Top 10 Solutions for Architectural Peeves
Cavelike hallways, immovable shutters, poorly proportioned doors ... avoid these and other common gaffes with these renovation solutions
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I am licensed to practice architecture in Illinois, Florida, New Jersey & Wisconsin and I am a certificate holder from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Since 1996 I have worked from my home office and provide full architectural services exclusively to the single family residential market. My passion is to transform my clients' houses into their homes. I strive to have the "new" home accommodate my clients' lives without fighting them at every junction. I look to add curb appeal to encourage a beautiful streetscape. And I design any addition to look and feel like it has always been there.
Our projects have won numerous design awards as well as having...
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located... More »
I admit there are many times that I cringe when visiting a newly constructed or renovated house. I know it's because I'm an architect, and we architects can be so very fussy. But really, with just a little bit of thought we can all make our houses so much better. It's just a matter of thinking through some of the detail issues.
So here are some solutions to poorly executed ubiquitous details that bother the heck out of me (and many architects and designers). These solutions are often easily implemented, and by doing so, you can easily change a house from cookie cutter to special.
So here are some solutions to poorly executed ubiquitous details that bother the heck out of me (and many architects and designers). These solutions are often easily implemented, and by doing so, you can easily change a house from cookie cutter to special.
1. Two-dimensional and poorly sized shutters. So often the shutters are screwed into the wall so that they lay flat. And it's obvious that the shutters won't come close to covering the entire window.
Solution (shown): Install the shutters with some authentic hardware so they lie "proud" (in front of) the window and the wall. And size them so they look as if they'd actually cover the window when closed.
Solution (shown): Install the shutters with some authentic hardware so they lie "proud" (in front of) the window and the wall. And size them so they look as if they'd actually cover the window when closed.
2. Skinny trim. Please don't settle for 3-inch baseboards and 2¼-inch casings. Trim has so much to offer and can really make a room special.
Solution (shown): Think about different profiles and go for the larger sizes. Doing so will add a richness to your rooms that you didn't think was possible.
Solution (shown): Think about different profiles and go for the larger sizes. Doing so will add a richness to your rooms that you didn't think was possible.
3. Dark hallways. Why is it that the space you travel in so much is often dark and gloomy? And what's with linen closets at the end of hallways? (More on that in number seven.)
Solution (shown): Get some light into the hallway with glass doors to the bedrooms. And if you have privacy concerns, just use a translucent rather than transparent glass.
Solution (shown): Get some light into the hallway with glass doors to the bedrooms. And if you have privacy concerns, just use a translucent rather than transparent glass.
| Or add a skylight or two. |
And if a large rectangular skylight isn't possible, try a tubular skylight. This is often an inexpensive way to dramatically increase the amount of natural light a dark hallway receives.
4. The 80-inch-tall door. As much as there is a rationale behind the 80-inch-tall door, it makes little sense in a room with an 8-foot ceiling, and even less sense in a room with a taller ceiling. It's just that the proportions are all wrong, and there's simply too much wall space above the door.
Solution (shown): If you plan to use an 80-inch tall door, think of that space above the door as an opportunity for, say, a transom like this that allows light and air to filter between rooms.
Solution (shown): If you plan to use an 80-inch tall door, think of that space above the door as an opportunity for, say, a transom like this that allows light and air to filter between rooms.
by Hull Historical
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Or consider using that wall space for some nicely done trimwork that really makes the doorway special.
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| Better yet, for a really open, bright and elegant room, take the windows closer to the ceiling line, as in this room. |
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| 5. The Palladian window. Surely, Palladio would weep if he saw just how ubiquitous and poorly scaled his namesake window has become. It's not that these aren't terrific windows, it's just that they've become a cliché. Solution (shown): Look at using a Palladian window in context. Properly scaled and detailed, this window can be quite elegant and historically correct, as in this example. |
6. Removable window grilles. I get it. I really do. Every time I wash the windows I mutter to myself, "Just snap out the window grilles, wash the window and snap the grilles back in." But heck, windows with removable grilles look so flat, so two-dimensional, not authentic at all.
Solution (shown): Though windows with authentic divided lites (ADLs) and insulating glass can be prohibitively costly, windows that employ simulated divided lights (SDLs), such as in this example, have the same look at a fraction of the cost. So really, there's no reason not to have an authentic-looking, if not exactly authentically built, window.
Solution (shown): Though windows with authentic divided lites (ADLs) and insulating glass can be prohibitively costly, windows that employ simulated divided lights (SDLs), such as in this example, have the same look at a fraction of the cost. So really, there's no reason not to have an authentic-looking, if not exactly authentically built, window.
7. Linen closet focal points. Yes, close to the bedrooms we need a place for towels and sheets and blankets and all of that stuff. But why must the linen closet be at the end of the hallway and visible from the main living area of the house?
Solution (shown): Certainly a small niche displaying something artful and beautiful will give more joy to your life than any linen closet ever will.
Solution (shown): Certainly a small niche displaying something artful and beautiful will give more joy to your life than any linen closet ever will.
8. Underused hallways. Certainly a hall can be used as more than just a room to walk through.
Solution (shown): The simple addition of some built-in shelving will transform a hall from a passageway to a destination in its own right.
Solution (shown): The simple addition of some built-in shelving will transform a hall from a passageway to a destination in its own right.
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| 9. Cookie-cutter garage doors. Why is it that no matter the style of house, the garage door invariably is the double-wide, raised-panel? Solution (shown): With so many options available, garage doors that fit with the home's architecture, as in this example, are definitely possible. |
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| 10. Weak eaves. The place where the roof and outside wall meet should show detail and craft. It is, after all, where the two major outside structural elements intersect. Solution (shown): Rather than using a standard 8-inch soffit with a perforated vinyl skin and a K-style gutter, look for ways to extend the roofline and introduce rafter tails, as in this example. |
Ideabook updated on June 28, 2012.
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One more thing that annoys me no end are poorly planned ceilings, randomly dotted with smoke detectors, recessed lights, vents ... you name it. Awful.
It is a truly beautiful home.
Tiny windows in new construction!!!!!
#12
Vinyl siding!!!!
I'll add another maddening detail, though I'm not sure it counts as architectural. How about fences that go no where? Fences that face the street, but that's it; they don't wrap around the sides, or worse, two little "gates" out front, but without any fence attached at all? Arrgh!!
My husband removed the sad little 70s trim throughout the house and beefed it up with wider stuff the second year we moved in. He also added molding around windows and doors which never had it at all and I must say, the results are lovely. He also bothered to change all the doors and door jams so that they are all now at the same height. (Previously, they were all within 1-3 inches of each other, even in the same room, like the kitchen). No longer maddening to look at!
He is pretty adamant that tubular skylights are next. I didn't quite get his determination about them until your idea book, so thank you for that!
The comment about the linen closet at the end of the hall is interesting. And, I can see both points of view as being valid .. end of the hall and the need for one. I Definitely need one, and in my new house that I'll be moving into ... you guessed it .. it's at the end of the hall! However, what about simply, yea right, simply... making the door itself multifunctional. Saw it on Pinterest .. a door that looked like a bookcase built in, but opened to a closet/pantry... and it's looked Great! I'm thinking that door can be made to look like pretty shelving or a focal point that doesn't really look like a door or just about anything, within reason, that you want. I'm certainly going to look into this idea for my new home!