Random Posts: Confessions of an Armchair Architect

If you've read through the entire blog then you know about my silly youthful obsession with drawing house plans.

The truth is, it never stopped. I am an armchair architect.

Whoo, it feels good to put that out there.

I've been drawing houses and other buildings my entire life. Should I have studied architecture? Possibly. Do I spend an inordinate amount of free time obsessing over houses? Possibly. Does the thought of commissioning my own house excite me to no end? Possibly.

I get the idea of a structure into my wee pea brain, and the only way to get it out is to start putting it down on paper. Often what I put down makes no sense, but I have fun doing it nonetheless.

And, considering I have zero schooling in this regard, sometimes the results don't suck too terribly bad.

Here is the simple design of a tiny rural house I like to dream of building on my family's farm:

A metal hipped roof and simplified posts and railings would define the front facade, giving it an enthusiastic nod to the past. It would top out at about 650 heated square feet. A nice screened porch on the back would provide a respite from the biting bugs in summer.

And this is one that I've been tweaking for months. It encompasses pretty much everything we want in the house we build.

Yet, this house is pretty much a pipedream. I worked from the inside out, adding spaces as I went along rather than working with the size limitations that our budget and probable property will allow.

So, it ends up at around 2800 square feet...much more house than we truly want or need.

Doh.

We just want all that same stuff....in 1000 less square feet! Hence the reason we'll hire someone to design our house...and the reason that I'm an armchair architect...and not the real deal.