Exterior house plans
Tue, 3 May 2011Things are moving along with the plans for my house - and on Sunday night I was ecstatic to find an email from designers Dylan and Thu (of Vok Design Group) with their ideas for the exterior. (For a recap, check out this post of the interior plans). Before I show you their mock-ups of the exterior, I snapped some quick pics of the exterior yesterday evening when I realized I had no decent photos (probably because the exterior is slightly embarassing it's so freaking ugly and boring) that I should share.
BLEH. So uninspiring. Wait until you see this....
Here are some details regarding the materials etc.:
* dark stained lap siding or a painted hardi board lap siding, with a grey stucco above divided by a darker stucco band
* fascia and canopy are clad in a dark aluminum to match the stained siding
* windows are shown as an anodized aluminum finish
* between the front façade windows is an aluminum paneling detail in the anodized aluminum which will give the impression of one large window (similar detail on the corner windows in the new addition)
* corner windows have been set back into the wall to really emphasize the corner window detail
* door is a solid wood door with a v-groove profile
* western red cedar in a clear stain for the soffit beneath the entrance canopy and the accent pieces on the right corner as well as on between the windows on the front façade (square cut with a ½” space between the boards to create a ‘reveal’ affect in the cedar)
* for the roofline on the addition, we have come off the existing fascia line and made the peak towards the back of the home, keeping the top of the new peak in line with the existing peak and mimicking the low roof slope on the original home
So what do you guys think? We're meeting with the designers and hopefully our architect on Thursday so feedback would be appreciated. :-)
Reader Comments (43)
I too love a front porch to hang out on but the front of my house is kind of close to the road and just beyond the field across the street is the major highway that runs through the city so sitting out front isn't really ideal (and we don't visit with the neighbours). If I'm going to spend any time outside I'd rather it be in the backyard with the cats all tied up on their harnesses. :)
Love how the neighbours are just going to disappear and you'll be surrounded by parkland, very cleaver! ;)
Wow, what a difference. Hope this works and I get to see it in person one day. What's the 411 on the green factor? Can you perhaps involve some publicity/deals by using green materials/applications into this home?
I think the plans look fantastic! Love the materials you've chosen and colours used in the mock-up - very modern!
Just one question - with so much glass at the front of the house why so few, very narrow windows down the side? Will this be compensated with a large expanse of glass at the rear as well?
Best of luck withyour final decisions and council permissions.
Rosy, I would love to use green products - as long as the cost won't increase (since this is already going to cost us our lives). We haven't actually looked into materials yet.
Kimma, we are restricted on the sides of the house in terms of windows because of having neighbours so close. Chances are we can't have any windows, or a minimal amount/small ones. The main floor at the back will be just about all glass.
Kim, I was pointing out that the awning is flat, I was not suggesting a flat awning.
You mentioned flat roofs were not a good idea in your part of the world so I was wondering why you can have a flat awning and not a flat roof.
It appears that your next door neighbors house has a flat roof on a very old building, am I missing something.
Pretty cool that you are hiring a team of interior designers to work on your home.
Have any of the designers been featured on your blog?
I always had the impression that the two of you dreamed of being interior designers.
Would it be possible to build a facade on the roof to make the roofline straight instead of peaked?
The roof line gives the architecture a soft modern feel instead of a classic modern feel.
I know I know the roof line is not changing :(
In the first rendering of the house place a finger over the peaked roof and the home looks so much cleaner and classic.
You asked what we thought so I hope I didn't offend with my thoughts :)
I know people on this site love anything placed in front of them and they are not use to anyone questioning anything on here.
Tom, if snow piles up on the swning we can easily push it off. The issue with a flat roof is snow/ice/water settling and causing leaks below. So not really an issue for an awning.
The next door neighbours have a flat roof yes, and it probably leaks into their bedrooms.
Frankly I don't mind the peaked roof. I'd rather not have the house look that boxy.
I did not actually hire a team of designers, the team of 2 at Vox Design Group, a local firm, offered to help out in the planning stage as they are long time fans of the blog.
I appreciate your thoughts, and for the record, we get our fair share of people "questioning" what we post. Many of the comments thanks to you. :)
This is so exciting for you! I hope you go ahead with it. As always it is a good plan to vet your ideas for things you might have overlooked and might want to consider. Having said that, instead of the 3 cables holding the front patio roof, why not a lovely thick cedar post at the front corner? It could then have the house numbers and a light for them on it. Use the internet on sites such as Houzz to refine/confirm your siding choices. If you can, have a different media for 'paving' leading up to house - it doesn't look right to have all one paving source for the driveway and the walkway - maybe large cobblestone pavers for the walkway and asphalt edged in cobblestones for the driveway. Good luck!
Makes sense.
I saw this ( link below) and thought it would be perfect but I guess not with snow and a peaked roof.
It will look amazing either way, I was just giving my opinion :)
Beautiful long skinny home with a roof top deck and great windows to light up your home without worrying about the neighbors. LINK: http://superkul.ca/projects/40-r-laneway-house
Now THAT'S a house that doesn't fit in with the neighbourhood. Extreme. Not my taste Tom, though you surely like it.
Cathy I only posted the link to show the possibilities of a roof top deck and alternative ways to bring light into the house.
I was not trying to say this is a better look for Kim.
Kim here is a pic of a beautiful home similar in design to yours with an awning with the cables.
Notice the roof lines in this type of architecture are usually straight lines.
Using boxy to describe modern architecture is kind of strange, but oh well I won't worry about that ;)
This will be my last post regarding your beautiful new home.
I will now sit back and watch the transformation silently with the rest of the readers.
Link: http://superkul.ca/projects/split-house
Your home is going to be so beautiful. Please post lots of pictures along the way so we can follow your progress. Personally, I like the peaked roof.
I looked at the plans for a long time Kim...thinking (critical me, you see)....and all I can say is: it looks fantastic.
I love the corner windows and (big time) the windows around your front door. All that light you will have! Very affecting inside.
It looks beautiful - nice work Dylan & Thu.
May all the necessary suppliers now come forward with their superb (but free! or, O.K. I'll be reasonable, at cost) materials wanting to work with you.
Best wishes with the project.
Look. A window for every cat! :)
Not visit with the neighbours? "If I'm going to spend any time outside I'd rather it be in the backyard with the cats all tied up on their harnesses. :)" So you are going to spend $$$ for your dream remodel in a community where you will be virtually arms length from neighbours you don't care to be friendly with? Yikes! Please tell me I'm reading you wrong...
Wow - removing every nearby home was an excellent design decision!
Seriously though, I love it :) Quite the rebuild! What structural elements will be kept from the old house?
It´s a really nice house. Love the materials, the simplicity of the structure and those amazing windows!! . I´m a big follower of your site. Congrats and regards from Valencia (Spain)
If chillin' with my neighbours was a priority I'd move to a townhouse in the burbs where you have 800 neighbours all up in your biz.
Kristian, the old house will only get a new exterior and the second floor will be reworked to make more cohesive spaces with the new second floor.
I have to admit I'm kind of surprised at this design. Not about the modern part but more about how dark and severe it looks. I just would have expected you to use a lighter siding and paint color. I love the chocolate colored wood you are using but I just think the house could look friendlier in some combination other than black and charcoal.
It also looks massive which I know isn't accurate because of how your current house looks on the same lot. I think it would be great if your architects also showed you the house more realistically by showing your neighbors in the sketch to give a more accurate view of the scale and its relationship to the other homes. This, of course, is just my opinion. I always love what you do on the interior so I'll probably love this too. Good luck!
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