TOO BIG, BORING, OR UGLY

Lane Kendig

Lane Kendig, inc.

1950s - Little Boxes

2003 - Big Boxes

MAJOR PROBLEMS

• Monopoly Houses• Monotony

• Too Big House• Tear Downs

MONOTONY

• Lack of Interest and Deadening Sameness Caused By:

– Identical to Similar Floor Plans on Adjoining Lots

– Little to Distinguish Elevations

– Repetitive Roofs

– Common Building Heights

– Building Masses or Volumes Similar

Monotony

Monotony

MONOPOLY LIKE HOUSES

• They Look Like the Houses in a Monopoly Set…A Cheap Plastic Box

– No Detailing Particularly on Sides and Rear

– Overhangs Absent - No Shadow Lines

– Punch Out Windows

– Blocky Building Masses

– Similar Heights along Street Front

4 Monopoly Set Homes

Blank Wall

Punch Out Windows

Lack of Detail

No Eaves

Features of Monopoly Box House

FALSE FRONTS

• Architectural Details, Window and Door Trim, Shutters, etc. on Front Only

• Varied Façade on Front Only

• Masonry – One Brick Deep on Front

House #1 Front

Window Trim

Roof Orientation

Trim

Change in Plane

House #1 Rear

Lack of Window Trim

Horizontal Siding

Blank wall

THE PROBLEM’S CAUSE

• Production Builders

• Mass Production Repetition

• Narrow Target Market Similar Floor Plans and Size

• Maximize Size and Cut Back on Detailing

MONOPOLY BOX SOLUTIONS

• Enrich the Palette by Adding Details• Eaves

• 360° Architecture

• Windows and Doors

• Blank walls

• Garages

• Landscaping

REQUIRE EAVES

• Eaves Provide a Shadow Line that Articulates the House.

• Requirements– Eaves on All Sides– Minimum 12 Inches -- Encourage More– Insure Eaves Relate to Historic Styles

Require Eaves

Inadequate Eaves – 4”

Bungalow – Eaves and 360° Details

Partial Eaves

Eaves tacked on Front Elevation

No Eaves on Side

DETAILING

• Window Trim

• Door Trim

• Architectural Details or Features– Entryway– Patterns with Materials or Trim– Bay Windows– Dormers

Punched Out Windows Windows Trimmed

Simplest of New England Box had Trim

Rich Detailing

Roof is Trim

Roof Articulates Facade

Detailing

Lack of Detail

Rich Details on Little Boxes

Blank Walls

Stupid Windows

Large Blank Wall Expanse

Utilities

Windows Aligned

Garage Door Siding

Large Eaves

Articulated Walls

Good No Trim Windows and Detailing

FALSE FRONTS

• The House Front is Dressed Up

• The Rear and Sides as Cheap as Possible

• Community Suffers– Rear Views of Monopoly - Like Houses– Looks Cheap– Neighbors Get the Bad View

Front Elevation Rear and Side Elevation

False Front – Rich Detail

One Brick Deep Masonry

Window Alignment

TrimNo Trim

360 Degree Detailing

Simple Painted Trim

360° Materials and Trim

Blank Wall

GARAGES

• Narrow Lots – Garage Takes Up Over 60% of the House Frontage– 3 & 4 Car Garages Impacting Wider Lots

• Complicates Architectural Solution to Monotony– Insignificant Portion of Façade to Work With– Garages All Look About the Same

Excessive Garages

Garage taking 50% of House Width and 40% House Width

GARAGE SOLUTIONS

• Limit portion of house occupied by garage

• Garage Location

• Garage Type

• Alley

• Mews

Rear Garage Hidden

Side Load Front

Front Load

Garage Treatments

Side Load Garage – 85 ft. Lot Width

Detailing on Garage

Side Load Orientation

Three Side Loads Facing Same Direction

Alley Access 40 foot lot

Front Access 40 foot lot

Mews

Alley

Public Street

Mews Alley Access

Mews

Mews

Garages to Rear on Alley

Blank Walls

• A Recent Trend is Leaving One or More Side Elevations Nearly Windowless

– Same Problem as Commercial Buildings – Ugly

– Less Light in Interior of Unit– Utilities

The Blank Wall

Useless Window Award

False Front

Blank Walls

Stupid Windows

Large Blank Wall Expanse

Utilities

$800,000 Blank Wall

Blank Wall and Garage

Blank Wall Treatment

Dummy Windows

Blank Wall Treatment

Dummy Windows

Poor Windows Alignment

MONOTONY CODE

• Limit Repetition of a Model Type

• Criteria for Certifying Model Elevations as Different– Roofs, Height, Pitch, Orientation– Porches– Architectural Features– Windows

Identical Floor Plans

Additions Over Time

Luxury Boxes From Road

Near Identical Masses

Similar Roof Lines

No Details on Rear Windows2nd Level Decks

Approaching Units

Luxury Boxes Street Face

Monotony Code Control Area

Identical Floor Plans

TYPES OF MONOTONY CONTROLS

• Mandatory Controls – Eaves– 360 Degree Trim and Materials

• Menu Approach– Roof Pitch, Height, Orientation– Porches– Architectural Detail

Model Approval Sheet

Different Roof Heights and Pitches

Garage Types – Front or Side LoadSide Load Garage Front Load Garage

Architectural Feature

Roof Orientation

Roof Heights and Pitches

Porch Styles

Façade Areas and Roof Areas

Monotony Code Result

Roof Shape

Roof Orientation

Overhangs

360 Masonry

Garage Types

Masonry

Detailing

Narrow Lot

Variable Lot Width

Wide Lot Wide Lot

Vary Height

One Story

Two Story

Different Floor Plans and Garage Placement

Porches, Roofs, 360° Details

Porches or Not

Dormers

Roof Lines

Failed Attempt

Materials Divide

Neo Nothingness – Too Busy

Material Breaks at Building Wing

LANDSCAPING

• Greenery Hides a Multitude of Sins

• Green Volume Counters Building Volume

• Even in Winter, Bare Trees Have Significant Impact – Altered Scale

Trees Shelter and Screen

Trees Arch Over Houses and Reduce Apparent Scale

Lot Landscaping Strategy

1920’s Landscaping Modern Foundation Planting

Foundation Planting

Foundation Planting

One Small Screening Tree

Wooded Front Yard

Screens and Dominates House in Scale

Foundation Planting

Foundation Planting

Displays Full Mass

New Street Planting

Tree Preservation

Winter Tree Cover Effective Screen

Road Layout Focuses View

Lot Edge Landscaping

Screens and Reduces Apparent Scale

Allows Views and Screens

BUILDING PLACEMENT

• Lining Buildings up on the Front Setback Line – Good for Urban Enclosure– Bad for Monotony

• Mandate Staggered Building Pads – Perspective Alters Building Scale– More Difficult to See Similarity– Landscaping More Effective

Variable Lot Setback

Shallow Setback Deep Setback

Building Pads Define Setback

Grade Change Alters Relationship

Foundation

Roof Peak

Grade Change

2.5 feet

Grade Change

3.5 feet

Large Grade Change

TOO BIG HOUSE

• House is too big for lot.

• House is so big that it alters community character.

• National trend to larger houses.

• Blatent display of how much one paid for the house.

Too Big Luxury Boxes

Relative Scale

2 Story 3 StoryModerate Building Volume Large Building VolumeSmall Porch Porch, Stairway, 3rd floor deck

Too High

Extravagant Bulky Details

Taste ? – Display Size and Bulk

Building Coverage (BC) Floor Area Ratio (FAR)

Floor Area responds to multiple floors.

LVR

BVR

LVR SVR

BVR

Site Volume Ratio(SVR)

LVR-BVR = SVR

The Not So Big House

• Design and livability over size.

• Display good design.

• High quality materials rather than bulk.

• Materials selected to blend.

Materials that Blendwith

Environment

Landscaping to relate to site

Quality architectural

Statement

TEAR DOWNS

• A too big house in an existing neighborhood of smaller scale units.

• Destroys the character of the neighborhood.

• Creates a need for variances

• Gentrification

THE PROBLEM

• Neighborhood is very desirable.• Homes are out of date and need upgrades.• Economics is driving the problem.

– The land values support the cost of acquisition, demolition, and new structure.

• Community is not unanimous in opposition.– Some oppose on Character others support on

greed.

SOLUTIONS

• Same tools as the too big house.• Early Identification

– Identify before economics has created teardown conditions

– Allow for logical room additions while maintaining character.

– Less controversy because problem has not yet become an issue – can be done in normal zoning review.

Standard Bungalow Appearance

Expanded to the Rear

PREPARE FOR TEARDOWNS

• Identify small house neighborhoods before they have been discovered

• 1950s

• Bungalows

• Cape Cods

• Identify current zoning building volumes• Develop expansion strategies• Adopt new standards

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