Cookie Cutter House Plans

I live in the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis / St.Paul, where we have one of the largest Parade of Home tours in the country. Every year I look through all of the Parade offerings to see if I can identify any new trends.A couple of things have struck me; 1) how very similar many of these houses are and 2) this economy can not be a great environment for many home builders. The question begs to be asked; if you are by-and-large building the same house as your competition, how is your much sought after customer going to decide which house to purchase? Right, pretty much on price alone. This doesn't seem like a good business formula to me.As an architect I have worked with a number of builders that understand the benefits of a creative and well thought out home design. Builders such as this are not afraid to separate themselves from the pack. Now more than ever architects and builders need to examine whether their current business practices are serving them well. Perhaps this is the time to consider doing something completely different, because quite honestly the consumer has become much more savvy and selective! They are going to demand smaller, efficient, better designed, and more economical homes. Cookie cutter homes, clone homes, and yes even McMansion homes may always have a share of the market, but I believe if we don't as an industry, embrace and adapt to the ever changing building market, we will continue to see one business after another close their doors for good. Now how sad is that?
Unique Cottage House Plans

Mother In Law Banished to Garage!

Fine Homebuilding is looking for good examples of "mother in law" units that they can publish in an upcoming book (click here).

This reminded me of a project I designed a few years ago at Larson Brenner Architects. The project was actually for grandpa. A couple we were working with wanted their single 80 year young grandfather nearby, but Grandpa still wanted to live independently. The solution was to utilize an attic space that already existed above their detached 3 car garage. With a little planning we were able to create a plan which accommodated a kitchenette, media / sitting space, bill paying / desk space, bedroom zone, dining and a bathroom. See photos below.

It turned out to be the perfect space for a single guy, but by the time the project was completed, Grandpa..... well.....he found other accommodations with his new tootsie! That's alright though because the space is perfect for a college student, a young person starting their career, or even for a long weekend visit from Grandpa AND his new gal-pal!!!

New Modern Cottage House Plan

Simply Elegant Home Designs is offering a new house plan called the "Scandia Modern Cottage". The Scandia Modern Cottage was inspired by a recent visit to an infamous Scandinavean furniture store. On that visit this designer was struck by how small spaces could be made to be very efficient and liveable and in fact feel spacious. So I decided to set out to create a design with those same qualities.

The resulting design exhibits it's Scandinavean influences both inside and out. The exterior is characterized by simple gable and shed forms, strong and simple detailing and modern window styles / patterns. The design offers an open main floor with connected spaces. The two bedrooms and a shared bath fit under the gable roof lines on the second floor. At 1178 square feet this is the smallest plan that Simply Elegant now offers. The images below depict the design.

scandia modern cottage - front elevation

scandia modern cottage - view from back yard

You can obtain more information on this plan and others at Simply Elegant Home Designs.