We met
in meatspace with the architects late last Friday to yip and yarp about the revised
plans (sorry: no digital copies this time…). We had been going back and forth
digitally (which we like to do given our busy schedules and introverted
tendencies), but some points in the process require face-to-face interactions.
Since we are near the end of the design, this was one of those points.
We
think the design phase has gone well and seemingly quick. Progress has had a
weekly rhythm with squeals of glee with delivery of a new product, a couple
days of mulling, vaguely detailed emails describing the mulls, and waiting a
week or so for the next product. It’s been fun!
The
meeting was somewhat sobering in that it was a this-is-it moment: We’re on the
cusp of diving into construction drawings. It was good that the meeting
happened on Friday afternoon (barking on evening): Being mullers, it gave us
the weekend to mull the “finality” of the design. And we had a few things to
mull, the main items being (1) the tree behind the garage (start your chainsaws!)
and (2) lack of a covered spot for an outdoor grill (build into the house
design or deal with it with the landscape?). Since the bride doesn’t want 8-foot
tall ceilings in the kitchen (we’ve been spoiled with nothing less than 10 in
our living-on-our-own lives), the architects need to find space for more risers
in the stairwell. So we suggested that they add space for a built-in grill
along one of the walls of the back entry (we grill a lot, so wethinks it may be
warranted). That, in turn, gives more space for the risers, space (perhaps) for
shelves in the stair nook (we’re thinking this could be the “library”; we need
a place for all the architecture books I’ve been buying!), and (perhaps) more
space in the pantry (which is now entered from the kitchen [thanks Devon!]).
With the tree removed, the architects may optimize the placement of the garage
with respect to the back of the house. Then there’s the question of color (more
on that in a later post…).
You’ll
notice (if you notice these sorts of things) that we haven’t had any [muffled
grunts] during the design phase. That’s because there honestly hasn’t been
any. The architects have been a pleasure to work with. Architect 2d has been
quietly competent, and he (and the Usonian Expert) have not been driven by
design dogma. Everything has been on the up-and-up, and design concerns have
been addressed directly, either by changing the design or explaining why
something is the way it is. Next up are some of the mods described above, a
quick budget assessment (the dreaded budget assessment…), and then construction
drawings. Yeehaw! We could be breaking ground in four months! Also, we need to
find and talk to a landscape architect, someone who can De Stilj with the best
of ‘em (suggestions?).
Check
out the latest rendering of the house: It kicks the big butt!
Looking good guys - POST MORE PICTURES!!!! (please)
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