This is a big question for me, as a future agent and current flipper...(if I should not be posting here as a flipper please let me know. I consider those currently in the biz I am aiming for to be the most knowledgeable around). My future is in real estate.
Exactly what do you all consider to be the "line drawn" for interior decorators and their expression against what a neighborhood's style will hold. Is it really that important? Will multiple styles found withing the same region of the world make a difference, vs styles mixed from classical architecture from history (victorian, colonial, tudor, germanic, ect...)? how about compared to intra-regional styles, such as my area in PA, where we have victorian, colonial, and PA Dutch? In my small town, marked on money magazine's top 100 places to live, there are a lot of colonial and victorian architectural points. we have several homes with witches hats, and a lot of columns that do justice to both colonial and victorian architecture.
My father built in this specific zip code, but only one twin home. His style was univeral, with siding but no ornate porches...the porches are just that, concrete without rails leading up slim to the front door, with slow grow hedges as the border.
Although not built in the zip code of my current project home, my father expressed himself with a wide variety of architecture, primarily spanish infuenced with a lot of arches and stucco work. It's amazing how a completely different architecture from the norm can be accepted if its done multiple times in a region. I'm starting to believe my father started the trend for mediteranian style homes in my area. he worked heavily in masonary and stucco, tile work. One of the prized possesions I have from my father is his masonary bag, which is a large, heavy burlap sack containing all his masonary tools. his trowels, his hawk, his thinset trowels of various sizes, his edgers, his scrapers, etc... to me, that was christmas morning when I saw it all in one sack. I watched too many of his homes become covered in his distinctive stucco style to not cherish it.
My faher built nearby with a lot of spanish influence. to my father's credit, I can picture his distinctive wide petal stucco pattern to this day.
Also to his credit, he used textured paints before their time, in the 50's and early 60's. right when popularity was growing. His technique, cooling the textured paint (with sand) to be thick, and a particular brushing pattern to cover the walls with paint while allowing enough sand to add texture, when dried.
I suppose all daughters and sons of contractors will wax rhapsodic of their lineage, so I appologize if I went over the top. My dad was a proud man supported by a women who stood by his side, and built with him in the middle of winter. I'll never forget my father's most abitious project, and the one i hold the original hand drawn plans to. (my father did not use an architect, he was his own).
I grew up in that gigantic house from 4 years to 16 years old. it was far too large for my folks to afford to heat, so we sealed the entire top story (almost half the area) up each winter. we had 18 foot ceilings in the dining room, and throughout the first floor except the next tier level, which was 12 foot. the basement was 8-10 foot. between those two levels it was seamless, with railings and steps, but offering an open feel. the one foyer on the step-up was done in grouted slate. the other step up went to the kitchen, which was tiled.
the foyer, as we called it, had a huge ceiling to the top of the building. a single chandeleer hung down, amongst the wrap around railings to the steps that lead to the top floor. total clearance to the chandeleer was at least 20foot. to the ceiling, 26 to 30. so that, of course,became our first tree spot.
when times grew rougher, we even shut down that part of the house and ended up with our tree in the dining room by the kitchen, right by the steps to the basement heated by our ben franklin stove, also by the plant room, chilled from the underused garage and court yard.
Yes, my father had hefty plans for this home. it had a court yard with concealed garden, as well as 3 car garage, a plant room with sloped 18 to 12 foot ceilings, a dining room with 18 foot ceilings, a kitchen with 10-12 foot ceilings, and a tucked away basement with traditional ceilings,but running the length of the home. the first part was heated with a wood buring ben franklin stove, which radiated back.
It was indeed an ambitious project, and quite honestly the plans for it is my prized posesion in this world. i"ll rebuild it one day, when I have the financial solvency to afford it.
For anyone intersted in such a home, contact me. we can negotiate a deal with royalties, since I inherited the original plans. :) I'd love to see more of my father's vision go up. why should I protect it and keep it for myself now while I can share his genius for the world, and express his energy savings. his original plan is a perfect mate to my solar energy plan, so I have combined the two. You get a full manor home, with 3 car garage, 4 elevated rooms for 3 bedrooms/multipurpose rooms and 1 full kitchen, plus a ground level suite including a living room, a bath, and an internal multipurpose room. in addition, you get a plant room with solar ceilings sloped to the energy saving solar garage, a full court yard with tons of concealed space for internal growing. also, you do have a bssement off the livingroom and kitchen, allowing a full basement heated with a ben franklin wood stove, on three segments.
the home is on oil heat, with water filled hot water piped baseboard.
I am dedicated to re-envisioning this home, as I feel the original may be out of my reach, although not impossible. considering the original was built in 1977ish, I may be better off building a new version.
thanks all for listening.
I promise not to be too lengthy in the future, as I got all my guts out now.
Edited by BodyART (08/13/09 03:58 AM)
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