Home Design Questions
Why is it that everyone who I meet that wants a Ranch design, never really seems to notice (or care) that the ordinary ranch has 2 to 3 steps to climb before folks can enter the home? I thought the main reason why folks want a ranch is to GET AWAY from the steps?
I have been designing homes for over 20 years and my very first homes always had extra-wide, full 3 foot widths. Today, I hear a lot more folks who heard on HGTV about making homes easier to “live in place” by having 3 foot wide doors. Folks think that these doors will make it easier in case anyone ever needs a wheelchair in the home. These same folks never seem to care about making the home bigger in key areas (such as the bathrooms or hallways) so these areas too would fit the wheelchairs. I can only guess that these wheelchair live-ins will not need to use the bathroom or ever go down a hall and decide to turn around and come back. That never got covered on HGTV apparently.
Why do folks seem to be asking for staircases to be a foot (4 feet instead of 3 feet)or more, wider just in case they ever need to have a chairlift, AND THEN also want these stairs to be curved or change directions half-way up the stairs? Odd shaped stairs can look cool, but don’t work easily with chairlifts.
Why do people want walk-in showers in case they can not step over a tub when they get older, yet never seem to worry too much about the 6 inch ledge most showers have in the front? This front edge is not easy for older folks to step over and obviously does not work for a wheelchair. It is a tripping hazzard too.
Why do folks seem to have no problem spending $20,000 or $30,000 more(more than the same size two story home, that is) for a ranch home to avoid stairs but would never even think of spending $20,000 for an elevator in a two story? When you buy the ranch for that $20,000 more, you are still buying a 2 stories and a staircase (in this geographical area, that is called a basement). Therefore, in any ranch, you must still live with stairs (even if it is only to put your storage items or get to the circuit breaker panel, or check the sump pump, or get to the rec-room). If you had picked the 2 story with elevator, you now have totally gotten past the stairs issue entirely!
I am thinking tonight about a visit I had with my Father in the local hospital earlier tonight. He broke his hip a week ago and I was telling him how his aging has helped me to design better, more livable homes. I was telling him how when he came to visit a model home of mine many years ago, his simple comment that their was no where to sit in or near the foyer, caused me to change my thought process on foyers. Today, I always try to find space in every foyer to fit either a built-in sitting area(see my Lake Bay design for a cute triangular foyer place to take off your boots), or a simple space for a chair or bench.
My Father and mother have taught me so much about home design simply by them making some simple comment or by my seeing how they act when they visit one of my model homes. My Mom’s knees are no longer working like they used too. My Dad had a Kidney transplant years ago and his leg muscles cause him to always be searching for places to sit and rest. When I plan my landscaping, I try to always have decent night lighting and a benches at logical points between the parking area on the driveway and the front door. I also like to have a spot to sit at the front door in case my Mom or Dad needs to wait for someone to answer the door. I think of this all as common courtesy design.
This means lever-style door knobs instead of round knobs because they are easier to use. This means, taller elongated toilets instead of the common ones because they are more comfortable for every age. This even means something as simple as designing the bathroom walls so reaching the toilet paper holder is easier for reaching, without straining.
Her’s one last one for now. Why is it that when folks see that most all of my great rooms have a spare closet, they ask, what would you use that for? Don’t we all have board games, greeting cards, gift wrap, photo albums, old magazines, crafts and such that have use in a great room but no real place to be stored in most great rooms?
I could (and will in the future blogs) go on and on about things that just seem to make sense , yet few seem to either care or think about. These are, after all, only a few observations that I think everyone might at least want to brieflyconsider when they design a home or look for the right one to purchase. We singed a lot offer tonight for those very nice folks we went to dinner with last night. Turquoise! (or maybe a medium teal to be more accurate). If you don’t know what this means, read my previous blog entry. Thanks for blogging with me. Your comments are always welcome.
Blessings,
Tom Hignite
March 3rd, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Hey Tom, sounds like you are doing the right thing in asking the questions. Hopefully the consumer (your customer) is aware you are trying to help them.
Tony Corniel
Publisher, WaterPumpReviews.com
March 4th, 2010 at 7:18 am
Hello Tony,
I likely would not ask a home shopper these questions in the way I have posed in my blog’s demeanor. I try not to be this confrontational in “real life” conversations. I do get the chance to talk to a lot of home shoppers and I truly enjoy obserivng their desires and hearing their opinions when I “gently” ask some of these big questions.
The thing I observe (for example, when I pose the question about why they may not have considered an elevator to escape steps of all kinds, when it would not cost more in the lbig picture) that happens most is, folks who are confronted with a new option or layout they were not pre-conditioned to be looking for, need time to internalize the information and usually say something like, “that is interesting, I will have to think about that”.
There is a fine line between suggesting an idea and coming across as to be demeaning someone else’s desires or opinions. Home sales Guru’s would tell me to check my opinions at the door and just do whatever the client desires. In a pure business sense, I mostly agree with this except I would find it hard NOT to speak up if I see soemone is doing something they may regret later like putting windows or doors in positions that will make ar oom hard to furnish later. I don’t operate in a pure business sense when I am passonate aobut the subject.
Thanks for the input. “I will have to think about that”.
Tom
April 1st, 2010 at 11:44 pm
Thanks for the comments Tony. I may have the knowledge of having designed and built over 2000 new homes, but no matter how many homes I build, I need to be concious about the fact that most folks don’t know care as much about my capabilities as they do about getting their dream captured on paper.
Sure, I have lots of immediate urges to tel folks my gut-reaction to thier ideas, but doing so needs to be well tempered so as not to burst anyones dreams. Even if their home design has some (in my mind) design flaws, I have learned that the most important part of any person’s home is that it needs to reflect that person to some degree.
One quick example. Someone who has watched my designs for years finally comes to the point of hiring me to design their home. Into every design, new or remeodel, I treat the design as though it might be my last,greatest achievement. I really sweat the details of proportion, furnishing possibilities, traffic flow, etch and present the design to a seemingly excited cleint. A week later they re-draw the design making notable errors, or doing things they may/will regret as soon as they try to furnish it. I calmly try to explain my reasoning, but they still want their concepts. When the home is done, they love the home but say it does not quite feel like the kind of “magic” they got in my models.
As far as , as you say “my opinion being valuable to my customers” , that is mostly true, but by me ultimately doing what THEY want is more valuable to their happiness. I do try to always express my honest opinions, but never take it personally when they choose their ideas over mine. Some day, perhaps, I will be famous and rich enough so, like Frank Lloyde Wright, he would ALWAYS get HIS way or else he would not accept a job designing any building. I can’t imagine he made all of his clients happy with this method, even though his end results were stunning. I have enough of my own “monuments”. I want happy clients.
Thanks for the comments about my photos of work I have designed on the site. I have lots more. If you have not yet done so, please check out our television special number 6 to see the far out things I designed into our Grand Bay model. Click onto our “media matter” web page.
Blessings,
Tom