Unit 6: Designing a House

A house is needed to provide an efficient and functional space for the lives of a family unit of at least three people who need functional living spaces, modern kitchen, utilities, and contemporary lifestyle

Design Statement

Create a complete set of plans (all floor plans, roof plan, foundation plan, elevations, sections, and computer-designed illustrations for a house that is marketable (visually appealing) with functional living spaces.

Requirements

The house first floor must include:

Foyer/entrance area (formal, "public" space)
Kitchen - a functional modern kitchen, showing the work triangle, measured to have sum between 12 and 23 feet
eating area for dining table
garage for two cars
half-bath (toilet and sink)- labeled as W/C or with symbols for two plumbing features.
closets (Hall coat closet is mandatory, pantry is optional)
Laundry room
Mud room (a place to put muddy shoes, entrance from the back of the house or the garage)

(The 2nd floor will have at least 3 bedrooms, including a master bedroom suite, and at least two full baths)

Constraints:

Limit area of footprint: 2400 sq feet (max width: 60ft, max depth: 40 ft)

Kitchen is adjacent to several rooms (especially the dining room and the family living area/great room/family room/den for convenience).

Bathroom is accessible or centrally located for convenience to all living spaces.

Exterior walls: Allow living areas to have maximum light and view of the landscape outside ( hallways or closets avoiding exterior wall)

Follow appropriate zoning and architectural standards with traffic flow, size of steps, space allowances in front of appliances or door swings, etc...(to be defined later)

2. Research residential designs

Search for resources, at least 4 designs that are appealing to you and are acceptable/appropriate meeting our requirements and building materials. Paste a snip of those designs in the Google Document provided in the Google Document in Google Classroom

Worth 10 points (submitted online in Google Classroom)

3. Brainstorm/ Bubble Plan

Arrange the required rooms in a rough sketch, with circles or squares, not to any scale, but showing where you may locate the rooms on the first floor.

Include:

Foyer or entrance area that is welcoming, with closet and pleasant view into the "public" area of your home (not into private casual areas)
Staircase to upstairs (top of stairs aiming for the center of house, not the wall, to maximize rooms upstairs).
Half-bath or W/C ("water closet") that has a toilet and a sink
Kitchen with access to all eating areas (dining room and family room, etc..)
Dining area
Living room area (formal entertaining, could have piano, etc..)
Mudroom - in back of house, connected to garage or area where muddy shoes and items can be kept
Laundry room - with washer and dryer, can be combined with mudroom

Worth 10 points (submitted on paper, in pencil, at end of class period)

4. Sketch Kitchen Design on graph paper

Sketch your kitchen plan with pencil on graph paper, laying out your work triangle and label how your kitchen is situated, adjacent to the other rooms in your house.

You may draw the kitchen plan directly onto your 11x17 large sheet of graph paper, with your entire 1st floor sketch, or you can submit it on the letter-size graph paper (labeling the adjacent rooms and indicating the traffic flow)

The kitchen is worth 20 points - graded with a rubric, with the list of 4 criteria, each worth 5 points:

1. Work triangle is indicated with a triangle drawn and measured between the three major work stations, and added to have a sum between 12 feet and 23 feet

2. Traffic flow and proportion of counter spaces, all drawn to 1/4”=1’-0” scale, with proper distances between items (ie. four feet in front of cooking appliances, 9” minimum of counter beside refrigerator and the stove)

3. Symbols are used to indicate walls, windows, half-walls, sink, stove, etc....

4. Drawing is clearly drawn and labeled (with your name too), communicating the kitchen walls, appliances, countertops, and adjacent rooms and exterior with labeling

Worth 20 points (submitted on graph paper, in pencil )

5. First Floor Plan

Stage 1: Rough sketch on graph paper in class.

Instructions: Draw First Floor Plan to 1/4" scale on 11x17" graph paper, with pencil and drafting tools and templates for doors and appliances. Include all the items listed in the rubric provided in class.

1st Floor drawing is worth 50 points - graded with a rubric, with the list of 5 criteria, each worth 10 points:

Criteria:

Layout: Efficient, functional and appealing arrangement of Entry, stairs, W/C, rooms
Kitchen: Adjacent to living areas and dining room, Efficient Work triangle, Countertops, Cabinets
Space Amenities: Width of Stairs, Windows, maximum exterior wall space for windows, Closet in foyer
Access –  doors and doorways:  Front entry door,  Back door,  Door into garage,  Doors swing into walls.
Presentation:  All rooms labeled,  Drawn deliberately  Windows drawn as outlined hollow walls  Walls filled in solid,  Title Block – (Name/Date/ Scale : 1/4"=1'-0"

Worth 50 points (submitted on large sheet of paper, in pencil )

5b. Edit & Finalize 1st Floor Plan drawing

Assigneed Tuesday, March 17th: First Assignment given during home online instruction:

Instructions: Make corrections to 1stFloor (after feedback and first grading_

Due on March 18th: Revision and details

Submit a scan with the Doc Scan app so the image is squared and contrasted so easy to interpret.

The first floor plan design is worth a total 100 points, 50 from first submission and grading, 50 points after editing (repeat grade if not resubmitted)

If you do not resubmit, your initial grade will be doubled.

5c. Final Edit of 1st Floor Plan drawing

Assigned on Friday, March 20th:

This assignment is for those of you who have only submitted once(absent at school when I gave 1st feedback rubric) or for those of you who do not have an A or are unhappy with your floor plan or your grade.

EXEMPT: Students with an A or are happy with your floor plan

Directions: Make corrections to 1stFloor: Revision and details, based on the first and/or second feedback with rubric

Submit a scan with the Doc Scan app so the image is squared and contrasted so easy to interpret.

The first floor plan design is worth 50 from first submission and grading, 50 points after editing (repeat grade if not resubmitted)

For those who submit three times, I will average the second two grades together for the final 1st floor grade.

Class announcement on Friday, March 20th:

Designing a house is a difficult task and working from home has a big disadvantage for all of us. When we are in school building, room 319, I usually spend each day working my way around the class, focusing on three different students with conversations and discussing ideas in their floor plan design, asking each student why they placed items here or there, getting into their thought process, and suggesting moving walls or rooms, enlarging or changing hallways, windows, etc... Through the interaction, the student considers alternatives and thinks about new ideas and decides which edits to make for their own plan. I don't dictate changes but I want everyone to think about it. Some of my suggestions may be mandatory, following rules of zoning or safety(i.e. space next to stove, traffic areas not interrupting the kitchen work triangle, etc...) but many of my suggestions are just that, suggestions that I know would increase the value or selling points of your home, for the average home buyer. However, now I am limited to typing comments on a Google Classroom assignment that can be misinterpreted as harsh or negative. I'm only trying to raise your awareness of the design process in creating a living space that is comfortable and ergonomically functional for daily living and our priorities in a house, that you may not have ever thought about.

Having said that, you can imagine how our communication is now making the whole process slower and more difficult, especially for the three of you who were absent when I spent the first three days on this project in class and you didn't have the advantage of my feedback while you were beginning the design process Plus, the three of you didn't hand in your first floor plans and receive my grading and rubric feedback the first time.

Its difficult for me to remember what exactly I had written to each of you in my original grading and feedback on your rubrics. However, I'm seeing many designs that I think were not improved and my feedback was not headed, even when it was a "red flag" item that I emphasized needed changing before being graded again.

Bottom line:

1. "FINAL revisions of 1st floor", with second edits - is Due Monday, March 23, because, on the submissions on Wednesday, March 18th, I saw so many unfinished floor plans that are not ready for the next step. I am still struggling to finish my comments. My apologies to those of you I've not yet finished with feedback, and my grading, up to two days later, which is slowing you down in proceeding.

I will not make your "1st floor" edits due until Monday, March 23. Many that have submitted your "final 1st floor" revisions may turn them in again on Monday, after my feedback online.

As for those of you that already had an A on your 1st floor, you may proceed to the next step of taping down

You will not have to submit anything the "FINAL revisions of 1st floor", and your grade will remain the same.

This new deadline on Monday is for those of you who want to bring up your grade.

2. "2nd Floor plan SET UP" on Vellum is not due until Tuesday, March 24th. It is an assignment that should be completed during the "class period" on Tuesday and I will grade before Thursday.

This assignment is only to tape down the vellum on top of your 1st floor and outline the exterior walls and the stairs.

I will create a handout for you to read and apply to your 2nd floor plan on Monday and Tuesday.

The final 2nd floor design will not be due until the end of next week - submitted on Friday and will be graded on the following Monday, March 30th.

6. The Second Floor plan

7. The Front Elevation

We will break down the development of the front elevation into 3 assignments(Steps 2-4 below):

Step 1: Researching and finding resources (We did this back in February. Refer back to "#2 Research" above)

Step 2: Rough Sketch ...for proportion and design details - assigned May 7th, due May 14th

It's BRAINSTORMING! You can be loose!

This doesn't have to be accurate. It is a sketch, in the process of "brainstorming" with your resources, and developing a sketch to start focusing on your house's curb appeal, which probably goes through many edits before you settle on your final elevation.

Step 3: Clarifying sketch to coordinate with floor plan, while adding textures and structural details: due May 28th

Instructions: You may want to put a sheet of translucent vellum/paper on the top of the first sketch , so you can trace some areas, but consider elevation details

1. Balance and Proportion as well as Variety of materials and rooflines, ( if you didn't do that already)

Proportion between the roof and the house, balance of windows, etc.....

2. Coordinate the elements, now paying attention to the front door placement, relative to the spacing with the floor plan of the house.

Remember, our houses should all be under(or up to) 60 feet wide (and 40 feet deep, if you are attempting an isometric), so a door that is 3 feet wide could be as little as 1/20th of the width of your house.

3. Foundation is added below the house first floor

Front door is above grade, with steps up to front door

Garage door is even with the grade

4. Add the architectural details, such as aligning tops of the windows, the house trim around windows, facia under roofline, shutters(optional), door styles, and textures to show the siding/stone/concrete of the foundation

Step 4: Final elevation, coordinated with roof plan, while adding textures and structural details:

We will have lessons on foundations and structure of houses before we draw the actual full-size elevation.
Starting the final elevation, you will take a new sheet of vellum and place it on top of your floor plans, so the bottom of your elevation’s first floor height is lined up with the front of your floorplan. (I will demonstrate)
You will trace the bottom line across the front of your house, on the first floor, marking your doors and exterior walls (are you creating more extrusions or recesses in the exterior wall?)
Then, if you are keeping the window placements, you would mark the windows, but I would hold off, in case you decide to move your windows around for curb appeal.
The first floor is NOT the bottom of the house. There are floor boards and a foundation that are above the ground level. The first floor sits above these structural elements. So the “bottom” of your house, as seen from the street, is several feet below the first floor.
This is when we set up the heights of the foundation and the ground level, and the ceiling and floor heights of the 2nd floor, as well as the roof.
After all the heights are determined to scale, we begin to lightly pencil in the outline of the house on the vellum, often laying it on top of the floor plans to check the interior walls and where the windows should be located.
The roof should be in proportion with the house. Hopefully, it was worked out visually on the previous sketch, for reference, because it's more difficult to design something full size, than it is when it is smaller and more manageable design-wise.

8 Front Elevation Section

Coordinated with elevation and floor plans, drafted full size on sheet of vellum

On Thursday, May 21st, during our weekly class zoom, I covered the steps to create a scaled section drawing of your house.

The due date is for Wednesday, May 27th but the hard deadline will be Friday, May 29th so you have the advantage of feedback.

The section drawing will be in ¼” = 1”-0” scale, the same as your floor plans, elevation, and your roof plan.

Objectives of the section:

We are doing the scaled section drawing first, because:

It will become the base for your elevation, easy to trace with the vellum
It will teach you the structural elements of the house, on which I plan to be testing you (I will share a handout with terminology and more illustrations of house construction next week)

Procedure in creating the section:

Place the vellum on your 2nd floor plan and tape the second sheet securely on top

Unit 6: Designing a House

1: Design Brief