Ardell- I really enjoyed seeing this
back in the depths of last Winter in
Seattle. We could all use something
like this in the August Doldrums we
now are experiencing- nichr wahr? –
(Isn’t that true?- in German). Jerry
Every time I see this, I enjoy it more.
Come to think of it, Gingerbread is
about the only material I haven’t used
to build my many family homes. Jerry
Question for you, Jerry. Have you seen many Mid-Century Modern Homes (real not gingerbread) done in an Art Deco theme? One of my clients bought a simple one story rambler and have started to collect some Art Deco Pieces.
I’ve always wondered how costly it might be to raise the ceiling height on a one story home, since the low ceilings (just under 8 feet) seem to be an appreciation inhibitor. Let’s assume the house needs a new roof, so don’t include the cost of a new roof. How much more would it be to add vaulted ceilings or raise the height to 9 feet overall with valuted ceilings in the main living areas?
Ardell- Napier in New Zealand is an Art Deco town
that has lots of Mid-Century Modern Homes, many
with high ceilings. As to raising them after the fact,
it depends on how they were built. Here’s a high-
ceilinged one of mine out North in Innis Arden. J-
It’s a simple one story with a slightly pitched vs flat roof.
The ceilings in the fireplace room in your link look like the “outdated” 7′,8″ that needs “raising”.
One of the reasons many people want new or newer housing is to gain the 9′ or 10″ ceilings, so raising ceiling height in older homes will be a hot topic in the PNW in this decade.
Ardell- “raising ceiling height in older homes” is not
the only “hot topic” that I see coming. Another one
is improving the miserable windows we see in MCMs-
especially in Bedrooms. i’ve long considered windows
as perhaps the most important part of home design. J-
Ardell- As to: “The ceilings in the fireplace room in your link
look like the “outdated” 7’8″ that needs “raising”.”- this is the underside of the balcony you’re looking at. The rest of the LR
ceiling is humongously high as the other pictures show. Almost
all of my Mid-Century Modern homes have high LR ceilings- as
this Link shows-
Most people can figure out how to get new windows…it’s the ceiling height that makes putting money into these homes, for windows and most anything, a value limited proposition as to resale value.
If you put in a ton of money and no one wants it because the ceilings are too low, then maybe you shouldn’t be investing in the structure at all.
I must confess to being more than a bit dismayed when
one of my favorite RCG correspondents simply doesn’t
recognize a “straight answer” when it is served to her. 🙂
Adding one foot to the height of Home A might well cost
twice as much as adding one foot to the height of Home B–
and putting in all new windows might well entail changing
the size and proportion of many of the existing windows. Again
I’ve done a lot of these highly divergent home imrovements.
Inasmuch as many homes suffer from indifferent, inexpert
window design (placement and/or proportions, etc.), clients
who recognize these shortcomings (before or after purchase)
often consult with me as to how feasible needed changes
will be. I’m often brought into the negotiatons before an
Earnest Money Offer is put forward with the provision:
Subject to the Approval of Jerry Gropp Architect AIA.
1,300 sf rambler. Flat lot. Add 12 to 18 inches to height of ceilings. Ballpark it. Are we talking $10,000? $75,000? X per sf? It’s a box, and we want the lid to be higher up.
Yes! Great answer! Thanks Jerry. Makes perfect sense too.
Thank you. Much appreciated.
Another good topic is “truss lift”. You don’t see it often, but I was surprised recently to hear about it in some new construction homes, given severe weather conditions.
Usually you only see it in homes built in the 70s or so when the prefab trusses were attached incorrectly for a brief period. Also more common East Coast than West. But recently I’ve heard about problems with truss lift locally in new construction.
Near impossible to truly fix that problem, I think. Your thoughts?
Ardell- All Truss Manufacturers specify exactly
how their trusses are to be fastened to the top
plate. Should be no “lift problem”- if these are
followed to the letter. However, often they are
not- except on my jobs. On our previous topic-
“BALLPARKING” per se is one of the best ways
for Real Estate Brokers- and Architects to get in
trouble. Construction costs are made up of
many items added up- carefully.
Finally, a GB house with clean lines, a simple design and low maintenance landscaping. Is it organic too?
uh…yeah…sure it is. It’s green, it’s organic, it’s whatever you want it to be 🙂
Hey Ardell- I just got home to see the “Mid-Century Modern Gingerbread House”. I love it! Jerry
Couldn’t make “The Story” link work.
A twitter-friend of mine in Philly posted it this morning. I thought of you as soon as I saw it. The link in the post works for me…try this one.
http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/12/18/modern-gingerbread-house-is-a-sweet-la-pad/
It’s more instructions of how to make it than “a story”.
ARDELL – this is so cute – I love it! Just tossed the collapsing traditional gingerbread homes by the kids…
Ardell- I really enjoyed seeing this
back in the depths of last Winter in
Seattle. We could all use something
like this in the August Doldrums we
now are experiencing- nichr wahr? –
(Isn’t that true?- in German). Jerry
Every time I see this, I enjoy it more.
Come to think of it, Gingerbread is
about the only material I haven’t used
to build my many family homes. Jerry
Question for you, Jerry. Have you seen many Mid-Century Modern Homes (real not gingerbread) done in an Art Deco theme? One of my clients bought a simple one story rambler and have started to collect some Art Deco Pieces.
I’ve always wondered how costly it might be to raise the ceiling height on a one story home, since the low ceilings (just under 8 feet) seem to be an appreciation inhibitor. Let’s assume the house needs a new roof, so don’t include the cost of a new roof. How much more would it be to add vaulted ceilings or raise the height to 9 feet overall with valuted ceilings in the main living areas?
Can you ballpark that?
Ardell- Napier in New Zealand is an Art Deco town
that has lots of Mid-Century Modern Homes, many
with high ceilings. As to raising them after the fact,
it depends on how they were built. Here’s a high-
ceilinged one of mine out North in Innis Arden. J-
http://knol.google.com/k/jerry-gropp-architect-aia/the-hidden-lake-mid-century-modern-home/246qxuxd260sm/9#
It’s a simple one story with a slightly pitched vs flat roof.
The ceilings in the fireplace room in your link look like the “outdated” 7′,8″ that needs “raising”.
One of the reasons many people want new or newer housing is to gain the 9′ or 10″ ceilings, so raising ceiling height in older homes will be a hot topic in the PNW in this decade.
Ardell- “raising ceiling height in older homes” is not
the only “hot topic” that I see coming. Another one
is improving the miserable windows we see in MCMs-
especially in Bedrooms. i’ve long considered windows
as perhaps the most important part of home design. J-
Ardell- Here’s more on Windows, my feelings
about same and how my designs are based on
integrating my custom job-built windows therein.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/northwestmodernhomes/archives/179638.asp
Ardell- As to: “The ceilings in the fireplace room in your link
look like the “outdated” 7’8″ that needs “raising”.”- this is the
underside of the balcony you’re looking at. The rest of the LR
ceiling is humongously high as the other pictures show. Almost
all of my Mid-Century Modern homes have high LR ceilings- as
this Link shows-
http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/246qxuxd260sm/72x5qc/ch2.jpg
Jerry,
Most people can figure out how to get new windows…it’s the ceiling height that makes putting money into these homes, for windows and most anything, a value limited proposition as to resale value.
If you put in a ton of money and no one wants it because the ceilings are too low, then maybe you shouldn’t be investing in the structure at all.
WRONG! Most people can’t “figure out”
how to get new windows” and/or higher ceilings!
It takes a lot of skilled professional effort to
successfully redo a home. I’ve done a lot of it
You crack me up Jerry. Never can get a straight answer out of you! 🙂
How’s this? Does adding one foot to the height of a one floor home cost more than putting in all new windows? Of course one would likely do both.
I must confess to being more than a bit dismayed when
one of my favorite RCG correspondents simply doesn’t
recognize a “straight answer” when it is served to her. 🙂
Adding one foot to the height of Home A might well cost
twice as much as adding one foot to the height of Home B–
and putting in all new windows might well entail changing
the size and proportion of many of the existing windows. Again
I’ve done a lot of these highly divergent home imrovements.
Inasmuch as many homes suffer from indifferent, inexpert
window design (placement and/or proportions, etc.), clients
who recognize these shortcomings (before or after purchase)
often consult with me as to how feasible needed changes
will be. I’m often brought into the negotiatons before an
Earnest Money Offer is put forward with the provision:
Subject to the Approval of Jerry Gropp Architect AIA.
1,300 sf rambler. Flat lot. Add 12 to 18 inches to height of ceilings. Ballpark it. Are we talking $10,000? $75,000? X per sf? It’s a box, and we want the lid to be higher up.
A- If it’s a box with trusses laid on top- that
can all be lifted as a unit- not too big a deal.
If not, big deal. How’s that for ballparking? J-
Yes! Great answer! Thanks Jerry. Makes perfect sense too.
Thank you. Much appreciated.
Another good topic is “truss lift”. You don’t see it often, but I was surprised recently to hear about it in some new construction homes, given severe weather conditions.
Usually you only see it in homes built in the 70s or so when the prefab trusses were attached incorrectly for a brief period. Also more common East Coast than West. But recently I’ve heard about problems with truss lift locally in new construction.
Near impossible to truly fix that problem, I think. Your thoughts?
Ardell- All Truss Manufacturers specify exactly
how their trusses are to be fastened to the top
plate. Should be no “lift problem”- if these are
followed to the letter. However, often they are
not- except on my jobs. On our previous topic-
“BALLPARKING” per se is one of the best ways
for Real Estate Brokers- and Architects to get in
trouble. Construction costs are made up of
many items added up- carefully.
Ardell- Here’s a link to a Truss Drawing that will
help readers nderstand what we’re discussing. Jerry-
http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/246qxuxd260sm/ye7sql/rapp-trusses.gif
My “When the Birds Begin to Sing” PI Post is even more valid this year.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/northwestmodernhomes/archives/188286.asp