Introduction and question
Hello. My wife and I are in our early 50s and reside in Portland, Oregon. Something strange has happened over the last few years. Although we have lived in inner city Portland all of our lives, an area of Colonials and English Tudors we have begun to dream of an Eichler like home. There are some similar homes in the burbs...Rummers, but we don't want to live out in the areas where they are which is a mix of those homes with very cheap ranchs.
Portland is hyper-groovy and on every magazines list of places to be which has driven housing market/prices up, when most everyone elses has fallen. Anyway, since our kids are almost grown, we want to find an inner city 50x100 or 75x 100 lot and build a "New Eichler" or something very similar. If it is completely uncool heresy to ask this question, forgive me, but are plans available anywhere for the old houses, perhaps that could be tweaked and updated by a local architect. With the interest level in these old houses it seems bizarre to me that this does not seem to be happening with stock plans etc. I have seen some stock plans for other modern houses which are beautiful, but nothing quite like the Eichlers, atriums, etc.
Maybe we are nuts. It rains like crazy here and would we be asking for it with a flat roof? Any help is appreciated
With the interest level in these old houses it seems bizarre to me that this does not seem to be happening with stock plans etc. I have seen some stock plans for other modern houses which are beautiful, but nothing quite like the Eichlers, atriums, etc.
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Hi, there. I'm new, too. I suggest that you go to http://www.StrengBrosHomes.com and poke around there; they have some plans online. You can also try searching this site by using the "search" button. I'd choose to display "posts" because topics didn't bring me any help. I agree that current builders are really missing the boat on a revival of interest in post/beam construction in the mid-century modern style.
I have a question, too!! I'm currently shopping for a Streng and I suspect that the only ones I'll be able to afford will need a lot of rehab. I see pictures of lovely rehabbed Strengs with the "popcorn" ceilings down and it looks like they have tongue/groove wood slat interior ceilings. Are those ceilings UNDER the popcorn?? or do you have to put those up? Feel free to email me privately.
duett1, I don't suggest altering an older home to make it more modern. It is what it is. I know the cool neighborhoods are North and East in PDX. There is Vista Brook, a Portland enclave of Rummers that isn't too far out west.
more Rummers: http://www.eichlernetwork.com/ENStry22.html
hacking up an older home can he costly. I know some really great mid-century homes in those neighborhoods too.
Hopefully, if you choose to get an existing home make sure that any roof penetrations happen during the summer...it's tough to schedule it that way but that should be the priority. When we added skylights, telephone wires, and network connections, we had to make sure that it was done in June so that the foam roofer can get his work done by August (at the latest). Also, think about insulating your walls if you are opening them up.
You can essentially have any architect/designer make a set of working drawings from any floor plan/elevation. The key is when choosing a site to make sure that there aren't any major utility easements going through and that the required planning setbacks aren't intrusive into your planned footprint of the house. There may also be height restrictions as part of the planning codes as well as particular view restrictions by the neighbors. If you are buying land in an existing historic suburb, there may be Historic Codes that you may have to abide by as well...One more thing, if you have access to a soils report on any sloped piece of land, that would be very valuable. They will tell you if you will need to use any special kind of conrete footing (which can be very costly).
Building a house off of old stock construction documents is almost impossible since today's codes will almost always reject them during the planning review and building plan check process. Start with stock design plans instead and have an architect modernize it to your needs.
while not as mid-century-y, there are a number of nice, modern modular-ish homes on the market these days: check out http://www.rocioromero.com/ and http://www.mkd-arc.com/homes/ ... also, some interesting work in palm-springs by architects who are looking to reinvent desert modernism: http://www.eichlernetwork.com/desert_chron3.html
