Basic House Design

Grimsby Secondary School

Essential Question

• What are some of the different house designs styles used?

• Which would be most effective for a person with a physical disability?

One Story Ranch Style

• Has all living space on one story• Is called simply a ranch house• Can have a basement depending on area of the country and what the owner wants.

• Has a low pitched roof• Can be built on a crawl space, or on a full basement.

Disadvantage of a Ranch

• Usually costs more to build then other designs of similar square footage

• Cost more because of larger foundation and roof needed.

• Requires a larger lot then others designs

• The large “foot print” can cause heating problems in certain areas of the house because of distance from furnaces. (Electric heat does not have the problem)

• Maintenance cost can be more because of roof size and exterior wall surface size

One and One-Half Story

• This style is sometimes called a Cape Cod.

• It similar to a ranch with the exception that it has a steeper roof that provides space for an attic. Dormers are used in the attic.

• Dormers are used to provide natural light, air circulation, and extra headroom.

Advantages

• The cost per unit of habitable space is low.

• Attic can add about a ½ of a first floors worth of living space.

• Attics make more living space available.

• It is a versatile design

• Heating cost are minimized due to the smaller amount of exterior walls compared to the amount of room available

• Cooling can be aided with the use of Louvered Ventilators at each end and plenty of insulation

Disadvantages and Considerations

• Dormers, stairs, and slightly steeper roofs increase the cost of the house.

• Adapting the house for Disabled person increase cost.

• Attics can have wasted space.

• When designing a house of this type you must consider the following:

• Ultimate how many people it will hold

• Designs for expansion of utilities

• Kitchen, living and dining rooms should be carefully considered

TWO STORY DESIGNS

• More economical to build

• Has smaller roof and foundation but large interior space

• May be built on a basement, slab or crawl space

• Heating and cooling is relatively simple.

• Heat will naturally rise from the first floor to the second

• Cooling is made easy since there is no ceiling directly connected to the roof.

Disadvantages

• Exterior maintenance is more expensive because of height

• Some find stair climbing to be difficult

• Does not allow for versatility

Split level Design

Split Level Design

• Split level design came about when there was to many hills or to great of a slope to a lot for a normal house to be built.

• Works only on extremely hilly areas.• The general arrangement of split levels separate the sleeping, living, and recreational areas of a house. There is little or no need for halls in this design.

Lowest Level (basement)

• This level usually contains the Basement

• The basement may be used to store heating, and cooling equipment, be a storage room and even possibly a shop or washroom.

• An appropriate sized basement is between 40 and 60 percent of the house footprint.

Basement Level

• A basement may not be necessary/desired in that case having a crawl space is necessary for maintenance

Intermediate Level

• This is the next level up from the basement. It is also usually ground level.

• This is where the garage and the recreational rooms are located

• May include patios and terraces that enhance the recreational area.

Kitchen/Living Level

• The Next level up is the living level

• This level contains the kitchen, living room, maybe a bathroom.

• It also contains a foyer, mud room, and wash room

Sleeping Level

• This is usually the highest level. Because of its height it has the most privacy.

• This area usually contains all the bedrooms and the bathrooms.

Variations of the Split-Level Design

• There are three types of Design Variations:

Side-by-sideFront-to-backBack-to-front.

Side-by-Side

• This is used when the lot slopes from one side to another

• This design places the living level on the opposite side of the sleeping and intermediate level.

Front-to-back

• This variation is used with lots that are higher in the front and lower in the back.

• This house looks like a ranch from the front and a two story from the back

• The living area faces the street and the sleeping area are on the second level in the rear.

Back-to-Front

• This variation is used when you have a lot that slopes from the back to the front.

• The front looks like a two story the rear looks like a ranch

• The intermediate level faces the street at grade and the sleeping level is above the intermediate level.

Advantages and Disadvantages

• Advantages • Works well in sloped lots.

• Disadvantages• Cost more then a ranch

• Heating can be a problem

• Usually solved with adding additional thermostats

2010 Grimsby Secondary School