Laneway House Design Project – Day 3

Terri

John and Matthew,
Thanks for your excellent commentary (as always!). I also appreciate that I can actually see the plans better when you discuss them–couldn’t see Oscar’s at all, and mine was faint.
What you say about trying different approaches to dividing the space is so true. An earlier version of my plan did have the closet where Matthew indicated as well as a shorter kitchen wall, but I got stuck in my old mindset of separating the entry and making the kitchen bigger. Your points about these small spaces having to be more compact is well taken. This has been a very interesting challenge!

Oscar B. Morales

Hello John and Terri,

Please let us all know what a “leech gate” means to you, I Google it and this it what I got. Terri is the below explanation what you meant? Or are you proposing a pergola?

lych gate or lich gate.

Formerly used during funerals as a temporary shelter for the bier, a roofed gate to a churchyard under which a bier is set down during a burial service to await the coming of the clergyman.

Also called resurrection gate.

Origin:
1475–85
[C15: lich, from Old English līc corpse]

Oscar

Oscar B. Morales

Hi Terri,

I am sorry that you were not able to see my submissions. I am not a computer expert, but let me ask, is your computer an older model. Mine is a couple of years old and has been struggling when I am trying to view videos and graphics thru the web, even though I have a fast graphics card.

If anyone else has strugle with viewing my graphics, let me know.

Thank you,

Oscar

Terri

Hi Oscar,
“Good sleuthing! Thanks for checking that out. I spelled it incorrectly, having only heard the term from friends who have a “replica” of one at their gated driveway’s end. When John asked me, I realized the only others that I saw were at churchyards. They’re bigger (about 7ft wide and 5ft deep) with benches on either side. In both cases, they’re near the street. Now I understand why!

I guess it sounds like something rather somber, but my friends’ gate is used as a transition to their property. It does double-duty as a rain cover as you unlatch their gate (they have a panhandle lot with only a long driveway to greet guests). I just thought that something like that would be a nice transition from lane to laneway home. A pergola with a gate would probably provide the same function, but without rain cover.

Terri

Hi Oscar,
Well, maybe it is the age of my computer, close to five now but with recently upgraded memory. I don’t know why I couldn’t see all your lines, although your second plan (the revised one) seemed clearer. It seems no one else concurred with my problem, so it must be at my end.:(

Oscar B. Morales

Hello again Terri,
Although the thought of using such a gate sounds somber, the certain feeling of calm and serenity to it, and as you described your friends gate is also inviting to me.

There are no rules that say that you cannot put a roof on a pergola, as a matter of fact most new metal canopies on many office building could be traced back to a modern interpretation of a pergola with a glass, canvas or other material to keep rain and snow off of the pedestrian.

I saw some of the pictures that were in Michael Lyons – Smallworks website, and some of the lanes need some attention, in the near future I can imagine the lanes becoming more inhabited and the landscape, hardscape, and such will take a new life.

I have walked in some of the alleys in Boston, Gloucester and parts of Cape Cod and have always enjoyed the life that these small, utilitarian alleys, lanes have taken over the years. Once the lane residents become more part of that community I hope that is what happens, can you imagine, victory gardens, playgrounds or dedicated areas for children to use, and the best part that it will be funded by the resident of the lanes.

Slow Homes – Pride of Place !!!

Oscar

Steve in Van

I provided a rationale earlier for thinking the primary entry to the house could be from the garden rather than the lane. I’ll repost a site parti with my plan sketches.

I’ve done two very open plans, one of which includes a secondary entry from the carport. I’d use a tankless hot water system and electric heat, so no mechanical room (ventilation system in roof). See earlier posts for enclosed courtyard precedents for through-plan light and air.

Steve in Van

I provided a rationale earlier for thinking the primary entry to the house could be from the garden rather than the lane. I’ll repost a site parti with my plan sketches.

I’ve done two very open plans, one of which includes a secondary entry from the carport. I’d use a tankless hot water system and electric heat, so no mechanical room (ventilation system in roof). See earlier posts for enclosed courtyard precedents for through-plan light and air.

Steve in Van

Please disregard the third image. Not sure how that got in there. :-)

Steve in Van

Please disregard the third image. Not sure how that got in there. :-)

http://slowhomestudio.com Matthew North

Hi Steve – really like your plans! Are you suggesting a tall courtyard wall to create the privacy between the bedroom and the alley? In your plans it looks like it is constructed as an extension of the building footprint and not like a fence. Am I correct? I like the second scheme with the bathroom off the entry – I wonder if the door could be moved so it does not interfere with the entry door swing? As an aside….I also like the graphic quality of your plans.

Terri

Oscar, I realized after I wrote that bit about pergolas that they can have a roof as well, as you rightly point out.

We have some older homes in my city with original coach houses at the back of the property, sometimes near a lane. With time the trees have grown up near these buildings and helped to obscure them a bit. It doesn’t take much in the way of greenery or interesting materials to change the look of a lane. I can also imagine that more laneway homes will lead to more innovation. However, I’m thinking that a playground might be harder to come by since these small homes might not attract families.

Steve in Van

Thanks, Matthew. If the bathroom plumbing can go on the outside wall, the room could be flipped horizontally to eliminate the door conflict, if necessary.

And Yes, I imagine the walls of the house extending to enclose the courtyard so it feels like an extension of the interior space, definitely not a fenced patio. Could be minimalist (eg. Japanese contemporary) or richly textured (e.g. Lloyd Wright studio). It’s purpose is to bring light, air, and openness all the way through the plan and provide an intermediate interior/exterior experience.

Charmaine Prince-Kelly

Hi,
My name is Charmaine and I am a student at the Art Institute of New York. My Space Planning Instructor gave the class the Lane Way house to do for our finals. I have attached my drawings. I was unable to scan the entire drawing as one so I scanned the drawing in 2 parts. There is also a section.

Oscar B. Morales

Hi Terry,
My imagination sometimes runs faster that my typing can keep up. I agree that the lane houses will be not attracting families, however all along I have envisioned more extended family use. Picture this scenario; Mom and Pop move into the lane house and one of their children’s family moves in the main house, and so do several of the other abutting lane house resident’s extended families.

Before you know it, the community starts taking a new life of its own. I live in an old established city neighborhood, in a not so busy street.

My wife and I put a basketball hoop about 15 years ago in font of our house most of the neighborhood kids are constantly using it. We often make lemonade for the kids, all of their parents and my family have block cook outs at least three times in the summer. We shovel snow together when we have big storms.

I buy their kids Girl Scout cookies, and we are in a city. I guess what I am saying is that this can happen in this lane houses.

I also see myself or my wife alone but wanting our own space, and be involved with our children’s children.
It’ a lot to think about.
Oscar

Terri

Oscar, I like how you are thinking–extended families creating generations of neighbours! Sounds like a good insulation to our fast-paced, often fragmented world. I also enjoyed your story about the basketball hoop and how it may have been the catalyst for a more neighbourly neighbourhood. (Sorry for my Canadian spelling, American neighbor!).

E S Sumner

Good morning! My name is Emily Sumner and I am an Interior Design student at the Art Institute of New York City. This is my space plan of your current project, the Laneway House, as well as a quick explanation of why I chose to design in this way. I, unfortunately, have not yet done a perspective drawing of my vision, so I will need to explain things with a little more detail.

Entrance:
I put a large enough coat closet at the front door because being a Florida native I now understand and appreciate the importance of extra space for the massive, puffy winter coats. I added a small table for mail, keys, etc. There is a wall separating the entrance from the kitchen so you will not be first introduced to the space with dirty dishes in the sink.

I have left the garage opening and installed an opaque glass garage door that can be opened and the front porch unitized often when the weather permits. I left the furniture spare because I figure the space itself will be changing as the walls change so any sense of permanence didn’t seems to make much sense. To me, at least.

Mid-space:
During research I happened upon a gyratory wall unit that serves multiple purposes. One side has a storage closet and shelves for the bedroom. The other side has a mounted flat screen TV. It’s central location ensures the television can be viewed from anywhere in the space.

I installed a see through fireplace so the flex space, living room, and the bedroom could enjoy the ambiance and warmth in the cold winter. On the bedroom side of it I installed a 3ft. closet for clothing/storage.

Bedroom:
The queen size bed backs up to a privacy wall/head board that doubles as a bookshelf/display cabinet. It faces towards the french doors that open up to the back yard.

I installed a privacy sliding wall. I couldn’t commit to solid walls considering the little bit of space there is to live in. Each section can slide back and forth.

Bathroom:
I chose the location of the bathroom entrance to be off of a small hallway and facing the jacuzzi for easy access, as well as, not have it open up to the bedroom or kitchen. There is, also, a small privacy wall next to the toilet. I chose a claw foot bathtub.

In the back yard there is a wood deck that hugs the house. There is a cement/brick/stone wall that starts 18 feet from the lane and curves with the corner of the house. I stopped it about a third of the length of the house so that there is partial privacy for the jacuzzi or a private cookout/party. However, I stopped it at a point that allows the residents of both house to still interact if they want. Especially if they are family.

Thanks for listening. Please excuse my poor hand drafting skills. I am not yet savvy with AutoCAD.