In http://philip.greenspun.com/materialism/house-design/ (commentable) I put forth some ideas for building houses that are designed for single people. The document asks the questions “Why have more than one room if you live alone?”, “What about creative space if you don’t have an office or studio?”, and “Is it feasible to build an industrial loft in the middle of the woods or suburbs?”
Comments appreciated, especially from folks with some experience in architecture or construction.
Intriguing concept. I have an inkling that the reason such dwellings are rare or non-existent is mostly economic. The people (persons?) preferring to leave alone AND be creative/work at home are still, I would speculate, a small minority compared to families with or without kids, or single people who work outside their homes. With (at the time – you describe how this can change in the future), the demand is low, so there is little incentive for architects to design and developers to build such dwellings. Those that exist or are being built are custom, which means the cost per square foot is higher – probably much higher – compared to family homes, McMansions or McCondos. Given the extra price that needs to be paid for the custom design, most people who would benefit from the layout you describe opt for traditional howsing.
Sounds a bit simplistic…
have you seen loftcube.net ? A group of designers in Germany have created a prefrab one-room house that is transported by helicopter onto the roof of a high-rise building. There would certainly be plenty of light, and great views.
I work for a large corporation that practices what I call “Ex-Lax Management” for its workers– “keep ’em moving.” As a consequence of their executives’ apparent belief that constant reorganizing and shuffling is Incontrovertable Proof of Progress and Sign of Success, the construction crews are kept busy knocking down interior walls and reassembling them somewhere else, sometimes less than a meter from where they were before.
That leads me to a rather obvious idea. A single, childless individual (which I am, by the way) who doesn’t need quasi-private seclusion for his nonexistent wife and 2.5 kids can buy a reasonable-sized house and then knock down as many of the interior walls as necessary to create a suitable space. There is a risk of harming the resale or investment value of the house, but it is a way to obtain what Phil suggests without the expense of a custom-designed home.
Hi Phil,
I couldn’t agree with you more. I’ve always wanted something like that myself, though now that I’m married the need for a few rooms (like a big closet for my wife’s shoe collection) is more apparent. You might be interested in these suburban lofts: http://www.terraverdearch.com/Residential/Loft0.htm
Also, MoCo Loco (http://mocoloco.com/archives/cat_architecture.php) covers a lot of interesting house designs. The dock houses linked to there are kind of interesting too.
–Josh
Two comments…
1) With all due respect to Ted (above) “then knock down as many of the interior walls as necessary to create a suitable space”… You can’t do this to any significant degree as walls (in a typical house) are stress-bearing members.
2) BUILDING CODES. I hate them. In most cities, for most locations, the building codes tell you what can be built, in what-specific-locations. Mucho Crap-ola. Worse, all the neato cost-saving and quality-improvement stuff is a no-no (self-contained electrically-operated toilets, steel beams ie no wood 2×4’s, plastic plumbing etc). Same for LoftCube: Unless it meets *local* building codes (highly unlikely except middle-of-NoWhereVille) it ain’t goin’ nowhere.
In closing, a “box” most-certainly-is a “custom designed home” (albeit a cheap one).
I used to think about the ideal sort of house I would want to build. Now, having become a real estate investor on the side, I would never build something (even for my own use) that was eccentric or different from the houses in new subdivisions. The reason is what Ted said: resale value. You can recover the cost of a good location, a third bathroom, or a nice kitchen layout, but a freaky layout would turn into a teardown on the real estate market. Money is best put into a desirable (to the market, not you) location, and then you should build the minimum standard home for that location. Location includes “good schools” if the house is family-sized, even if you’re single and couldn’t give a flip. Now, if I had enough money to throw away, I’d build to my own desires perhaps (like Wozniak did). Personally I prefer to rent for myself, buy to lease to others. I prefer urban locations within walking distance of stores. I’d rather leave residential developments to others: you have to drive everywhere, which means you get fat (“Surburban Life May be Hazardous to Your Waistline: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/WNT/Living/obesity_cities040531-1.html ).
In Japan, where I now live, houses built up till about 1980 had rooms connected with 2-meter or wider sliding doors (fusuma) which can be removed, allowing you to combine rooms at will. You can make a 6-tatami kitchen and a 6-tatami adjacent room into a rather large open kitchen dining area–you could even add the next 6-tatami living room to the open space. Removing the walls to the left and right of the fusuma and leaving the load-bearing pillars (which are often decorative, while adding an island in the kitchen, is a cheap way to renovate these places to modern tastes. More recent houses in the big cities are westernized, with regular doors, and the rooms are tiny.
For the “lone wolf” stereotype, there’s no reason to have more than what you really need (of course, if you can afford it, private airplanes and Ferraris are a nice distration). The perceived requirement to have stuff and therefore have someplace to put it tends to happen when the male nests with the female of the species.
This is not necesarily a bad thing, but the nesting phenomenon has to be properly managed. My advice to Phil is to stay single and if he wants offspring, go the test-tube route. Less heartache that way for those that can afford it.
A couple more comments after reading Phil’s essay, from the perspective of living in Japan.
Small rooms or rooms that can be closed off (such as with sliding doors) really cut heating and cooling costs. My mother’s place in Maryland is one zone: you have to fill up all those cubic meters of air with heat or cooling, or turn it off, no in-between. And with 12-foot ceilings? Energy-efficiency-wise, the Hummer of living quarters.
In Japan split-ductless HVAC is used: every room has a remote-controlled unit mounted high on the wall. You only heat or cool what you need to, and you have a TV-style remote control to adjust it. Energy must be cheap in the U.S., I guess, to use these one-zone systems. BTW, I looked into split-ductless for an apartment building I bought in the U.S. that needed new HVAC: it’s really expensive there. In Japan you can buy a room unit for about $400 and have it installed for $100. There was a whole article about split-ductless in the July 20, 2002, Washington Post called “Keeping Cool in the Old House,” but I can’t find it on the WaPo site; reading the copy on my hard disk, I see quotes of $5-6,000. Whoa! I guess the contractors are just not used to installing these things quickly and efficiently. Some info about “mini-splits” here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49231-2004Jul14.html .
My second comment would be storage space: You’d have to have a lot of custom-built furniture if you wanted a low profile everywhere. Most furniture and appliances are designed to sit up against walls.
There was an article somewhere (can’t remember where) recently about a couple who bought an old gasoline station in Arizona or New Mexico and turned it into a residence, completely open inside, leaving the gas pumps outside untouched but non-functional. There were photos. Prior art like this, if it can be tracked down, would show how others have dealt with practical issues and problems.
Phil…
If you’d like to start a firestorm on your site… Take up Paul’s idealine “My advice to Phil is to stay single and if he wants offspring, go the test-tube route.”
Paul, you are sooo ahead of your time. Genius. A pal defines “prophet” as “one who reads the signs of the times” and IMHO that’s you.
Phillipe, this is a great idea. I have been thinking of something similar. Basically, I was thinking a large one room apt design where theere actually is a small room off the side with basically nothing more than a bed and maybe a closet in it. One thing about most furniture design is how wasteful it is. You should hide bookshelves with pictures, paintings etc and have large storage spaces below your bed.
Phil, you should look into the somewhat less-known world of geodesic dome house designs. Geodesic dome homes scale wonderfully from single-person to multi-family size structures, and are particularly suited to your goals because they can span large areas with high ceilings without the need for internal bearing walls or supports. They use less material than traditional structures to enclose the same volume, and are easily mass-produced, shipped in manageable pieces, and can often be assembled quickly without heavy equipment. This last point is crucial, since when you talk about the cost of building a new structure, a very large portion of that amount is for labor.
There are rather a large number of small companies that specialize in geodesic house kits and related services. For some reason, many of them are in Minnesota. There are many different approaches, some resulting in houses that look relatively similar to standard hip-roof houses, others that are more unusual, made out of aluminum struts and having many windows.
I would post some links, but it’d just be easier to check out google, or any of the directory-type web services.
Mr. Greenspun, tear down that wall!
As someone who’s tried the one big room, one tiny room (in Tokyo no less) and few other configs, I’ve got to say that one room houses don’t work well, especially for single males. It all boils down to the senses:
1. Sight: If you don’t do the dishes, tidy up the trash, put away the laundry, etc. then that’s what you’re going to wake up to in the same room. Similarly, if you have company over, you need to clean the entire house, not just shut a few doors.
On a related note, if you misplace your keys/remote control, it could arguably be anywhere in the one room house.
2. Sounds: You’ll hear your refrigerator, hard drive/PC fans, air conditioner, etc. all night long. Also, you can’t run to another room (other than the bathroom) to take a phone call if you’ve got company over.
3. Smells: Like (1), if you decide not to clean something up, you’ll have to sleep with it so to speak. If you burn something on the stove, you’re screwed for a day. Similarly, if your creative work involves stinky pens/paint/etc., you’ll have to sleep with that as well. Pets can complicate this one.
As someone who lives alone and is not always as good about cleaning as he should be, I would agree with Chris Yu that at least #1 and #3 would happen. However, I do not agree that they would be disadvantages.
I don’t know where Mr. Yu lives, but un-done dishes and un-removed trash do not merely sit idle…they rot and attract bugs. A person whose kitchen is not often used and is protected by walls and a door can find themselves very rapidly living adjacent to an environment that very nearly requires a Haz-Mat coverall suit to enter. I’ve moved into apartments that fit this description, and (being obligated to either endure cleaning them myself or turn them over to Superfund) much prefer one that prevents me from ever falling into that trap. Think of the annoyance as an early-warning diagnostic.
On the other hand, as someone who both suffers from migraines and lives by choice on the midnight shift, I do not even remotely share Phil’s perverse affinity for involuntary illumination (known by its proponents as “natural light”), and find that wall-oriented living environments are indeed much easier to keep dark (except, of course, when light is required…and Edison showed us the solution to _that_ problem).
Oh, and thanks to Josh for the links. Lots of designs there that I’d seriously enjoy living in. Now to build up enough money to buy land to put one of them on…:)
200 people in a 1500 s.f. space is really loud. In practice, these people want to split up into smaller groups, each with it’s own conversation. When they are all in one space, the volume goes way up so they can hear over the other conversations. I find that the 6 spaces my 1500 s.f. first floor is divided into supports this very well. Granted, I don’t have 200 people visiting at once, but the 80 that arrived last Dec. 31 were quite comfortable and no one had to shout.
Detaching the garage may open the view, but what does it get you? A view of the garage.
this has been done around the globe quite a bit, in many different forms. however, its mostly comes down to the people that are involved in the process want(from architect to the public) and money.
Some of the many problems that are mentioned above are just apart of it. the challenges involved are many and, at times, are odd; buidling codes-design review boards-developers wanting x-people wanting to only buy y-only being able to easily sell x in an x market-overall cost.
Then there is the social mentiality. here in america we have the ‘house-yard-wife-2.5 kids’ mentality, regardless if our neighbor is 15′ away in his own suburban castle. In other parts of the world, the whole ideology involved with the home is different and thus reflected differently in the dwellings.
Another interesting design/living situation you should look into is co-housing. which has interesting and great possibilities if it could be successfully tied into a corporate campus setting.
the challanges involved are many and odd; buidling codes-design review boards-developers wanting x-people wanting to only buy y-only being able to easily sell x in an x market-overall cost.
A better example for you Phil would be your house you have/had in chatham that is in a very prominent location; its on a main road, sea cliffs, other houses that follow the same style. Now imagine the consequences you would have if you wanted to tear it down and have Tado Ando build you a new home. In short, he is a japanese minialist architect who uses concrete and wood for amazing structures. I doubt you’d get very far in the town and building process, even if money was no object.
I personally feel that any techincal and functional design problem you can think of can be overcome. However, the problems of personal taste cannot be easily solved. and of course there is that money issue.
It comes down to people who care. people who do seek out great architects, people who dont goto mcdonalds for their mcmasion.
My comment is that Philip is nearly one year past the seven-year itch date in his current digs — I’m predicting he’ll move within a year.
Dave Z
I have this book called “A Little House of My Own” that has 50 floorplans of small homes for single living. You should take a look at it, Philip.
Phil,
Before I wallow in my success with open spaces…let me ask you…”Are you as kool as you ‘sound’?” You have such a clever head,in spite of your unfortunate politcal POV!
But seriously. I am an educator…needing a variety of spaces to research (read: “Trying to determine if I still have something/anything to say in a dissertation so that I can even proceed with the frivolity, not to mention the $$,$$$, of it all”)…living in one of the most expensive locales in “Our Great Country,”…and I have “a place” on the water, “a place” in the mountains and “a place” near “a major, metropolitan city.” How did I make all my places “single” without the benefits of a “sponsor” or truck loads of legal tender dumped on my lawn every morn? I bought cheap and I ripped the damn walls out!
My experience tells me that there are not many supporting walls in living structures. If there is one that gets in your way, cut a hole in it. The sensation of space works (often) as well as the reality of space.
The “place” on the water is a large trailer that no longer has all the fixed furniture somebody, somewhere, sometime ago, wanted. I ripped it all out. It is one, big room now. I put MY stuff in and baada bing…I have “a place” on the water..leased land…bought trailer.
My mountain “place?” Found a hunting cabin (These cabins typically give new meaning to “minimalism.”)–dirt cheap and “ripped the walls out.” Dropped in a Jacuzzi, a few skylights—and, errrr$$$…a well, septic, electricity—and baada bing…I have “a place” in the mountains.
My “place” near a “major metro city?” Bought 10 years ago when the price was right and put only necessary furnture, etc. in it. Feels like one room.
MY POINT: Walls are not sacred. Get rid of them if they do not appeal to you. Supporting walls can be redesigned so that the support comes from something other than a mind cramping wall.
Love your blogging Phil.
Best,
Irene
Phil,
Before I wallow in my success with open spaces…let me ask you…”Are you as kool as you ‘sound’?” You have such a clever head,in spite of your unfortunate politcal POV!
But seriously. I am an educator…needing a variety of spaces to research (read: “Trying to determine if I still have something/anything to say in a dissertation so that I can even proceed with the frivolity, not to mention the $$,$$$, of it all”)…living in one of the most expensive locales in “Our Great Country,”…and I have “a place” on the water, “a place” in the mountains and “a place” near “a major, metropolitan city.” How did I make all my places “single” without the benefits of a “sponsor” or truck loads of legal tender dumped on my lawn every morn? I bought cheap and I ripped the damn walls out!
My experience tells me that there are not many supporting walls in living structures. If there is one that gets in your way, cut a hole in it. The sensation of space works (often) as well as the reality of space.
The “place” on the water is a large trailer that no longer has all the fixed furniture somebody, somewhere, sometime ago, wanted. I ripped it all out. It is one, big room now. I put MY stuff in and baada bing…I have “a place” on the water..leased land…bought trailer.
My mountain “place?” Found a hunting cabin (These cabins typically give new meaning to “minimalism.”)–dirt cheap and “ripped the walls out.” Dropped in a Jacuzzi, a few skylights—and, errrr$$$…a well, septic, electricity—and baada bing…I have “a place” in the mountains.
My “place” near a “major metro city?” Bought 10 years ago when the price was right and put only necessary furnture, etc. in it. Feels like one room.
MY POINT: Walls are not sacred. Get rid of them if they do not appeal to you. Supporting walls can be redesigned so that the support comes from something other than a mind cramping wall.
Love your blogging Phil.
Best,
Irene
There’s a lot of interesting psychology around the concept of dwellings. I’d look at some of the work by neurobiologists. Google “neuroesthetics” or http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A42296-2004Jan23¬Found=true.
I found Witold Rybczynski’s book _Home_ interesting. “In a loosely configured essay, Rybczynski (Architecture, McGill Univ.) discusses the idea of comfort and the Western cultural attitudes that have shaped it since the end of the middle ages. Rather than dealing with the technical aspects of architecture, he reviews such cultural variables as intimacy and privacy, domesticity, ease, and ideas about light, air, and efficiency as they have changed over time. Essentially Rybczynski makes a plea for the primacy of cultural ideals as a basis for creating psychologically comfortable homes.”
Hola. In my graduate school days, I lived in an 8 x 40 dwelling–a converted storage container. Other than the heat build up, a great place to live. The bathroom & kitchen were across the yard in the garage. This was pretty satisfactory.
Another book is Tiny Houses–now that I’ve gone to look on Amazon, Lester Walker has make this into an industry
“SIMPLE SHELTERS, COZY COTTAGS, HUMBLE HIDEAWAYS Wonderfully illustrated with hundreds of photographs and scale drawings, a little house of my own is an exploration of a unique and eccentric fascination: the tiny home. Featuring Henry David Thoreau’s Cabin at Walden, the Fredericksburg Sunday House, George Bernard Shaw’s rotating Writing Hut, the Cape Cod Dune Shack and many more, it’s a charming collection for anyone who’s ever wanted to get away from it all-and still have it all under one roof.
“Part history, part fantasy, part builder’s guide, this engaging book reflects our continuing fascination with smallness and miniaturization.” -WITOLD RYBCZYNSKI, author of Home”
http://www.patternlanguage.com/smallhouse/smallhouseframe.htm?/leveltwo/../smallhouse/smallhousetable.htm
http://www.patternlanguage.com/smallhouse/smallhouseframe.htm?/leveltwo/../smallhouse/smallhousetable.htm
* I don’t like to live alone. Even if I wasn’t married/partnered, and even if I didn’t have children, and even if I had plenty of money, I would still want to live with other people. And when these things were true, I did. I think many people feel this way, and yet want some privacy, hence multiroom houses.
* If you live in a house with light coming in from all four sides (not to mention the skylight) in a sunny climate, you will have a very hot house.
* Of course you only need one computer/piano/TV etc. per person, whether you have one room or many. Even in one room, two people may require two computers/phones/stereo etc.
* Entertaining in one large room has advantages and disadvantages. It’s great for presentations, so everyone can hear. It’s not so great for conversation, being loud and less conducive to creating small groups.
* Your proposed temporary walls need to block sound (so you can sleep if Edna snores.) Your proposed windows will have to have excellent screens (to block light), insulation (or your heating/cooling costs will be high) and open (because it’s nice.) This will make them expensive.
* Laundry on the main level is nicer. (Take the word of someone who does laundry in her basement every day.)
The blog is very useful.