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CharlieG · 01-11-2002, 01:42 PM

A lot of the architects here have done GREAT public buildings - which is all well and good - let's face it, that's where the money is

What I'd like to see is some inspired, practical architecture done for the "City" and Suburban house. I'm not talking some of the houses sitting on 2-3 acre lots - How about some NICE houses meant to sit on a 40x100, or a 60x100. 60 years ago, there was some reasonable stuff being done, but it seems that since the mid 50s, and more particularly the late 60s, every house is a square block, maximizing interior space, and with NO details at all. They seem to call details the fact that the put a false mansard roof on the face building (because otherwise the flat roof would be TOO ugly) a detail.

Then you go inside - Lighting? That's ONE fixture in the middle of the ceiling, and other than that, the rooms are plain unadorned boxes

Before I bought my new house, I was looking to put an addition onto my old house. I spent a bunch of time looking at the zoning laws, and drew up some ideas to show an architect. He was impressed with my ideas, and they would have cost no more, and in fact less than what he showed me from his "stock" ideas

Then I found my new house and the extension didn't get done

Here's a question, what ever happened to "Pattern Books" - there used to be LOTS of them. You could come up with some real ideas

Sometimes I think I'd love to go back to school to study architecture, and in particular interior design. Yes, paint and fabric would be included, but I'm talking more "heavy" design - where do you put the doors, windows, stairs and the like. Where do you put the lighting? How are the kitchen cabinets laid out?

Silly things - the house I'm in now has great lighting in the Living Room and den (Both were redone in the 70s when an architect put the den on the house), but why is the lighting in the kitchen so BAD. Yeah, they did some things right - light over the sink, a down light over the table, and a general area light, but why is there no task lighting over the main counter?

I think that lighting and inexpensive details are the most overlooked low cost improvements that can be done to the design of a house (and are hard/ expensive to retrofit) $500 in materials and maybe 2 days onto the building of a house can make all the difference

01-11-2002, 01:42 PM	#3
CharlieG Hoodoo Guru Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 301	All well and good A lot of the architects here have done GREAT public buildings - which is all well and good - let's face it, that's where the money is What I'd like to see is some inspired, practical architecture done for the "City" and Suburban house. I'm not talking some of the houses sitting on 2-3 acre lots - How about some NICE houses meant to sit on a 40x100, or a 60x100. 60 years ago, there was some reasonable stuff being done, but it seems that since the mid 50s, and more particularly the late 60s, every house is a square block, maximizing interior space, and with NO details at all. They seem to call details the fact that the put a false mansard roof on the face building (because otherwise the flat roof would be TOO ugly) a detail. Then you go inside - Lighting? That's ONE fixture in the middle of the ceiling, and other than that, the rooms are plain unadorned boxes Before I bought my new house, I was looking to put an addition onto my old house. I spent a bunch of time looking at the zoning laws, and drew up some ideas to show an architect. He was impressed with my ideas, and they would have cost no more, and in fact less than what he showed me from his "stock" ideas Then I found my new house and the extension didn't get done Here's a question, what ever happened to "Pattern Books" - there used to be LOTS of them. You could come up with some real ideas Sometimes I think I'd love to go back to school to study architecture, and in particular interior design. Yes, paint and fabric would be included, but I'm talking more "heavy" design - where do you put the doors, windows, stairs and the like. Where do you put the lighting? How are the kitchen cabinets laid out? Silly things - the house I'm in now has great lighting in the Living Room and den (Both were redone in the 70s when an architect put the den on the house), but why is the lighting in the kitchen so BAD. Yeah, they did some things right - light over the sink, a down light over the table, and a general area light, but why is there no task lighting over the main counter? I think that lighting and inexpensive details are the most overlooked low cost improvements that can be done to the design of a house (and are hard/ expensive to retrofit) $500 in materials and maybe 2 days onto the building of a house can make all the difference