Wild Basement Window Idea
I cannot assure you I will post every day, but here is the continuation of last night’s first-ever blog subject.
As you may recall, when we last left the land of Wild Ideas, I was making my case for what I call the Hybrid Ranch (or the 2-floor Ranch, I have not decided which name has the better ring to it), where we place only the master bedroom on the first floor and place the other bedrooms all downstairs. One of the big potential draw-backs to making this a widespread popular idea is that most available lots are not walk-out or view-out basement possible. Most lots are flat.
To make this concept appealing to the masses, would require the basement to have many windows and not everyone accepts looking out into deep window wells. Window wells that can fit large , bedroom size windows (called egress windows) have been designed to be more and more beautiful. The problem is that they still lack much depth beyond a few feet away from the window glass and that makes it all seem so much like a basement, rather than like a ground floor.
Here’s the big idea to overcome using wells on a flat lot. you will have to paint a visual picture in your head to understand the concept so stay with me. Start by imagining(for simplicity sakes) that the shape of a home is a rectangle with 40 feet facing the front of the street and 50 feet of depth. In your mind’s eye, dig the 40 by 50 foot (that 2000 square feet0 hole and pour/build 4 basement walls that are 8 feet tall(9 if you like), forming a 40 by 50 foot rectangular basement into a flush level lot.
Simple so far? Here’s where it might get tricky, but stay with me.
Take the back rear right corner of this rectangular basement, and at 15 feet , the midpoint of the rear wall, build a wood wall(with lots of patio doors or window openings in this wood wall), as high as the basement walls, and extend it perpendicular , from the rear of the basement’s 30 foot wall going 25 feet toward the front of the homes. Now at a 90 degree angle to the end of this wall(which is now near the exact middle of the original rectangular basement) build another wood wall (with more windows or patio doors) of 15 feet in length from the end of the 25 foot wall extending to the right until it touches/attaches to the midpoint of the 50 foot long concrete basement wall on the right.
If you followed this through, you have now built a recatangular basement with about one quarter of the back right corner sectioned off into a 15 by 25 foot “room”. Now build the first floor of the home over the entire basement EXCEPT, do not build any living area over the 15 by 25 foot sectioned off back corner. NOW….. build a rectangular 30 by 50 foot rectangular roof over the WHOLE basement concrete wall area. Treat the two basement level wood walls like they are exterior walls, because in fact that is what they now will become. in effect, we have built a 15 by 25 foot basement courtyard with lots of windows overlooking into the lower level courtyard and to keep most of the rain or snow out of this huge 15 by 25 foot ” mega-window well“, a roof is covering this whole courtyard.
If you do the math, what we now have is a 2000 square foot basement with a 1500 square foot house and 1500 square foot enclosed basement area AND a 500 square foot basement courtyard. If you read my previous blog posting, you will see why this 1500 square foot home is significant to a new way of thinking about home design.
At ground level, a deck-style railing system must be built around this area, giving the appearance(to neighbors) that you have a covered deck with rails. To enhance the usability of this area, a full pressure treated staircase is built to allow access from lower courtyard to the back patio or yard. In the future, you might consider enclosing the open first floor sides (where the rails are) with glass or screens. You may even want the first floor to have a deck that is partially suspended over the lower courtyard to add a new dimension to your upstairs entertaining.
At the recent International Home Show (in Vegas) a slew of famous home designers spoke at seminars about the new homes which the new “generation Y ” , sub-named “new Millennial”, will be desiring . The orders from these generals of home design called out for us all to abandon all of our old designs and start new. Numerous surveying of the massive new age of up-coming home buyers will be looking for things that you (and I) may have never imagined. One of the first desires on the new Generation Y home designs will be a new emphasis on enhanced and expanded outdoor living spaces.
I was glad to hear that because, if you visited our 2009 Parade Of Homes Little-Big House, you know that we put a lot of work into creating a fantasy front yard porch social area as well as a socializing back patio area complete with our own twist on an indoor/outdoor WILD IDEA television concept. I felt somewhat “ahead of the curve” on several of the Generation Y list of items and this covered basement level patio/court yard was unlike anything I have ever seen , anywhere, including at this home show. I can imagine being able to cook out for friends in your basement level. Now THAT is a very Wild Idea indeed!
On my next blog, I will cover the list of items that these top home designers predict will become a part of the next wave of homes that will be sweeping over the country from 2012 through 2052. The future is coming next up when we blog again. Housing will never be the same. Here’s your chance to get ahead of that curve with your new home design.
Thanks again for “imaginating “with me.
Blessings,
Tom
