Last blogpost I did not really address the rear exit issue. Again, the redundancy issue is dealt with very simply if the exit stair from the second floor can also be the connecting stair between floors. Of course, here you won't want anything real grand, like a fancy Atrium. However, you can get something that will bring light to both levels. Natural light is often considered the essence of good architecture. It is worth your time and money to facilitate as much natural light as you can from as many different sides as possible.
At the rear of the house it is less expensive to add on than at the front, so a two-story addition with stair is a great way to make the connection and get the exit at ground level.
If this doesn't work in your design, because of setbacks or a different stair location, you might just abandon the rear stair* and add a deck at the rear. If you want a stair, perhaps with a deck, remember that when you lift a house the stair becomes longer. This is usually not too big a deal at the rear, but a front stair increase by even a few risers can become ungainly and out of proportion for the front facade.
One of the ways to deal with this is again with the landscape. Raise the grade to reduce the number of risers you are adding, and thereby keep the stair within proper proportions. This can also help create the differential between two Entries on the same facade, making the one behind the raised grade, or berm, more secondary.
*Codes do not require more than one exit for a residence unless you have a third story.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Entries and Exits
Entries and Exits, along with Stairs, are among the most important design decisions faced by people who want to build beneath their house, especially if the project includes raising the house above its existing level. The last blog-entry was about stair placement, which sometimes overlaps this concern, so I start with this.
If you end up having to place your new stairs near the front (or rear) of the house, the question of redundancy arises, since there are also Entry and Exit stairs in those locations. It often makes sense to enter the house at the ground floor level, as this redundancy is eliminated. However, entering a small landing area and immediately ascending a narrow stair is not a very gracious way to enter your abode. You'll be removing the front stair and thus changing the facade appreciably, so try to budget enough to re-work the whole facade, to create an Atrium!
This can be a very successful way to open up the house, so that one enters a two-story space immediately upon opening the front door. The result is a sense of flow and connection with all the other spaces of the house. One's psyche is actually pulled upward into the Main Space. This is the effect that is missing in most ground-level entries when the main (more public) spaces are upstairs, and often happens with a raised house of this type. This approach also successfully eliminates the next problem of concern - competing entries. With the atrium entry there is only one entrance and it tends to "speak for itself" but can even be made very grand if you like. (Be careful about making it too grand however, as it needs to fit with the rest of the house too!)
Competing Entries are jarring to the visitor and often create confusion as s/he walks up the nicely landscaped* front yard and tries to determine where to knock. If you have to create more than one entry, consider how to get one on the side, or even at the rear, of the house. This way each entry can be embellished without competing with the other(s). And do embellish them! Even if you are only adding a simple shed roof and a bench, the idea is to make the entry a welcoming place, a place to stop for a moment and make the transition from outside to inside while shaking out an umbrella or removing your hat. Avoid the door-on-the-wall look. We have all seen this and wondered.
If you just have absolutely no choice but to have two entries at the front of your house, embellish one more than the other. Make it clear which is a primary entrance and which a secondary one, like a craftsman's entrance. In fact, it is an interesting exercise to study craftsman entrances. Victorians often have very nice ones, embellished in a simpler way, but still having special details. An arbor & trellis in front of an indented, understated entry with a small bench can be really lovely without any sense of a jarring juxtaposition with the wide stair to the Victorian porch and all its incredible detail.
*One last thing for today's blog - Do not underestimate the benefit of good landscaping. Too often designers and homeowners both concentrate on the house and file the landscape concerns for another day. This is a mistake, because the budget is then exhausted on the changes to the house and all the curb-appeal is gone until there is enough money to address this most important aspect of your environment. Landscaping is an excellent way to steer a visitor toward a main entrance or a secondary one.
If you end up having to place your new stairs near the front (or rear) of the house, the question of redundancy arises, since there are also Entry and Exit stairs in those locations. It often makes sense to enter the house at the ground floor level, as this redundancy is eliminated. However, entering a small landing area and immediately ascending a narrow stair is not a very gracious way to enter your abode. You'll be removing the front stair and thus changing the facade appreciably, so try to budget enough to re-work the whole facade, to create an Atrium!
This can be a very successful way to open up the house, so that one enters a two-story space immediately upon opening the front door. The result is a sense of flow and connection with all the other spaces of the house. One's psyche is actually pulled upward into the Main Space. This is the effect that is missing in most ground-level entries when the main (more public) spaces are upstairs, and often happens with a raised house of this type. This approach also successfully eliminates the next problem of concern - competing entries. With the atrium entry there is only one entrance and it tends to "speak for itself" but can even be made very grand if you like. (Be careful about making it too grand however, as it needs to fit with the rest of the house too!)
Competing Entries are jarring to the visitor and often create confusion as s/he walks up the nicely landscaped* front yard and tries to determine where to knock. If you have to create more than one entry, consider how to get one on the side, or even at the rear, of the house. This way each entry can be embellished without competing with the other(s). And do embellish them! Even if you are only adding a simple shed roof and a bench, the idea is to make the entry a welcoming place, a place to stop for a moment and make the transition from outside to inside while shaking out an umbrella or removing your hat. Avoid the door-on-the-wall look. We have all seen this and wondered.
If you just have absolutely no choice but to have two entries at the front of your house, embellish one more than the other. Make it clear which is a primary entrance and which a secondary one, like a craftsman's entrance. In fact, it is an interesting exercise to study craftsman entrances. Victorians often have very nice ones, embellished in a simpler way, but still having special details. An arbor & trellis in front of an indented, understated entry with a small bench can be really lovely without any sense of a jarring juxtaposition with the wide stair to the Victorian porch and all its incredible detail.
*One last thing for today's blog - Do not underestimate the benefit of good landscaping. Too often designers and homeowners both concentrate on the house and file the landscape concerns for another day. This is a mistake, because the budget is then exhausted on the changes to the house and all the curb-appeal is gone until there is enough money to address this most important aspect of your environment. Landscaping is an excellent way to steer a visitor toward a main entrance or a secondary one.
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