Reviewing Design Drawings with Talon

Chip Grisham (head of table), Mike Creamer (to the right), and Amy Leicht review drawings with Patricia

Amy Leicht

Mike and Amy

Floor Plan

This is the floor plan and elevations for proposed home at 3302 W. 42nd Pl. Drawings are as of 4/20/2010.

The floor plan for our current home is shown below.

Windows

We are asking for a lower solar heat gain coefficient on the south and west facing windows.

Fireplaces

Countertops and Backsplashes

First countertop would go in the kitchen, powder room, and the wet bar. The next would go in the main level bathrooms. The third would go in the utility room and downstairs bathroom.

Cambria Carmarthen Brown

Wilsonart Deepstar Glaze

Formica 760 Ivory Brushing

Kitchen floor would be Armstrong cusion step sheet vinyl, Peruvian Slate Sunrise. Wet bar floor would be Peruvian Slate Seacliff.

The spec selections so far (4/20/2010) are listed below.
Upstairs

Entry, foyer, hall and side hall, great room, dining area floor: Laminate Wood, TAS American Classics Red Oak 6340

Kitchen Floor: Armstrong vinyl, Peruvian Slate Sunrise 33134

Kitchen Countertops: Cambria Quartz, Carmarthen Brown

Powder Room Floor: Armstrong vinyl; Peruvian Slate Sunrise 33134

Powder Room Countertop: Cambria Quartz, Carmarthen Brown

Mud Room and Utility Room Floors: Armstrong vinyl; Peruvian Slate Sunrise 33134

Utility Room Countertops: Formica, 760, Ivory Brushing

Master Bedroom Floor: Carpet, Beaulieau Promo 01: #16

Master Bathroom Floor: Armstrong Starstep Sandstone 64517

Master Bathroom Countertop: Wilsonart Deepstar Glaze 1813-35

Hall Bedroom Floor: Carpet, Beaulieau Promo 01: #16

Hall Bathroom Floor: Armstrong Peruvian Slate Sunrise 33134

Hall Bathroom Countertop: Wilsonart Deepstar Glaze 1813-35

Downstairs

Wet Bar Floor: Armstrong Peruvian Slate Seacliff 33130

Wet Bar Countertop: Cambria Quartz, Carmarthen Brown

Bathroom Floor: Armstrong Starstep Sandstone 64517

Bathroom Countertop: Formica, 760, Ivory Brushing

Bedroom and Rec Room Floors: Carpet, Beaulieau Promo 01: #16

What about backsplashes for kitchen, wetbar, and bathrooms?

Kitchen Sink

This Kohler sink has a lower divider and circular shape, permitting larger pans to be laid down in the sink.

Tub/Shower Enclosures

Fiberglass tub/shower enclosures from Maax (seen at Keller's). The 48x36 size shower enclosure with 2 seats would go in hall bathroom. The 60x36 size shower enclosure would go in the Master bath. The Tub-shower enclosure would go in lower level bath.

Cabinets

Cabinet door is rustic beech. Stain is Russet. Design for kitchen is raised panel. Other areas with the cabinet will have flat panel. Kitchen shown is in new home built in Loden Greens.

Exterior Design Examples

More Front Elevation Possibilities

What kind of windows?

One must choose a window manufacturer, a window type, and a window design.
Manufacturers very on quality and price. Information available via the Internet isn't unambiguous. There are positive and negative comments, and it's hard to separate installation problems from manufacturing problems. Our builder has Atrium vinyl windows on the spec sheet. My sense is that this is a mass market, run of the mill window. Do we want a higher quality window? If so, what brand? How can we be sure another window will be properly installed?
When picking a window, you want to consider various ratings for UV protection, water and air infiltration, heat blocking, and sound control. The U value for windows should be less than or equal to (LTET) .35, while the rating for water infiltration, the window's DP value, should be LTET 30. For air infiltration, lower CFM values are better.

There are many types of windows. Windows can be single or double hung, casement, gliders, or plain old fixed windows. They can have a box grid, a perimeter frame, various other designs, or be plain. Lots of choices, and what you choose will depend on where the window is, front, rear or side.
Andersen Windows
Milgard Windows
Cascade Windows
Atrium Windows
Pella Windows

Why Build?

The rationale for building is simple. We couldn't find a house on the market that met our needs. Strange as it seems, nothing we looked at provided a master bedroom and additional bedroom on the main floor, and a separate living space for the third adult in our family. Basically, we wanted a 2 bedroom up and 2 down rambler with a daylight basement.

Of course we had other things we wanted, some pretty much requirements, some nice to have. Of the former, designing for seniors was a requirement. Architects and builders call this being "ADA Compliant," which refers to the Americans with Disabilities Act, I guess that means we older Americans are considered disabled. Sometimes I feel that's accurate, especially in the morning before I've had my coffee.