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Aside from that, walking up a flight of stairs every time you come home or have groceries to carry is fine when you're on vacation for a week or two. Not so much when you have to do it all the time.
This! Especially if this is your forever house. Imagine at 80+ yr old going up and down just to put out the garbage, get the mail, etc... Annoying! But, I'm sure you get used to it and mentally tolerate it since YOU designed it.
However, I understand that for security we should build a house with features that are attractive to the family crowd and incorporate additional bedrooms into the house plan. So now my workout equipment and yoga mat have been moved into a "home gym" room and the same with a "home office" room. These rooms don't have doors in the frames, though (if we were ever to sell the house, we would add doors). It just seems so sad to build a dream home with other people in mind (more bedrooms, full baths everywhere, less stairs, more generic.) "Build according to what sells! Copy what other people nearby have built!" Eh. I'm also a minimalist, so I don't like the idea of unnecessary bathrooms everywhere. But yes, if that's wiser and it doesn't cost that much more, I can do that.
I don't think anyone here is saying you can't use "bedrooms" as an exercise room or home office. Millions of people do just that. Just be sure to incorporate a window, a closet and a door (or a design that could be converted to a door) into those rooms so they could be marketed as bedrooms should the need arise.
This! Especially if this is your forever house. Imagine at 80+ yr old going up and down just to put out the garbage, get the mail, etc... Annoying! But, I'm sure you get used to it and mentally tolerate it since YOU designed it.
The poor dogs will have trouble long before then and you will have to carry them up and down every time they need to go out.
It looks like the issue here is misuse of terminology.
The links you provided do show very attractive houses but these aren't really "three story" houses but raised two story houses on top of an elevated basement. Generally speaking most people describe a standard two story + full attic house as two and a half stories, while a full three story house would be something like a townhouse or a genuinely large mansion. There are exceptions, of course, and an old college friend of mine built a rather spectacular contemporary house on three different levels but the house was built onto a coastal hillside so it made sense given its context. The Dallas area is flat so designing a full three story house is going to be awkward relative to the surrounding context unless we're talking about a higher density infill lot in an older part of Dallas where you'll be building what's effectively a townhouse.
You're right in that you should design a house to fit your own needs but at the same time as others point out, it never hurts to factor in resale value down the road as you just don't know what may happen to your particular life circumstances. The houses that take the longest to sell and receive the lowest prices are too often the more idiosyncratically designed houses.
But that doesn't mean you need to build something standard and conventional aka a suburban McMansion. Do talk to an architect and they will be able to help you design a house that meets your needs, is attractive and suits all the local zoning requirements. Based on what you've said and your ideas, you will be well-served by an experienced architect who can talk you through all the possible design options for addressing your particular living requirements.
Quote:
Originally Posted by berries123
Building a house with central heating and cooling is fine. Not doing so was just an idea, not a requirement. I don't need to have 11' ceilings on every floor either, just on one. As for the laundry being in one place: I'm going to have a hamper with wheels that slides into a built in cabinet in the master bath, and that way I can just roll that one hamper into the laundry room across the hall instead of looking for laundry in 3 full bathrooms on 3 floors. It's not a big deal, it's just what I preferred.
"I'm still trying to figure out your logic of wanting 3 stories to your house for 2 people but only want one bath."
"You want three bedrooms but only one full bath?"
The logic of wanting 3 stories but only one full bath? SPACE! We have 4 huge dogs, and dogs need space, not bathrooms. 3 stories not only gives them (and us) more indoor space to lounge in but maximizes the size of our backyard. My husband and I are CHILDFREE. There are 2 of us. I don't need all those bedrooms and bathrooms to accommodate my numerous offspring. Technically we only need 1 bedroom and 1.5 baths with the rest of the house being open space.
To be honest I don't see why we would want to move out of this house, since we travel overseas often (my family has a house in Thailand and we have relatives and friends who live around the world) and only need a simple, pretty little house in TX to be homebodies in for most of the year while we work. However, I understand that for security we should build a house with features that are attractive to the family crowd and incorporate additional bedrooms into the house plan. So now my workout equipment and yoga mat have been moved into a "home gym" room and the same with a "home office" room. These rooms don't have doors in the frames, though (if we were ever to sell the house, we would add doors). It just seems so sad to build a dream home with other people in mind (more bedrooms, full baths everywhere, less stairs, more generic.) "Build according to what sells! Copy what other people nearby have built!" Eh. I'm also a minimalist, so I don't like the idea of unnecessary bathrooms everywhere. But yes, if that's wiser and it doesn't cost that much more, I can do that.
Honestly, I don't care if my little house doesn't match the other houses nearby. I think that's a positive thing! So many of the houses around here are these hideous builder grade McMansions that attempt to look extravagant from the front but as soon as you look at the sides and back of the house you see cheap vinyl and a few tiny windows. Row after row of them. I think more people should build quaint, different, "weird" houses.
Agreed, those are low county houses that are built up from the ground, something that would be more at home in a dense setting or a coastal locale. Some are one and a half story homes on a garage foundation, but not what I thought was being described as a three-story house, save for the first house picture link, but that's a Southeastern home, very Floridian in style. Those houses would be out of place in Dallas, owing to the differences in topography.
If you are building 1.5 bathrooms, it's not that much more expensive to have a second bathroom, just add a tub to the powder room and locate it close to the secondary bedrooms. I would think that you would need one for your dogs, since I have never found it easy to wash my dogs' paws in a shower, much less bathing them in a shower enclosure.
The statement about groceries going up a flight of stairs is very true. A relative of mine owns a relatively large single-family home in NYC, that has a garage in the basement. You drive under the kitchen in that house that has a three-car garage, and it's very aggravating to have to carry everything upstairs. The house does have a dumbwaiter to the kitchen, that was retrofitted as the house dates to the late 1930s, but not everything can fit in the dumbwaiter, and you have to run upstairs to unload it, then run back down to the car to reload it, etc. if you have a large shopping order. However, if you are considering a lower level garage, with a multi-story house, you may consider a dumbwaiter from the garage to the kitchen.
Multi-story houses are fine, but with no living space on the first floor, i.e., the garage, since basements are not common in Texas, it can be limiting should a member of the family, be they human or canine, suffer a disability, be it temporary or more severe. If the bedroom is on the third floor, and the only way to get to it, and the bathroom, is via stairs from the main level, that's accessed by stairs from the garage or outside, what happens if someone breaks a leg or an ankle? Even worse, what happens if someone has to rely on a wheelchair or walker for assistance following an accident? Those types of unforeseen circumstances are what could prompt having to sell the house and move to a barrier-free home, unless you design in flexibility to accommodate such circumstances. For example, you could put the two secondary bedrooms with a full bathroom on the main level with the principal living area, and the MBR with bathroom on the top level, since in the event of an emergency, you could likely design a ramp to the main floor from outside, just check to see if your deck could accommodate a ramp from the back yard if necessary. You could also install three walk-in closets, one atop the other on each of the floors, making it easy to install an elevator should the need arise. Since you are designing the home and want to stay in it, I would look to having some contingency plans, especially when dealing with an unconventional home.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Building a house with central heating and cooling is fine. Not doing so was just an idea, not a requirement. I don't need to have 11' ceilings on every floor either, just on one. As for the laundry being in one place: I'm going to have a hamper with wheels that slides into a built in cabinet in the master bath, and that way I can just roll that one hamper into the laundry room across the hall instead of looking for laundry in 3 full bathrooms on 3 floors. It's not a big deal, it's just what I preferred.
"I'm still trying to figure out your logic of wanting 3 stories to your house for 2 people but only want one bath."
"You want three bedrooms but only one full bath?"
The logic of wanting 3 stories but only one full bath? SPACE! We have 4 huge dogs, and dogs need space, not bathrooms. 3 stories not only gives them (and us) more indoor space to lounge in but maximizes the size of our backyard. My husband and I are CHILDFREE. There are 2 of us. I don't need all those bedrooms and bathrooms to accommodate my numerous offspring. Technically we only need 1 bedroom and 1.5 baths with the rest of the house being open space.
To be honest I don't see why we would want to move out of this house, since we travel overseas often (my family has a house in Thailand and we have relatives and friends who live around the world) and only need a simple, pretty little house in TX to be homebodies in for most of the year while we work. However, I understand that for security we should build a house with features that are attractive to the family crowd and incorporate additional bedrooms into the house plan. So now my workout equipment and yoga mat have been moved into a "home gym" room and the same with a "home office" room. These rooms don't have doors in the frames, though (if we were ever to sell the house, we would add doors). It just seems so sad to build a dream home with other people in mind (more bedrooms, full baths everywhere, less stairs, more generic.) "Build according to what sells! Copy what other people nearby have built!" Eh. I'm also a minimalist, so I don't like the idea of unnecessary bathrooms everywhere. But yes, if that's wiser and it doesn't cost that much more, I can do that.
Honestly, I don't care if my little house doesn't match the other houses nearby. I think that's a positive thing! So many of the houses around here are these hideous builder grade McMansions that attempt to look extravagant from the front but as soon as you look at the sides and back of the house you see cheap vinyl and a few tiny windows. Row after row of them. I think more people should build quaint, different, "weird" houses.
Why not just rough in plumbing and space for another full bathroom where there should logically be one? Then when/ if you sell it's cheaper to install a full bath.
Also, I lived in a 3 story townhouse. Try and get 2 zone heating/ cooling. When it was cold (<30 degrees), the top floor and bottom floors were 10 degrees apart as all of the heat rose to the 3rd floor. I guess you could even do a fireplace and window unit on the 1st floor to save money.
Building a house with central heating and cooling is fine. Not doing so was just an idea, not a requirement. I don't need to have 11' ceilings on every floor either, just on one. As for the laundry being in one place: I'm going to have a hamper with wheels that slides into a built in cabinet in the master bath, and that way I can just roll that one hamper into the laundry room across the hall instead of looking for laundry in 3 full bathrooms on 3 floors. It's not a big deal, it's just what I preferred.
"I'm still trying to figure out your logic of wanting 3 stories to your house for 2 people but only want one bath."
"You want three bedrooms but only one full bath?"
The logic of wanting 3 stories but only one full bath? SPACE! We have 4 huge dogs, and dogs need space, not bathrooms. 3 stories not only gives them (and us) more indoor space to lounge in but maximizes the size of our backyard. My husband and I are CHILDFREE. There are 2 of us. I don't need all those bedrooms and bathrooms to accommodate my numerous offspring. Technically we only need 1 bedroom and 1.5 baths with the rest of the house being open space.
To be honest I don't see why we would want to move out of this house, since we travel overseas often (my family has a house in Thailand and we have relatives and friends who live around the world) and only need a simple, pretty little house in TX to be homebodies in for most of the year while we work. However, I understand that for security we should build a house with features that are attractive to the family crowd and incorporate additional bedrooms into the house plan. So now my workout equipment and yoga mat have been moved into a "home gym" room and the same with a "home office" room. These rooms don't have doors in the frames, though (if we were ever to sell the house, we would add doors). It just seems so sad to build a dream home with other people in mind (more bedrooms, full baths everywhere, less stairs, more generic.) "Build according to what sells! Copy what other people nearby have built!" Eh. I'm also a minimalist, so I don't like the idea of unnecessary bathrooms everywhere. But yes, if that's wiser and it doesn't cost that much more, I can do that.
Honestly, I don't care if my little house doesn't match the other houses nearby. I think that's a positive thing! So many of the houses around here are these hideous builder grade McMansions that attempt to look extravagant from the front but as soon as you look at the sides and back of the house you see cheap vinyl and a few tiny windows. Row after row of them. I think more people should build quaint, different, "weird" houses.
Building a "different" home in a costal area on land that has acces to the water is a whole lot easier than trying to plop down a home that is incompatible with one's neighbors in a desirable part of Dallas. If you don't like vinyl or overly ornate facades there are far wiser ways to get what you want than building from scratch.
I am fairly familar with housing in the greater Dallas area and the OP seems to be extremely outside the range of "normal" both in their list of "wants" and the things they are contemplating "cutting" from their home. I frankly cannot think anywhere that is would make sense to build the kind of home they linked to nor can I imagine where they might find a lot that would be compatible with such a design.
I would further caution that constructing a custom home in an area anywhere near Dallas, where demand is fairly strong, is very likely going to be a costly and challenging endeavor that will start with finding a suitable lot and lining up a cooperative custom builder -- the better builders are quite busy with folks that have a lot more realistic set of requirements and a MUCH better understanding of what things make a custom home valuable as well as MUCH MUCH larger budgets than the "mass builders" that are already running full tilt at quite a high price point...
I would STRONGLY recommend the OP begin shopping existing homes and get a sense for what sorts of homes may loosely be compatible with their desires and perhaps use some of their budget to modify an existing home to better address their concerns about visual appeal and making their life as pleasant as possible with their pets. I care for my dogs a great deal but it would be insane to consider only their needs when building a home.
5. Is it possible to have just the shell of the house built (everything but the paint, flooring, countertops, etc.) and do the rest ourselves in order to save money? Does that qualify as being "habitable" for the construction loan?
7. We are strongly considering not having central heating and cooling and using only ceiling fans in the summer and radiators in the winter in order to save on construction and utility costs. I read that radiators are superior to central heating and that there are ceiling fans that can operate all summer for ~$30. What do you think? Also, what do you think about heated flooring? Is it safe and cost effective?
Sorry it's long!
Two things:
5. It is possible; however, with all the elementary questions you are asking, I would NOT recommend that you go this route. I hope that is not personally offensive, but based on this thread alone it does not appear you have enough construction know-how for this to be a viably safe option.
7. This really does not make any sense to me. There are relatively inexpensive options that operate extremely efficiently and for your climate zone it just makes 0 sense to me.
"Aside from that, walking up a flight of stairs every time you come home or have groceries to carry is fine when you're on vacation for a week or two. Not so much when you have to do it all the time."
"This! Especially if this is your forever house... Annoying! But, I'm sure you get used to it and mentally tolerate it since YOU designed it."
My gosh people! You do realize that we currently live in an apartment on the 4th floor of a walk up building, and that I grew up in an apartment on the 3rd floor of a walk up building? Stairs are so good for you! They do wonders for trimming and toning your legs. At first I didn't like walking up all these flights of stairs to get to my apartment, but now I love it because it forces me to exercise more every day. My husband also grew up in a house where the garage was in the basement and you walked up to the main level when you came home. He had surgery on his knee twice because of a football injury and was in crutches, too. If I did end up building 3 stories I would run up and down the stairs as part of my home workout routine! Should I design the house with the kitchen right beside the garage and have a couch in it so I can take a nap after all that exertion of carrying 3 bags of groceries up one flight of stairs once a week? Perhaps I should have the kitchen in the garage in case I can't mentally tolerate that. This is why America is fat, people!
But no, I do really appreciate your thoughts/comments and constructive criticism. You do have a point about my dogs climbing stairs when they get old. That made me rethink having 3 stories (which, as I said, is not set in stone in any way). As for my husband and I, we won't be elderly for some 45 years, perhaps even longer physically since we have always been very active -- elderly people live next door to us and climb those same 4 flights of stairs every day! I think 45 years is enough time to get the most out of one house. And who knows, maybe since the number of childfree people is growing in 50 years' time we won't have to make any changes to it.
"Building a "different" home... the OP seems to be extremely outside the range of "normal" both in their list of "wants" and the things they are contemplating "cutting" from their home. I frankly cannot think anywhere that is would make sense to build the kind of home they linked to... the better builders are quite busy with folks that have a lot more realistic set of requirements and a MUCH better understanding of what things make a custom home valuable as well as MUCH MUCH larger budgets than the "mass builders""
1) Hey, guess what, there are people who live different lifestyles that don't involve a suburban house with 2.5 kids, an SUV and a Labrador. Some people want huge finished garages/workshops that take up 50% of their overall house to use for their projects, some people are childfree and want minimal bedrooms and bathrooms and more open space, etc. What some people are willing to spend on offspring ($250,000/kid) other people are willing to spend on a dream house. I can't imagine what you'd say to people who want to build cob/earth houses etc. Have you ever seen the show Home Strange Home? I don't imagine you have.
2) I already said that I'm adding 2 additional bedrooms, another full bath, and will have central heating and cooling.
3) What exactly is so extremely outside the range of "normal" about a 3 bed, 2 bath house? Because it might have 3 stories, the first of which is mostly garage and storage space? I did link some coastal home pictures, but that's because they were the first ones I saw with the garage tucked into the first floor. It would have a Southern exterior (white with black shutters, hedges, hydrangeas, etc.) Here: http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/73...06e53653f5.jpg
Except it would have a garage on the first floor like the other pictures and an additional story.
4) What are you even talking about, we're only considering my dogs' needs?! No... we are consider our needs. And I think it's "insane" to want to have screaming kid$ rip out of you to add to human overpopulation.
Last edited by Ultrarunner; 01-27-2014 at 05:46 PM..
Please post pictures when the building is complete.
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But yes, if that's wiser and it doesn't cost that much more, I can do that.
Very unrealistic.
