Steep declines in housing prices and stiffer lending requirements have slowed home sales to their lowest levels in decades. As a result, a lot of us have changed our long term plans. Rather than climb the housing ladder any further, we would rather improve our existing home -- the architectural equivalent of “love the one you’re with.”
When selling, it pays to think like a buyer. The first thing buyers see, and on which they will base their very first buying decision -- to take a closer look -- is the exterior of your home. This is why investments in curb appeal typically have a higher payback than interior upgrades. Remodeling Magazine’s vaunted Cost vs. Value report, an annual survey of improvement costs vs. payback at time of sale, reveals siding as one the best investments, far ahead of upgraded kitchens and baths.
In recent years, the U.S. home building industry has undoubtedly seen its troubles. The downturn in the economy has forced many builders to rethink how they approach their market now that it is much smaller. In many cases those builders have chosen to address the increasing demand for green homes. By offering green homes, many builders are now meeting their customers’ needs for energy- and water-efficient homes with a healthier environment and financial benefits. What once was a niche can now be seen as mainstream. According to the United States Green Building Council, their LEED for Homes program has certified 10,000 homes since it started in 2008. This sounds very impressive, but what is a green home, and what are the benefits compared to a traditional home?
American housing doesn’t get much more quintessential than a 1968 ranch style home. That’s exactly what eco-entrepreneur Paul Shahriari bought for his family in Cape Coral, Florida -- a yellow ranch clad in stucco and in need of a new roof and windows. His family would eventually come to call it their Lemonade House. The house has also been reborn as the Florida High Performance Green House, a demonstration home for Shahriari, a sustainability consultant and founder of three companies.
The Fairfield House, designed by Webber + Studio, is located on a tree-lined street in the Austin, Texas, neighborhood of North Hyde Park. The Hyde Park Historic District is listed in the National Register of Historic places, and the area’s popularity has been growing in recent years due to its proximity to the University of Texas. In many respects, the 3,180 sq. ft. home, an Architectural Record House of the Month in 2009, draws upon the district’s rich architectural traditions, just as its neighbors do. In response to Texas’s hot, humid climate, for example, the house is separated into small building masses that are open to ventilation. A breezeway – another classic architectural element – connects the front and the back portions of the building, but that is where the nod to tradition ends. In every other aspect of its design, the Fairfield House is an exercise in modernism.
Urban living has many advantages – increased walkability, access to public transportation, and a wealth of things to do in the area, among a host of others. One disadvantage of an urban location, however, is living in the smaller space that generally accompanies city life. Size limitations can make designing a home – whether a house, duplex, or apartment – quite problematic. Renting, rather than owning, puts further constraints on what improvements can be made. To tackle these challenges, we spoke with Cleveland-based architect Robert Donaldson of MOD{all}Studio and Los Angeles celebrity interior designer Michelle Workman to share some ideas for designing small spaces.
How can you add space to your home without it costing big bucks? Maybe you’ve got a family member moving in or a teenager that “needs more space,” or maybe you need an additional bathroom or a home office. If an addition is out of the question, you may want to look right below your feet and remodel your basement. Here are five tips to lead you through the basement remodeling process.
The Chauvin residence is set comfortably back off a country road just north of Lake Ponchartrain in Southern Louisiana, woven into a site that is notable for the large oaks that are characteristic of the region. Its owner, an artist, was open to architect Jeffrey Smith’s interpretation of the site. Smith, principal and director of design at Holly & Smith Architects, considers it important to take cues from local building styles. “The Chauvin residence could be called Country Vernacular,” he says. “We stuck with traditional hips and gables, and metal roofs.” Brick is used, but sparingly; it appears on small portions of wall, as well as on chimneys and the foundation. Inside, the house is open and contemporary.
Sustainable living in metropolitan areas tends to take the form of large, LEED-certified developments; the majority of plant and wildlife habitat conservation still takes place on public lands. Somewhere in between lies a third option: the blending of human habitation and nature conservancy on the same plot of land. Exploring this option is the Santa Lucia Preserve, located near the coast in central California and occupying acreage that was originally part of the Mexican Land Grants of the 1830s. The owners of House Ocho had been searching unsuccessfully for a home to remodel when they found their lot in the Santa Lucia Preserve.
If you're unfamiliar with the title of this article, or this important subject matter, don't feel bad – you're not alone. Confusion and a lack of awareness is the rule, rather than the exception, when it comes to the federal Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA’s) new Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) rule, which totally redefines the way much of home remodeling is conducted. It centers on the control of dust from lead paint created from during RRP, not the elimination of the lead itself. The RRP rule is monumental – in its complexity, in the nature of the changes, and in the cost involved in compliance. Here's the EPA's explanation in a nutshell: “Under the rule, beginning April 22, 2010, contractors performing renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified and must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.”
The Harris Boulevard House in Austin, Texas, provides a nice counterpoint to some of the more formulaic house types that dot the landscape. Its owners wished to create an amalgamation of their favorite architectural styles, which brought a certain rigor to the design process. During the couple's extensive travels in Asia, they developed a liking for Pacific Rim architecture, where the International Style is influenced by local building types. Additionally, the wife was born in Houston and then moved to Nebraska, so she has a fondness for the more classic homes of the Midwest.
Many older homes have brick masonry fireplaces that can date a room. Short of removing the brick, what can you do to create a more modern look? One common method is to give the fireplace a new coat of paint. Join our host, Jeff Wilson, and guest Joe Grywalski, of JNG Painting, for a tutorial on painting a brick masonry fireplace.
