WHAT IS AN OPEN PLAN AND WHY DOES IT WORK?

An excerpt from Sarah Susanka's 

More Not so Big Solutions for Your Home

“Open plan is a term coined by Frank Lloyd Wright to describe his revolutionary approach to home design. For centuries, houses were made up of boxes (rooms) connected by doorways and hallways. Wright spoke about the “destruction of the box”- eliminating walls on the inside to create spaces that flowed inside and outside to become one continuous, organic space. He suggested that instead of each function in the house being enclosed in its own separate box, rooms could be opened wide to one another, circulation between areas would improve, and spaces would no longer be defined by one term, like “living room” or “dining room.” Spaces would be differentiated from each other with changes in ceiling height, as well as with framed openings and columns, rather than with walls alone (p. 16).”

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How Much Space Do You Really Need?

  

An excerpt from Sarah Susanka's More Not So Big Solutions for Your Home

"You cannot define space by square footage for two reasons. First, a house that has a sense of home has almost nothing to do with square footage; and second, Not So Big means building a house about a third smaller than you thought you needed with dollars reapportioned out of square footage and into quality and character. Both of these points are intended to take the focus off quantity and place it firmly on the things that affect livability.

So where do you start, and how do you know whether the amount of space you are living in or plan to live in is not too big, too small, or just right? The following rules of thumb will help you determine whether it’s more quantity of space you need or more quality you’re really seeking. Although the answer is usually a combination of the two, our typical solution these days is to favor more quantity over quality, when almost always it’s an increase in the quality of an environment that makes us feel more comfortable and more at home (pp. 11-15)."

What to consider when building a Not So Big House:

•          Measure and inventory the rooms you currently live in to identify dimensions and frequency of use.
•        When working with a builder and/or architect, keep the proportions of your existing home in mind.
•         Don’t build spaces that you use less than a handful of times per year.
•         Identify rooms that can do “double duty.”
•        Select a design whose proportions match those of your favorite houses.
•        Always get measurements of the spaces you plan to build, including the ceiling height of each, before committing to a design.
•        If you think something might be too big, visit a model home with similar proportions to get a feel for the space.
•        Find some you can trust to help you with the design and listen to their advice.

The Importance of the Architect/Builder Relationship

 

an article by John St. John of houstonrealtoronline.com

Over the years we have found that a builder teaming up with the architect or designer early in the conceptual stage is of great benefit to the success of the project. As a team, the combination can listen to the owner, exchange ideas, explore costs and guide the project more efficiently and quickly to a completion to meet the owner’s expectations. The builder learns early in the project the hopes, desires, dreams and expectations of the owner.  As a team player, when the builder reviews the plans at each of the various design stages, he or she can often offer ideas to guide the process. Experience from past projects is used as a database for the benefit of each new customer. However, the typical builder thinks “inside the box” or in regular processes constantly trying to control costs and expedite the project. Conversely, the architect thinks more creatively and “outside the box”, which generates the originality and creativity to make the project unique and distinctive. The combination of the two provides the owner the best of both worlds: an original and unique product hopefully within an allowed budget.

The builder and architect often work as a team to create the specifications, which are critical, to be included in the contract for the owner’s better understanding. With mutual discussions and often dual authorship, both the architect and builder are moving forward with the owner’s interest in mind. As the project progresses, the architect is more confident that the design will be executed to the plan’s expectations and the builder moves more quickly and efficiently with critical decisions made early in the process.

 

In quality and pricing issues, the architect is an advocate for the owner and a good listening and experienced ear to assure the owner that both are matching expectations in the industry. As an infrequent consumer of new construction or remodeling, the owner is a novice and often does not know what to expect. The architect is experienced and can offer the assurance to the owner.  In addition, the builder who daily works toward quality controls and meeting expectations, has an advocate to comfort his client as to what is being received.

 

Questions often arise during the construction process relating to details that are important to the project. As a team, the architect and builder work out the details and corporately present the best solution to the owner for decision. In addition, owners typically have questions about changes in the inclusions or scope of the project. With the team in place, the owner’s involvement becomes that of an informed decision rather than having to do tremendous work outside of the team.

Custom projects can be built without the architect and builder working as a team but are much more efficiently and successfully done as a team effort. The end result is often more creative, more cost efficient and done in less time than the owner trying to “wing it” without assistance.

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"Designing for Our Human Scale"

An excerpt from Susan Susanka’s  

More Not So Big Solutions for Your Home

It’s obvious that houses are built for people, but what’s not always so apparent is that good residential architecture is designed for our human scale. What exactly does that mean, though? Human beings come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so in home design a “one size fits all” approach won’t work. But sadly, in residential construction today, with our love of bigness, houses have become vast in almost every direction. While these houses are impressive in a photograph, they are difficult to settle into because they’re simply too large. It may be desirable to design a public building so that its visitors feel insignificant and awed by its scale, but that’s hardly what we want for our own homes. Before you start building or adding on, it’s important to understand how to design spaces that will allow most people to feel comfortable. There are some standards and conventions with respect to the heights of things inside the house that can help us to tailor interior spaces to fit our bodies. The heights of windows, countertops, doors, and ceilings are all perfect examples of how we can customize our spaces to better fit our needs.

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All about radiant barriers

Learn the facts about radiant barriers and reflective insulation products to determine if they are a wise investment for achieving energy and cost savings in

your home.

What are radiant barriers?

Radiant barriers and reflective insulation products are installed in buildings' to reduce radiant heat transfer, which is one of the ways buildings gain heat in the summer and lose heat in the winter. The idea is that by reducing radiant heat gain into the attic, for instance, you will use less energy to cool the house in the summer.

There are three primary types of radiant barrier products on the market:

. Foils and films usually reinforced for strength

. Coatings such as radiant barrier paints or sprays

. Reflective insulation such as foil-faced bubble wrap products

Sometimes, products combine more than one type, such as foil-faced bubble wrap installed in an open attic. This is both an insulation and a radiant barrier.

Do they actually reduce radiant heat transfer?

In a word, yes. Most of the foil and reflective insulation products reduce radiant heat transfer by about 96 percent. The performance of the paints and sprays is much more variable. Some reduce radiant heat transfer by about 75 percent, some by much less. Some radiant barrier foil and reflective insulation products have qualified for the Energy Star label, indicating they may save energy when properly installed. None of the paints and coatings has qualified for the Energy Star label. None of the radiant barrier products qualifies for federal energy tax credits.

Do they actually save me energy?

Studies by Oak Ridge National Lab and Florida Solar Energy Center documented, on average, a 2-10 percent reduction in the air conditioning bills of homes with radiant barriers (foil) installed in the attic, but almost no savings on heating costs during the winter.

Are they worth it?

The answer to this question is more complicated and depends on cost. If you spend $200 and save $45 every year, that may be a worthwhile investment. But if you spend $1,000, it's not nearly as clear. Are there better ways to invest your money that would reduce your energy bills?

What other factors should you consider?

The more insulation you have in your attic-if it's properly installed without air leaks between the house and the attic-the less you will save with a radiant barrier. In many homes, it would cost less to seal all of the gaps and holes between the house and attic and add additional insulation.

Studies have shown that dirt and dust accumulation on radiant barriers degrades their performance fairly quickly and results in less savings over time.

If the roof is shaded, the savings will be less.

Some roofing materials-metals, tiles, light colored shingles- give off less heat to the attic. If you have these types of roofing, the savings from radiant barriers will be less.

If there is ductwork and/or handling equipment in the attic, the savings will be higher.

If you store valuables in the attic that will be harmed by high temperatures, installing a radiant barrier may help preserve them. This won't save you money, but it might save your stuff.

Saving energy has positive impacts on the environment, and many people will put this into the equation as well.

What about moisture issues?

Aluminum foil is one of the best vapor barrier products used in buildings. Neither liquid water nor water vapor goes through it. This can be a great product when there is a roof leak above a radiant barrier, and the foil directs the water to the exterior of the building, reducing the damage from the leak. On the other hand, foil installed over the insulation on an attic floor could trap moisture, which then condenses and drips into the insulation. Some products are perforated with a lot of small holes to help reduce this potential problem.

A word to the wise

If they make a claim that you will save 10 percent, ask them 10 percent of what? Is it 10 percent of your total utility bill, the heating and cooling portion, or just the cooling portion?

A source of confusion

Some energy saving product might claim that it "eliminates

86 percent of the radiant heat gain in your attic" or "reduces ceiling heat gains by up to 42 percent These may be true statements, but that doesn't translate into energy savings so high. The radiant barrier will only affect the portion of the bill caused by radiant heat entering from the attic. It has no impact on the heat gained by your house from air leaks, windows and doors, walls or floors.