Week In Review For Townhomes In Atlanta

Posted on: August 6th, 2010 | 16 Comments


This is Day 199 of the Slow Home Project and we need you to join us in our quest to evaluate the design quality of houses in nine North American cities in nine months.


Well, it looks like the women have taken control of the Design Project and have produced the best and most innovative plans this week! But,is this a new development or have the women always been running the show around here? That is today’s topic of discussion! Let’s have a look at the best of the best.


1. Frances has submitted 2 plans this week. Her first plan, a beautiful, open concept scheme included a well detailed wall of millwork all along the party wall…..but this scheme was not to be!


2. Frances amended her plan in quick fashion because Steve from Vancouver pointed out that the windows at the front of our subject building were actually French Doors, so this renovation should not have the kitchen cabinetry at the front of the unit (more on Steve later….). Like a real architect, faced with an unforeseen site condition, Frances whipped out “Plan B” and presented our winning scheme of the week! The lesson to be learned is be flexible and don’t get to attached to any plan……!


3. Terri noted that she was not affected by the French Door discovery! Her plan has great scale, a very well designed indoor living space and even managed to sneak in an entry coat closet – well done!


4. Tara came up with an interesting concept of combining dining room storage, a study desk and a TV unit into a millwork “floating object” in the middle of the space. This is a very cool idea and could be detailed entirely as millwork (no drywall) so it had a “furniture” type of look.


5. Mid America Mom cannot be left out of any Slow Home celebration of women’s design contributions to this site! Her plan is very space efficient but still provides really large indoor living and dining spaces. Good work!

And yes, some of the men’s plans had great ideas too – so we are posting them below with our comments – with a few more women’s plans as well of course!

To reveal who is the Slow Homer of the Week, click on the link below.




Also, don’t forget to vote for who you think should win the Slow Home Award for Best Townhouse design in Atlanta – click on the links below to study the floor plans and cast your vote. Also, we look forward to your comments on the site about who you voted for and why!


Inman Green – Townhome 106 & 206


M West II – M1


454 Hamilton – Units 14-17

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See you on Monday for our final week in Atlanta, Georgia – we will be looking at single family homes all of next week!

  • Franco

    GREAT job ladies this week! The plans are phenomenal:)

    As for this week’s vote, I finally settled on 454 Hamilton-Units 14-17. What sold me on this plan was the isolated entry and stairs off to the side of the plan. It creates a great circulation zone on all floors. I found the room proportions worked really well and the location of the main floor powder room was secluded and not off the kitchen (such as in Inman Green).

    Although M West II, had some nice features, I found that the shape of the unit lead to wasted space around the stairs, on the 2nd level. I also found the kitchen and dining to be too cramped and tucked away in the rear of the unit. My final compliant with the M West II was the massively oversized ensuite on the 3rd level.

  • BradW

    Nice plan B Frances!

    Inman Green – main floor powder room condition eliminates this unit

    M West II – dining is small, while living is very large, good outdoor space but views from roof and living room towards driveway, bedrooms and washrooms OK…interestingly no windows in the back wall of this unit makes me wonder about the site plan

    Hamilton – unless you need a smoke break no usable outdoor space, no entry closet but otherwise a well organized design

    Hamilton is the best of this bunch but not good enough to win a Slow Home award.

  • Joshua

    This is an odd week, I am not in love with any of the plans. While I have to agree with Franco that the Inman Green powder room is in a bad location, when I tried to find a better one in the other houses, I felt they were no better. I also found it interesting that in a week where we looked at entries, that none of the homes scored a point for their entries. So with these to criteria a 0 for all three, I went with the hot tub. Inman Green gets my vote, more by default because I had more issues with the other houses, such as the massive wasted space and size of the master in the M West-II. While I did not dislike the Hamilton, there wasn’t anything that wowed me into wanting to buy it.

  • Paula

    In the Inman Green unit: is there a closet in the “master” bedroom? I looked and looked but could not see one.

    Also, the closet space available in the other bedrooms seems VERY inadequate.

  • Kyle B

    I voted for the M West unit. The whole unit has very good natural lighting, lots of windows. The courtyard is a nice touch. The kitchen, of the three, is my favorite. Also, the plan has a great open feeling with the roof deck and 2nd level being open to the 3rd level. The only thing that worries me is the hallway entry.

  • Tiffany

    454 Hamilton
    My decision was easily made by location. Both the Inman Green and M West II are right adjacent to railway lines. Also I felt that the layout and organization was far superior in this unit, though the bedrooms were overly large.

  • Tayler

    Settled on the Hamilton, but I’m not crazy on any of them.
    I reviewed the MWest yesterday for the site and really wasn’t liking how split up the plan was.

  • Terri

    Way to cook, Frances, coming up with two good kitchen plans. I think that millwork from your original plan is nice.

    I’m not sure if I’m voting again this week (I ended up not doing so last week). I’m having issues getting my computer to cooperate presently so I haven’t looked at the plans in detail, but on first glance, the Hamilton looks more inviting as a place to call home than the other two (just by the exteriors, that is).

  • Grace Coulter

    M West II – M1
    fantastic outdoor space sets this unit ahead for me. I also think that the while the entry is porr the overall flow of the spaces in this home is great. I like both of the bedrooms and even think the lofted family room works in this design as it has both natural light from a window and the light from the main living room coming in.

  • ReneP

    Tough choice – in the end I settled with the M1 – I am sucker for the rooftop deck, and this plan has a nice one (with wet-bar). Not crazy about the entrance (it was my choice for worst entry with its long haul to living spaces), but I do like how widely separated the two bedrooms are – lots of privacy.

  • frazer

    I voted for the Inman Green mostly for its superior daylighting. None of the units really stood out and the entry closets are all missing….however the circulation and the organization of the Inman was more efficient and ordered. One critique: an ensuite bathroom for every bedroom does seem a little wasteful…

  • nicole

    the architecture of Inman Green gets my attention, but lacks storage closets and has some awkward spaces on the 3rd floor
    M West – not fond of the bedroom separation from the 1st to the third levels. Stair location on the 2nd level should be improved.
    Hamilton has the best plans, but lacks architectural crispness in its form.
    If I had to vote for one, it would be Inman green based on exterior aesthetics and Leed gold certification.

  • Andrew

    I’m going to have to vote for Inman Green. I think the interior spaces have a nice layout, particularly on the second level, and every floor except for level 1 has a nice connection with outdoor living space. I think the terrace on level 2 is particularly well integrated with the interior and it is quite spacious. The organization in M West unit makes the first level feel a bit disconnected from the principal spaces on the second level and the 454 Hamilton unit has very little outdoor living space, which is a bit of a shame.

  • Mid America Mom

    I voted for the Hamilton project. The use of a switchback stair on the side helps with the circulation. The living floor has the kitchen in the middle that uses the darkest part of the plan, well. And here we see three spacious true bedrooms.

    Mid America Mom

  • JPod

    I voted for the Hamilton, I like the organization, and the bedrooms. I know this doesn’t make any difference, but I also really like the exterior!

  • Steve in Van

    Inman Green: poor entry empties into kitchen, poor 1/2 bath placement, nice terrace and natural light, strange placement of master toilet, nice roof deck.
    M West II: poor entry, nice big living area plus den, CRAZY 1/2 bath placement, spacious master, nice roof deck, 3-storey “courtyard”, very creative plan.
    454 Hamilton: poor entry, kitchen open to living rather than dining, awkward door placement for both 1/2 bath and bedroom bath, nothing interesting in plan.