I’ve already written about one of my favourite building design books A Pattern Language – Towns Buildings Construction by Alexander, Ishikawa & Silverstein. I thought it would be worthwhile stating which of the patterns I’ll be paying most attention to in my design. The list is not exhaustive, other patterns will have a bearing, new patterns will come along, chosen patterns will fall by the wayside. But here are my main current choices:

106 Positive outdoor space.
A complex pattern, but generally – give outdoor space a distinct and definite purpose, make spaces entities.

112 Entrance transition.
Provide a graceful transition between the outside and the inside.

125 Stair seats.
Seats on stairs provide a vantage point, but don’t remove the sitter from the action.

126 Something roughly in the middle.
A pattern to apply when designing the outdoor space, especially the yard between the two barns.

128 Indoor sunlight.
Maximise the number and size of windows thereby maximising the indoor sunlight.

133 Staircase as a stage.
A flared bottom step gives the stairs a function that may otherwise be overlooked. See also 125.

142 Sequence of sitting spaces.
Vary sitting opportunities through the range of rooms and spaces in the building.

145 Bulk storage.
Around 15-20% of the volume of the building should be given over to bulk storage. This can sensibly be designed with reference to pattern 162 North Face.

161 Sunny place.
Maximise the use of the space to the south of the building in the angle between the wall and the ground.

163 Outdoor room.
Build an enclosed outdoor room with trellis’s, hedges, columns and trees, that is open to the sky.

168 Connection to the earth.
Make the interface between the building and the earth as ambiguous as possible through clever design of steps, paths and terraces.

170 Fruit trees.
Applicable in various places, but again especially the yard between the two barns.

171 Tree places.
Plant trees to form distinct places, ensure empathy between the trees and the surrounding buildings.

175 Green house.

176 Garden seat.

178 Compost.

180 Window place.
Provide seating to sit in or before windows.

181 The fire.
The true heart of any home.

182 Eating atmosphere.
Have a large table in a pool of light.

185 Sitting circle.
Create a sitting place where the inhabitants can face each other and that is not cut through by a corridor. Provide plenty of comfortable seating.

204 Secret place.
Every home needs a secret place!

Construction Patterns
As the base structure of the building is already established, I am employing a minimal number of construction patterns.

229 Duct space.
Cables and wiring are always a pain – best to preplan for them and keep them out of the way and out of sight wherever possible.

230 Radiant heat.

232 Roof caps.
Ornament the roofline.

237 Solid doors with glass.

238 Filtered light.
Light that passes through leaves or stained glass is magical…

241 Seat spots.
Choose seating spots carefully for sunlight or shade and the view.

242 Front door bench.

245 Raised flowers.
Use raised beds to protect flowers from heavy feet and bring flowers closer to their admirers.

246 Climbing plants.
Blend the building and the plants.

Update: I reviewed and updated this list in September 2010.

Let the games begin.

The first phase of building involves excavation of the exterior ground levels all around the building to provide drainage trenches and ensure that exterior floor levels are below the eventual interior floor level.

Internally, the existing flag stone, cobble and concrete floors have been removed and dug out down to the level necessary for the installation of the new floor.

Hardcore has been placed in the main barn and compacted as the beginnings of the new floor.

The wooden first floor in the kitchen end of the barn has been removed.

Trenches have been cut along the back of the building and across the yard, complete with pipework to carry waste to the green clean-water sewage system (of which more shortly) that has been installed in the nearby field.

The functions of a house, setting aside all other ‘romantic cobwebs’ are to provide:

”
1. A shelter against heat, cold, rain, thieves and the inquisitive.
2. A receptacle for sun and light.
3. A certain number of cells appropriated for cooking, work and personal life.
“

Le Corbusier … keeping it simple.

I’ve spent the day practicing my version of precision carpentry cladding openings of my big metal shed. My approach to carpentry is based on one of the many mantra’s of someone of great wisdom who used to work with my father and brother:

Measure twice, cut once.

I have finely tuned this to:

Measure once, cut once. (It’ll be OK)

Thus saving a third of the time that would otherwise be spent

Whilst hacking away roughly at the wood I’ve reused from the animal stalls in the barn I got to thinking about the wisdom of what I was doing. Rather than buying new wood I’ve reused some old hardwood and in so doing perhaps doubled the amount of work I need to do. I have to select the sound planks, ensure they still have tongue and groove intact then remove the old rusty nails. Once prepared I can cut to size and nail in place. So I’ve saved money and done my green duty both of which I’ve paid for with time. In these time poor days I have to ask myself is that a cost in time that I can afford to pay?

But, thinking further on this green duty (this was pretty dull work) it became clear to me that one of the major influences on me when I take green action is my innate meanness (some may call it thrift). So yes, to me:

Green = Mean

The original plans for the barn had two largish bathrooms one of which contained an airing cupboard that to my mind was a waste of space. Not being a person who knows when to stop meddling, I decided to remove the airing cupboard, add an ante-room to the main bedroom’s en-suite and move one of the walls. This created a rather strange 1 metre wide space of limited value.

Whilst getting quotes from builders it came to light that we’d allowed for one doorway too few to be cut through the main internal stone wall of the barn (the left-most wall on the plan). There should have been one into the bedroom from the landing and one into the en-suite from the bedroom. This is when my strange 1 metre wide space came into its own. As can be seen on my new plan – the space will become the corridor into the main bedroom suite (as I’ll now rather grandly call it) with room for some additional storage.

This is the result of my first foray into drawing building plans – not bad in my opinion, but I promise I’ll not make a habit of it …

(I’m not sure about that door opening out into the landing at the top of the stairs – any suggestions welcomed!)

…as I said I’m certainly no bathroom designer