Homes between 500 SF and 2500 SF are designed to a large degree around the stairs. The reason for this is that the stairs tend to dictate much of the circulation pattern in the floor plan, on both floors. If I place the stairs in the wrong place, it seems impossible to find a room plan that works well. A lot of space can be wasted if it is placed poorly.

A linear stair case on a 9 foot climb extends about 11 feet, but it requires a landing which extends that to 14 feet. Then it requires a 14 foot hallway to walk from the top of one flight to the bottom of the next. This hallway is the wasted space. So this 8ft x 14ft space uses 112 square feet.

The switchback stair case, or the switchback with a winder, will only require 84 square feet, saving 28 SF over the Linear stair. You still need the landings, but you don’t need the hallway. There are three walls to the switchback stair that can all be in rooms being useful. If you add the winder at the turn, the switchback will only require 76 SF. These are best used in very small homes when every inch counts.

A “spiral” staircase is usually a grand and decorative object built on the site with extra craftsmanship. Most people use the word “spiral” to refer to a “circular” staircase, and could also be called a helix, which is usually prefabricated in a metal shop and then shipped and installed on the site. The national building codes do not permit a metal “circular” staircase to be a primary staircase, unless it is 36 inches wide and the railing ballasters are no greater than 4 inches apart. This is large and rare.

In larger homes, when space is not an issue, any staircase style can usually be designed to fit well.

written by pencilman \\ tags: Circular Stairs, Linear Stairs, Spiral Stairs, stairs in small homes, Switchback Stairs

I have had a few clients mention one thing or another about Feng Shui principals of design. Usually people quote something someone told them about Feng Shui, not realizing that out of context the statement might not apply. Feng Shui is a complex system with many interdependent elements that are actually applied somewhat differently for each piece of land and each occupant. To achieve good Feng Shui or Vaastu, you really should start from scratch.

I have studied Feng Shui (Chinese Design) and Vaastu (Hindu Design), and whenever I can apply a general principal from one or the other, I try to do so. Many of the principals are universally good ideas. However, my experience with both is that it is very difficult to apply these eastern design concepts to western small home construction with any real purity unless the owner has extra money, the house’s footprint is somewhat sprawling, and the land is allows for some flexible positioning of the house.

That being said, the fact is that when I design a home that is truly successful and makes the client very happy to live in, and I go back to look at it from a Feng Shui or Vaastu point of view as an afterthought, I do notice that some elements of both do appear to be there. Real truth never dies.

If you want to study Feng Shui for free, try this link to an entire book about it that you can read online.

Feng Shui Book Online

written by pencilman \\ tags: feng shui chinese design

Truss Joists are ideal for spanning distances longer than 16 feet since a 2 x 12 solid spruce joist might cost about the same these days, and you’ll get a couple of other advantages. You can run air ductwork right through the middle of the joists, and you can often forget the girder altogether and span the full width of the area with truss joists that could span 32 feet or more. Of course there are always other issues raised with this choice too, so study your plans.

http://www.ilevel.com/floors/default.aspx

written by pencilman \\ tags: Floor Framing: Truss Joists