Thinking Inside the Box - residentialarchitect

Thinking Inside the Box

The cross-gable roof on this European-styled home by Knudson Gloss Architects ensures that it can always be outfitted with solar roof panels, regardless of its site orientation.

Credit: Knudson Gloss Architects

Somewhere along the way when the market was flying high, “boxy” became a four-letter word with negative implications. The simple cottage with exterior walls at right angles was derided as bland compared to the house of seven gables with all the frills and bump-outs that cheap credit could buy. But my, how tastes have changed now that builders are looking for ways to prune their construction budgets, lower their prices, and create living spaces that do more with less. When it comes to energy efficiency and cost controls, there isn’t a more economical volume than your basic box or cube.

On the upside, that box may be more versatile than you think. To prove this point, we asked four leading architects in four different climates (Mid-Atlantic, Deep South, Pacific Coast, and Rocky Mountains) to design prototype plans inside a square or rectangular footprint. Their specs were as follows: a 1,500-square-foot house on a 50-foot-by-80-foot lot with parking for two cars and outdoor living space.

They came back with some great little jewel boxes.

Mountain Made

Craftsman and European elevation styles play well in the mountains, where buyers tend to gravitate toward heavy timbers and rustic stone.

Credit: Knudson Gloss Architects

Andrew Dratch and Jerry Gloss 
Knudson Gloss Architects 
Boulder, Colo. 
www.kgarch.com   
FOCUS: Homes at all price points in classic American, European, and territorial styles

Young couples and empty-nesters countamong those most likely to buy a 1,500-square-foot house. Architect Jerry Gloss and architectural designer Andrew Dratch imagined a plan that could happily accommodate both types of buyers in and around Denver and Boulder.

For the 55-plus set, there were some no-brainers. Aging in place features such as wider doors, a first-floor master suite, and a big master shower with a built-in seat (in lieu of a tub) don’t feel geriatric so much as luxuriously functional. For younger couples, a pocket office outside the master suite easily converts to a nursery for a newborn. The second floor provides a secondary bedroom and bath, plus loft space for a play room, studio, study, or hobby room.

• Credit: Knudson Gloss Architects

General livability was the main design driver. “There are specific things you can build into a home to increase its value without necessarily increasing its cost,” Gloss says, such as positioning windows for cross ventilation, shortening the path from garage to kitchen, and rightsizing rooms for furnishability. (A secondary bedroom, for example, should have a minimum measurement of 10 feet 6 inches from bed wall to opposite wall.)

Understanding that buying power is constrained in the current market, the plan is designed for eventual retrofits and upgrades. Alternate plan options include an elevator, a bonus room over the garage, and a full, finished basement. “The idea is that owners could eventually add to the house once they have the money for an addition, or once their needs change,” Gloss says.

Lew Oliver’s response to our challengedraws on multiple Southern vernacular influences. To avoid visual interruption of the cottage’s symmetrical façade, Oliver pushed the porch stairs off to either side and kept the veranda low to the ground—a move that allowed an open shelf rail in lieu of the enclosures required by code for porches taller than 30 inches above grade.

For all its good looks, this house isn’t adorned for the sake of aesthetics alone. The skinny windows and reflective metal roof are centuries-old devices used to mitigate heat gain and capture cross breezes. Similarly, the porch blocks out direct sun while providing a buffer between public and private zones. And the rooftop cupola serves as a passive ventilation device.

The house is also thrifty in its use of materials. “A square envelope requires the least amount of exterior skin, and it allows a hipped roof, which is one of the simplest and most efficient roof forms to build,” Oliver explains. “Right now the front windows are drawn at 9 feet, but you could eliminate the bottom pane and shorten the schedule to 6-foot windows, which would allow you to use stock windows.”

Charming in its low country references, the design also takes some contemporary turns. “Instead of a traditional chimney, I did an exposed metal flue off to one side, knowing that more fireplaces nowadays are prefab,” Oliver says. “Plus, we are starting to see more wood stoves. I wanted to express that in an honest way.”

Don't Do This

One common mistake that builders make in small homes is not considering how furniture is going to fit inside a room—bedrooms in particular. If you put a bed wall perpendicular to a closet wall, for example, make sure the closet door will still open fully once you’ve added a bed and nightstands on either side.

“As a requirement, we have an 18-inch return off the wall that the bed is against,” says architect Jerry Gloss. “And we make sure the bed wall is big enough for a queen- or king-sized bed. Nobody sleeps in double beds anymore .”

Want more tips from Knudson Gloss on common measuring mistakes and how to avoid them? Visit http://go.hw.net/InTheBox.

• Credit: Knudson Gloss Architects

1 The fireplace is located on an outside wall, so it can be vented easily.

2 For cost efficiency, the plan has a “consolidated core” of closets, stairs, and intense framing . This center-bearing line could also become a stitch wall for prefabricated wall systems.

3 Rather than designating an entire room as a study, the architects carved a pocket offi ce into the space between the master bedroom and the vestibule. “That saves 60 to 70 square feet right there,” Gloss says. For young couples, the same space can flex into a nursery.

4 The doors to the master suite are 2 feet 8 inches wide with ample clearances in case the house ever needs to accommodate a wheelchair. This feature doesn’t read as universal design. It just feels like breathing room.

• Credit: Knudson Gloss Architects

 

5 One corner of the garage is set aside for an optional elevator shaft.

6 Homeowners need space to store their stuff. Gloss recommends a minimum 14 feet of linear rod space for master closets.

7 A 12-foot span of glass doors connects the kitchen to an outdoor grilling and dining area and helps channel natural light inside.

8 Window placement on perpendicular walls facilitates natural daylighting and cross ventilation in every room. 

Coastal Casual

• Credit: Robert Hidey Architects

Bob Hidey 
Robert Hidey Architects 
Irvine, Calif. 
www.roberthidey.com   
FOCUS: Southern California architecture with Spanish and Mediterranean influences

Flexibility rules in this tight little plandesigned by architect Bob Hidey. It doesn’t have a formal living or dining room, per se, but it does have a sizable multipurpose room off the garage that owners can use however they see fit.

“People are now buying houses with the idea that they are going to live in them for an extended period of time,” the architect explains. “Our thinking was that this floor plan had to meet today’s needs, but it also had to predict how the same house might be used differently by the same family in the future.”

Storage was another essential he was careful not to shortchange. “Outsourcing to off-site storage facilities has become a business in and of itself because people don’t have enough storage in their homes,” he observes. “Even though this is a small plan, we took the coat closet and made it three times the size of what you’d normally find. We also provided walk-in linen closets, a big kitchen pantry, and a transitional mudroom-type area for backpacks, shoes, and bags.”

• Credit: Robert Hidey Architects

  Bob Hidey’s clean-lined concept features a no-nonsense eave-and-rake roof design and simple volumes with 90-degree angles.

Stucco-clad with a simple shed roof, the elevations are pretty in their basic state, but they can also accommodate modest ornamentation in a range of vernacular styles. “The simplified form is one that could fit in any marketplace and draw on the architectural characteristics of that region,” Hidey says. “We haven’t found many clients who are willing to go completely minimal. Our goal here was to streamline while maintaining street appeal and character, so buyers could still imagine living in a neighborhood like this.”

Value-Engineering 101

Looking to save money without sacrifi cing quality or style? Architect Bob Hidey suggests these simple moves:

• Design floor plans in 24-foot increments.
• Minimize corners, jogs, and off sets.
• Keep the stairs simple and straight.
• Limit the number of window sizes and types.
• Stack or cluster plumbing walls.
• Eliminate volume spaces.
• Simplify the massing to allow simpler roof forms.
• Locate the range hood and dryer on an exterior wall to allow direct venting to the outdoors.

Want more design cost saving tips? Visit http://go.hw.net/InTheBox for a comprehensive checklist from Robert Hidey Architects.

• Credit: Robert Hidey Architects

1 Plumbing zones are stacked to allow shorter mechanical runs for cost and energy effi ciency.

2 This flex space could serve as a guest room, hobby studio, grandparents’ suite, or homework room. Or, punch out the wall to the garage, and it becomes a third tandem parking space, or a storage area for bikes, kayaks, jet skis, gardening equipment, or tools.

3 A basic staircase facilitates circulation and eliminates the need for hallways. “You don’t need to do open rail, balusters, and all the tricky stuff that costs a lot of money,” Hidey says. “If you place a straight stair in a discreet place in the floor plan, it doesn’t have to be as fancy.”

4 Kitchen cabinets can be bulky, so Hidey swapped some out and replaced them with a pantry that tucks under the stairs. “Building 5 feet of pantry is much cheaper than putting in 5 more feet of cabinets,” he says. And the kitchen feels more spacious as a result.

• Credit: Robert Hidey Architects

5 Even a small house needs a foyer, Hidey contends. It’s a transitional space that creates a sense of arrival, while at the same time giving the interiors an extra layer of privacy.

6 Covered outdoor space is essential in Southern California. People want to live outside, but not necessarily sit in the hot sun. This shaded patio connects to the kitchen, casual dining area, and mudroom.

7 Hidey went with an alleyloaded garage to preserve the character of the front façade. “You could always put a traditional garage in front with a driveway apron, but this gives you less fl exibility in terms of where rooms are placed in the plan,” he explains. “It also means that only half of your front elevation is architecture; the other half becomes garage.”