Shutters

Properly sized shutters are probably the easiest fix for existing homes. Shutters look best with visible hinges, tie-backs and sized as though they could actually cover the window. It's the slight angle between the shutter and house that make this detail come to life. This new home, in Naperville, Illinois was built by Siena Custom Builders.

More information on shutters to come in future posts...

Arches

This one is pretty straight forward...arches occuring on the same house should be of similar shape and proportion...no mixing half-rounds with elliptical arches, etc. This new home in Naperville, Illinois was built by Schillerstrom Homes.

More information on arches to come in future posts...

Lintels

I took this photograph in Alexandria, Virginia,...it shows a traditional brick support (lintel is the official term) called a jack arch...before steel was used to support masonry. It's basically a large wedge made up of tapered (gauged, the official term here) bricks, with their mortar joints converging on a single point.

More information on lintels to come in future posts...

Windows

Windows look best with a sloping sill, 4" surround and a flat or crowned head casing, usually a little wider than the jamb (side) casing...try with all your might to avoid "picture framing" windows. Windows with grilles (muntins is the official term) attached to both sides of the glass have come down dramatically in price and are the way to go. Snap-in grilles break easily and grilles between the glass disappear from view at first reflection. I'm sure some of you are thinking to yourselves, "but aren't they harder to clean?" My answer is yes...for your window washer who doesn't mind and needs the job.

More information to come in future posts...

Trim Details

I took this photograph of an addition to a Craftsman Style Foursquare in Naperville, Illinois built by Acorn Custom Builders. Look closely and you can see all of the historically inspired trim details of a thoughtfully built home. A frieze board, a belt course (at the second floor line), and a water table (at the first floor line) directly above the foundation. A layer of mortar was applied to the foundation wall then hand tooled to resemble square-cut limestone...a unique historic detail brought back to life.

More information on trim to come in future posts...

Dormers

The most beautiful dormers (this one is from Mt. Vernon) are almost always just a little wider than the window itself and more vertical tha horizontal. Side walls of flush siding angled to follow the roof slope (a historic detail) keep the dormers from calling too much attention to themselves. The front face of the dormer looks best trimmed to the corners with no siding present.

More information on dormers to come in future posts...

Architectural Patterns - little details

When it comes to architectural patterns it's the little stuff that can have the biggest impact. Not only on the house itself as the sum of its parts, but on the sheer number of existing homes that could benefit from an introduction to traditional details. Even something as mundane as a window and siding replacement job could benefit with a little help from an experienced residential architect. It's a wonderful chance to re-imagine what your home could be. The value of a well designed or re-designed exterior cannot be underestimated.

Following are ten common elements found on the exterior of many new and existing homes throughout the country. Unfortunately, finding many examples as well executed as the pictured elements below is a less common experience. In addition to the brief introductions that follow, future posts will show why these architectural patterns and many others came about and how their principles can be applied today in creating a timeless quality while renovating or building a new home.

Respect regional building traditions...

I took this photograph while on a Chicago Architecture Foundation walking tour of Prairie Crossing in Grayslake, Illinois. The community is new but the houses look like they have been there for quite some time. They have been designed with a respect for regional building styles typically influenced by history or climate, in this case a Midwest Farmhouse complete with wrap-around porch.

Are your details believable?

Here's a really important one...making details believable. New lightweight products that imitate heavy materials have made it possible to hold up seemingly heavy loads with very little structural effort. If using a lightweight substitute for a heavy material like brick or stone the supporting details should look as though the material is actually heavy. The stone base of the pictured bay is not structurally necessary but makes the detail more believable.

Natural materials - time tested...

This home, in Naperville's Federal Historic District, shows how natural materials (wood and stone) installed and maintained with care will last a lifetime and age gracefully while doing so. It's one of the reasons why "cool old houses" look so cool!

No more than two exterior materials...

Back to the Historic District for this addition to a Queen Anne Victorian. The architect did a great job in showing restraint in the placement, materials and details of the new structure. A general rule of thumb among some of the most respected residential architects is that no more than two different materials should be used on a home's exterior. Materials should relate directly to the style of the home which in turn should say something about the local history and climate of the region where it is constructed.

Consistency counts...

Consistency makes this home in Winnetka, Illinois pleasing to the eye. Even though there are two different and distinctive roof forms (gambrel and shed) they work together because neither one dominates the other.

Thoughtful massing...

Sometimes I think a house like this one was designed to solely explain a concept...this one would be massing. Thoughtful massing is a common thread that runs through all great homes regardless of their size or style...so it doesn't just apply to the brick Georgian from Williamsburg, Virginia pictured above.

This house has a substantial base below the first floor line, tall first floor windows, a belt course showing the line of the second floor, smaller second floor windows and a roof that does its job without overpowering the house.

Attention to scale...

Attention to scale makes this addition built by Classic Renovations (630-390-8232, old school!) just outside Naperville's Historic District a good example of how a home can provide ample space for a family (I've been inside this home) while respecting its neighbors and sidewalk strolling pedestrians. The street side of the house's second story is tucked under the roof, keeping the scale manageable, while the taller portion was located on the back side.

Try approachable instead of "impressive"...

The first thing that popped into my head after snapping this photograph in Naperville's Historic District was how approachable this house seemed with the addition of a simple portico. Historically, houses in northern climates limited the size of covered entries to allow more sunlight to penetrate into the house on cold winter days.

Detached garages - really!

While strolling the streets of Seaside, Florida, the first New Urbanist Community, my eyes were naturally drawn to this scene...a beautiful house with a well-detailed detached garage pushed all the way to the back property line. Before you say “that wouldn’t work in a typical suburban neighborhood!” think back to the movie Father of the Bride and tell me you can’t see the benefits!…back yards are over-rated anyway…and just think of the new interior wall of natural light you’ll get…not to mention the classic side entry kitchen. It’s one of the reasons historic neighborhoods are more neighborly…you can’t just hop in your car, open the garage door and speed off for the day!

Simple forms are just the beginning...

I took this photograph in the town of Serenbe, Georgia, a New Urbanist Community just outside of Atlanta. It's not a large house by today's standards, but its use of simple forms can be applied effectively at almost any scale. Note how the simple and honest roof forms used to cover actual living space (not added here and there for "street appeal") give the house its distintive character and charm.

Architectural Patterns - big concepts

Architectural patterns can simply be described as the way, intentionally or by accident, in which the parts and pieces of a building come together. From the trim around a window or door to the composition of a porch or building façade, architectural patterns are all around us. Some are the result of careful research and respect for materials and context, while others appear to have been dropped from space…or from an adjacent subdivision.

Following are ten big concepts that can really help to get any house off on the right foot.

Historic Neighborhoods...in the movies.

Think back to the last good movie you saw. Chances are the home occupied by the main character was set in a historic neighborhood. You know the type…picture perfect homes with manicured lawns set a few steps up from a sun dappled sidewalk hugging a narrow tree lined street. Ah, the quintessential American neighborhood.

a welcoming front porch...

Movie makers aren’t drawn to these homes for their overly complex roof lines, random window arrangements, gratuitous two-story foyers, three car front load garages or even their granite countertops and stainless steel appliances (sorry McMansion fans). They are drawn to film in and around these homes because of their simple, classic and timeless details, universally loved by many Americans as well as countless advertising and magazine location scouts…not a McMansion in sight.

simple, classic, and timeless details...

Unfortunately, the only media attention paid to the many McMansion-lined streets lately has been as the poster child of the foreclosure crisis. It’s not hard to see, when compared to a thoughtfully designed historic or historically-inspired home, why these subdivision-style houses are difficult if not impossible to sell.

They don't draw 'em like they used to...

...or maybe they still do? Look closely at the drawings above (dated October 22, 1910)…when blueprints were blueprints. I acquired these images after scanning a set of tattered prints I'm working from for an addition to a historic home in Naperville, Illinois. The house was designed by the Aurora, Illinois firm of Worst and Shepardson.

Now look closely at drawings below, scanned out of one of my favorite books, American Houses, chronicling the work of Fairfax and Sammons, a top tier residential architecture firm based in New York City (too bad all residential prints aren't this detailed). The exterior drawing is taken from a 1997 house built in Washington, Connecticut and the detail sheet is taken from a 1995 house built in Greenwich, Connecticut.

 

In person, all three homes share magazine caliber looks but differ dramatically when it comes to what it took to get them built; the old house was built using simple line drawings while the new house required many pages of detailed drawings. Why the difference?

The old house drawings didn’t need to show every detail because workers on the jobsite knew them like the back of their hand. They were common details that, for the most part, just made practical sense. The new house drawings, on the other hand, had to show a largely untrained modern workforce the ins and outs of building traditional details.

The American jobsite is no longer teeming with skilled artisans looking for a place to leave their mark; most of them have come and gone with no one to fill their shoes. If given the proper guidance, by way of detailed drawings, I believe our modern workforce would welcome the opportunity to once again build homes worthy of preservation and future admiration.