NOVEMBER 2023CONSTRUCTIONTECHREVIEW.COM9where residence stroll to the beach without crossing a major street. In addition, there is a public park with a 2-story beach pavilion and a ADA ramp leading directly to the beach. My wife has difficulty walking, instantly she fell in love with the neighborhood. (Figure 1)We bought a lot there during Covid in 2020. It took me two years to design and work closely with a local builder to build it. I started my design by first studying the site, the orientation, and the views. I discovered there is a small angle in my lot if I position the house right, I can see the ocean! Most people would have missed it since it is not that obvious. Next, I elevated the living spaces to the second floor, created an open concept floor plan with kitchen, dining, living room plus covered out-door deck all oriented toward the ocean view. Further, I vaulted the ceiling of these spaces by choosing A-frame roof truss system, together with the glazing end walls, it maximizes the million-dollar view. The living spaces are airy, simple, and elegant, filled with abundant natural light. (Figure 2 and 3)Another creative design element is how I made the septic system "disappeared" and created a green lawn right next to the pool. As we all know a residential septic system typically have an unsightly 3' high berm for the drain field. My site is tight. The drain field is adjacent to my 12'x32' pool. I built a 3' high retaining wall around the drain field and leveled it, then elevated the pool deck to align with the top of the drain field. Effectively I turned the drain field into a flat grass lawn, an extension of the pool deck. Form cost perspective, it made a lot of sense as well, because the site is in a flood plain, I must elevate the site and the first-floor elevation anyway to meet the FEMA requirement. (Figure 4)Sounds like this is a great house, is it a lot more expensive to build?No. Good design does not necessary cost more. Most middle-class homeowners think I can't afford to hire an architect to design my house, I just need to pick a floor plan model from my builder and put it in my lot. They don't see the value of a good design provided by an architect in the current home building trend. Good design with budget consciousness is utilizing the predominant construction methods to advance a version of bringing out the best of the site, the view, the light, and the functionality of homeowner's needs to maximum the value of the home. My house is a familiar, traditional wood frame structure on stem walls, so it is very easy to build. But there is uniqueness to the familiar design. I was able to create the living spaces with a million-dollar view by utilizing standard A-frame wood roof trusses, and standard 4'x5' hurricane resistant windows, and a post-beam covered deck. The result is a traditional coastal residential style with a modern twist. This unique-familiarity approach has separated this house from many others in the area. You need some uniqueness to sell familiarity. You also need familiarity to sell uniqueness. I think I did just that. (Figure 5, 6)Does the design add value to your home?Absolutely! When the final house appraisal came out as part of my mortgage process, I was happily shocked by the appraised value. My thinking had always been - good design should increase the value of your home, but should not cost you more. In my case, I was able to create a million-dollar view house and make the septic system "disappeared" with a run-of-the-mill house construction budget.Form your experience, what's your suggestion to homeowners when they want to build their homes? When you don't see value, you don't buy it. I get it. I don't think majority of middle-class homeowners realize good design adding value to their homes without costing them a fortune. Let me tell you what. Let's using my wife as an example. Once the house was built last Christmas, she experiences the airy spaces, abundant light, and beautiful views everyday while cooking in the kitchen, relaxing in the living room or the deck, having dinner at the dining table. She much prefers to live in our vacation house full-time. So, we decided to turn this house into our permanent residence. This is just a such powerful story to demonstrate that a good design indeed can influence people in a profound way. So, I will say to any homeowner who wants to build their dream home, you just can't afford not to hire a good architect whose design can improve your quality of life and maximize your investment. Form your experience, what's your suggestion to builders when they build homes?I know majority of builders more often act as designers to draw up house plan. Because everyone in this market is getting paid dollar/SF to build, so there is not much incentive to be creative in design. What I would say to these builders:" please collaborating with architects. Good design adds value to your bottom line and improves quality of life of its occupants for generations to come. It is our responsibility as architects, engineers, and builders to improve built environment for the masses. Good designs need not necessarily cost more
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