CRAFTSMAN STYLE HOME - NEW FRONT FACADE
CRAFTSMAN STYLE HOME - ORIGINAL FRONT FACADE
I'm currently working on the design of this Craftsman-style house for a site overlooking Shell Lake in Washburn County, Wisconsin. My clients came to me with a design that had been drawn by a designer at the local lumber yard, and while they were happy with the layout, they were not satisfied with the outward appearance of the house, which didn't resemble their inspiration pictures.
One difficulty with using historic styles to build current-day houses is that our size expectations are different than they were in earlier times. The original bungalows and craftsman-style homes were typically much smaller than new homes built today, and it can be difficult to achieve the same look and proportions of homes from foregone days while also expanding the amount of space within the house.
One difficulty with using historic styles to build current-day houses is that our size expectations are different than they were in earlier times. The original bungalows and craftsman-style homes were typically much smaller than new homes built today, and it can be difficult to achieve the same look and proportions of homes from foregone days while also expanding the amount of space within the house.
CRAFTSMAN STYLE HOME - ORIGINAL BACK FACADE
CRAFTSMAN STYLE HOME - NEW BACK FACADE
I improved the original design by paying careful attention to the details that give a home of this era its character. The revised design uses window sizes and groupings that are more appropriate for homes of that era, as well as period details such as decorative brackets, exposed rafter tails on the front porch and head trim bands that extend beyond the sides of the windows.
While leaving the first level floor plan mostly as-is, I narrowed the house a few feet to subtly improve the proportions of the front facade and moved the first floor bathroom and side entrance to a bump out on the right side of the house. I grouped and moved the windows on the front wall to create a nicely balanced facade.
The second story plan was totally reworked. By moving both bedrooms to the front of the house, I was able to achieve an attractive symmetrical arrangement of the windows on the second floor. The second and third bedroom closets grew from 4' to 6' long, and the upstairs family bathroom went from a 1/2 bath to a full bath. This was achieved without increasing the overall square footage of the second floor by increasing the wall height of the upper floor, which created more usable space.
Due to an attention to proportion, scale, balance, symmetry, hierarchy (for example, windows on the upper floor should generally be smaller than windows on the lower floor) and appropriate period detail, the revised design is both more beautiful and more functional than the original.
While leaving the first level floor plan mostly as-is, I narrowed the house a few feet to subtly improve the proportions of the front facade and moved the first floor bathroom and side entrance to a bump out on the right side of the house. I grouped and moved the windows on the front wall to create a nicely balanced facade.
The second story plan was totally reworked. By moving both bedrooms to the front of the house, I was able to achieve an attractive symmetrical arrangement of the windows on the second floor. The second and third bedroom closets grew from 4' to 6' long, and the upstairs family bathroom went from a 1/2 bath to a full bath. This was achieved without increasing the overall square footage of the second floor by increasing the wall height of the upper floor, which created more usable space.
Due to an attention to proportion, scale, balance, symmetry, hierarchy (for example, windows on the upper floor should generally be smaller than windows on the lower floor) and appropriate period detail, the revised design is both more beautiful and more functional than the original.
CRAFTSMAN STYLE HOME - ORIGINAL RIGHT FACADE
CRAFTSMAN STYLE HOME - NEW RIGHT FACADE
CRAFTSMAN STYLE HOME - ORIGINAL LEFT FACADE
CRAFTSMAN STYLE HOME - NEW LEFT FACADE
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