We just completed construction of a modified version of Sarah Susanka's "A River Runs Below It". We bought the drawing on-line then had them modified by a residental designer that we locted from this web page.

The ground and main levels are close to Sarah's original design with the exception that we added 4' to enlarge the kitchen and dining areas. The upstairs master suit was completely reconfigured. We added a garage, a canopy roof over the main entry and modified the roof lines.

If anyone is iterested here are some photos: www.andersontvl.com/house or if you are in the West Michigan area the house is on disply in the Grand Rapids Parade of Homes until October 7, 2006. House #31 It is located about 35 miles north of the city.

Parade Animation

The above link will take you to a animation of Rich's House. Its worth the trip to see this house! The Builder was also from this web-site.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Eric,

I am getting to build the same house in North Carolina.
The house with the river runs below it.
can you all( that's Southern) show me the way?
what have been your experience?
Thank you

Zon

I am interested in getting some feedback about building the house "River Runs Below It" or the small prairie style house.
the home plan? materials?
approx. cost?
pitfalls to avoid?
thank you.
Zon

Zon you should contact Rich from above or Myself, I was the residential designer that modified the River Runs Below it plan for them.

http://www.andersontvl.com/house/

or email me at ehughes@ameritech.net

Here is a rendering we did for Rich's project. As you can see from this perspective rendering the addition of a two stall garage, a covered entry, and modified the rooflines.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Eric,

I am planning on building 'the river runs under it' at at narrow waterfront lot. I am curious if anyone in Western Washington has built this house, and if they would mind me looking at the exterior, or at least sharing a few pictures.

I also wanted to know if anyone has tried building a deck off the back of the main living floor. Anyone wishing to email direct, d.dconone@gmail.com

We build the river runs below it home in 2006 and could not be happier with the results. It would be easy to add a deck on the back but you may want to consider the site lines from the living room to the water. In our case we set about 40' above the water so you sight line is on a downward angle and a deck would have obscured the water view.

A couple of suggestions you might want to consider. We have hardwood floors through out and with the open floor plan sound transmit ion between floors is a bit of a problem. If I were to build the house again I would insulate between the floors. We used open web joist between floors and it really simplified running electrical and mechanical lines. Our screened in porch is 16’x16’ in the summer is it the most used room in the house I am glad that we didn’t skimp on it size.

If you are looking for a designer to tweak the plans I would give Eric a call even though he is in Michigan. He is easy to work with and we did the entire design via email so distance wasn’t a problem and Eric is big into green design if that is your thing.

Please post picture of your home when you get it built. I find it interesting how each of us take the same stock plan and customize it to our personal tastes.

If you have questions about our experience feel free to email me at rich@andersontvl.com


Rich

A client asked me to massage this plan, to add and modify spaces, add a garage and connector, and engineer its ICF foundations to be site-specific.

It is now at the just-under-roof stage. Being built in a very cold climate, and even with its huge glass expanses facing due south, the client is seeking to minimize heat loss by the use of high performance fiberglass triple-pane windows by Thermotech Windows of Ottawa, Ontario.

Render_looking_SE.jpg (137 KB, 34 downloads)

Here are two in-progress shots of the "River" model, as modified by us to adapt to site and owner needs. My apologies for the John Deere.

The house is a three-layer-cake, the prototype being essentially a 28x28 square with bumpouts on three of its sides. This version was enlarged to be a 31'-11" square, with bumps. The square footage is thus over 35 percent more than the prototype, which allowed enough room inside for the owner's program.

It sits atop an ICF foundation, and the walkout basement has fewer windows than the original. Top floor has an added bedroom, and the laundry is on this floor. The main floor has a full bath, whereas the prototype has a half bath. The lower level contains a guest suite and a media room.

Floor platform frames were deepened, and interior walls moved and positioned to accommodate the ducting for HVAC, which will be handled by an open-loop well-sourced geothermal furnace, supplying heating and cooling.

The 2-car garage attaches to the house via a generously-sized connector with an outside entry and generous storage closets, built-ins, and benches. The property adjoins a huge system of XC ski trails.

September_20_looking_SE.jpg (46 KB, 32 downloads) View looking SE

It seems we can only attach one pic to a post, so here is the second one.

September_20_looking_NNE.jpg (52 KB, 31 downloads) View looking NNE