A Perfect Main Entry Step-by-Step by Denise Nye-Ward - HTML preview

The Main Entry.

You have been using them all your life, yet, have you ever thought about the impact that a main entry has on all who pass through it?

It is the first thing a visitor sees when entering a space. It is the last thing seen when leaving. It makes the first and lasting impression of what lies beyond.

What makes a main entry

beautiful?

Several reactions need to take place

for a main entry to be effective in

communicating a positive message

to guests. It must...

• invite you into the space beyond

• make you feel welcome

• make a statement without being

strong or offensive to the visitor

• just look right!

How do you make these reactions happen in your main entry?

In this E-book you will learn step-by-step, how to create the well-balanced front entry that your home deserves.

We begin by determining the style of your home.

Next, we look at the architectural balance of the house front And finally, the house setting.

Then, using your house data, you will be able to create a plan to make the most of your homes features.

Every home deserves to look it’s best, while telling a story about the owners.

Your new main entry is just a few steps from becoming realty.

Let’s get started

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1-

5

DETERMINING HOUSE STYLE

CHAPTER 2-

12

HOUSE FRONT DESIGN

CHAPTER 3-

14

LOCATION AND SURROUNDINGS

CHAPTER 4-

16

ANALYZING THE DATA

CHAPTER 5-

18

THOUGHT STARTERS

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CHAPTER 1 – DETERMINING HOUSE STYLE

In this section, you will evaluate your houses style.

Begin by determining the predominant style of your home.

Your home may very clearly be one style, or a combination of styles (in which case you should choose the most prominent style).

Examples of the most common house styles.

COLONIAL STYLE

Floor plans feature a center hall with living room on one side, dining room

on the other, kitchen and private

rooms in the back. Colonial design includes a symmetrical exterior styling, multi-pane, double-hung windows with

shutters, dormers, central front doors, shutters, and pilasters. The exteriors are generally wood or brick.

VICTORIAN STYLE

.

Victorian floor plans are free form and rambling, having features of brightly painted exterior, wrap-around front porch and detailed ornamental elements. Bay windows, wide verandas, turrets, and

grand towers may be incorporated into a Victorian plan. The floor plans are com-posed of one or two levels having an

asymmetrical layout and an irregular roof-line in which gables face several direc-tions and roof pitches vary. Front doors are four-paneled with no or narrow side-lights, and windows are long and narrow, sometimes with bays.

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EARLY 20th CENTURY STYLE

In the early 1900s, builders discarded the elaborate Victorian styles. Homes for the new century were compact, economical, and informal. Frank Lloyd Wright revolu-tionized the American home when he be-gan to design houses with low horizontal lines and open interior spaces.

BUNGALOW / CRAFTSMAN STYLE

With features of low-pitched shingled roofs, exposed beams and wood, stone

and/or stucco siding, the Bungalow

home became popular in all regions of the United States during the 1910s and 1920s. Welcoming front porches and lots of windows invite you into the open one to one-and-a-half story floor plans. Bungalow floor plans usually cluster the kitchen, dining area, bedrooms, and

bathroom around a central living area.

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CAPE COD STYLE

Generally one to one-and-a-half

story dormered homes featuring

steep roofs with side gables and a

small overhang. Bedrooms are

tucked on the second floor and

Cape Cod homes are typically

covered in clapboard or shingles

and are symmetrical in appear-

ance. Cape Cod homes are de-

signed with a central door, multi-

paned, double-hung windows,

shutters, a formal, center-hall floor plan, hardwood floors and little

exterior ornamentation. .

FARMHOUSE STYLE

Farmhouse plans vary according to

the regional where they are located.

Typical features are an open kitchen

and living room, wood-frame con-

struction and finishes. Farmhouse

floor plans are usually square or symmetrically shaped, sometimes with

side wings. Farmhouse designs often

include deep and wide wrap-around

front porches.

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LOG HOME STYLE

Early log houses were sturdy, rain-

proof, and inexpensive. The frontier

style log cabin was one room 10

feet wide by 12 to 20 feet long, had

at least one glass window, and in-

cluded a loft area for sleeping.

Modern Log house plans are de-

signed in a variety of styles with

wood logs being the primary build-

ing component.

TUDOR STYLE

The Tudor exterior is diagonally

placed heavy dark beams set

against light, whitewashed plas-

ter, and a patterned stone or

brick chimney. Tudors are typi-

cally one and a half to two sto-

ries with second-floor cladding in

contrast with cladding on the first

floor. Plans may include tall, nar-

row multi-paned casement win-

dows, rounded doorways, a bay

window cantilevered over the

first floor, high ceilings under

steeply pitched roofs with gable

ends.

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RANCH STYLE

.

Introduced in the 1920-1930s, ranch

style became the dominant Ameri-

can home style in the 1950s-1960s.

Ranches are typically one story

though split-level designs with few

decorative elements except shutters

or porch-roof supports. The exterior

is faced with wood, brick, or a com-

bination. Key rooms open to the out-

doors. The classic L-shaped ram-

bling Ranch floor plan combines the

living and dining areas into one, with a short hallway or exterior gallery

that leads to the family room and

bedrooms.

CONTEMPORARY or MODERN STYLE

Contemporary, architect-designed

homes of the 50’s, 60’s, and early

70’s broke away from conven-

tional design. Characteristics in-

clude simple, clean lines with

large windows devoid of decora-

tive trim, and flat or gabled roofs.

Contemporary exteriors are usu-

ally siding, stucco, stone, brick or

wood.

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NEO STYLE

Many new homes borrow details

from historic styles and combine

them with modern features. These

designs have an Old World look

that's not specific to any one style.

Features include high steeply

pitched roofs, tall windows, and

traditional details like pediments,

keystones and shutters

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CHAPTER #1 ASSIGNMENT

DOCUMENT YOUR HOUSE STYLE

After studying the various house styles, decide which style is the most like your house.

Record the style of your house.

This will determine colors, placement of color, and next steps to designing your front entry.

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CHAPTER 2 - HOUSE FRONT SYMMETRY

Now let’s look at the front of the house.

There are two different designs of houses, symmetrical and asymmetrical.

Simply put, symmetrical means that if you draw a line down the middle of the front of the house, whatever is on the right side is exactly what is on the left side (Diagram 1).

The two sides match each other perfectly. The entry door is in the center or the front wall.

Diagram 1

Asymmetrical, on the other hand, means that windows and doors are irregularly placed in the front wall of the house (Diagram 2). The door will generally be off to one side. The windows can be in any of various configurations.

Diagram 2

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CHAPTER #2 ASSIGNMENT

DOCUMENT HOUSE FRONT

SYMMETRICAL ? or ASSYMETRICAL ?

After viewing the various house front styles, decide which style is the most like your house.

Record the front style of your house.

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CHAPTER 3 -

LOCATION , SURROUNDINGS AND HARDSCAPE

Just as no man is an island, no house is an island.

Every house will look it’s best when it compliments it’s surroundings, and it’s surrounding compliment it.

Simply, your house needs to be viewed as part of the whole neighborhood.

This includes the man-made and the natural environment that surrounds your house.

The following exercise will make you look closer at your house in relationship to it’s setting.

Ask yourself these questions about your house

•

Is your home an attached house or a single house?

•

Do the other houses that are beside or attached to it, have the same exterior material as yours? Are they different? A different color?

•

Is your house in the country or a city setting?

•

How much of the area outside your house is “man-made”, such as concrete, deck-ing, etc. and how much is plantings and plant materials like trees and bushes?

•

You have determined the architectural style of your house. Are the neighboring houses the same or different styles form yours?

•

Do you belong to an “association” in a development and have restrictions on changes you are permitted to make?

•

What are your likes and dislikes for house colors?

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