5 ms·

Isn't this a lot of work? I suppose it's perhaps worth it if you plan to live in a place for a long time, but surely there are specialists that do this for a li

Isn't this a lot of work? I suppose it's perhaps worth it if you plan to live in a place for a long time, but surely there are specialists that do this for a living? Like, can't you just pay an architect to design the thing?

lawn 6y ago
That's part of the charm isn't it? I too have a silly dream of sometimes designing my own dream house.
- rhaps0dy 6y ago
  Well, yes, for some people (maybe most). I don't dream of designing my living space, but I do like to live on a nice one. It's not like my bar is very high either.
ip26 6y ago
It definitely feels like there ought to be architects who can do this- with your input of course. Learning all the nuance and getting it all right the first time would be such a colossal job. I can spend a month or two per medium sized house project, learning all the details- forget about the whole house. Of course, all this comes very naturally & easily to some people. (Mainly, I've noticed, when their parents are in construction, remodeling, or real estate)
- rhaps0dy 6y ago
  > It definitely feels like there ought to be architects who can do this- with your input of course. To be fair, the article does mention that: if you commission an architect to do this, you should show them your Pinterest boards. Or at least get an idea of what you like. > Learning all the nuance and getting it all right the first time would be such a colossal job. I imagine it's akin to getting to the level of a working architect yourself. Which is a huge time investment. The article mentions it taking years for them. > I can spend a month or two per medium sized house project, learning all the details- forget about the whole house. That's much less than I'd expect it to take me. I'm curious: are you an architect, or designer, yourself?
- hindsightbias 6y ago
  A great architect doesn’t just do the design but specifies the materials list. Contractors then bid and any substitions have to be architect approved. This doesn’t guarantee good construction practices without supervision, but it does insure you have less crap going into the house. It can also be a huge savings. A relatives professionally designed house easily made up for the expense of that design - her neighbors pay $500/month in utilities, she paid $75. Neighbors have all sorts of defects, heating/cooling issues.
WalterBright 6y ago
It's a lot of fun.
sarcher 6y ago
It doesn't have to be a lot of work, just paying attention to what you like and dislike in your current home, friend's homes, etc. is most of the battle. Like, if I asked you what restaurants you like to go to and what some of your favorite meals are you would probably have an answer. If I gave you the choice between two drinks, you could probably pick one over the other (or neither, or both) with some confidence. In the same way, try to develop opinions about where and how you live.
simonsarris 6y ago
(I am the author) Yeah there are tons of architects that specialize in traditional (and even ultra-traditional reproduction) custom houses. But I don't have that kind of money. I needed to simplify as much as possible and do as much as possible myself while trying to keep the spirit of the thing I wanted. Still if I had the money I suspect I'd want to be very involved in the design. Your living quarters are not a trivial part of your life!
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
markkanof 6y ago
I think you'll find that no architect, contractor, etc. is going to care about your house as much as you do. Even if they are the best of the best you aren't their only client, so they have limited time to put towards your project, while you have as much time as you are willing to give it. I often find myself just kind of standing in the middle of a room of my house looking around and thinking through various permutations of how I might rework things to be more functional and aesthetically pleasing. I find this kind of thinking (and eventual action) very enjoyable. You might not, and that's totally fine, but I can't imagine not doing this kind of stuff.

lawn 6y ago

That's part of the charm isn't it? I too have a silly dream of sometimes designing my own dream house.

rhaps0dy 6y ago
Well, yes, for some people (maybe most). I don't dream of designing my living space, but I do like to live on a nice one. It's not like my bar is very high either.

ip26 6y ago

It definitely feels like there ought to be architects who can do this- with your input of course. Learning all the nuance and getting it all right the first time would be such a colossal job. I can spend a month or two per medium sized house project, learning all the details- forget about the whole house. Of course, all this comes very naturally & easily to some people. (Mainly, I've noticed, when their parents are in construction, remodeling, or real estate)

rhaps0dy 6y ago
> It definitely feels like there ought to be architects who can do this- with your input of course. To be fair, the article does mention that: if you commission an architect to do this, you should show them your Pinterest boards. Or at least get an idea of what you like. > Learning all the nuance and getting it all right the first time would be such a colossal job. I imagine it's akin to getting to the level of a working architect yourself. Which is a huge time investment. The article mentions it taking years for them. > I can spend a month or two per medium sized house project, learning all the details- forget about the whole house. That's much less than I'd expect it to take me. I'm curious: are you an architect, or designer, yourself?
hindsightbias 6y ago
A great architect doesn’t just do the design but specifies the materials list. Contractors then bid and any substitions have to be architect approved. This doesn’t guarantee good construction practices without supervision, but it does insure you have less crap going into the house. It can also be a huge savings. A relatives professionally designed house easily made up for the expense of that design - her neighbors pay $500/month in utilities, she paid $75. Neighbors have all sorts of defects, heating/cooling issues.

WalterBright 6y ago

It's a lot of fun.

sarcher 6y ago

It doesn't have to be a lot of work, just paying attention to what you like and dislike in your current home, friend's homes, etc. is most of the battle. Like, if I asked you what restaurants you like to go to and what some of your favorite meals are you would probably have an answer. If I gave you the choice between two drinks, you could probably pick one over the other (or neither, or both) with some confidence. In the same way, try to develop opinions about where and how you live.

simonsarris 6y ago

(I am the author) Yeah there are tons of architects that specialize in traditional (and even ultra-traditional reproduction) custom houses. But I don't have that kind of money. I needed to simplify as much as possible and do as much as possible myself while trying to keep the spirit of the thing I wanted. Still if I had the money I suspect I'd want to be very involved in the design. Your living quarters are not a trivial part of your life!

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

markkanof 6y ago

I think you'll find that no architect, contractor, etc. is going to care about your house as much as you do. Even if they are the best of the best you aren't their only client, so they have limited time to put towards your project, while you have as much time as you are willing to give it. I often find myself just kind of standing in the middle of a room of my house looking around and thinking through various permutations of how I might rework things to be more functional and aesthetically pleasing. I find this kind of thinking (and eventual action) very enjoyable. You might not, and that's totally fine, but I can't imagine not doing this kind of stuff.