more on the exterior

It was pointed out, after the last entry, that my shot from 60 feet up on an extendable boom forklift was telling, certainly, but hey, what does the rest look like? Above is the south elevation, with kitchen window on the right, dining area in the middle, and raised porch on the left. South light is also let into the common area through the clerestory windows, above.
From the southwest angle the main western wall of the common area comes into view, with its emphasized corner window ensemble. This is the strongest view out to the wetlands/creek area, which is behind the spot from where this image was taken. The lower porch level is our entry into the rec room, and an outside dog-wash station.

The tower is in full view when looking straight on from the west, with the main bath on the left. Attempts to understate the glass in our concerns for solar gain and summer overheating were partially successful. We'll still need appropriate window treatment, and a rolldown shade on this side of the porch for afternoon outside meals.

I can read your mind: should those people be up on the roof? I assure you that it is totally appropriate and safe in this case, and quite typical, even healthy, for boys to like to play and climb. And Jake wanted to come up too.

hangover!

er... I meant to say... over hangs! While my co-workers in New York are talking over Facebook about 30 degrees and cold this week, (very strange,) I'm in my boxers with the fan blowing here in Portland, and we're talking about the start of a notorious summer. I predict Hot and Dry, with the good news being a very low humidity through the worst of it.

The Vermont Street Project is designed without air conditioning, and here's the multi-tiered defense against nasty overheating: High-reflectivity coated, light colored metal roofing, plenty of operable windows and doors for cross ventilation, efficient and low-heat producing lighting where possible, low-emissivity coatings on the window glass that are tuned for each elevation to control solar gain, good insulation which works to minimize winter heat loss AND summer heat gain, and REALLY LARGE OVERHANGS!

Ever since Edward Mazria wrote the first serious solar book I ever read, in about 1980 or so, (I saw it YESTERDAY FOR GOD'S SAKE while looking for books on rain water harvesting - poor pickings - at Powell's Books! What are we talking about, edition number 20?), the importance of correct and large overhangs has been stressed. ('Water always wins." as quoted in the soon to be published, Too Many Orpin-isms, The Book of JO Quotes.) Primarily they are to KEEP THE DANG WATER AWAY FROM THE FOUNDATION AND SIDEWALLS! Thank you I feel better now. But right behind is their role in shading, as illustrated by this excellent diagram, above. Keep the summer sun out and let the winter sun, which is lower in the sky on the south side, in.



We've got our overhangs built, at last. They've defined the home's edges, and thereby both taking away a bit of the mystery while solving lingering questions of final form, shadow and the sun's direct gain. We can stop pretending that our computer modeling has more to teach us than a field trip. In a climate with lots of rain in the oyster-harvesting months and lots of summer sun, I'm high on my overhangs.

BUT I'm not complacent. We've also got a daylit basement library saddled with the extra duties of guest bedroom and what I've been taken to calling our summer sleeping retreat. More on this in an upcoming entry titled, "Why I placed a secret door to the wine cellar off of our library and quite near the ping pong table." Catchy?

Designing for ping pong

For years I've answered that perfect question from potential clients, "And do YOU live in one of your timber framed homes, Jonathan?" with a thoughtful glance, a slight shake of the head and, "Well, no, I'm still practicing on others." Most were okay with my peculiar sense of humor. This last trip east with visits to a few recent projects and an open house reminded me that the best humor has roots in truth. I remain shocked at how much the homes we design and build for others encompass our own dreams and goals.

Take Jon and Bee Perkins' place. Visiting them in Geneseo last week was a riot, as I got to tour some recent touches, like a transplanted barn they'll use for cars and parties, and a finished basement with wine cellar and... a ping pong table. It wasn't three weeks ago that I had put my size 14 foot down to my wife and co-designer Maxine and said, with impressive ferocity, "I worked my whole life for this house, and by golly it's going to have a dedicated ping pong table space." (Really, the conversation went about that way. Silly how life can be at times, no? Who needs John Wayne?) "And furthermore, the ceiling fan will have to move away from that table!" Oooohh, I am so tough!

So when visiting John and Bee, I knew something was up. Came time to go downstairs and John couldn't contain himself. "Hey, do you play?", pointing at the bright blue table with innocent-enough looking paddles and cute white balls laying about, trying to be, well, casual. Beat me six or 8 times straight, before I could count to 21, for God's sake. That did it, I knew I had been prescient indeed about that ping pong table. You'll get yours, John Perkins!Turns out ping pong is rocking this year. A table was seen at Tina and Harold's at their open house to benefit Camp Good Days and Special Times. We also got this one from Doug and Melanie in the Catskill Mountains, first shots of the just finished game room. So okay hear this: I challenge all comers to fierce and fabulous ping pong on my own home turf... once I get it done.