Welcome to Bahay Namin : : Our House, now in virtual 3D! We have architect Joshua Pulver of A+C to thank for these drawings.
This is the front elevation. All the desired modern elements we're striving for are present in this version. The design has bold long lines, unique geometrical asymmetrical shapes, floor-to-ceiling glass, mixed materials for facades, and an open interior layout. There are still some tweaks here and there, still a ton of detailed decisions to be made, but so far, we are in love with how this is turning out. Take a look.
Related posts: Modern+ Zen, Exterior Design Inspiration
Bahay Namin Details:
4.5 acres
4 bedrooms
3.5 baths
2 offices
3 car garage
4,000 sq. ft.
pool
On the site plan below follow the orange line up the driveway. You can park your car in the guest's spot. If you brought food :) then park in front of the garage. I'll lift the garage doors for you, just in case you need help carrying anything into the kitchen.
We figure the garage is how we'd be entering most often, while guests would probably park their car on the driveway circle and enter through the front door. Unless there's food involved...
Disclaimer: All these ideas put forth here are concepts that may remain as 'unfinished storage space' unless the prices stop escalating. Everything, I mean every little thing drawn in these plans needs to remain fluid and flexible in response to the inflation brought on by the pandemic.
Actually, Steve is continuously working on value engineering and modifications. Though we hate to think along these lines, we're not ruling out options yet. If costs continue to rise at this rate, we might be forced to build partially, like postponing portions of the build for the future. I'd hate to wait till later for the master bedroom wing <<shudder>>.
Let's start our walk-through tour from the basement level in the three-car garage. If you have muddy shoes, you may enter through the mudroom. Hang your coat and climb out of your muddy footwear. No outdoor shoes inside the house, please. Hopefully, you've got nice clean socks. If you brought food, go to the family room and up the stairs directly to the kitchen. Leave the food on the island and come back down to the basement level.
The Basement Level:
The family room has tall ceilings (11-12') and a glass wall. It will be the hang-out space for watching some football or movies. Even though this is technically the basement level, the tall ceilings and all the glazing will help it feel open and spacious, definitely opposite of a typical claustrophobic basement. Through the glass wall leads out to the covered deck area, which has an outdoor bar & grill on the left, and a fireplace with seating around it on the right. Beyond the covered deck will be the pool area. Beyond the pool will be the seasonal view toward the Hudson River. Ok, back to the family room.
I'll let you in on something... Steve is building a secret hidden passageway from the mudroom into the family room. You'll be emerging the family room from behind a bookcase or inside a cabinet. Cool, right?! More about the secret hidden pass-through later...
The utility room (next to the mudroom) will house all the loud machines that run the house; the water heater, a geothermal heat exchange air handler, the well expansion tank, the water filtration system, and an ice machine. Put 'em all downstairs in the same room and shut the door. Who wants to listen to loud machines?
The electric room will house a power wall (a.k.a. batteries for the solar), the (main electric) service panel, and the internet service data panel. The plan is to remain connected to the town's electrical grid and supplement with solar. We're still unsure of how much power we'll be able to generate. More about solar power and sustainability in a different post.
We're considering swapping the location of the bathroom with a storage room. Maybe turning a storage room into a wine cellar?
The small home gym will have a treadmill, bench for free weights, pull-up bar.
Steve's office has a glass wall toward the seasonal river view. Beyond his office is the hot tub (that doubles as a time machine).
The outdoor utility storage will house a second air handler that services the master bedroom wing above, and a second water heater that services the master bath. It will also be storage for outdoor stuff - winterizing patio furniture, gardening supplies, lawn & pool care.
Ok, back inside, and let's go up the mono stringer staircase to...
The First Floor:
The main entrance leads you directly into the belly of the house, the great room. The great room boasts double-height ceilings and a wall of glass, which together will create a grand display of that big view. This space will be minimally furnished with a"less is more" motif. There will be elegant seating, a corner fireplace between the dining area and great room, and a second mono stringer staircase. Most importantly, the great room will be devoid of media distraction. No flat screen here, that is downstairs in the family room. This room is for gathering and enjoying good conversations, sharing amazing stories, and celebrating life with those we love most.
By the way, would you care for a beverage? The wet bar is on the right. Lucky for us, we have an in-house bartender! Steve, a glass of Pinot Grigio, please. Where was I...the powder room is past the bar on the right.
Before that glass of wine, let me show you my office. If you were here for acupuncture sessions or you're a wellness coaching client, then you would be limited to using only certain areas. First of all, your car would be parked in the designated client parking spot. Then you'd be directed to the separate office entrance, to the right of the main entrance. I prefer to keep my private home life neatly separated from my public work. My office will be an open space enough for yoga practice, my desk, beloved library, and a consultation seating area. Right now the plans say it's a storage closet, but that will be the treatment room. My office will have a shared powder room here. The rest of the house is off-limits to the public, so sorry! When I'm not seeing patients/clients, the powder room will be free to use by everyone else, because it's the closest one to the kitchen.
Shall we make our way to the kitchen? To me, the kitchen is the heart of the home. This one is mine. You know how sometimes there's a sink in the center island? Not in my kitchen. That's where the stove belongs. I love to cook. Cooking is my meditation, my expression of creativity, patience, and love. Cooking is how I connect with Mother Earth's bounty, gather souls, and share. I'm getting really into baking too. Anyway, I like to face the room while I sauté away as if I were in my very own cooking show. It's fun for me to observe who is lured into the kitchen by their noses. (Hint: it's usually Archer first) The hungry faces (aka my audience) should be focussed around what's cookin', not what's being washed in the sink.
Bless the kind souls who voluntarily wash the aftermath of a well-prepared meal. Be assured that you will enjoy gazing out the big picture window while you do so. (Anakai in particular, poor girl. I'll have to tell you the story of how her twin sister has conned her into doing the dishes for most of her life - their life - another time.)
The kitchen will have all the necessary appliances big & small. (There will be a separate post on the actual appliances we'll be using) The large appliances include a quiet dishwasher next to the sink, a double oven, a coffee machine, a microwave, a toaster oven, a bodacious refrigerator. The small appliances will have a place to retreat to when not in use, a 'garage' for things that clog the counter, like the rice cooker, crock pots, KitchenAid mixer, Vitamix blender, the Cuisine Art food processor, steamer, juicer, etc.
Related post: Oh Kitchen, My Kitchen!
We already decided to change the laundry room into a walk-in cooler and pantry area. We'll have an ensuite laundry in our master closet, and one upstairs for the kids. Keep it separated... heyyy.
Let me show you upstairs to the bedrooms floor. I'll save the master suite for last. The second mono stringer staircase will lead to a balcony that overlooks the great room.
The Second Floor:
The teenage twins will have the front and back bedrooms. The middle bedroom will be for overnight guests (like Steve's grown-up kids), or Lola when she visits. They will share a full bathroom with a double sink and tub/shower. In the upstairs hallway will be a laundry closet containing an upright washer/dryer, and a linen closet.
The Master Suite:
On the opposite side of the great room is a glass hallway. Follow that past the water feature and you'll walk inside the master suite. This is a large room with a fireplace, a glass wall for the view, and a free-standing tub. The ensuite bathroom will have a glass-enclosed shower that doubles as a steam room, a separate throne room, his & hers sinks. There will be a private outdoor shower perfect for the hot summer months when there are dripping wet bathing suits tippy-toe-ing from the pool or hot tub, or to rinse off the oversized mud-rolling beast.
Alrighty then, thank you for reading this far! Steve is currently working on creating a virtual walk-through tour on the Chief Architect software. I'll be sharing a post on our progress soon.
Salamat!
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