Still siding...

The soffits are coming along.

If you look closely, you can begin to see the angled soffit design of the Southwest corner.

Finally

We've been waiting for quite some time to see how the roof line would look after the entryway was completed.  Here it is!  Now we just need to find someone to start building out our (overly complicated but extremely cool) soffits.  So far, four companies have said no.  Hmmm...

Raise the roof

The lower section of the roof is on!  (The lower section will be 8'3" and the upper section will be 10'.)

We are able to get a peek at our extra deep soffits.  They'll stick out 4 1/2 feet in the front and back, and 18" on the sides.  I just read an article about how Frank Lloyd Wright's deep overhang's have been "out of fashion" for awhile now... especially now that people are buying more heat pumps to help with heating and cooling their homes.  But we're bringing 'em back!  (And I certainly don't agree that they've gone out of fashion anyway.)

Apparently, there is a mathematical relationship among roof overhang, roof slope, soffit height and the sun, which allows the deep overhang to keep the house warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.  Interesting but entirely useless.  I'm pretty sure that the science of solar angles did not factor into our architect's soffit design; it was all aesthetics.  And I thank her for making them deeper than I ever would have considered because they are going to look fabulous!

Our Inspiration

About two years ago, Ben and I came across some photos of a house in Vancouver, BC - the Kerchum Residence.  We loved the windows, the extended soffits, the clear cedar, the lighting, the roof line, the zig-zag steps...  The house looked modern and welcoming, and seemed to fit comfortably into a Pacific Northwest neighborhood.

Our Inspiration: the Kerchum Residence

We printed the above photo for our architect (Michelle Linden - Atelier Drome LLC), and asked her to convert our outdated and inefficient 1940's box house into a much larger and more open space that looked similar to the Kerchum Residence.  And she did.  She understood the importance of creating something modern, yet timeless; and interesting, but not interesting enough for our neighbors to hate.  

From the beginning, we knew we didn't want to end up with a predicable, traditional/contemporary design. And although Craftsman homes are stunning, they cannot be created in 2013.  Period.  That's a type of home that was born when it was supposed to be born and cannot be recreated.  Sorry, Mr. Redmond Ridge, you are not a Craftsman.  

So, without changing much of the original footprint (but for adding an entry), Michelle was able to create this:

Very Kerchum-esque.  

Our 3 main goals for the remodel are: (1) to add more square footage for the kiddos to roam; (2) to create a better space for entertaining; and (3) to define a comfortable and private guest area.  We love entertaining so we want our new home to be fun and interesting for guests; we're already planning a room that will make most of you stand there and stare and think, what were they thinking.  Keep staring - then talk about it in the car on your way home.  It's much more interesting than talking about whether the kids ate a good dinner for the babysitter.