2 Responses to “Homes of the Unique and Famous 2”

1. shannon miller Says:
   June 17th, 2007 at 5:17 pm

   Hi,

   I am in love with architecture! I am not an architect, I just appreciate it. I really appreciate old homes - Pioneer homes that still stand today. They are comforting and pleasing in a way that many new homes are not. One of the reasons why is that they invite visitors to come in. Of course, Pioneer homes were built in a different way than homes of today. The insides were utilitarian and spare while the exterior was very important and attractive.

   The new crop of builders seem to be sensitive to texture and detail that home builders of old regularly skimped out on. This is good.
   One thing I can’t figure out is why these new builders make the garage so prominent instead of emphasizing the front door. By having the garage closer to the street and the front door pushed back farther on the lot, the importance of people is minimized and the importance of “stuff” is emphasized. I think this is a major design mistake with long ranging negative effects.

   If the garage is pushed back a mere 6 feet, the feeling of one of these new houses is completely reversed. Instead of these big doors being “in your face”, the house welcomes visitors and takes on a more friendly, warm appeal. A sideways entry to the garage or a garage that is pushed back even more increases this effect. Resale value is increased with a prominent front door instead of a feeling that the owners drive into the house and disappear. Many homeowners wonder why their neighborhoods residents don’t get acquainted with each other. I believe that the relative importance of the garage location has a lot to do with this problem.

   Many young people who just don’t realize how this design will affect their life and who are educated about this fact are willing to pay a few extra dollars for concrete to extend their driveway when they understand what this small change will reap in the long term.

   You are in a unique position to educate and increase knowledge in your buyers with small lessons on good design and achieving success in the exterior look of a home.

   Your program can influence these contractors. Would you consider this philosophy in dealing with new home plans and different builders? How does this observation strike you? What do you think?

   There are many qualified people in the state who are familiar with these subtle changes and the positive effect that they would make on the neighborliness of a neighborhood.

   Sincerely,

   Shannon D. Miller
   Historic District Improvement Company

2. Homes of the Unique and Famous. | Home Builders Blog Says:
   August 9th, 2007 at 10:46 pm

   [...] Strange Homes 1 [...]

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