Not the biggest or the best but...

[AndrewinNC]

I posted some of these in another thread but I want to post more pictures here. This is a house that I'm currently working on and most likely will be the house that I build when I return to the States in 2010. I have a lot of land that this house will sit on and two boys that I want to be outside on that land instead of inside so the house is intentionally smaller than previous plans I've come up with. The program that I used to draw this and render it is not the best so forgive the lack of quality and accuracy; the final plans will be drawn by my dad. Everything inside the house is just there for reference and I haven't changed anything from the default, i.e. the colors.

Let me know what you think.

Also, ignore the roof, it is set to all default options

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp253/AndrewinNC/fullrender1.jpg
http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp253/AndrewinNC/fullrender2.jpg
http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp253/AndrewinNC/viewentrytogreatroom.jpg
http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp253/AndrewinNC/viewfromentry.jpg

[AndrewinNC]

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp253/AndrewinNC/viewfrontporchnorth.jpg
http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp253/AndrewinNC/viewoffrontporch.jpg
http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp253/AndrewinNC/viewintobedroom1.jpg
http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp253/AndrewinNC/viewintobedroom2.jpg

[AndrewinNC]

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp253/AndrewinNC/viewintogarage.jpg
http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp253/AndrewinNC/viewintomaster.jpg
http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp253/AndrewinNC/viewkitchentogreatroom.jpg
http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp253/AndrewinNC/viewtoentry.jpg

[AndrewinNC]

Note: The program I'm using will not let me expose the beams in the great room but you can see them outlined with molding.

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp253/AndrewinNC/fullplan.jpg

[crazyassted]

Very nice Andrew. If you don't mind my asking, what program did you do to draw the plans?

[AndrewinNC]

Home Designer Suite by Chief Architect

[crazyassted]

Thanks, I just ordered a copy, that's pretty nice results for some $99 software.

[Richard A Hetzel]

Does that program also do elevations and sections, or do you have to buy the big one to do those things?

[AndrewinNC]

Yes it does.
http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp253/AndrewinNC/crosssection.jpg

[AustinRealEstate]

Very cool. Do you know off hand if it let's you add products like nana walls? With the way your home looks situated in the wide open it would be killer to have one of those on one side of your home.

Joe

[Pojken]

Hi there. I'm a new member, but I thought I'd give some constructive criticism from an Interior Designer's point of view.

First, great design. I like the ceiling details a lot and the openness of the dining/living area. You did a great job with the layout. By the way, are the structural posts gone? They're not in the renderings.

As for what I might change... One, the location of the closet door in the Master Bedroom. If you relocate it to inside the powder room, you'll do two things - give more usable space to the bedroom and add a better sense of privacy (ie when someone walks out naked, they can head straight to the closet). Move the doors "up" so that there is door swing dilemma or place a pocket door. I'd research pocket doors because most people tend to leave it open any how. Along with that, it's also more visually appealing, in that you don't have a short wall with so many doors on it.

Two, between the main living space and the foyer, look to remove the right most opening and expand the left most opening. I'd make it as wide as the double door in back. If you're uncomfortable with the size, you can always add some faux columns on both sides of the opening (like this http://www.hollywoodfoam.net/InteriorColumns.jpg). This has two benefits as well. First, it maintains a sense of openness and flow from the front to the back. In other words, as soon as you walk in, you can still get a sense of "nature" coming into the house via the double doors. Second, by eliminating that other opening, you gain more wall space. In today's houses, people want a place to put the TV, but not as to draw away attention from the fireplace. I'm assuming the right side of the structural columns will be used as a living area, whereas the left will be a dining area. Those two zones become demarcated better. The one "pitfall" is that you have to walk a bit more from the garage before you feel you're inside the main space. Still, I think it works better.

Third, I'd lower the soffit between the kitchen and the dining area. By that, I mean lower the area where the beam would be and mimic the opening to the foyer (similar to this http://www.wfcurtis.co.uk/images/Jobs/granary%20kitchen-dining%20room.jpg). This provides a sense of separation without having actual separation. It signifies the kitchen is separate from the dining area, but still connected visually. You have a very strong visual on the ceiling that is a nice touch that should be kept for the main living space. You can put a regular gyp ceiling without fancy details in the kitchen.

Fourth, withe the facade of the house, add a vault above the entry way (similar to this http://www.dream-mobile-homes.co.uk/images/home_images/park_home.jpg). A ^ will break up a rather long run of roofline and add significance to the entry. Immediately, your eye will be drawn to the front door. We were always told in Architecture school to place significance to the main entry. While you do have a nice door, it still could use some embellishment.

Fifth, change up the posts on the facade. Right night, it's a long run of post, rail, post, rail, post rail. Try something interesting like...

post..............post.post-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-post.post-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-post.post.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-post

In architectural terms, it's an A-B-C-B-C-B-A pattern (similar to this). It will add interest to your facade.

Last, I'd add another window to the office. If it were my office, I'd want lots of natural light and feel like I have openness. Work is already confining enough, so giving someone a sense of nature will help them feel better.

Hope that helps. I tried to be constructive and make only changes that spoke to the core while maintaining it's design. As for the images I found, don't take them literally. They're just examples of what I was trying to convey. Look to them to see how it emphasizes my point.

Tien

[dantheman9727]

Pretty cool man. I didn't check, but what program do you use?