the “White Trim Syndrome”all over Rain City- There’s a whole lot more to designing homes
Jerry Gropp Architect AIA on 03 14, 2009
Mercer Island and a lot of other nice places are being overrun by “Spec Builders” madly producing these oversize boxes with their wide white trim. Other tell-tale touches of their indifferent computer-driven drafting (don’t call it “design”) are the tapered posts with pasted on faux river rock.
While fronts are abundantly and ineptly adorned, both sides and the back are usually left plain- except for perhaps some lumber yard non-wood wide white trim. Here are some examples:
About the Author: Jerry Gropp Architect AIA
I'm a long-time Seattle area residential architect specializing in what's known as Mid-Century Modern single-family homes per my WebSite- As you can see from this, most of my design work is in the Pacific NorthWest although I've worked as far afield as Hawaii and Argentina. I often work with homebuyers in evaluating possible purchases before the sale as well as advising how the homes being considered can be adapted to the families involved after the purchase. This is especially helpful and takes into account many factors including Building Codes, ease of maintenance, etc.. My Google "Knol"s have given me a great way to express my thoughts on a variety of design subjects. (Click) https://knol.google.com/k/knol/system/knol/pages/Search?q=Jerry+Gropp&restrict=general27 Responses to “the “White Trim Syndrome”all over Rain City- There’s a whole lot more to designing homes”
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This morning in Edmonds, it’s white everywhere. How much snow did you get Jerry?
I woke up to big flakes falling- but not sticking. Here’s one of my early Edmonds projects for sale. I did many when we lived in Innis Arden. J-
https://knol.google.com/k/jerry-gropp-architect-aia/mid-century-modern-homes-are-good/246qxuxd260sm/65#
I love Craig Purfeerst; He’s so funny! Yes there are some great mid-century homes in Edmonds. Which builders did you work with back then?
Bert Stole was one of the very best- he did this custom house for me in Innis Arden- among many others in the North end and elsewhere. Jerry-
https://knol.google.com/k/jerry-gropp-architect-aia/the-hidden-lake-mid-century-modern-home/246qxuxd260sm/9#
I like the point that computer drafting shows up in the house.
This gets at what weirds me out about these houses. I think of almost any style of building as having some kind of pattern or rhythm of windows, a pattern that corresponds to the logic of the interior. Here I just see big boxy house-volumes, and the windows do nothing to break that up, or in any way humanize those blank walls.
Maybe folks in the NW just don’t like windows, though your designs are wonderfully windowed.
As to “Maybe folks in the NW just don’t like windows, though your designs are wonderfully windowed”- that may because we have so many gray days- like today. My designs are based on lotsa windows- carefully considered as to placement and proportion. My JG WebSite is intended to illustrate that in my own home and many of my designs. J-
http://jgropp2.googlepages.com/alterationsanadditions
jerry, i agree with your criticism of current trends in brand new residential construction, but unfortunately that is what the market has been demanding. it will continue as long as it sells.
but i believe the knock on computer aided design is off base, especially considering technology allows for production of some wonderful designs that werent previously possible. like everything else, design is similar in that the main problem occurs between the mouse/pencil and chair seat.
Fillmore- I don’t think the market has been “demanding” what’s been foisted on it. And while I’ve used computers since the ’80s CPM dawn of time, I know my old-fashioned T-Square really works the best (for me) as a design tool. J-
My sense, fillmore, based on unscientific sampling, is that the built-on-spec houses are disproportionately ugly. The fact that builders eventually sell them doesn’t tell us a whole lot. The priority seems to be square footage.
I’m for example possibly in the market for a townhouse, but my choices range from bland to hideous — they’re all generic, spec-built places sold on features and finishes.
I went to see a house once on Magnolia Bluff. Magnificent view! It was a lovely tudor home, but with tiny little windows on the view side. It was as if whomever had it built there, ignored the view entirely.
Jerry,
Don’t “mid-century” style homes generally require larger lots than a lot of the newer homes? Do you know anyone who is building mid-century style today form scratch? How large of a lot would one require?
mcm homes dont necessarily require any more area than a typical home. there are a lot in bellevue to kirkland, and anything much over 10k sf lot doesnt seem to be typical.
lazor office and michelle kauffman both do prefab modern residential, michelle is actually local. depending on building square footage, lot size is only a consideration based on code requirements and client desires. but thats always the case with anything.
colin, you wont find any mcm townhouses, but ive seen some really awesome-designed new construction modern units on the market in seattle. there are also some decent looking models at element in redmond that keep dropping in price.
i am still convinced that the average buyer is looking for granite/stainless kitchens, crown molding, etc. the common criticism of modern design is that its too sterile and not warm enough for most peoples tastes.
fillmore writes above: “i am still convinced that the average buyer is looking for granite/stainless kitchens, crown molding, etc. the common criticism of modern design is that its too sterile and not warm enough for most peoples tastes”. to which I say, there’s no reason MCM homes can’t be warm and inviting- (ours certainly is). However crown molding is where I draw the line in my updating work. It just serves no purpose in modern homes. J-
and furthermore-crown molding does serve a purpose-
it makes a goodly sale of plastic wood moldings from the lumber yard and
allows the carpenter to show his considerable skills. However, these things add nothing to the livability of the home while adding unnecessary cost. J-
jerry, ive seen photos you have posted of your own residence before on your website. i love the front color elevation after it had just been built, still brand new. i wish you would restore it back to the original exposed cmu and wood siding, with privacy screen fence. that photo is an amazing capture of period correctness. i wish i could find something even half as nice, thats affordable.
Fillmore- as to “Period Correctness”, this MCM house today is much warmer in feeling than it was when first built. The stucco over the concrete blocks was done by a previous owner- it’s a great touch that we love. Jerry
Readers of Rain City Guide may also be interested in LottaLiving. J-
http://www.lottaliving.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=76657#76657
I think the city is the bigger culprit since they allow spec building in established communities because they issue the permits. Even areas farther north of Mercer Island and the greater Seattle are seeing the exact same type of building and disruption of neighborhoods/communities original style and feel.
Nowhere else in our lives do we allow such important choices to be made by those in no way qualified to make said choices “Spec” Building as such is all too often done with the cheapest, most inept plans available. Here’s an example up your way of what’s styled “Craftsman”. JG
Thank you for raising these questions about house styles. My wife and I are about to build a house, so we are paying careful attention to choices like this.
In my opinion, the wide white trim around the windows and doors is an improvement over the run-of-the-mill soufflé house. One hallmark of soufflé houses has been the use of the cheapest possible window trim — often no window trim at all. The wide white trim is a partial return to the days when windows, window sills, and working shutters were valued features of traditional-looking houses.
On the other hand, the white trim at the corners of these houses does not look right to my eye. Traditionally, a good siding job had corners with the same visual texture as the sides of the house. These builders might have put trim on the corners instead of hiring expert siders to finish the corners of the siding.
CAD might encourage the use of wide white trim. CAD programs tend to produce wire-frame drawings, which often have bright line borders around the windows, doors, and edges of the house. The wide white trim makes these houses look more like the CAD drawings. Whereas pencil-and-paper drawings might encourage rougher-textured (and darker) house corners.
– Jasper
Jasper- I’m inclined to agree with all your points above. However, whether CAD or T-Square is used, it all boils down to the skill and experience of the user combined with the expressed wants and/or needs of the client. Currently I’m working on a new Rain City Guide “Post” that will explain in detail just how I’ve done this in my lengthy custom home design practice. Lately I’ve been updating some of my earlier designs for their new owners. J-
Great stuff Jerry! About time someone with legitimate design credentials put a foot up the $ss of the crappy spec/flipper builders out there…..this garbage will be viewed as the peak of the get-rich-quick housing boom…keep fighting the good fight as you’re the first non-silly ardel post that i’ve seen on this blog in long time.
Thanks for the kind words Dag. It’s been hard to see my native NorthWest and Mercer Island being overrun by the “Dingbat”s and now all the “SuperDingbats”. (Not my term- I first heard it at the lumberyard during morning greetings being exchanged there). J-
[...] some ranting on not-so-beautiful McMansions by architect Jerry Gropp on Rain City Guide. He’s a man of few but scathing words: [...]
“Surrounded by Water” (above) shows the other side of the coin- I’m afraid it’s not only the aforementioned “Spec Builders” who are doing our Mercer Island a disservice by producing ugly, inept homes on lovely properties while paying little attention to beauty, graciousness and liveability, some architects are holding up their end as this blog points out so well.
Another take on my previous “White Trim Syndrome” RCG piece on LottaLiving- a Blog to which I often contribute. J-
http://www.lottaliving.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=14515