Any good guidelines for house design?

[Ron Peterson]

I want to see something that shows good livability.

-- Ron

[tbasc]

Define your terms. WTF is 'livability'? T

[Ron Peterson]

One factor is minimizing the amount of effort to live in a house. Stair climbing and walking long distances to get to a different room. Difficulty of hauling grocery items in from a shopping trip. Using lever style door knobs instead of round ones is a simple example.

Another factor is good sound isolation.

And, psychological factors such as being able to look outside.

Christopher Alexander does it somewhat with his "Design Patterns", but he doesn't go into any actual studies.

-- Ron

[Martin Clark]

Ron Peterson wrote in news:cc8cf76f-45a1-43e8-98e9- [e-mail]:

Here's a link to the SmartHousing initiative for Queensland Oz.

A lot of useful stuff, most of it applicable anywhere. I've done designs using it. I like the approach because (a) many of the suggestions for good design are low-cost, and (b) unlike many initiatives, the people who maintain the resource respond to comments and suggestions - a few of my own have been incorporated in the material.

Regards

[RicodJour]

Good point. "Honey, I'm a millionaire due to redundant use of my money." Think she'll buy it?

R

[Ron Peterson]

That's good. I liked the checklist.

-- Ron

[creative1986]

Good livability for whom? Each person has a unique definition of that word.

You should look for a designer that has perfected the *Elements of Design* approach and I only know of one person that has done that.

Me.

What are *Elements of Design*?, you ask.

You've already mentioned some, lever door hardware for example. Another one is *traffic patterns* which are described by entry locations. Rocker switches that can be turned on with an elbow and 2 arms of groceries is another example. Another would be *furniture placement*, and the list goes on and on perfected by asking the right questions of thousands of clients about the most overlooked aspects of how they use a home.

This cannot be learned in school for no school teaches it, it has to be learned on the job.

Is this the sort of thing you are looking for?

[Ron Peterson]

Yes, but I would hope that it would be available in written form. I realize that home design depends on the occupants, but there should be some common living patterns that are addressed.

-- Ron

[creative1986]

If it has an angled joint of sufficient height they can make it happen. Completely armless doodz, say, arab bank officials that have had their arms chopped off for stealing, can simply slap a flaccid dick at the rocker to turn it on/off.

Yes, of course, remove all switches and install 100 hour hand dipped tarragon flavored soy candles.

[RicodJour]

No. I think he's talking about the original elements of design - the Periodic Table.

R

[glomerol]

I think that green building practices are a good way to go, as well as generally building smaller, and efficiently for efficiency, and also for the soul. Something that is not only liveable to you but also to your neighbors, community and environment.

[Ron Peterson]

I think that the term "green" in terms of building practices is vague and misused. When I see large mansions termed green, I wonder if something has been lost in translation.

Some think that high rises are so wonderful, but when I see that the building costs are twice that of a stick built home, I don't see any big gains in livability.

I don't see the point of going to smaller in terms of livability, or even cost.

-- Ron

[glomerol]

I'm (temporarily) living in a highrise and do see and experience problems with it.

But you just questioned 'large mansions termed green'. As for seeing the point; for one, consider going smaller as meaning potentially less use of resources.

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[Ron Peterson]

The marginal cost of a square foot of a stick built home is about $80.00, so I don't see square footage as a particular waste until one gets over 4,000 square feet. But many have the desire to use expensive cabinets, flooring, and tile which can send those costs to several hundred dollars a square foot and still get the "green" label.

-- Ron

[glomerol]

You may wish to consider expanding your definition of cost.

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[Fred Osim]

when u design a house, u don't design just the interior; u design the exterior called open space. these places include road leading to the house and the walk way to the entrance: front or back. the outside look is more important than the inside because people walk by don't necessary go into u house.

after u done than, then u start to worry about the open space of u house. things like hall way, stairway, corridor, and even the open space between kitchen appliances and furnitures. then u have to check whether the house follows the guild lines where "forms follow functions" and "less is more." whether the color and the house is artistic to u instinct.

the room and the house don't necessary bigger than what u need and every 30' there should be a shear wall.

there should be a cleanout for plumb>

You may wish to consider expanding your definition of cost.

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[RicodJour]

Are you a fifteen year old girl? No? Then stop using u when you mean you. It makes you look stupid and doesn't save you any time.

R

[RicodJour]

Since no one is really sure what creates gravity you are making a big assumption that it will never run out. When your project fills up with s**te-water, it'll serve you right. :)~

R

[glomerol]

If gravity ran out, brownwater would be the least of our worries.

By the way, I'm learning "photogrammetry" with Imagemodeler. (More pots on the boil. :) I have little on the backburner per se; it's all just all one long row of burners in a very long kitchen... that stretches to infinity. ;)

Speaking of which, I watched a You Tube docu (note the 'u' at the "end" and lack of proper ending ;) on how we all could be simulations. But I surmised that, if we're all simulations, then our 'simulators' could also be simulations-- ad infinitum-- which would seem to cancel out all simulations, and bring us back to present reality... Or, like my website's Matryoshka, the simulation within a simulation within a simulation-- the whole that includes all Matryonas within-- was the reality. Again; no simulation. ;)

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[RicodJour]

On the plus side I could lift my car easily, fly by flapping my arms or just jumping, and win the Olympics powerlifting events - all of them. I'd be willing for Pat to wallow in his federally funded muck for that.

R