Archive for August 2008
Architectural Proportion – The Golden Mean
It’s almost impossible to discuss composition and architectural proportion without referring to the golden mean, also called the golden section. Readers of Dan Brown’s mega-bestseller The Da Vinci Code may recall the description of that formula in the book. As a brief refresher, the golden mean is the original organizing and proportioning method or formula…
Read MoreHomebuilding – Real Material Samples Are a Must
In homebuilding, picking out the right materials can be a little tricky. I talked yesterday about the value of painting out larger samples of your wall and trim paint selections to verify that the colors were right. The same principles applies to the other materials you plan to use. Don’t pick bricks from a photo…
Read MoreWhen Designing Your Home, Don’t Pick Your Colors from Tiny Chips
When designing your home, it is nearly impossible to make a reasonable judgment about colors of materials for your new house by simply looking at tiny color chips or samples. They will fool your eye every time. If you don’t believe me, try this little test. Go to the paint store, or your local Home…
Read MoreHouse Design – Choose Your House Numbers to Complement the Design
In a high-end community where I have designed nearly one hundred houses, there are fairly strict house design guidelines. Covenants and restrictions are a necessary element in maintaining a level of quality, and thus, maintaining property values. No one is happy if a lime green house ends up next door. Design restrictions offer some limits,…
Read MoreFull Spectrum Fluorescent Lights – Do You Know What They Are ?
You already know that fluorescent lights save energy. You know that they burn cool and don’t add heat to the room. This reduces the air conditioning load in your house and also reduces the risk of fire when used in tight spaces like closets. But you hate the cold, blue light they give off. You…
Read MoreWhat is Good Design?
I have been engaged in a discussion on an on-line forum of residential architects in which we are debating what good design is and what our profession should do about it. It has been my contention that we have negatively influenced public opinion about architects be creating an elitist image of ourselves. I would like…
Read MoreBuilt-In Refrigerators – Handles for Paneled Doors
Sub-Zero, Liebherr, GE Monogram, and other “cabinet depth,” built-in refrigerators are increasingly popular in the high-end market. These refrigerators provide a number of desirable features, such as humidity controlled compartments, specially controlled drawers for fine-tuning the temperature for delicate foods, snack drawers, and independent compressors for the freezer and the refrigerator so that there is no shared air…
Read MoreWood Floors Are Not Just Oak Anymore
When you mention wood floors to most people, they conjure up an image of a narrow board, red oak floor. But times have changed. Now there are many, many choices of board width and species. And many of these choices come at a modest cost increase. I’ve used white oak, antique chestnut oak, antique heart pine,…
Read MoreHome Security Systems – Learning from the Past
Home security systems can be pretty sophisticated these days. We have sensors that detect the sound of breaking glass, pressure pads that are placed under carpets. and even tiny security cameras that can be tied to the internet so you can monitor your house from halfway around the world. We used the camera set-up on…
Read MoreBrick Masonry Artistry
I love well done Brick Masonry. “God is in the details.” So said Gustave Flaubert and later, and arguably more famously, said architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Regardless of the origin of the famous phrase, it is undeniably true. A good house, or any other structure for that matter, must have good “bones.” The…
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