Simply Elegant Home Designs Blog

SEHD Unveils Awesome New House Plan

2012-01-09T18:35:00.000-06:00

Today at Simply Elegant Home Designs we unveiled an awesome new house plan - The Willowbrook! Check it out and let us know what you think.

Birdseye view of front entry

Front View

Rear View

This house plan would be suitable for the shorelines of lakes, rivers and oceans; but would be equally at home in the country, or on a large wide lot with beautiful views! You can obtain more information on this fresh new country house plan at Simply Elegant Home Designs website by following: The Willowbrook

Southern Comfort!

2012-01-02T07:36:00.005-06:00

I remember the day I turned 18 (legal drinking age back in the day) quite well. The pint of Southern Comfort I was provided as a birthday gift led to a turn of events that my old friends will never let me forget. The day started out normal enough.......Oops - this is a blog about home design. Let me start over.

A few weeks ago I received a call from a wonderful couple in Alabama. Two years ago a tornado had ripped through their property and destroyed their lake home. Since then they have been working on a new home design. They had become pretty happy with the floor plans, but just could not get comfortable with the building exterior. They came to the conclusion they needed some design assistance, and asked if I could help. I said, "Absolutely!"

The original lake front elevation. A good beginning but too tall for a two story house (main level and lower level). The elevation also needed a logical scheme for patterns, materials, etc.

The new lake front elevation. I brought the roof line down and lowered the dormers to a more reasonable height. Other changes included: creating a dramatic window pattern at the central gable, reconfiguring the porches, developing new column and beam details and adding a material / color palette appropriate for a lake cabin.

WOW!!! was the response when I sent the sketches to them. That's the greatest reaction I could possibly hope to receive.

The moral of this story is... don't be afraid to seek the help of a professional. With their assistance you can create a design that you will be proud to call home for years to come. Now this is what I call real Alabama Southern Comfort!

Architects Have Great Tools - Exterior Color Studies

2011-11-30T13:40:00.004-06:00

At Ron Brenner Architects we have been working on a series of color studies for a client of ours.
I have included a number of the studies below. The client has selected a medium gray for the base body color; however I also did a couple of non-gray variations. The black roof is a given on all schemes. Which one would you choose?

scheme 1 - all white horizontal clapboard siding

scheme 2 - gray board and batten siding, rusty corrugated metal inside porch and in 'link" area

scheme 3 - dark gray board and batten body color with white clapboard inside the porch and in link area

scheme 4 - gray board and batten body color with dark plum inside the porch and in the link area

scheme 5 - gray board and batten body color with white clapboard inside the porch and in the link area

scheme 6 - gray board and batten body color with dark gray shakes inside the porch and in the link area

scheme 7 - gray board and batten body color with white shakes inside the porch and in the link area

Warm Air Rises

2011-11-28T10:08:00.001-06:00

I received a question the other day pertaining to the image below.

"How much does it cost to heat a space like this?"

Great room view looking across dining, kitchen and living room. The house plan can be purchased through Simply Elegant Home Designs at Hudson Simple Cottage House Plan

Unfortunately there is no good way to answer this question. There are simply too many variables involved; however I can give you one big generality. Warm Air Rises and Cool Air Sinks - In the image above warm air will tend to rise towards the peak of the vaulted space. Therefore, in warm climate regions high ceilings tend to be sought after because you don't want the heat near your body. Conversely, in cold climate regions ceilings tend to be lower where you want to contain as much of the warmth as possible.

Warm Air Rises - Is one of the basic rules you should consider when designing an energy efficient house. To me energy efficiency is the most important aspect to Green Design. For more of my Green Design thoughts you might check out the following:
keep it simple
top 10 green things to do

Gobble!

2011-11-24T06:20:00.000-06:00

"gobble"
happy thanksgiving
from simply elegant home designs

cape cod with diamond shingles

2011-11-19T06:31:00.002-06:00

I had an inquiry yesterday about the pattern shown in the upper portion of the gables in this house. This home is a cape cod inspired design by ron brenner architects.

The entire house is clad in cedar shingles. We used a semi-solid wood stain made by Cabot. Sorry - I don't remember the specific color. The grey shingles are contrasted with the linen colored trim and columns.

The diamond pattern is also created from cedar shingles with a custom cut. This is a bit labor intensive, but provides a large design impact. You can create many types of patterns using this technique, but I believe the diamond weave is elegant while remaining understated. Note that I also projected the upper gable outwards to create a shadow line and provide a protective overhang for the windows.

This house plan is available for purchase at http://www.simplyeleganthomedesigns.com/Lakeland_Unique_Cape_Cod_House_Plan.html

Houzz on Fire!

2011-11-17T16:58:00.004-06:00

I was recently at the "Capture, Communicate, Create" event at the W Hotel in Minneapolis where Liza Hausman from Houzz was the featured guest. If you have never heard of Houzz you should probably check it out.

Houzz is quickly becoming a leading destination site for home design enthusiasts. It features over 200,000 high quality interior and exterior photos that have been uploaded by the original designers. This makes Houzz the Internet's largest database of design and decorating ideas.

Houzz has a number of features for homeowners, but I think the coolest is that you can create your own ideabooks. It's the modern day version of the old "cut and paste scrapbook" from magazines. Preparing to build a new home or take on a major remodeling? Create an ideabook and share it with your Architect. In my own practice I love ideabooks because it helps me to understand my clients tastes and preferences. With this information I can design something new and fresh, but in a vein I know my client will love.

So do check it out. You can view the Ron Brenner Architects Houzz page at http://www.houzz.com/ron-brenner-architects.

And please don't forget to like us!

traditional yet contemporary home design

2011-11-05T08:26:00.000-05:00

Over at ron brenner architects I am doing some design work for new clients of mine. They are looking for a home that blends the contemporary with the traditional; something that is both yesterday and today. I presented the following three concepts.

A double gable scheme. This form being familiar without being common.

Shed on shed scheme. Here I utilized a classic saltbox colonial roof form; blended with a more contemporary arrangement of windows and use of color.

Gable on saltbox scheme. The full front gable is an unusual variation. Side bumpout and "link" between house and garage is clad with metal

My clients were very happy with the alternatives. In my next article I'll show you which scheme they chose; along with the developments we have made since then.

Which scheme do you prefer?

latest design by ron brenner architects

2011-10-10T07:53:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to give you a sneak preview of a new home designed by ron brenner architects. The new modestly sized home is illustrated below.

The design is a modern interpretation - blending elements from the classic american farmhouse and the arts and crafts.

Ron had this to say about the home: "The design process we use is always very collaborative. In this case Mark Sova (from Main Street Builders) developed an initial concept floor plan. We took that and performed a number of massing studies in order to determine the best possible form for the plan. Then we developed a pleasing fenestration. The result is a modern interpretation of a Midwestern Farmhouse".

granny flat featured in forbes

2011-10-01T09:50:00.000-05:00

A few years ago I (ron brenner architects) designed an above garage studio apartment for the father (grandpa) of a client of mine. The apartment was featured in a new book called In Laws, Out Laws and Granny Flats. I have included a couple of images here.

Now Forbes.com has picked up on the idea. Check out the article by Ashlea Ebeling at 10 Chic Granny Flats.

House Plan Guru Creates New Concepts!

2011-08-10T05:40:00.016-05:00

I received a call from a fellow a couple of days ago. He told me that he has been exhaustively searching for house plans but cannot find one that fully meets his needs. I always find it amazing how many people have this problem given the tens of thousand of house plans available online. But the fact is every client has individual needs. Why should they settle for a house plan that comes up short?

His condensed building program is this:

1 level home with walkout basement - walkout will initially be unfinished
2 main floor bedrooms - one with en-suite - one using a shared public bath
walkout lot from front to rear
views of mountains at the rear of the house - rooms should take advantage of that
finished floor area must be 1500 square feet or less

So based on his building program I sketched out a couple of concepts. See below.

Spaces are spread across the width of the lot to take advantage of the mountain views. Simple massing with one dominant gable form running from front to rear.

A more compact arrangement with a "bungalow" inspired form.

This is one great example of the service we provide that sets us apart from our competition. Can't find the right design solution? Give our Guru (Architect) a call!
Simply Elegant Home Designs

New House Plan - The Willowbrook

2011-08-08T06:00:00.019-05:00

Over at Simply Elegant Home Designs we will be coming out with a new design in the next couple of weeks. Below is a sneak preview of our "Willowbrook".

Birdseye View

Main Level Floor Plan

Upper Level Floor Plan

Front Elevation - house left, entry and stairs middle, garage right.

New Unique Small House Plan!

2011-08-06T07:43:00.000-05:00

Simply Elegant Home Designs is introducing a new unique small house plan - "The Willernie Cottage" as illustrated below. Architect Ron Brenner had this to say about the home: "The design is definitely eclectic. We combined farmhouse, shingle style, cottage and modern elements into a carefully composed exterior envelope. The interior layout is smart. Like all of our designs we pay much attention to circulation patterns and potential furniture arrangements to ensure functional yet efficient use of space."

Image from front

Main Level Floor Plan

Upper Level Floor Plan - Three bedrooms with two baths.

Front Elevation

Right Side Elevation

For more information on the home design you can follow this link: Willernie Cottage

New Home Design features Granny Flat!

2011-07-31T07:41:00.002-05:00

Simply Elegant Home Designs is now offering a new house plan featuring an above garage "granny flat" apartment - The "Deephaven Eclectic Cottage".

Earlier this year one of my designs was featured in a new book called "In Laws, Outlaws and Granny Flats" (Taunton Press, by Michael Litchfield). The book features ways that folks can add value to their homes by adding second dwelling units. This seems so relevant to me given our current economic climate. Therefore I decided to develop our first house plan that features a second dwelling unit. The result is our "Deephaven Eclectic Cottage" - illustrated below.

Form is dominated by crossing gables punctuated with shed dormers. Careful attention was paid to the scale, proportions and patterns developed by all of the various building elements.

The apartment above is accessed by it's own entry at the back of the garage. If desired the garage can also be segmented to provide a private parking zone for the apartment. The main floor features gracious open living spaces and a wrap around front porch. The screen porch is placed at the outside corner thus minimizing its impact on natural light and views from the spaces within.

Upper Level Floor Plan. The apartment (above the garage) includes it's own kitchen, living, bathroom, eating areas and bedroom. The apartment can also be accessed from the second floor of the main house.

"Black and White" color study - front elevation. This demonstrates the simple yet sophisticated character of this home.

Rear Elevation

Right Side Elevation

All in all I think this is a really exciting new house plan offering. More information on this home can be obtained at the following: "Deephaven Eclectic Cottage".

Custom Home Design - Craftsman Lake Home

2011-05-22T07:57:00.002-05:00

I am working on a new home for a client through our Custom Home Design process at Simply Elegant Home Designs. I thought I would give you a sneak peak of our initial concept sketches. This is a 3 bedroom home to be constructed on a wooded lot overlooking a marvelous Minnesota lake.

Our design work always begins with plan sketches and 3d massing studies. A 3d model beats exterior elevation sketches every time when trying to communicate a design.

Garage with bonus is left - entry link in the middle - main volume of house on the right. A pretty straight forward concept designed to work with the topography of the land.

Above and below is an initial color study. The client is looking for a home with an arts and crafts feel appropriate for its wooded setting. I'll typically do several color studies - so I'll pass those along as completed.

The custom home design process I have created provides a nice compromise between purchasing a pre-designed house plan and hiring a full scope of Architect's services. This particular client had looked at thousands of plans online and could not find a design that worked. On the other hand he did not have the budget to spend $30,000 or more on Architectural services. Enter our custom home design process which fit the bill perfectly.

If interested in learning more about our Custom Home Design Services please feel free to contact Ron Brenner at 877-380-9470.

Best House Plans - No Groupon Required!

2011-05-14T06:41:00.002-05:00

Here at Simply Elegant Home Designs we are convinced that we offer the absolute best house plans in the business. To prove this point we are going to start featuring a “Home Plan of the Week”. The idea is to illustrate what makes our plans so special. Better yet, we will also offer a special discount for the featured plan for that week. And you don't even have to join Groupon!

Apple Valley Four Square

The Apple Valley Four Square is our first House Plan of the Week.

What makes this house so special? Let one of our recent clients explain through their testimonial. I have excerpted portions below.

“Yes, absolutely: feel free to share my delight in finding The Apple Valley Foursquare. It is a darling house. We love the prairie schoolhouse vibe and the simple elegance of the exterior. As well, we appreciate the 2-sided light in each room. We are treating the entire staircase as a room - esp the landing at the top of the staircase with the large window that will overlook the center of the property: a meadow with Grandfather Oaks, the rushing winter creek winding through the far grove of fir trees. The Master Bedroom and screened porch will overlook the orchards, herb and vegetable gardens and if looking to the right, up the hill, we'll be able to see the small pinot noir vineyard.

I've had a chance to look over the .pdf doc - so fun to see how the house will be built - and the possibilities of an exercise room in perhaps a modified 1/2 basement option. Love that! (along with the machine room, storage and root cellar.) Also, it's funny - most of my furniture, mirrors, and key elements are from Pottery Barn, Room and Board, Restoration Hardware (neutral energy) and decor from Wisteria, home collection from Anthropologie (http://www.anthropologie.com/) and P Barn - design, textures and characteristics that will lend itself to the design of the house.

Ron, also the interior photographs of both the Deephaven Modern, and the Excelsior Farmhouse Cottage won our hearts over, too! The photographs are wonderful suggestions of lighting, color and carpentry for our own design.

The Den will be the Library - with to-the-ceiling bookcases, comfy chairs - a place to study and write.

Thanks so much,

We'll be in touch - L&K

PS - I've read A Pattern Language and other books by Alexander Christopher (The Luminous Ground) and most of Sarah Susanka's books about "the not-so-big-house" including her Home By Design. Also, Roots of Home by Russell Versaci and Michael Pollan's A Place of My Own. Add to that list William J. Hirsch's Designing Your Perfect House (Lessons From An Architect), and House by T. Kidder. Stacks of books! I've searched through Mascord, Garrell Associates, a whole bunch of architect's websites, purchased Designer Dream Home magazines at the market, created a vision board and pasted exterior and interior images into a journal, for years. It's not like I haven't done my homework! Finally, we found Simply Elegant Home Designs and The Apple Valley Foursquare. Eureka! We break ground this Spring. We're going . . Home.”

Now that is what I call a testimonial!

Home Design Ideas - 3 Tier Kitchen Island

2011-02-22T05:50:00.001-06:00

A 3 Tier Kitchen Island is a simple Home Design Idea I have used many times over the years. Most kitchen islands tend to be one tier or two. On a single tier island one counter provides kitchen prep and eating / serving purposes. On a two tier island one tier is the cooking counter and the second tier is the eating / serving counter. I like to add a third tier because it adds another dimension and offers more storage possibilities. See below for a few examples.

Three tiers - one for kitchen prep, one for eating and serving and one for storage. Here we used glass doors for display. I like the way the taller tier "anchors" the other two counters. It also helps to define the edge of the kitchen from the hallway which is to the left.

Here (in our Excelsior Farmhouse) tiers on both ends "capture" the kitchen and eating counters. The eating counter is highlighted with a natural walnut surface. The taller end cabinets also provide another display surface.

Another simple example (from our Midwest Living Farmhouse) with a curved serving counter. The taller end cabinets also help to conceal kitchen clutter from the living room beyond. This is a good design strategy within an open floor plan.

The Value of an Architect 2 - Architects have great Tools!

2011-02-19T11:39:00.002-06:00

A recent project I am working on at Ron Brenner Architects gives me another example of how a good designer can add value to a project. The home is in the Design Development stage, so the basic form and plan have been finalized but the details are still being adjusted. The images below illustrate how Brenner utilizes 3d visualization tools (in this case Google Sketchup) to study variations in design to communication options to the client. With better visualization the client is able to make more informed decisions.

The image above depicts the completed Schematic Design - a classic midwestern farmhouse exterior. Narrow gable forms, 1 1/2 story height, shed porches and box out bays, white clapboard siding, black shingle primary roof and galvanized metal porch roof.

This image depicts a taller plate height and a modification of the roof eave detail to provide more of a midwestern greek revival aesthetic.

Image above represents mostly a color study variation of the original farmhouse vernacular design but also makes subtle adjustments to column sizes and porch beam detail.

This last image depicts the concept of an "original" brick farmhouse being added on to with subsequent white clapboard additions.

Simple,Unique, Creative and Green House Plans

The Value of an Architect

2011-02-19T10:54:00.003-06:00

While at my regular job - Ron Brenner Architects - I received a phone call a few days ago. It was from someone who had been designing their own cabin. Subsequently the design was given to a builder who's draftsman tried to complete the design and drawings. Well it turns out that he did not like the design. He was still enamored with the floor plans, but not the exterior appearance. The image below is of the original design.

I was asked to see if I could take a shot at improving the appearance of the home without significantly altering the floor plans. He also wanted to maintain the basic chalet style roof line that he had started with. I agreed to work on an hourly rate basis to provide the services. I modeled the plan quickly in Sketchup and did several minor alternatives. In the end we landed on the final solution as shown below.

Hopefully this is illustrative of a little bit of value an Architect can bring to a project. They can turn an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan. Good design is not easy. It takes training, creativity and experience. There are many aspects of design that need to be considered including:

form
scale
proportion
rhythm
pattern
texture
shade and shadow
color
spatial qualities
quality of light
function
circulation patterns
furniture placement
construction related issues
cost / budget

A good experienced Architect will be considering all of the above while creating beautiful design solutions for you. So next time you decide to build a new home, or remodel an existing one; you really ought to consider hiring a design professional. Your project will be better off for it.

Simple,Unique, Creative and Green House Plans

http://ronbrennerarchitects.com

Home Design Ideas - Cozy Fireplace

2011-02-15T05:49:00.003-06:00

Here is a another post from our Home Design Ideas category. Create a Cozy Fireplace with an Inglenook layout.

Below is an interior remodeling of a home I did a couple of years ago. The house was a classic 1950's Ranch - enclosed spaces, dark, uninviting. As part of the remodeling we opened things up, brought in more natural light, and added a few more traditional details to the living room and other spaces.

The Living Room was the one large space in the house. It was actually uncomfortably long which made planning an intimate furniture arrangement difficult. So on with the Inglenook idea. Think of an inglenook as a cozy kind of alcove space; which is exactly what we created. See the pictures below.

The Inglenook was created by adding the new formal opening with columns just a few feet in front of the fireplace. This served to shorten the room while still maintaining an open view to the fireplace. In fact it even strengthened the fireplace as the focal point in the room.

On either side of the fireplace we crafted a bench with recessed bookshelves above. Detailing of the fireplace surround, paneling and columns is a spare level of traditional. Color tones are subtle allowing the natural wood floor and brick fireplace to stand out.

All in all we were successful in creating the type of space our client was looking for - Simple, Unique and Elegant.

Home Design Ideas - Squatty Front Door!

2011-02-07T13:03:00.002-06:00

Here is a Home Design Idea for you - Buy a Squatty Front Door!

I had someone call me yesterday looking for some advice (not one of my own clients). She told me that her house is in construction, and she is very concerned about her front door. "The framed opening for the front door looks out of proportion - it looks squatty". The door was to be about 40" wide x 6'-8" high, but she is now uncomfortable with her decision. I could actually feel her agonizing over it.

I told her that the proportion of the door may in fact look squatty now, but might not once the door is actually in place. That's because the door has paneling, details and textures within it that begin to visually alter it's own proportions. You also need to look at the door in context with it's surroundings because it needs to be in balance with the overall composition. I have a feeling she is just staring at the door opening only, which is a common issue amongst homeowners during construction. This is where a good design professional could help her gain confidence in her decisions.

Here is a Cape Cod style house plan I designed with a "squatty" front door. 3'-6" wide x 6'-8" tall. Looking at the door in context with the surrounding composition, it feels about right.

The vertical paneling treatment, vertical wood grain pattern and the dentil detailing below the glass all conspire to break down the visual width of the door. The result is a "squatty" door that does not feel so.

So the moral of this particular story is twofold:

Always consider design issues in their full context.
Hire a design professional. He / she can save you much agony.

PS - The Cape Cod House Plan illustrated here is available for purchase at Lakeland Cape Cod

Worlds Best Small House Plan Introduced!

2011-02-01T04:56:00.000-06:00

The Worlds Best Small House Plan has just been introduced at Simply Elegant Home Designs!
The home design - the Scandia Modern Cottage is actually a plan that Simply Elegant has had on the market, but has taken on a complete remodeling. The result is the worlds best small house plan. See images below and be sure to check out the videos.

A modest interior, but with abundant natural light and a carefully designed open floor plan it fills large. Check the interior video out at small modern cottage interior

The exterior is simple and unique. A modern cottage design. Check out the exterior video at small modern cottage exterior

The Scandia Modern Cottage was designed by Minnesota Architect Ron Brenner. He had this to say about the project.

“Is the claim that this is the worlds best small house plan a little much? Perhaps; but I am very excited about the design. To me the design if fresh and the floor plan functions beautifully. Let me list just a few things that I think make this a special home design.

At 1349 square feet the home is on the small side, but it feels large. Take a look at the interior images and video and I think you will agree. We opened up the floor plan and looked carefully at circulation patterns and furniture arrangements to make the spaces highly functional. Windows filter the public spaces with natural light from every direction.
It is a small house plan with plenty of storage. Because of it's size we made sure we packed it with storage possibilities in creative ways. A custom buffet cabinet floats between the living and dining areas. A continuous window seat with storage below is placed alongside the entry path. Media cabinets flank the fireplace.
The house is “comfortable”. Both inside and out, it evokes a casual kind of elegance that makes you feel at home.
The floor plan is adaptable. We have designed the home to be expandable with a main floor master bedroom. Or on a walkout or lookout lot, kids bedrooms could be placed on the lower level and the second floor converted into an amazing Master Suite.
The exterior is adaptable. We like the clean lines and uncluttered look of it's Scandinavian influenced exterior. But the design can easily be adapted to a more traditional or rustic aesthetic without altering the massing in any way.”

View from rear yard showing the trellis covered patio area.

View from right side. The tower makes a dramatic statement.

Custom cabinetry is featured throughout the home design providing for ample storage in a small house plan. Also, notice the exposed stair stringers.

New Concept House Plans Unveiled!

2011-01-30T08:00:00.001-06:00

Simply Elegant Home Designs has added a new Concept Plans gallery page at Concept Plans and Custom Home Design. The page has a flash gallery of home designs that we have started, but are just waiting for the right client to fully develop. These concept plans basically represent a starting point towards the design of a new custom home.

A shingled cottage home design that could serve as a great mountain cabin plan or beach house.

A modern cottage with an open floor plan and a beautiful front porch. The roof lines are simple, yet dramatic.

A mountain lodge with wrap around porch!

Simple yet unique farmhouse plan with a wrap around porch and a main floor master bedroom. Classic Midwest Living!

An elegant cottage home design with a welcoming front porch.

You can check out more of the gallery at Concept Plans and Custom Home Design

Modern Cottage House Plan Update - The Afton

2011-01-29T08:00:00.011-06:00

Simply Elegant Home Designs has updated the design of our Modern Cottage House Plan - The Afton. We liked the old design for it's modern simplicity, but wanted to provide a fresh version for those with a bit more traditional sensibilities. I've highlighted some of the changes below.

BEFORE
Here is our previous design. Nice - so we just wanted to add a few touches to make it a bit more traditional.

AFTER
The new front elevation. We added a an "eyebrow roof" above the wrap around porch, added muntins to the windows and changed the color tones of the exterior. These changes give the home design a more soothing feeling and give it more of a beach cottage aesthetic. By the way you can check out an exterior animation at Modern Cottage Exterior Video

View from rear yard. We added a wrap around porch that connects to the screen porch. This is a great home plan for outdoor living

Interior image from dining area through kitchen to living room. We updated materials and color tones. And we have added a great video that walks you through the main floor spaces. You can check that out at Modern Cottage Interior Video

All in all I think you can see that a few subtle changes can make a significant difference in a home design. So let us know if you think. Do you like the "before" or the "after"?

By the way - you can see more information on this plan at Modern Cottage House Plan!

Home Design Ideas - Crazy with Tile!

2011-01-27T08:15:00.001-06:00

I recently ran into a photo of a simple bathroom design that I wanted to share with you. It's a really skinny, small, simple, unique and fantastic powder room within a 1910 Georgian Mansion in San Francisco. Check it out below.

This powder room is a contrast of the very modern and the very ornate. It starts off as a very spare space with almost awkward proportions. Add to that the modern wood vanity, vessel sink and faucet. This is contrasted by the "crazy" - but well designed tile pattern, reinforced by the stained glass window and the ornate mirror.

Detail view of the tile pattern. I cannot imagine the man-hours that went into this. But you have to admit it's very cool.

All in all a very quirky but beautiful powder room. So todays lesson is this:

Keep it simple but pay attention to the details.
A contrast of styles can be very dramatic.

If you want to learn more about this bathroom you can check out the link where I found it:

http://arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/in-house/design-and-architecture/san-francicso-decorator-showcase-features-marsh-clark-powder-room

Home Design Ideas - Drop the Ceiling!

2011-01-22T06:40:00.000-06:00

My design philosophy is all about getting big design impact from simple ideas. After all good design ought not to be expensive. So here is a simple trick that I have been using for years - "Drop the Ceiling". Take a look at the examples below and I think you will agree. Simple Idea - Big Impact!

Here I added a gypsum board "bulkhead" to help define the spaces on either side of the kitchen. Making the walls extra thick allowed space for ductwork in this otherwise wide open floor plan.
This home design offered for sale at Deephaven Modern Cottage

Here is the same bulkhead idea as seen from the dining area.
This home design offered for sale at Deephaven Modern Cottage

In this home I again utilized the dropped ceiling theme to define the space between kitchen and dining. Here the client wanted a little more segregation of the spaces, so we crafted a beautiful buffet cabinet and anchored it at the bulkhead.

Here you can see a subtle drop in ceiling above the foyer. The crown molding and color tone differences help to emphasize the edges of the space.
This home design offered for sale at Lakeland Cape Cod

Similar to above we positioned dropped "soffits"along the circulation lines between rooms. Simple gypsum board "columns" marked the corners of the spaces. We took advantage of the soffits by placing the main ductwork runs within.
This home design offered for sale at Apple Valley Foursquare

New Unique Ranch Plan

2011-01-15T05:55:00.002-06:00

Simply Elegant is now offering a new unique ranch house plan. The "Somerset Ranch" offers a modern open floor plan, a main floor master suite and a generous front entry porch. This modern Ranch with it's clean lines and careful attention to detail is definitely not your parents Rambler. Check it out!

View of Entry Court. Dormers filter natural light down into the vaulted living room and master bedroom spaces.

Nicely organized floor plan - a hallmark of Simply Elegant Home Designs. Three additional bedrooms are located on the walkout basement floor. This layout is ideally suited to "empty nesters" or families with tweens.

Front Elevation - Careful attention to proportions. Clean and simple lines. Also notice the transparency through the windows.

Left Side Elevation. Designed for a walkout lot. The stone base wraps the entire footprint.

Rear Elevation - Abundant glass to take advantage of rear yard views. The screen porch is smartly placed to the side so as not to obstruct.

All in all a very New and Unique Ranch House Plan available from Simply Elegant Home Designs.

Green House Plans Gone Wild!

2011-01-07T05:00:00.002-06:00

Green is the big thing now in the design world and the house plans business. I recently ran across these images of Icelandic houses that definitely take green to the next level of meaning. Check them out below.

I love the repeating simple gable roof forms.

Grass grows nicely in Iceland. Remember Iceland is green and Greenland is white.

The details exhibit a strong Scandinavian design influence.

Wow!

Architects Have Great Tools - Color Visualizer

2011-01-03T05:30:00.022-06:00

Every once in a while I like to give you an example of the tools I use in my business. One of these tools is the
Sherwin Williams Color Visualizer. I use it to perform quick color studies; which helps me to narrow concepts down pretty quickly.

The tool is pretty simple to use. You just choose from one of their preloaded exterior architectural styles; then you paint the scene with colors that you choose from the Sherwin Williams palette. Below is one set of color studies I performed in less than five minutes.

When it's time to repaint your house you might give this tool a try. You can find it at Sherwin Williams Color Visualizer.

One important note: Please put a good size sample up on your wall before you make a final commitment to your colors. One additional step I do at Ron Brenner Architects and Simply Elegant Home Designs is to take my colors and apply them to my 3d house model. You can see an example of that at Architects Have Great Tools!

Design Ideas - Special Fireplace

2010-12-31T07:23:00.004-06:00

I ran across this sculpture installation that really caught my eye. A really simple fireplace wall composition with one spectacular piece of art. The glass wheat sculpture is designed by Canlis Glass out of Seattle, Washington. Check it out.

Simple composition of the fireplace wall. A contemporary fire box and open display niche sit side by side. Wheat sculpture centered above.

Lighting is important here as it really emphasizes the overall texture of the glass.

The stems of glass are set into the base of the sculpture; which in this case also serves as the fireplace mantel.

I don't want to know how much this costs.

I would imagine that this unique glass sculpture is cost prohibitive. But the idea of the fireplace wall can be borrowed. Keep the composition very simple. No need for a fancy fireplace surround with expensive stone and and an ornate mantel. Instead just place one interesting piece of art above. Beautiful idea.

really modern really old house design

2010-12-29T08:15:00.001-06:00

I ran across some photos of this house I thought interesting. Actually, I love it. The home located in Yport in Normandy, France was designed by Franklin Azzi Architecture in Paris.

I have for some time been very interested in the blending and contrasting of old and new - of traditional and modern. Here the focal point for the design composition is a simple brick and stone box. This emulates old fashioned rural farm structures that can be seen throughout the French countryside.

The ends of the box have been completely opened up - providing access to a modern flat roof covered patio. The design of the roof clearly contrasts with the gable form.

The rear of the home has a clearly modern "addition". The gable form itself is repeated however the design clearly distinguishes itself from the traditional box.

Ridiculous views of countryside. The roof deck we could never do in the USA because building codes would not allow it. Someone could fall off.

Clean and simple interior bedroom space with exposed timber framework. The old and new again coming together.

Ron Brenner Design to be Featured in New Book

2010-12-27T08:45:00.003-06:00

An In-Law Apartment I designed a few years ago is to be featured in an upcoming book by Michael Litchfield. The book is called in-laws, outlaws and granny flats; and is slated to be available in bookstores and online by late February / early March.

the book can be pre-ordered at the taunton store - in-laws-outlaws-and-granny-flats

The book features a number of case studies that illustrate ways in which homeowners are creating in-law suites. In our case study - called "Billys Place" we converted an existing garage attic space into a beautiful live able one room studio for Grandpa.

We used the volumes created by the shape of the roof and dormers to zone distinct spaces within.

The living, sitting and entry zones lie underneath the main gable.

The kitchen zone is carved into the northern dormer.

The bed zone lies within the southern dormer.

We at Simply Elegant Home Designs have created a couple of Garage / Studio Apartment designs inspired by "Billys Place". If interested you can check them out with the links below:

Minnetonka Garage Apartment

Marine Garage Apartment

New House Plan Offering - The Excelsior Cottage

2010-12-20T08:58:00.004-06:00

Simply Elegant Home Designs is very proud to offer an amazing new house plan - the Excelsior Farmhouse Cottage; designed by Ron Brenner of Ron Brenner Architects. The design combines elements from traditional farmhouse and contemporary cottage home styles.

Excelsior Farmhouse Cottage - Front

Excelsior Farmhouse Cottage - Side / Rear

Excelsior Farmhouse Cottage - Living Room

This home plan’s exterior is characterized by this designer’s exquisite attention to scale, proportion, window patterns, materials and all of the details. A beautifully proportioned second story front gable and graceful columns provide a striking entry to the home. Subtle overhangs with delicate brackets provide interesting shadow lines and help to protect the windows below.

The main floor accommodates kitchen, living and dining areas within its elegant open floor plan. Upstairs the three bedrooms, including the master suite, are neatly placed beneath an interesting roof line. An above garage bonus room provides ample space for an additional bedroom and family flex areas.

You can visit Excelsior Farmhouse Cottage to learn more about this home design.

Ron Brenner Architects creates new Cottage House Plan

2010-10-28T15:34:00.000-05:00

Ron Brenner Architects is creating a new design for the Cottagewood division of Kyle Hunt & Partners. The design is characterized by a dramatic steep front gable roof line and will feature a modern open floor plan. Design refinements are still in progress but the video below illustrates its current state.

Cottagewood specializes in crafting Architect designed homes. They have created strategic partnerships with several Architects including Brenner to provide services for their clients. This design will be featured at their Palmer Pointe neighborhood in Minnetrista, MN.

I just thought I would give you an update on this design we are working on. We have done some "tweaking" of the exterior. The image below is the latest.

Simple,Unique, Creative and Green House Plans

Architects Suck?

2010-10-21T14:48:00.000-05:00

I had quite a long conversation with a very nice fellow the other day. I’ll call him Tom, the owner of another pre-designed house plan company. His company specializes in the sale of architect designed houses that were originally designed for a real client. Anyways, Tom talks to people every day that are interested in purchasing his plans. Based on these conversations he believes that Architects have gained a bad reputation amongst the general public. Over and over again he hears a long list of complaints:

Architect did not listen to client
Architect ignored the construction budget
Architect ignored the design budget
Architect took forever to get anything done
Architect did drawings that were not “buildable”
Architect is not cooperative with the builder
Architect does not communicate
Architect has “attitude”
Architects Suck!

All of this is a bit disheartening; but I happen to know the complaints are all too often true. I have heard similar complaints from the builders and contractors I have worked with. In my primary residential architecture business at Ron Brenner Architects we have taken on a fair number of new clients that came to us after having a bad experience with another Architectural Firm.

I am certain that none of my fellow CORA (congress of residential architecture) members fit into this “bad egg” category. But there seems to be a small component of the Architect family that does not put client first. We have a tough enough time out there without having to deal with a bad rep.

Solutions?

Most of us provide a great service for our clients and add value to their projects. We simply need to find more ways to get the good word out. Architects need to start generating some new ideas on how to do that.

I believe the internet is providing architects with more and more opportunity to reach out. One such example is Flickr. Here, Architects can post images of their projects, thus exposing more examples of good architecture to the general public. You might check out the CORA Flickr site which is beginning to post many good images of residential architecture.

You could also explore my own Ron Brenner Flickr site where I have posted images of projects completed by Ron Brenner Architects.

New Simple Yet Dramatic Home Design

2010-10-16T07:35:00.000-05:00

I just completed a new home design for a client that will be built in "Tapestry at Charlotte's Grove"; a new community in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. This modern cottage house plan is a classic example of the kind of work I love to do. Simple yet dramatic in form. Clean detailing inside and out. Open and connected spaces. Efficient in it's use of space and relatively affordable to construct. Here is a sneak peek at the exteriors.

Look for a variation of this design to be offered soon at Simply Elegant Home Designs.

Home Design Ideas - Split the Garage!

2010-09-15T12:37:00.002-05:00

At Ron Brenner Architects, I am currently working with a client on a new home design to be constructed in Rochester, MN. Here we have run into a very common dilemma. What to do with 3 1/2 cars worth of garage?

If you put all of that garage to the side of the house you get one very wide plan. If you put all of that garage forward of the house you get one very deep plan. Many lots cannot accommodate either one of those plan arrangements. So what I have proposed to do here is to split the garages into two separate structures. The main two car garage is directly connected to the house via the mudroom zone. The additional 1 1/2 car garage is placed on the opposite side of the lot; resulting in a nifty little entry court. See sketches below.

Here you can see a birds eye view of the layout. Notice the roof between the garage and house is low. This helps to reduce the mass of the house. Pulling the garages a bit forward of the front porch creates a nifty little courtyard.

view from street

view approaching courtyard

nice little composition

So when you develop your next house plan - please think about the impact of that garage and look for creative solutions.

House Plans - Build it yourself

2010-08-21T07:34:00.014-05:00

In the "old days" people used to build their own houses. Many would buy a set of house plans and the construction materials from the Sears & Roebuck Catalog; the pieces would get shipped to there home site and they would build it. Today there are Architect Designed Sears homes all over the country that were built in the early part of the 20th century. Here are a few examples.

This trend went away after world war II when the baby boom began. There was an enormous demand for housing and as a result developers began mass producing houses. One cookie cutter house after another.

Times are sure different now and I wonder if it is time to learn a bit from our past. The economy is tight and people don't have as much money to spend, but everyone still wants a nice home to live in. So why not start building our homes ourselves again?

I would never recommend that you literally go out and start framing your house. You would have to be very skilled and knowledgeable to take on that kind of effort. But depending on how handy you are and your level of confidence there are many ways that you can save money. Here are a few thoughts on things that you might consider tackling yourself:

Be your own general contractor
Build your own decks
Install your own cabinets
Install your own counter tops
Perform all of your own painting (exterior and interior)
Install your fireplace surround
Do your own landscaping
Install your own appliances
Install your own patio or sidewalk pavers
Install your own music system
Build your own special interior staircase
Install your own light fixtures
Install your own bathroom accessories

On my own home I did at least some work in each of the above categories. My strategy was to let the professionals perform all of the critical work (foundations, framing, roofing, siding, etc.); but I would do the work that I was confident I could handle. I saved a bundle of money, which made my home affordable. Be warned however that this is a crazy amount of work for you to take on yourself. Many times you have to be available during normal work hours. And forget about having any kind of a life during construction. You will be at your job site every single night and weekend.

If you think you want to take on this kind of an effort you might start by finding a great architect designed house plan at Simply Elegant Home Designs.

Home Design Ideas - Funky Fireplace

2010-08-18T05:38:00.005-05:00

You can learn much from studying rooms that you love. Below I have attached a living room picture from a home I designed a few years ago. This turned out to be a very calm and soothing space. I wish I were sitting there now!

A few key points:

Windows were placed on both of the outside walls of the space. I always try to have natural lighting feeding into a space from more than one direction.
Fireplace wall design was asymmetrical. Here form followed function. We needed a hideaway for the flat screen on one side, but not both. That left space for a cozy bench on the other side of the fireplace.
A funky half oval shaped fireplace was used. This adds a very unique detail to an element that is normally very predictable (the rectangular fireplace box).
Yellow walls with cream trim; natural wood floors and leather - the materials and colors are comforting.
Dark ebony stained trim is used sparingly to cap off the fireplace and media cabinet and at the stair railing. This adds richness and sophistication to the space.
Recessed lighting above highlights the details of the composition.

The moral of this story is - if you are looking to remodel a space in your home; find pictures of similar spaces that you love. Then study them to discover what it is about that space that makes it work so well.

Beijing Water Park Redux

2010-08-10T05:23:00.004-05:00

This post is not about Home Design but I thought it interesting to pass on. Remember the National Aquatic Center at the Beijing Olympics? That's where Michael Phelps won all of that gold. So what do you do with your Olympic swimming pool inside a stadium when the festivities are over? If you are China you transform it into a huge Water Park.

The 77,000 square foot building Sports seven-storey slides, a wave pool, a water bar, rides entitled Aqualoop, Ridehouse, Bullet Bowl and Speed Slide, whirlpools and ‘deep-sea tornadoes.

Amazing Structure - Amazing Space!

Home Design Ideas - Eclectic Kitchen

2010-08-05T05:27:00.001-05:00

My better half (Kelley) sent me the kitchen photo below. She loves it and so do I.

Here are a few observations:

No upper cabinets - most of the storage is below counter height. I suspect there may be a pantry around the corner or pantry cabinets out of view.
Eliminating the upper cabinets allows plenty of glass
I like the mix of old and new. Actually its mostly new but a rather ornate crown molding and the carrera marble counters add a touch of traditional and soften the hard lines.
All of that counter space allows room for accessories to decorate the space. This starts to feel like another room rather than a kitchen.

Home Design Ideas - Floating Stair

2010-08-03T05:30:00.001-05:00

Here is another nice home design idea - a floating stair. The residential design world tends to do things the same way over and over while commercial building design tends to be more experimental. Below is an example of an interesting floating stair that would be well suited to any contemporary / modern house plan.

The stair is supported be a series of steel stringers which span from floor to landing. By holding the bottom of the riser above the tread one gains the illusion of "floating". The flat wood paneling at the interior wall and the commercial grade "storefront" window system beyond add to the modern aesthetic.

So when you working with your Architect on the design of your new home, ask him / her to think about the details in a unique way. It is the details that will make your home truly special.

Rambler Redux

2010-08-01T08:01:00.007-05:00

I ran across some photos of a 1970's era rambler that was for sale in the San Francisco area. This reminds me that there is an awful lot of housing product that can be re-inspired.

I have seen so many try to turn a contemporary rambler into an arts and crafts home or some other more decorative architectural style. In this case the remodeling does not try to make the house into something that it is not. They simply build on the strengths of the design. Below are some pictures of the renovation.

nice fresh exterior

cabinets are a little traditional, but the overall aesthetic is still contemporary

simple space with contemporary furnishings. the dark wood floors contrasted with the light walls adds drama

Compare this house to so many 1950's through 1970's ramblers that you have seen. It makes you realize there is much potential in those old homes.

Design Ideas - Make Your Island Special!

2010-07-27T05:45:00.006-05:00

This is the first in a new series that I will be starting called "Design Ideas". What I would like to do is illustrate little design ideas that can help to make your home special. So here goes.

The photo below is a Kitchen in a home that I designed at Ron Brenner Architects. This unique house plan - The Lakeland Cape Cod - is currently available for purchase at Simply Elegant Home Designs.

It is a pretty simple kitchen layout but a few things make it special.

The kitchen cabinetry composition beyond is kept simple and clean. A soffit with crown molding connects the upper cabinets to the ceiling.
A "mantle" was designed for the range, which serves as a counterpoint to the fireplace mantel on the other side of the room (not seen in photo).
Under cabinet lighting provides highlights for the tile back splash and counters.
An upper cabinet extends down to the counter and is fitted with glass to display the china.
A solid walnut butcher block on the island top adds warmth and richness. This contrasts with the honed granite kitchen counters beyond.
A special leg detail was designed for the island corners. The leg detail was also adapted for the stairway newel posts.
Unique eclectic light fixtures hang above the island; highlighting the wood and help to emphasize that the island is the focal point of the room.

All in all a very simple yet elegant kitchen design. This illustrates that attention to the details can make all the difference.

Nice Space, Good House Design2

2010-07-25T08:25:00.000-05:00

My better half (Kelley) loves everything that interior designer Candice Olson performs. I just ran across one more example of a family room she designed which I have included directly below.

It seems like all of her work combines architectural and decorating elements in a sophisticated and harmonious way. Here I love the texture of the fireplace wall, the comfortable mixing of old and new (furniture and accessories) and the attention to lighting.

Key point - lighting is one of the most important things that you should not overlook. In this room it highlights the texture in the wall, brings the warmth of the wood media cabinet out and creates subtle reflections on the metal storage boxes. The space would still be nice, but not nearly so dramatic without it.

Ipod Kitchen Faucet

2010-07-21T06:00:00.001-05:00

For years I have been wondering when someone would come out with a kitchen faucet / ipod - and here it is!

OK - its not an IPOD, but a touch screen. The faucet is produced by Italian manufacturer Fima Carlo Frattini.

The "Nonos" faucet allows the user to adjust water quantity, pressure and temperature. It also alerts the user in case of any malfunction such as leakage. The faucet’s touch-screen and easy-to-read graphic icons help in controlling the flow and temperature of the water stream.

Nice Space, Good House Design

2010-07-20T06:48:00.005-05:00

I ran across this photo of a nice modern bedroom space and thought I would pass it on along with a couple of thoughts.

Obviously the design is all about the connection with the outdoors. Floor to ceiling glass with a patio directly outside bleed the definition between outside and inside. If it was my design I might have extended the roof line outward to create a covered patio zone. This would have created a transitional space between inside and outside.
The room is nearly void of detail. Why distract from the view?
A very simple palette of material and color. The decorating takes a back seat to the outdoors.

So what's the moral to this story? If you have a beautiful yard take advantage of it. Spend more money on glass and patio / porch space and spend less by keeping the interiors more minimal.

PS - you can see more photos of this home at http://www.househomedesign.com/residential-home-design/luxury-residence-in-bridgehampton

Custom Architect Designed House Plans for $10K?

2010-07-17T06:30:00.005-05:00

So how much does good home design cost?

To have an Architect tailor a home design specifically for you and your building site it can cost quite a bit. Full service Architectural fees can cost anywhere from 8% to 15% of the construction cost of your home. As an example a $400,000 home could run from $32,000 to $60,000 in architectural fees.

Many clients however do not have the budget to accommodate those kinds of fees. So are there any alternatives to this approach?

You can spend countless hours searching through pre-designed house plans trying to find one that fits your needs.
You can try to find a residential designer that has lower rates (but you might sacrifice on design quality and creativity).
You can find a Residential Architect that has created a special package of services to provide a home design tailored for you and your site for around $10,000. This is exactly what we have done at Simply Elegant Home Designs.

We call this the $10k home design solution. We believe that anyone that is going to invest several hundred thousand dollars on a new home ought to have high quality design available to them; and that $10,000 is a reasonable investment that nearly everyone should be able to justify. Through our experiences working directly with many individual clients and builders we have identified the most important elements in the design process and what needs to be communicated in the drawings. We have taken our understanding of these most important elements and incorporated them (leaving out the fluff) into our $10K home design solution. Below is a brief summary of that package:

Program Review - This begins with a meeting where we discuss your building program in detail; your list of space needs, important adjacencies, interior and exterior aesthetic goals, views, site orientation and other site issues. Ideally we meet at your building site so we can get a feeling for the lay of the land together. Then we take what we learn and summarize it into our Building Program document. This serves as our guide for beginning the design of your home. For an example of a completed Building Program see the following link: Sample Building Program

Schematic Design - This is where we look at preliminary design solutions for your project. We will look at plan and exterior image sketches which describe possible options for the layout of your new home. After meeting with you to review the options we then refine them into one cohesive design that meets your needs. For an example of a completed schematic design see the following link: Sample Schematic Design

Construction Documents - This is where we put all the detailed pieces together which explains to the contractor the elements of the house so they can complete the bids and begin construction. As we prepare the construction documents we provide you with updated plans that are increasingly more detailed. This helps to ensure your complete understanding of the project. In the end we provide you with a concise set of plans, elevations, sections and specifications which together describe the project to your contractor. This is what they will build your home from. For an example of completed construction documents see the following link: Sample Construction Documents

The $10K Home Design Solution may not work for everyone. Because the fee is limited to this modest amount there are limits to building size and complexity of the design. To find out if this is the right solution for you give us a call at Simply Elegant Home Designs. Or call a good Residential Architect of your own choosing to see if they have a similar package available.

Its Complicated House

2010-07-10T07:24:00.010-05:00

Over the past year I have had several clients make reference to the movie "It's Complicated" starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. They all love the house that Meryl lives in but cannot put into words exactly what it is that draws them. So I thought I would take a little closer look to see if I could discover the secret to this house.

The exterior of the home is very unassuming. Simple composition with handsome materials and elegant window patterns. The landscape is an important element to this homes exterior.

The foyer demonstrates the use of a simple material and color palette. Rustic wood and quarry tile floors, neutral plaster and painted trim. The dark windows add a level of sophistication. Also notice how the simple arches break down the length of the hallway.

A very simple but well proportioned composition of fireplace and bookcases. The wood beamed ceiling adds a coziness to a space that might otherwise feel too voluminous.

The kitchen is light, airy and very casual. Open shelving in lieu of cabinets. Wall mounted pot rack. Same earthy palette seen throughout the rest of the public areas.

The architecture of the bedroom remains neutral while the interior treatments liven up the space.

Subtle details add sophistication. The painted two toned wood floors and cabinets are unique.

To sum up this house I would say it has a very simple, yet sophisticated architectural theme both inside and out. Natural materials and color tones along with restrained decorating provide an overall soothing feeling. The home is at once casual and elegant - "casual elegance". It's a home that does not try to impress, but it does so anyway through it's subtleties. I can definitely see why people love this home.

Architects Have Great Tools!

2010-05-13T05:22:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while I like to give you an example of the tools we use in this business called Architecture. Things have come a long way since the old pencil and straight edge days. Now we perform all of our designs "virtually" using 3 dimensional computer programs. These programs allow an Architect to understand and communicate a design better.

Below is an example of a design for a client that has been completed. But we are trying to get a better feeling for a potential color scheme. In this case my client had a few color schemes in mind. So I did a series of studies using "Sketchup" - one of our 3d modeling tools. This is a great way of testing a color scheme before you get committed to it.

These studies helped my client get comfortable (excited even) with her color choices.

So don't just use those little paint chip cards to make your final selections. Get your colored pencils out and test the scheme on one of your house elevations. Or better yet have your design professional test the color scheme using a 3d modeling tool like I do.

Builders Get Fresh!

2010-04-14T05:04:00.006-05:00

Today I have a commentary written by Jim Kirkland - a good friend of mine, and multi-talented individual who has been in the building business for some time. In this article, after visiting quite a few "Parade Homes" in the Twin Cities area, Jim makes some great observations about the tendency to "mimic". In these tough times however, I believe it is more important than ever for builders to distinguish themselves through good, creative and fresh design.

Builders Get Fresh, By Jim Kirkland

I recently spent an afternoon touring the Minneapolis / St. Paul metro area Spring Parade of Homes. As a designer and builder of residential properties myself, I have always loved following the trends in our industry and touring model homes.

But I have to say, this Spring, there sure are a lot of ordinary houses being shown, in terms of design, as well as workmanship. Even in the relatively progressive city and first-ring suburb “re-deux” market, the design work, and the homes themselves, are all of a type – and a type we’ve seen so much of over the past ten years. The “cottage style” apparently is still the required look: big houses trying not to look big; all with floor planning so open and yet so tight that the living room sofa is often within splatter distance of the Viking range, and most with pretentious, McMansion-like architectural details and interior finishes that overpower the very spaces they are intended to soften. Even down to the color palette, there is a dull sameness about most of the houses. I think everyone must have received a memo that off-white woodwork enamel, sage green walls and walnut-tinted cabinetry and wood floors is, somehow, what everyone wants.

Maybe it’s because the market has been so depressed recently that designers and builders are reluctant to show us anything new. But I would have thought that this creative industry could have done better. It just seems to me that fresh, new – and yes, more contemporary – ideas are just what this re-emerging market is craving. C’mon Designers and Builders, treat us to some new possibilities !

My tour also shed light on the fact that much of the workmanship out there is only “just OK,” even in up-market homes where we would expect to see better. Miter joints might be tight, but important architectural elements are often not properly planned for: fireplaces not correctly centered; trim profiles compromised because they had been crammed into a space that was too small, and staircases that are awkwardly detailed.

So, for the most part, my reaction to the Parade offering this Spring was “Ho-Hum.”

But then I came upon one Parade entry – a very charming shingle-style home in the St. Louis Park suburb of Minneapolis, built by a firm named Great Neighborhood Homes, Inc., that is very special indeed. Interestingly, the house has some of the same, familiar elements I’ve complained about above, but here they are so authentically and appropriately used – and fit the neighborhood context so well – that the house feels inventive and thoroughly fresh. The architecture is first-rate, including very open – yet very graceful – floor-planning, thoughtful proportions, beautiful sight-lines and inventive uses of windows and doors. The interior finishes are likewise very well developed: interesting, even dramatic in some cases, but never overplayed or showy. And, to my delight, the workmanship is also consistently tight and complete. And it didn’t hurt that the house is beautifully furnished, highlighting the architecture and the workmanship and completing the composition. In all, the visitor is left with that intangible, but reassuring sense that the whole project had been watched by someone who cared deeply about its final outcome.

So I’m back ! – in love again with all the possibilities and excitement of great residential design and development ! But I think my Parade tour experience points out that really great residential design and development requires the full attention of a wide array of talented craftsmen. I turns out that the business really is a profession.

Jim Kirkland is a long-time participant in the residential real estate market, with experience in design, development and construction. Jim is probably best known for his work with noted design-builder Cottagewood Partners. He has his BA from Lawrence University and MBA from Washington University. Jim and his wife, Mary, reside in the Twin Cities suburb of Eagan, Minnesota.

Architects Have Great Tools! - Interior Design Study

2010-02-22T05:21:00.001-06:00

Architects do have some great tools, and here is one more example of how they can use them.

The interior great room images below of this particular cottage house plan were created using a 3d modeling tool called Google Sketchup. I used the tool to carve out the basic design inside and out, but I wanted to study variations of the design in order to present to my client.

Here is the Great Room space. Simple with white walls and vaulted ceiling - nice and clean!

Added a white washed wood ceiling and a little color on the walls.

Added a beam treatment to the ceiling and went back to the monochrome color scheme.

Added white washed wood ceiling between the beams.

Wood beams, white washed wood ceiling and a little color on the walls.

This example illustrates how just changing a few elements within a design can dramatically alter the character of a space. And Sketchup is a great tool for visualizing that space.

Design Value - Rustic Cottage House Plan

2010-02-10T05:47:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since my last posting. Been busy over the holidays. Also, I have been working on a couple of new interesting projects. I thought I'd give you a sneak peek at one of them. The project incorporated a modified design process in order to save time and money.

The design below is a rustic retreat to be constructed on lake property in Tennessee. The client found a plan that was originally designed by John Tee Architect. The plan did not meet all of their family's needs, but represented a pretty good starting point. So they purchased the plan and commissioned a major reworking of the design. I worked in Association with a plan customization company named Architectural Overflow to perform the re-design. The images below reflect our work.

lake side elevation

side elevation

If you are interested in finding the most possible value in Design then this might be a good approach to consider. Find a plan that works reasonably well, purchase the plan, then have a good residential Architect adapt the design to truly reflect your needs and your site. What this really does is gives you a good starting point in the design process and saves time and $$$ exploring concepts that might not work well for you.

Small Metal Cottage House Plan

2009-12-01T05:14:00.007-06:00

Over the past year I have seen many tiny house plans designed by Architects. These plans are mostly experimental, intended to stretch the envelope and catch some buzz. I would however not be able to characterize most of these plans as live-able however. See my posts New Small House Plan Available Today! and New Tube House Lands From Outer Space! for instance.

But here comes a very small home design by Architect Toyo Ito and Associates that I might be able to see used as a second home, or a first home for a single or young couple. It is out there a bit with it's metal skin and modern shape. But inside is a workable studio plan that can accommodate living, cooking, eating and sleeping. The extensive use of wood really warms up the interiors. And an entire wall of glass brings the outdoors in.

By the way - if you are looking for real honest workable house plans check out the following:

small house plans

Efficient Framing for House Plans

2009-11-16T05:09:00.007-06:00

Fine Homebuilding has a new article on the future of framing house plans. For many years we have been framing houses basically the same way. And this way is not necessarily the most energy efficient or material efficient. The article makes the following recommendations to increase energy efficiency and to reduce material and labor costs at the same time:

use 2x6 wall framing at 24" o.c. (in lieu of 16" o.c.)
use 1" rigid foam insulation in lieu of traditional sheathing
eliminate headers where they are not necessary structurally - where they are necessary size them properly (it is common practice to use the same size header throughout)
eliminate all the corner framing - let the drywall hang loose or use clips
use header hangars in lieu of jack studs
eliminate one of the top plates

I happen to agree that all of these ideas are good energy savings tips. Some builders however would argue that they are not necessarily cost savings. For instance eliminating one of the top plates may complicate the drywall installation. Eliminating the wall sheathing means using other methods to ensure shear strength. So before you implement any of these ideas on your new house make sure you talk through the implications closely with your builder. I also suggest having a residential structural engineer look at your new lightly framed house to make sure it won't tip over when the big bad wolf blows on it.

You can see the entire fine homebuilding article at "The Future of Efficient Framing"

Simple,Unique, Small House Plans Cottage, Craftsman and Modern Home Plans

Design Challenge for a 2000 SF House Plan

2009-11-13T05:29:00.011-06:00

Lately I have been getting inquiries for modestly sized new home designs that feature main floor master bedrooms. A search of the web reveals a gazillion main floor master bedroom plans - but most are massive or ugly or both. So I decided this might be a good opportunity to design a new plan fitting this unique need, and to illustrate for you a little bit of the design process at the same time. So let's get started.

The design process I use typically involves the following phases:

Programming
Schematic Design
Design Development
Construction Documents

Today we will start with Programming. Programming really means just identifying a list of functional needs and qualities that you would like to see in your home. I'll start with a list that reflects the kinds of requests I have been receiving.

Modest plan size - as close to 2000 square foot as possible.
Open floor plan - Living, Dining and Kitchen spaces very connected with each other.
Mudroom with space for hanging coats and sitting for putting shoes on.
Laundry space should be on the main floor.
A main floor master bedroom with walk in closet and bath. The bath should have a walk in shower, but not necessarily a tub (the days of the jacuzzi tub seem to be over).
Spaces that are functional, but not over sized.
A reasonable sized entry porch.
A screen porch with spaces for eating and sitting.
A main floor powder room.
Possibly a den or away room - if space allows.
An attached 2 car garage - possibly with some additional storage space.
2 additional bedrooms on a second floor.
A shared bathroom for the 2 upstairs bedrooms.
A basement that could allow future expansion space.
Beautiful home but not overly complex. Should be reasonably economical to construct. The house plan should be simple, yet unique.

That's a pretty good list for now. But I wanted to leave room for your thoughts. So please feel free to comment. Did I miss anything? Throw your 2 cents in.

Next posting I will update the program with your relevant comments - and we'll see some initial design thoughts.

How to design a bay window!

2009-11-06T05:20:00.009-06:00

I have had many clients in the past tell me they want a bay window. Sometimes I have been a bit reluctant to the idea because I have seen so many bad examples. The image below is a very typical example of the contemporary application of the bay. To me this just looks like they cut a hole in the wall and slapped on the window unit. It just doesn't look integrated.

Don't do this!

On the other hand my recent trip to the Napa Valley area reminded me that the bay window can be a beautiful design element when properly integrated with the architecture of the house plan. Here are a few examples on mostly craftsman style houses - all discovered in the town of Napa.

Square box bay instead of the typical angled sides. Simple shed roof with exposed rafter tails and supporting brackets. Shingle siding wraps the box out.

Here the bay walls simply extend up until they meet the roof overhang, which is deep enough to receive them. The continuous trim above the windows and the cedar shingles also help to integrate the bay properly with the house. The brackets below help to give the bay a sense of support.

Here is an angled bay window fitting below a square gabled form. This gable integrates with the house in much stronger way than our "don't do this example". Also note the small window below the bay. This completes the composition and reinforces the idea that the bay was not an afterthought.

My favorite bay window example in Napa. You can tell the designer spent a lot of time studying the form and detail to properly integrate with the house. Beautifully executed!

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Old simple house plans - design inspiration

2009-10-31T10:07:00.010-05:00

I posted an article the other day on gaining inspiration from old houses. Below is another great example - a bungalow that I stumbled upon near Forestville, California. It is so simple yet so well done. Why aren't builders and designers creating more homes like this anymore? Has the idea of doing a modest, simple and well detailed home escaped them? There must be a niche for this kind of house plan, but perhaps it's a lost art.

So here is the brilliant idea:

keep the overall form and roof line very simple - this costs less to build
use nice deep overhangs - this protects the walls, windows and doors from the elements
create a good composition of windows - here picture windows are combined with double hungs and centered between the porch columns and the wall surfaces
use minimal ornamentation - the window grid patterns and the exposed rafter tails are pretty much the extent of it here
create a focal point - the simple shed dormer with louvers and the stair that is "captured" with side walls helps to create a center line and create focus on the entry
give the house a base - the white clapboard siding provides a platform for the house to sit on and it contrasts nicely with the red shingle siding.

Simple,Unique, Small House Plans Cottage, Craftsman and Modern Home Plans

Finding Design Inspiration in Old Houses

2009-10-29T18:07:00.012-05:00

My better half and I just got back home from a short trip to the Napa Valley area. We don't really go for the wine, although that's nice too. For us it is really about the scenery. The area really has such a subtle beauty that we just love. On our trips I of course like to see the local architecture. I try to take snap shots of things I see that I might draw some inspiration from later on. Anyway I thought I'd show you an example from this recent trip and illustrate what I am trying to learn.

Here is a snap shot of the gable end of a historic home (the Kelley house) in Mendocino. I love the simplicity in form and the strength of it's details. This is a key to good design. If you have a simple form you need to pay attention to the details. Here are my thoughts:

The proportions of the gable are quite nice - neither too slender or too squat with roof pitch neither too steep or too flat.
I love the depth of the gable end roof overhang (this is called the rake end). The brackets underneath provide a sense of support for the overhang.
The crown molding at the fascia creates additional shadow line and adds a subtle detail.
A wide frieze board (that's the white trim on the wall below the overhang) provides a nice transition between the siding and roof overhang.
The siding lap is nice and narrow. The proportion of the entire gable would be altered if the siding had a wider lap.
I like the narrowness of the windows, and the fact the pair of windows are separated. Look closely and you can see a subtle little "pilaster" detail at the jambs and mullion. Also the trim at the head projects outward creating additional shadow line and interest.
One thing I don't care for here is that the upper windows are nearly identical to the lower windows. I would rather see a bit of hierarchy - with the lower windows being a bit larger and more detailed than the upper windows. Another thing that bothers me slightly is the upper window intrudes upon the frieze board. It looks a little "crowded".

All in all it's a very pleasant composition and I can take away some good thoughts that I can apply on a future design.

New Dutch Colonial House Plan Unveiled!

2009-10-23T04:31:00.010-05:00

Simply Elegant Home Designs has just made the "Tonka Dutch Colonial" house plan available for purchase. The home was designed by Ron Brenner in Stillwater, Minnesota. Ron Brenner; who has been featured in a number of National and Regional publications has gained a reputation for designing charming and functional modestly sized homes. You can obtain more information on this house plan by visiting the following link:

Tonka Dutch Colonial House Plans

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Revit House Plans

2009-10-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's taken me a while but I am really convinced that Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Traditionally buildings have been drawn using 2 dimensional CAD technology - or by hand drafting. But with BIM you create a 3 dimensional "virtual" model of the building. In order to communicate the design to client and contractors you then generate various views from the model (plans, elevations, sections, etc). I'll show you an example of how this works below.

Here you can see an axonometric view of the 3 dimensional model of this house plan. The model was created using REVIT software, by Autodesk.

Now I have "sliced" a view from overhead looking down onto the plan. What is great here is you can see the relationships between the various elements (windows, doors, trim and even furniture) so that you can better evaluate the design.

Here is another sliced view, but this time from a side. You can see the roof, ceilings and the decorative trusses.

The section below is just another "slice" taken from the model. The walls, floors roof and ceiling profiles are all in precisely the correct position. To make it into a construction drawing you just need to add the pertinent detailed information.

Here the virtual model has been exported into Google Sketchup, which is a great design tool. In this case all I did was added the materials, colors and a little entourage. Isn't this a better way to convey the interior design concept?

All images above are of the "Hudson Cottage" house plan which is available for sale at Simply Elegant Home Designs.

It takes a while to learn and become efficient at BIM. But in the end I am convinced it is a better way to understand your design, a better way to communicate the design and a better way to assemble the construction drawings.

Afraid of Color?

2009-10-15T05:03:00.004-05:00

apartment therapy - an interior design blog is having their fifth annual contest called "Room for Color 2009". In October they are looking for the most colorful, beautiful room on the planet.

It's a good idea because adding color is one of the most affordable ways of changing a rooms character. But many of the folks are afraid of using color. Well as you can see from the examples below some of these folks really are not afraid at all.

photos courtesy of apartment therapy

You can see more entries at Room for Color. Check it out - you'll find lots of ideas. Some bold and crazy; and some simple yet sophisticated.

Simple,Unique, Small House Plans Cottage, Craftsman and Modern Home Plans

Housing Industry Needs to Reinvent

2009-10-14T06:08:00.013-05:00

The housing industry (builders and designers) is in dire need of a new system / approach to building. I'll list a few reasons here:

Construction costs and land / development costs have gotten out of control in recent years.
The housing bubble has dramatically dropped the value of our homes.
The fact right now is that you cannot build a new home inexpensive enough to compete with the glut of existing homes on the market.
If we are seeing an economic recovery it's a small one - and the job market is not expected to improve for several years.
New buyers are having difficulty getting loans or do not qualify for enough loan to build the kind of house they might have a few years ago.
Home buyers are becoming much more aware of "value".
Home buyers are increasingly environmentally conscious.
Home buyers are more "hip" and expect good design and construction quality.

So what the people want is a really cool, sustainable, well constructed cheap house. Is anyone out there providing that? Or is this an impossible combination?

Indeed, times are tough and it is truly a time of survival of the fittest in the housing market. The housing industry needs to pull their collective head out of the sand and adapt. I believe that the industry needs to look at things fresh and perhaps create an entirely new business model.

In looking for new ideas I have looked to old ones. What about the old days when a fellow purchased a house from Sears Roebuck Company? The house was shipped to them and they built it themselves, or had local tradespeople construct it. Why did that business model go away? One reason I think is because people stopped being handy. They no longer had the skills to put anything together as complicated as a stick framed house. Even if they could it would take forever; and banks don't like that.

Enter a new system devised in Germany called HIB. HIB is a building block system that goes together like Lego's. They say that the simplicity and speed of putting the system together makes it an ideal candidate for an owner built project. The company also touts the product's insulating capabilities, sustainability and economy.

Sounds too good to be true honestly. But I am inviting a company representative in to discuss the product further. I'll let you know what I find out.

Really Small House Plans

2009-10-12T06:13:00.004-05:00

I have alerts set up to tell me about new posts relating to house plans and home design in general. Lately I have been receiving many alerts relating to tiny house plans. It must be a sign of the times. Many of these tiny homes are so small that I really cannot see how anyone can live in them. They have taken the idea of restrained living to the extreme (for an example see new small house plan available today) . There seems to be a competition over who can create the tiniest home.

But recently I ran across a company called "Reclaimed Space" where I found a couple of their prototypes to be quite nice. Their niche seems to be creating very well crafted really small homes - but not necessarily tiny. These are sort of studio apartment sized homes. And they are really nice - trimmed out with recycled lumber, corrugated metal and other fine finishes. Now these are the kinds of tiny houses that I could actually see myself living in.

Check out the photos below. If you want to see more go to reclaimed space .

one of their modules en-route

eating / kitchen area

kitchen

bed area

bath

Simple,Unique, Small House Plans Cottage, Craftsman and Modern Home Plans

Rio 2016 Olympic Images

2009-10-11T11:05:00.010-05:00

This post is not related to house plans or home design but I thought would be interesting for everyone. As you know Rio De Janeiro has been awarded the 2016 Olympic games. The Architectural firm of BCMF Arquietetos was responsible for envisioning the Olympic environment. I have included a few of the images they created. Some pretty cool stuff.

Chicago is a pretty nice town, but it is difficult to imagine a more dramatic backdrop for the Olympic games than Rio? I am looking forward to watching in 2016.

If you want to see more Rio Olympic images you can go to the official Rio 2016 web site

Simple,Unique, Small House Plans Cottage, Craftsman and Modern Home Plans

Vinyl siding done not so ugly!

2009-10-05T05:21:00.006-05:00

Vinyl siding is hated by most Architects and by many quality home builders. It's bad rep is deserved for the most part - I'll list just a few reasons:

limited choice of colors - usually shades of beige
looks flimsy
seams are obvious
all those j-channels around windows and doors look terrible and not authentic

On the other hand vinyl is inexpensive. And nowadays everyone is trying to find a way to construct a house plan less expensively. So in the interest of being fair to vinyl siding I am posting a link to a Fine Homebuilding Article entitled "8 ways to make vinyl siding look it's best" (just click the link). If you use all 8 of the tips I would dare say you can have a vinyl siding done not so ugly!

My favorite tip is on how to eliminate the J-trim. The J-trim I think is one of those things that really makes vinyl stand out as vinyl. If you can eliminate or reduce it's use now you can have a siding installation that looks much more authentic.

By the way I have one more tip that's not listed in the article. Tip number 9 - Don't Use Beige. Next to J-trim, Beige is the biggest thing that makes vinyl look like vinyl. The CertainTeed website has a useful took called ColorView which can help you visualize various color combinations. I did the image below very quickly using that tool. I would suggest keeping the color scheme simple when using vinyl. Keep it all white or do a simple scheme of one body color with a contrasting trim color (such as below).

Unique wall shelving system for your house plans

2009-09-30T05:27:00.006-05:00

I ran into this interesting new wall shelving system the other day and thought I would let you in on it. The product is called Vita and it is produced by an Italian company name MDF Italia. It is a modular system made from medium density fiberboard (mdf). The system includes wall panels, shelving units and cabinet boxes. You can seemingly produce endless configurations based on how you put the modular components together. I think it is very cool and would be a great way of dressing up one of those blank walls in your house.

For more information on this see MDFITALIA VITA. Go to "products" and then find to "Vita".

The wall system is obviously quite contemporary but I think it would look great in a number of the Simply Elegant Home Designs house plans including the "scandia modern cottage" and the "marine farmhouse".

Three ways to wrap a chord instructional video

2009-09-29T07:37:00.004-05:00

Fine Homebuilding has a series of instruction videos that I find interesting. Many of the videos are intended for professional carpenters. They illustrate tasks that the average layperson is not likely to run into. But they also have some videos that are good for the weekend carpenter or the handi-man. I'll post a few of these as I run into them.

The first one I will post a link to is "Three ways to wrap a chord". I like this one because it is one of the most frustrating things for a man in his garage. Check it out below.

Three ways to wrap a chord

Another New Garage Apartment Plan Unveiled!

2009-09-26T08:23:00.003-05:00

Simply Elegant Home Designs is unveiling "The Minnetonka Garage Apartment"; the second in a new series of Garage Apartment Plans that they are developing.

The idea of an above garage apartment is not new, but it seems especially appropriate for the times we are in. Families are struggling with reduced income, or are looking for alternative housing solutions for their aging parents. An apartment garage plan can be a perfect place to house the still active mother-in-law, or it can used as an income generating rental unit.

The Minnetonka Garage Apartment as seen below incorporates a studio apartment space above a generously sized three car garage. The apartment plan accommodates a kitchen, eating area, living / media zone, bed area, storage and a full bath. The dormer placements create distinct spatial zones for the kitchen and sleeping areas. Bead-board paneling used as a wainscot and within the cabinetry brings a cottage charm to the interior. The exterior is a modern interpretation of the shingle style incorporating clapboard siding, cedar shingles and a metal roof. For more information on this plan click the following link:

Minnetonka Garage Apartment Plan

Simply Elegant Home Designs will be developing additional garage apartment plans over the next several months so stay tuned.

New Garage Apartment Plan Unveiled

2009-09-20T08:34:00.006-05:00

Simply Elegant Home Designs is unveiling "The Marine Garage Apartment"; the first in a new series of Garage Apartment Plans that they are developing.

The Marine Garage Apartment as seen below incorporates a studio apartment space above a generously sized two car garage. The apartment plan accommodates a kitchen, dining area, living / media zone, bed area, storage and a full bath.

Simply Elegant Home Designs will be developing additional garage apartment plans over the next several months so stay tuned.

Bark Siding

2009-09-15T05:28:00.007-05:00

I just ran across this new product that is really very old - Bark Siding. It is made from bark that is harvested off of trees that are felled for other purposes. The bark is then flattened and kiln-dried and that's it. No preservative treatments or special coatings. You install the siding and leave it alone. See photos below.

The look is definitely on the rustic side, so it's probably not a great candidate for your urban infill projects. But it does look at home in a wooded setting, which might make it a good choice for your cabin plans.

The product is touted as being long lasting and sustainable, although I am always wary of manufacturer claims. You can check this out at the manufacturers website Bark House Siding

Anybody have any experience with bark siding? Please throw your two cents in.

simple house plans and unique house plans

House Plans_ Good Design Illustrated 1

2009-09-01T05:30:00.008-05:00

Last week we announced we are now selling house plans designed by Ron Brenner Architects in Stillwater, Minnesota. We think that these designs are special in the way they cleverly pack function and convenience within a fairly modest floor plan. In order to convey that idea I am today beginning a series of postings on planning features. The idea is to illustrate good design principals by highlighting features on the plans. So this will be the first in the series.

The floor plan shown below is the Prescott Cottage, designed by Ron Brenner Architects. My comments are shown right on the plan. You can get a little better look by going to the Simply Elegant Monthly Newsletter.

How to Not Save Energy in your House

2009-08-25T08:14:00.007-05:00

I have been a big proponent of what I call "common sense green". I hate to see people do things for the sake of being green - but are not really green at all. Anyway I came across some useful information on the fine homebuilding blog regarding some green "myths". The article identifies a number of common strategies that do not necessarily save you much energy. Those include the following:

furnace tune ups
sizing furnace correctly (not oversizing)
basement duct sealing
floor insulation
caulking and weatherstripping
window replacements
tankless gas water heaters
cooling your attic
changing furnace filters monthly
opening your refrigerator quickly
using drapes to insulate windows

You should read the entire article if you want further information. See the following link:

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/8954/how-not-to-save-energy

Simple,Unique, Small, Creative and Green House Plans

House Plans by Ron Brenner Architects and Simply Elegant Home Designs

2009-08-21T06:11:00.019-05:00

I told you big news was coming. Here is a copy of the press release.

Simply Elegant Offers House Plans Designed by Ron Brenner Architects.

Nationally recognized residential design firm is offering selected designs.

Marine on St.Croix, MN –

Simply Elegant Home Designs, LLC; is announcing a new marketing agreement with Ron Brenner of Stillwater, Minnesota. Initially six house plans designed by Ron Brenner will be offered for sale exclusively through Simply Elegant at www.simplyeleganthomedesigns.com.

Brenner, President of Ron Brenner Architects; brings over 25 years experience designing single and multi-family residences, community facilities and performing residential development planning. His home designs have been featured in numerous publications. He had this to offer:

“The residential construction industry has changed quite a bit over the last 10 years. We have always worked with clients that care a lot about design. It is natural for people to desire living in a home that is a unique reflection of their own tastes. But increasingly our clients are also looking for more. They want a floor plan that feels spacious but is not oversized. They want a home that is energy efficient and environmentally more conscious. They want a smart and efficient design that meets all of their needs without breaking the bank. In order to achieve all of these goals we have worked closely with client and builder to create highly functional, unique and beautiful designs that are also reasonably economical to construct. We have learned much over the past 10 years, and our new relationship with Simply Elegant Home Designs offers a way for us spread some of that knowledge. It allows us to offer high quality residential design to a wider segment of the general population; and we hope that makes a small difference in our world.”

Ron Brenner’s work has been described as having a “casual elegance”. Strong building forms combined with clean and simple detailing and appropriate but restrained ornamentation give their designs a distinct aesthetic. Their home designs clearly pay respect to the past but move it forward with open space planning and modern convenience. The result is a home that is inviting, comfortable, functional and beautiful but not fussy.

Simply Elegant Home Designs offers pre-designed home plans that are creative, simple, elegant, unique and green to individuals, builders and developers. Their goal is to provide the most discriminating home designs available and to be the most service oriented organization in the pre-designed house plans business. They can be reached at www.simplyeleganthomedesigns.com or 877-380-9470.

Big News on House Plans From Simply Elegant Home Designs

2009-08-20T06:10:00.002-05:00

Simply Elegant Home Designs has some big news coming.

Ron Brenner, President of Simply Elegant says "This is going to be bigger than sliced bread. Bigger than the wheel. Well maybe I am going too far; but at least it will be bigger than the Segway"

Stay tuned; a formal announcement will be made soon.

hint above

Simply Elegant Home Designs is on Facebook

2009-08-16T09:49:00.007-05:00

Simply Elegant Home Designs is now up and running on Facebook. We see this as just another way for folks to find us and stay updated on the latest information. It's also a great way to communicate with each other. You can see our facebook page at the following link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/House-Plans-by-Simply-Elegant-Home-Designs/117328342002

please check us out and fan us.

Light Emitting Wallpaper

2009-08-13T05:30:00.005-05:00

Jonas Samson, an interior designer from the Netherlands has created a new kind of wallpaper that is also a light source. The paper has a light emitting layer within that accomodates LED's. The product, which appears to not yet be for sale is touted as being "green". This is due to the efficiency of the LED lighting. I cannot find pricing, but word is extremely expensive - so in my mind that's not necessarily green. Nevertheless this is an interesting idea with lots of possibilities.

If you want to see his website check it out here.

Green House Plans - Keep it Simple!

2009-08-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

I recently ran across an article at GreenBuildingAdvisor.com that discussed some of the potential drawbacks when you specify highly complex appliances / equipment for your home. This might include items such as heat-recovery ventilators, ground source heat pumps, solar hot water systems, photovoltaics, etc. Some of the drawbacks to this type of equipment may include:

Higher up front costs - long payback periods
Need for proper commissioning (this means you need to make sure the equipment gets installed and adjusted precisely - or it will not work properly). If not installed and adjusted properly it can actually lead to higher energy costs.
Need for ongoing maintenance / adjustment which leads to higher maintenance costs. If not maintained properly it can also lead to higher energy costs.

In general the more sophisticated the equipment the more potential headaches. I have seen other studies that compared the energy use of LEED buildings vs. their non-LEED counterparts. Guess what? - the non-LEED buildings were just as energy efficient as the LEED ones.

So the moral of the story is to keep things simple. Favor envelope improvements and good passive design techniques (see my posting: top 10 green things to do) over sophisticated appliances / equipment.

Click the following for the full Green Building Advisor article: SIMPLICITY VERSUS COMPLEXITY

Simple,Unique, Small, Creative and Green House Plans

The Inspector

2009-08-04T06:23:00.001-05:00

Do you think you are really smart about house construction? How about my home builder friends out there? How about you building code officials? Fine Homebuilding has a little game that you can play that will test your knowledge. It is called "The Inspector". They present you with a photograph of a construction site and ask you to identify the code mistakes. You get points for correctly identifying the mistakes - and take points away for the wrong answers. Sound easy? Click the link and give it a try. The Inspector.

New small house plan available today!

2009-07-25T10:37:00.009-05:00

You have got to check out this new home design by Jo Nagasaka and Schemata Architecture. The "PACO house" offers complete self contained living in a 3 square meter cube.

The Paco House is available in four basic plans. Plan A features the kitchen, shower, bathroom, epoxy painted floor and ceiling lighting at a total price of 6,300,000 yen. Plan B boasts a kitchen, epoxy painted floor and ceiling lighting at a price of 5,250,000 yen. Plan C features the epoxy painted floor and ceiling lighting for 4,725,000 yen. Plan D is the home’s basic shell, which you can customize to your needs and interests, selling for 4,200 yen.

Clearly much time and money have been spent developing the prototype. Indeed this is one very well thought out box. But I have one question. Who is actually going to buy this thing?

more information:

Simple,Unique, Small, Creative and Green House Plans

New Cottage House Plan

2009-07-24T12:21:00.010-05:00

Ron Brenner Architects (Stillwater, MN) is creating a new Cottage House Plan design for Kyle Hunt & Partners. The design is characterized by a dramatic steep front gable roof line and will feature a modern open floor plan.

Kyle Hunt & Partners is a builder that specializes in crafting Architect designed homes. They have created strategic partnerships with several Architects including Ron Brenner Architects to provide services for their clients. This design will be featured at their Locust Hills neighborhood in Minnetonka, MN.

The two images below depict the design in two color studies.

Simple,Unique, Creative and Green House Plans