Saying hello as we start the process for our new build

8 years ago

Hi Everyone, we are embarking on our own new house building adventure. This forum has been invaluable in finding inspiration, advice and experience. I have so many questions and hope to contribute too as we move forward.

A little background about us, we are a family with 2 young boys, early elementary and younger. We live in southern New England and are tearing down a small old home and building new. My FIL an experienced builder in another state is helping us.

We had worked with an architect to design our custom home. That process had it's ups and down. The upside was they were great design, they translated what we drew up to make it better design on the windows, roof balance. But not so much the inside flow which was all us. Not so good at communicating or setting expectations of end product vs time/cost etc. We had a sore experience with their drafting architect basically leaving, and her work was perfunctory the whole time. Lessons learnt and we are moving forward towards our goal of our new home.

We are building an urban farmhouse (so afraid to say those words). Not on a farm... My husband grew up on a farm in the midwest, so a nod to that. What we love about the style for our family is the simplicity and timelessness, as well as practical nature of the flow and choices. We like clean lines, white and black with hints of wood in it's natural tone. We love natural materials, and would use them as much as budget and other considerations allows.

Some choices we have already made for our build are

Thin, black clean lined windows

White siding with standing seam metal roof in black.

White oak floors in natural finish

We have put down a deposit on a dark soapstone months before completing the design phase.

Look forward to sharing and interacting with everyone.

Featured Answer

sunrise can
Original Author

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Thanks all for the welcome. I agree that the term urban farmhouse is an oxymoron & trendy. Probably this home is a contemporary home of this time. It is a style that fits us and appeals to us and hopefully our attention to detail will elevate it to something a little more special than run of the mill. But let's be honest the term "modern farmhouse" "contemporary farmhouse" and "urban farmhouse" are the ones that are currently getting us the most hits on inspiration from the infinite world wide web. We are going for less "Joanna Gaines" and more for the clean lines, simple practical flow, hardworking finishes and low maintenance as possible for the structure and good light, while balancing privacy..

Point taken on the humor and thick skin. I have searched these forums extensively and am here to continue to learn and hopefully share some of that knowledge too. Hoping to have some healthy discussions to hone our choices, through being better informed, because isn't that what it always is a choice rather than best. I apreciate that folks here with their extensive experience are so generous in sharing what they have learnt the long hard way.

Please keep them coming.

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Comments (8)

cpartist
8 years ago
Welcome.
PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
8 years ago
"We are building an urban farmhouse"

You're going to grow urbans??
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One Devoted Dame
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
You're going to grow urbans??

I've got my style now!

An Offspring Farmhouse.

Thanks, Mr. Mark!

To the OP:

Welcome to the forums! Bring your thickest skin, willingness to learn, and sense of humor. :-D
PRO
Anglophilia
8 years ago
Was this an architect or a draftsman? It does make a difference!

Think LONG and hard about those exterior black windows. They are very trendy right now, but will someday date your house; white will never do that. I personally don't like them on houses that are channeling a farmhouse-look. A true farmhouse might have had dark green trim, but never black,

The obsession with black has come from some very, very high end building/remodeling done using steel/bronze metal windows. They are absolutely stunning - very thin muntins (steel is strong!), and a bit of an "industrial" look. I very much wanted to replace an above-the-sink large bay window with steel windows and I could have...for $20,000. Not happening! I ended up painting the muntins INSIDE black (easy to do as they were old Pella snap-ins), but left the outside white like all my other windows. It was a good compromise and easily changed if I tire of it.

But exterior muntins? The entire point of them being aluminum-clad is never having to paint them, a very large expense. Dark vinyl is said to fade (think how that great navy blue Izod shirt looks after a few washings - just never again quite the same), and that would make the house look awful.

Look around you at true NE farmhouses and keep to a traditional look.
bluesanne
8 years ago
If you love the look, then follow your heart, but don't expect it to look anything but dated twenty years from now. There is nothing timeless about an urban farmhouse — the name itself is an oxymoron — and the trendy look bears little resemblance to a real farmhouse. Finally, don't judge architects by your experience with a draftsperson.
Mrs. S
8 years ago
Can't wait to see your design and follow along!
Jc Nash
8 years ago
Welcome! Looking forward to following your journey and hoping to learn along with you!