Architecture for Us - Stories - Courtyard Homes (Part 2)
(continues from Part 1)
Uh oh - I can once again hear you saying, “but Glenn, this is going to cost a lot. This sounds nice but I think it might be for ‘fancy’ people: not me.” Yep, you have a point about cost. When compared to a standard contractor “builder-grade” house that has a traditional backyard/side yard with a couple of twig-like trees, yes, the square footage cost will be higher. Why? Well, not insignificantly, many contractor “designed” houses use a template with only minor, often cosmetic variations between models. Contractors know what materials are most cost-effective and what construction types will go up the fastest. Also, once a construction crew learns a template they can build houses fast. In essence, materials and convenience determine the design of the home. Meeting your needs is primarily cosmetic, and even then, typically an up-charge.
And so let me just say it: many of us buy far more house than we need. Most of us have been conditioned to believe that “bigger is better.” Consider two very real options that I recently came across when speaking with a friend who is moving to a new part of the States. She has $350K so spend. She can;
Her choice seems clear. Get the bigger home, right? I mean come on, her kids need a home theater - everyone else has one. And just look at all that cabinet space! But as she and I explored this I explained just what the term “builders grade” actually means. I suggested she visit a home by this builder that is at least 7 years old. How are those finishes holding up? Do things already need to be replaced? Is some of it just plain ugly? Is the backyard a place you want to be or is it generally a slab of concrete, some grass and a couple of sad trees? More importantly, does it feel like a real home or is it just a place to exist?
I often worry when I visit a home and see a lovely decorative piece on the wall that says something like “home is where the heart is.” An old adage I’ve long used: if you need a sign, redesign. Wouldn’t it be nicer if you didn’t need the sign but instead came to realize that your new home actually does hold your heart?
She and I continued by looking at the smaller home. For sure, it had fewer cabinets in the kitchen but I asked, just how many cabinets do you really need? Are you just making a place to keep “junk” that you have never used? And the finishes: much nicer in the smaller home and well above “builders grade.” We took a look at the backyard. It was lovely with mature landscaping and a variety of features.
No doubt, the smaller house had a higher cost per square foot than the larger house, but I also had no doubt that the quality of life lived in the smaller house would far, far exceed that of the larger house. For roughly the same investment she could get a large house with loads of space she doesn’t need, or a smaller house whose design invested in quality of life. Bigger is not always better.
For sure, there are many terrific developer-built houses and there are loads of architect-designed houses that are crummy and merely expensive. And let me also note: I live in a developer house. A number of years ago I designed a home with several courtyards that my spouse and I planned to build, but ah, life changes…
But I digress…
So yes, the square footage cost of a courtyard house will very likely be higher than that of a traditional developer house. In part that is because the house is probably not being built from a template that a crew can put up in their sleep. A courtyard house also has significantly more exterior wall than a traditional house and some of that exterior wall may be more expensive than the walls of a traditional house. For example, floor to ceiling glass costs more than vinyl siding. The fountain and landscaping in the courtyard? That too is more expensive than the sod and twig trees of a developer house. It is just a fact: the courtyard house’s square foot cost is higher. My green friends will point out that the courtyard home will have savings on its heating and air-conditioning bills. That’s true, but that savings won’t make up for the extra expense.
But for me it comes down to this: for the same investment would you rather have a smaller home that makes your daily life better, or would you rather have a larger home in which you merely exist? Yes, perhaps I’m soppy, but I prefer to live rather than exist. This is not too much to expect.
And so I close where we began. Picture yourself…
You and your spouse are preparing dinner for your family. Although you are “inside” the kitchen, there is really no “inside” to it. The kitchen simply flows from the built form of the house and into the open courtyard. You can see your daughter and two friends underneath an orange tree, laughing about something that you will never know. They run in and out of her bedroom, grabbing things and bringing them back to the orange tree. Your son has brought his telescope out and is positioning it so that he can look for Jupiter’s giant red spot. At once the grandparents arrive, bursting through the entry vestibule and into the courtyard. With a gentle cross breeze flowing through the courtyard and the space animated by the sound of water, the family gathers at the table to eat. You look up and through the twinkle lights in the nearby lime tree you see the Milky Way. Somehow… by some means, the space you are in seems to hug you.
Soppy? Not to me. After all, this is an Architecture for Us…
(continues from Part 1)
Uh oh - I can once again hear you saying, “but Glenn, this is going to cost a lot. This sounds nice but I think it might be for ‘fancy’ people: not me.” Yep, you have a point about cost. When compared to a standard contractor “builder-grade” house that has a traditional backyard/side yard with a couple of twig-like trees, yes, the square footage cost will be higher. Why? Well, not insignificantly, many contractor “designed” houses use a template with only minor, often cosmetic variations between models. Contractors know what materials are most cost-effective and what construction types will go up the fastest. Also, once a construction crew learns a template they can build houses fast. In essence, materials and convenience determine the design of the home. Meeting your needs is primarily cosmetic, and even then, typically an up-charge.
And so let me just say it: many of us buy far more house than we need. Most of us have been conditioned to believe that “bigger is better.” Consider two very real options that I recently came across when speaking with a friend who is moving to a new part of the States. She has $350K so spend. She can;
- Get a 3,500 square foot "builders grade" home that has "wonderful" features like a home theater and whirlpool tubs or,
- Get a 2,750 square foot home that lacks the theater and tubs but that has much nicer materials and amenities.
Her choice seems clear. Get the bigger home, right? I mean come on, her kids need a home theater - everyone else has one. And just look at all that cabinet space! But as she and I explored this I explained just what the term “builders grade” actually means. I suggested she visit a home by this builder that is at least 7 years old. How are those finishes holding up? Do things already need to be replaced? Is some of it just plain ugly? Is the backyard a place you want to be or is it generally a slab of concrete, some grass and a couple of sad trees? More importantly, does it feel like a real home or is it just a place to exist?
I often worry when I visit a home and see a lovely decorative piece on the wall that says something like “home is where the heart is.” An old adage I’ve long used: if you need a sign, redesign. Wouldn’t it be nicer if you didn’t need the sign but instead came to realize that your new home actually does hold your heart?
She and I continued by looking at the smaller home. For sure, it had fewer cabinets in the kitchen but I asked, just how many cabinets do you really need? Are you just making a place to keep “junk” that you have never used? And the finishes: much nicer in the smaller home and well above “builders grade.” We took a look at the backyard. It was lovely with mature landscaping and a variety of features.
No doubt, the smaller house had a higher cost per square foot than the larger house, but I also had no doubt that the quality of life lived in the smaller house would far, far exceed that of the larger house. For roughly the same investment she could get a large house with loads of space she doesn’t need, or a smaller house whose design invested in quality of life. Bigger is not always better.
For sure, there are many terrific developer-built houses and there are loads of architect-designed houses that are crummy and merely expensive. And let me also note: I live in a developer house. A number of years ago I designed a home with several courtyards that my spouse and I planned to build, but ah, life changes…
But I digress…
So yes, the square footage cost of a courtyard house will very likely be higher than that of a traditional developer house. In part that is because the house is probably not being built from a template that a crew can put up in their sleep. A courtyard house also has significantly more exterior wall than a traditional house and some of that exterior wall may be more expensive than the walls of a traditional house. For example, floor to ceiling glass costs more than vinyl siding. The fountain and landscaping in the courtyard? That too is more expensive than the sod and twig trees of a developer house. It is just a fact: the courtyard house’s square foot cost is higher. My green friends will point out that the courtyard home will have savings on its heating and air-conditioning bills. That’s true, but that savings won’t make up for the extra expense.
But for me it comes down to this: for the same investment would you rather have a smaller home that makes your daily life better, or would you rather have a larger home in which you merely exist? Yes, perhaps I’m soppy, but I prefer to live rather than exist. This is not too much to expect.
And so I close where we began. Picture yourself…
You and your spouse are preparing dinner for your family. Although you are “inside” the kitchen, there is really no “inside” to it. The kitchen simply flows from the built form of the house and into the open courtyard. You can see your daughter and two friends underneath an orange tree, laughing about something that you will never know. They run in and out of her bedroom, grabbing things and bringing them back to the orange tree. Your son has brought his telescope out and is positioning it so that he can look for Jupiter’s giant red spot. At once the grandparents arrive, bursting through the entry vestibule and into the courtyard. With a gentle cross breeze flowing through the courtyard and the space animated by the sound of water, the family gathers at the table to eat. You look up and through the twinkle lights in the nearby lime tree you see the Milky Way. Somehow… by some means, the space you are in seems to hug you.
Soppy? Not to me. After all, this is an Architecture for Us…