Building modern, smarter, smaller
Featured this week in Globe and Mail.
Some nice pictures of the exterior and construction.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090123.reWinnett30123/REStory/RealEstate/home
In part three of his builder's diary, Jeremy Bell reflects on how his home fits in
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
January 23, 2009 at 12:00 AM EST
As a designer by trade, I've spent most of my career thinking about aesthetics in one way or another. I've come to respect the challenges inherent in finding harmony between function and form. I've also come to appreciate that one's interpretation of beauty is entirely ambiguous and completely subjective. So it didn't come as a surprise that the design of our house has been the topic of much discussion.
Commonly characterized by low-slung roofs, clean lines and open living spaces, modern architecture isn't particularly common in our neighbourhood. Ranging from American foursquare homes to non-descript post-Second-World-War bungalows, the architectural styles in our area are actually quite eclectic.
With the number of houses currently under construction, I also think it's safe to say our neighbourhood is in a state of transition. So given the variety, I was confident early on that we could design and build a modernist home that satisfied our aesthetic desires while comfortably fitting into its surroundings.
"I think most people will look at our home and classify it as modern because of the flat roof, use of glass and clean square lines," my wife, Jessica Lax, says.
"For me, building modern doesn't refer as much to a specific aesthetic as it does to set of ideologies that we embraced while designing our home.
"We focused on building functional space that would grow and evolve with our future family. Our architects helped us understand that by focusing on building a smarter, smaller home we could buck traditional thought that bigger is always better."
We had originally planned to build a 3,000-square-foot dwelling, but our architects convinced us to reduce the footprint to 2,100 square feet. Similarly, while we are building a two-storey home, the front of it is only one storey. This was done to ensure that the house felt more proportional on a street lined with bungalows.
"We want to make sure that the houses we design won't have a negative impact on the neighbourhood," says our architect, Cathy Garrido of Altius Architecture Inc.
"We try hard to scale the houses to fit in."
Scale and proportion are only part of the equation, however. With the exterior cladding, we've spent a considerable amount of time choosing colours and materials that we feel will complement the neighbourhood.
Brick will envelop the front room, while wood siding will be used for much of the rest. We're planning on treating the siding with a product called Sansin Enviro Stain, which will allow us to colour the wood to our liking while ensuring it is protected for upwards of 15 years.
Hardie board will be used along the south wall, as the proximity to the neighbouring house requires a noncombustible product (and wood siding clearly doesn't fall into that category).
From a construction standpoint, building a modern-style home isn't all that different than building a traditional one.
"It's been slightly more complicated, mainly because of the design and structural engineering requirements," says Steve Ungerman of All Canada Contractors.
"This house is made up of large windows, few wall systems and lots of overhangs. Clearly a lot of thought went into the layout, so you have to pay close attention to all the little details to ensure it's built correctly."
The demolition and excavation progressed relatively smoothly. I must admit, however, that I didn't fully appreciate how the structural demands would impact the project.
For instance, our floors are built with TJI joists, which are engineered I-beams made of wood. Similarly, LVLs — dense beams engineered from laminated veneer lumber — are being used all over the house. We also have a number of steel beams and columns on each floor.
This has added up to a structure that far surpasses my expectations. I suppose it's better to over-engineer than under-engineer, although that approach comes at a premium.
That's not to say it costs more to build modern. "It's really not a question of style," Ms. Garrido says. "You can build a modern house for a full range of prices. Whether it costs more or not depends upon what you are trying to achieve and what you are comparing the cost against."
We've also invested in better windows, increased insulation and a more efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system, but I think it's safe to say that most custom homes, modern or not, will cost more than a standard tract house.
With the framing complete, you can finally walk around and get a sense of how the house actually fits into its surroundings.
"When I started this project, my personal tastes were more traditional," says Mr. Ungerman, the contractor.
"However, after working on this project and seeing the results thus far, I have to admit that I've developed a real appreciation for modern architecture."
As for the house fitting into the community, "I don't believe that anybody will pass through the neighbourhood and think that this home does not fit in," says Daniel Casas, who lives across the street from us.
"On the contrary, I believe more people will be refreshed by a different look."
Our goal was to design a house that had character and personality, which is something I feel most new-home construction lacks. We wanted to build a home that could stand on its own and be appreciated for both its form and its function.
We obviously built the home for ourselves, but we also wanted something that would be accepted by the neighbourhood. Anything less would counterproductive, as we're planning on living in the house for many years to come.
That said, I'm certainly not naive enough to think that everyone will love what we've done, but I'm okay with that. Modern or not, hopefully, the discussion alone will help people's appreciation for architecture to evolve.
