State of the Field

   Hello, internet travelers!  Come rest your weary eyes on this Tuesday update.  It's not Tuesday you say?  Well, it must be Tuesday somewhere!
   Today we turn our gaze to the architecture of The American Dream -- homes!  It's well acknowledged that home ownership has taken a bit of a hit in the past few years, but how much?  Most politicians and economists will quantify this problem in terms of foreclosures, resale values and rates of construction, but sometimes a qualitative approach is needed.
   In four parts, we'll glance at the state of the field across the United States.  What does money buy in real estate these days?

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Midwest
Median Home Value 2011: $122,000
Location: Kalamazoo, MI - Population 74,262
Median Household Income 2009: $45,255
Example Home Asking Price: $128,500 ($58/SF)
Size: 2,202 SF, 3 Bed/3 Bath (1 Full, 2 Half)
Lot Size: .26 Acres
Built: 1960

   Design Notes: The Prairie School style was popularized around the turn of the century by Frank Lloyd Wright.  While this home was designed much later, it draws many influences from the Prairie Style.  Note the low roof with deep overhangs, the predominantly horizontal lines and the centrally located fireplace.

All Photos Credit: www.realtor.com

   Final Thoughts:  Despite the very dated interior, this is a fairly spacious home for the cost.  I've placed it first in the list as the benchmark by which the other homes may be judged.

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Northeast

Median Home Value 2011: $225,700
Location: Providence, RI - Population 178,042
Median Household Income 2009: $54,199
Example Home Asking Price: $229,000 ($113/SF)
Size: 2,033 SF, 4 Bed/2 Bath (1 Full, 1 Half)
Lot Size: .11 Acres
Built: 1943

   Design Notes: This home is typical of Colonial Revival -- also known as Neo-Georgian -- homes.  Such designs often include a central entryway surrounded by a symmetric facade and a roof line which runs parallel to the road.  Although this style can be seen across the country, it is particularly common in New England.

   Final Thoughts: This is a considerably more expensive home than the previous one despite being of a similar size, but it shows in the quality of the interior materials.  It is, however, interesting to note that although homeowners in the Northeast make only 20% more than those in the Midwest, they pay 85% more for a home (on average).

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South

Median Home Value 2011: $134,800
Location: Montgomery, AL - Population 205,764
Median Household Income 2009: $40,489
Example Home Asking Price: $134,900 ($88/SF)
Size: 1528 SF, 3 Bed/2 Bath (2 Full)
Lot Size: ~.5 Acres
Built: Unknown

   Design Notes: If "The South" can be said to have a regional style, it would have to be Antebellum Plantation style with its double story columns.  Also typical in the region are dogtrot and shotgun style homes, but while the Plantation style homes price in closer to the seven digit range, the latter two styles tend well below our median home price.

 

   Final Thoughts: Although the climates of the Midwest and the South are very different, the dollar tends to go just about the same distance in both areas.  Compared to the first example, this is a much smaller home, so it is unsurprising to find newer fixtures in the kitchen and a generally more modern interior.

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West

Median Home Value 2011: $187,100
Location: Albany, OR - Population 50,154
Median Household Income 2009: $48,457
Example Home Asking Price: $199,900 ($100/SF)
Size: 2002 SF, 3 Bed/3 Bath (2 Full, 1 Half)
Lot Size: .18 Acres
Built: 2004

   Design Notes: While the California bungalow could certainly have found a place in this last region's spotlight, i've decided to instead include a contemporary take on the ranch.  While there is a raised front porch, it is concrete slab barely above grade and without a surrounding railing.  The modern touches are primarily noticeable in the untrimmed square cut of the windows as seen from the interior.

   Final Thoughts:  I have to wonder if the fireplace was a last minute addition, because the proportions of the window immediately next to it are just hideous.  Then again, this looks like a developer built home rather than one custom designed, so it's possible that was the original layout.

The original listings for these properties can be located at the following locations (links valid upon posting).

Midwest Listing

Northeast Listing

South Listing

West Listing

Triumphant Return!

   After what i admit was a longer than planned hiatus, it is Tuesday and F/stop Architectural is back!  I was busy until the end of 2011 with M.Arch applications, and by then the habit was broken.  But!  I find myself with the mixed blessing of additional free time, so it is high time to return to sharing hidden architectural treasures with my loyal readership.  Hello loyal readership!
   Because many of my recent applications include references to this website, i have decided to feature one of my own works for this first update of the 2012 season.  These are my own images, so i have hosted them here at high resolution for your viewing pleasure.  Please do not copy, redistribute, or publish these images without my express permission.  Do click on the images to view at full size!  They're rather hard to read at 550 pixel-widths.

   When i work on designs for my own study, i like to give them working titles.  This one is the "Santa Fe House" in reference to the prevailing style of adobe construction and flat roofs historically typical to the area.  However, this design tends closer to a modernist flair than a pueblo influence.
   One of my personal beliefs on design is that concepts must blend at least three source typologies to form a personalized hybrid.  First, unavoidably, is the bias of the designer's own upbringing.  The remaining two can be any blend of template and highlight.  In this case, the highlight is the borrowed idea of an interior courtyard typical of Moorish homes built on the Iberian peninsula (as well as many other areas).  The courtyard is constructed at a double height with large quantities of operable clerestory glazing.  This allows a flood of light to penetrate all the adjoining rooms regardless of the sun's position.

   The light corridor also serves a vital passive cooling role in the house.  The large planting bed on the thick north wall captures the harsh daylight sun and provides a large thermal mass that cools during the daytime and warms the home at night.  The large, shallow water feature additionally provides evaporative cooling, and the operable windows above allow the hottest air to escape.

   All bedrooms and the office are located on the north side of the building, as this is the ideal location for diffused daylight, which provides the best color rendering...which is very important if you care about that kind of thing.  The living spaces have been divided into a more formal space typically used for entertaining and a slightly more private family room set 1/4 floor lower.

   The more public kitchen area is arranged to allow the increasingly typical dinner party m.o. of chatting with the chef.  However, it is also placed at a terminal location of the house to prevent conflicting uses (i.e., corridor space while the cook cooks).  A refrigerated space below the bar table is included in this drawing, but could be swapped for additional cupboard space if a client opted for the far more awesome sunken-wine-cooler-staircase.  Because of the forgiving climate, an entry area attached to the garage has been omitted, although there is access to the kitchen via the rear garage door.

  

   The upper floor of the home, 3/4 of a floor higher, is dedicated to the master bedroom.  A sliding door is provided to create an enclosed space if there is a desire for additional privacy, but is, strictly speaking, unnecessary.  A walk-out balcony located above the lower floor is oriented to the west of the house to maximize sunlight in the evening hours when it would typically be occupied.  Low glass walls surround the majority of the balcony, but privacy walls extend on either corner to limit the visibility onto the deck.

   That's about it -- i'd love to include elevations of this work, but i find AutoCAD rather lacking in rendering visually interesting elevations.  In the past i would have used Rhino and either Flamingo or Penguin, but unfortunately my student copy is no longer valid.  If there's an angel donor out there that would like to send me a (legal) copy, i'd be incredibly grateful (and surprised!  Rhino is way too expensive).  Hope you enjoyed this spotlight, and hopefully i'll be back next Tuesday!

The Hamilton Road Interview

   This week i had the opportunity to sit down and talk to Dave Delind, a friend of mine who has been working on a massive home renovation project he calls the Hamilton Road Project.  I wanted to ask him a few questions about the house and renovations, and the transcript follows.  All the photos are pulled from Dave's blog (link below), which i highly recommend reading.  My questions are in italics.

What exactly is the Hamilton Road Project?
   The Hamilton Road Project on paper is the renovation of an antique house.  On that face of the project I decided to take it on to see physical results from my education.  On the other face of the project is that it was the house my father and his brothers grew up in.  It was bought by my grandfather in the '40s, and at the end of the day it was either buy it or a developer buys the block and bulldozes the block for condos.

The HRP Before Work Begins

How long have you been working on the project?
   Just over two years.

So what made you decide to undertake the entire renovation yourself?
   My grandfather and my dad are people I looked/look up to.  The were/are the sort of people that solve their own problems and depend on themselves.  It seemed to me that if I could do the ins and outs of a project like this and see it through that it would help me depend on myself more.

The Original Interior

Walls Removed

Is it working?
   Well, yes and no.  It has made me realize that any problem can be solved and what is considered "standard" or "code" may  not necessarily be the best solution to a given problem -- but at the same time it is quite humbling.  I went into it thinking I knew how to work with my hands and now I realize that in most aspects I am still a novice.

Novel Problem-Solving

Speaking of code, have you had any trouble getting your renovations approved with the city?
   I did at first, mainly because I didn't get a permit.  Or 5 permits for that matter.  It was ok for the first year, but I got the bright orange "Stop Building Notice" about a year ago.  As it turned out, the inspector knew my grandfather, walked through to see what i was doing later that day, approved me, and decided not to hit me with fines.

Hah, lucky.
   Yeah, mainly he just wanted to see I wasn't trying to flip the place and knew somewhat what I was doing.

Ok, two-part question:  what was the state of the house before you bought it, and what's your goal for the final style of the renovation?
Do you mean physical state or style state?

Well, both.
   The house, as I found out getting into working on it, should have been condemned ten years ago as an unsafe structure.  [It was at a] point where half the walls needed to be jacked up, kicked out and re-framed because of how badly the supports were rotted.
   The physical style was pre-Victorian for the original brick, with a truly utilitarian gray addition from the forties built off the back.  My plan is to leave the brick parts of the house more or less unchanged and have painted stucco off the back.

Looking Out The Front Windows

What's been the biggest hurdle or surprise you've had to overcome for the HRP?
   Well, every day there are things that were unexpected and each has its own "special" way of being difficult.  I can't really say one part was harder to overcome, but there are a few points that stand out in my mind.  The first was raising the walls two inches with jacks the same way someone would change a tire.  That was one of the more dangerous things we accomplished.
   Beyond the aesthetic things that are starting to come online now the single thing i take a great deal of pride in is the HVAC system.  I had never worked with sheet metal before and built from the ground up a system that passed code and works.

So it seems like you're getting to the point where you're most of the way done; when do you expect to be able to move into the house?
   My goal is to have Thanksgiving there.

Do you have any other big projects you've got on the shelf for after you finish this one?
   Actually I haven't allowed myself to think too far out yet.  I found early on that if I didn't break things down day to day it was too overwhelming to continue.  I can definitely say though that I won't let the skills gained go to waste.

Stairs To The Basement

Ok, last question:  what advice do you have for readers who might want to start a big renovation project?
   What I can say is this:  It is a great thing to do, but if you take on something like [the Hamilton Road Project] there are caveats just like anything else.  It will take twice as much time and three times as much money as you initially expected, but at the end of the day nothing is more satisfying.  On that line, though, for anyone getting into a project like this, the help and support of my family, soon to be family, and friends was the most valuable thing on site.  Not only were they there to help manually, financially and spiritually, but they kept me going even on days that I didn't want to be working.

Thanks for much for contributing.  Best of luck on completing the renovations!
You can follow Dave's progress on his blog at http://hamiltonproject.blogspot.com/