I'm new here, having been a fan of the NotSoBig house books for several years, but never having seen the msg. board before!

I live in the Silicon Valley, CA, land of the $800K median for a 35 yo suburban tract house.

We are planning to move out of state at some point and are thinking about our options for housing. It looks like we'll have to have something designed for us because our circumstances are unusual:

first off, we have six daughters under 12, so we really do need more room than a lot of families.
Second, my husband will be working from home, so he needs a private office space away from the noise and bustle of daily life.
Third, we homeschool, and that, combined with my husband's telecommuting means that we are all home A LOT more than most families.
Neither one of us is particularly handy with a toolbox, so we want to avoid an older home or fixer-upper.

I have looked at newer homes, but they are totally inappropriate for us. By the time you get enough space, you are looking at cathedral ceilings, wine racks and home theaters. I hate high ceilings, we don't drink and have never owned a tv, so the houses are offering a lot of bells and whistles we don't care about. Somehow they still lack the things I feel are necessary for our happiness, like a little space for each girl to "get away" on her own--just a nook by a window for Deryn to write poetry or a curtained spot with a light for Jessa to read or a sunny corner with a desk for Lottie to paint where her little sisters can't get into her paintbox.

Imagine how excited I am by the idea of a NSBH, because our needs are specific and not met by simply adding more square footage!

Do you think an architect would be annoyed by requirements like that? Looking at plans, it seems most "designed" houses have exotic details and we don't need or care about. I don't really want to pay for someone else's creative expression by putting in exotic faucets when ordinary faucets will work just fine for us. OTOH, I don't want to offend an architect by saying "you be an artisan on someone else's home!" Is there any way to say that I'm going to an architect for functional design, not for groovy curved countertops and designer bathtubs?

I've rambled. Let's just say that I'm excited by the prospect of having a home that functions the way we want, but anxious about paying for high-end design that we deem unnecessary. Fortunately, we have to find a lot first. And fortunately, we have to choose a state before we choose a lot!
thanks for listening!
jenney

Jenney,

You've come to the right place. Residential architects who practice what Sarah talks about in her books are there to design a home specifically for YOU, not to design what they want (though what they want is to design something that you love, so it is what they want, too). If they are annoyed by your requirements, it's likely they aren't the right architect for you.

Please take a look at our home professionals directory (see the button to the left of this forum) when you have decided which state you're going to move to. You can search the directory to find an architect or residential designer in your area that uses the principles in Sarah's books. Be sure to read the piece about selecting an architect before you begin, and print out the questionnaire to help you with the interview process.

Welcome to the forum!

Marie St.Hilaire
Susanka Studios

Jenney,

In my humble opinion, the best home design is a collaboration between the architect and the homeowner. Every difference in requirements is just another opportunity to rething "home". So, no, you shouldn't be bashful about expressing your needs. I would advise you to, in the interview process, look for clues that an architect pays as much attention to the client's needs and dreams as to their own creative impulses. While they show their work, listen for how much they talk about the clients' input. When you look at their past work, does it all look alike? - or, hopefully, is there variety (which can indicate responsiveness to different clients and different sites). Anybody who's any good at marketing will say "yes" to the question asked directly - you're looking for evidence in their past work that they are responsive.

Wendy

quote:

Anybody who's any good at marketing will say "yes" to the question asked directly - you're looking for evidence in their past work that they are responsive.

That's a good point, Wendy! Thanks!
jen