in Vegas as the trade show display. Here is the one we'll build: http://www.healthyhomedesigns.com/home_plans/home_plan_detail.php?plan_id=110