It actually started 100 years ago.

That's when Sears, Roebuck & Co. the first catalog home, and not much has changed since. Today’s McMansions may be spacious, solid, and financially sounds, but they’re an outdated concept, given our diverse lifestyles and advances in technology.

You deserve better.
A home should be an extension of who you are, not just a roof over your head. So we asked a handful of architects to help us reinvent it. Their mandate: Create well-conceived spaces that fit how we live. We asked for generous, spacious layouts free of unnecessary frills, but loaded with smart features we didn’t realize we needed. We asked for homes that are kind to the environment and our bank accounts. We asked for homes that find the middle ground between modern and pedestrian.

We selected three firms,
assigning each a distinct region of the country based on the company’s strengths, previous work, and submitted proposal. We insisted that construction costs be capped near the average new-home price in each region; that the home be as green as possible, given the budget, materials, and microclimate; and that each be flexible enough to make either newlyweds or a family of six feel at home.

The architects delivered, and then some.
One shut off all direct light to the second floor to save energy. Another built a rainwater collection system that feeds an irrigation system, drinking-water reserve, and backyard pool. Another designed a renter’s apartment within the home to help defray mortgage costs. Together, their designs prove that thoughtful, intelligent architecture is not a pipe dream for the average American. The best part: None of these firms are too busy to turn down work (yet). And all of them want to turn these dreams into a reality—your reality.

The Perfect Home Challenge

We charged three architects with creating innovative, inexpensive, and exciting new home designs.

From the Editors of Men's Health Living

Southern California homes are often constructed as compounds, walled complexes that feel more like solitary confinement than sanctuaries. The rub: How can homeowners shield themselves against the brutal sunlight, and the prying eyes of passerby, without feeling panned in?

SIZE: 3,200 square feet
BEDS/BATHS: 2 or 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
COST: $600,000 to $800,000

Summer temperatures in Los Angeles average 85°F, which means good shade can make or break a home. That’s why this striking design—it’s a simple, solid box, set on a fishbowl of a ground floor—is so clever. The shade provided by the windowless second floor cuts temperatures inside by as much as 10 degrees, says Zoltan Pali, who runs the Los Angeles firm Studio Pali Fekete with partner Judit M. Fekete. Meanwhile, vents, skylights, and windows in the ceiling bring in softer, reflective light and improve ventilation.
“It’s like living under the shade of a tree,” says Pali. Downstairs, he and Fekete—known for their overhaul of L.A.’s Greek Theater and their work on the new James Hotel—created an exposed structure, shielded from the street by a concrete fence and smart but organic privacy features.

Build a buffer from the outside
In front of this house is a small grove of trees planted in a groomed, decomposed granite field. This creates a small parklike area for passersby and gives the owners a low-maintenance front yard that increases privacy—especially important considering that the entire first floor is exposed. The entry courtyard features a small fountain, which cancels out any remaining street noise. The rear yard is a softer, planted, roll-in-the-grass hangout space.

Design for flexibility
The simple square shape of the floor plan makes it easy for residents to reconfigure rooms—connecting the living room to the kitchen, the dining room to the family room, and so on. Staircases and circulation spaces break up the largely open-plan interior. Since the house is essentially a cube, the rooms are flexible and can be shifted according to the sunlight exposures. An adjacent room on the ground floor can serve as a home office, media room, or playroom.

Stiff-arm direct sunlight . . .
The solid exterior on the second floor is clad in a white reflective material, adding to the sun-shielding effect. The walls insulate the second story, which features a glass floor that helps brighten the space from below.

 . . . but let in reflected light
The no-windows effect might look startling from the outside, but inside, the second-floor rooms are quite bright. Each room features a 4-by-10-foot window in the ceiling. But not just any window—the glass is infused with a white ceramic “frit” (oldcastleglass.com), or screen, that diffuses direct sunlight before it enters the building. A large circular skylight in the center of each room helps dissipate heat and provides another source of light. “It’s really a considerable amount of daylight—much more than the standard single-hung window would afford,” says Studio Pali Fekete architect Greg Fischer.

Keep air flowing
The cross-configuration of the corridors and stairs helps draw air from the open downstairs section up and through the private spaces above. “You really wouldn’t need much air-conditioning,” says Pali.

Cut down on shipping and handling
Like most urban areas, Southern California suffers from a dearth of skilled labor. The home’s simple layout means it’s quicker to build. And the geometry of the house—it measures 40 feet by 40 feet—means it could be prefabricated in 10-foot sections and shipped via a flatbed truck or shipping container.

Build this home!
Studio Pali Fekete enjoyed creating their Men’s Health Living dream home so much, they’re now seeking out a parcel of land on which to build it. Interested? E-mail them at dafna@spfa.com.
Department: MH LIVING - FEATURE / Author: BEAN / Editor: PHILLIPS / MH DEC07/ Page  PAGE 9 / File: FEAT1207 PERFECT HOME / Distribution:10/30/07


 Create your own virtual dream house  

Tonino Vicari used 3D Studio Max, a $4,000 computer program, to create the high-end renderings you see here. But you can experiment with a similar program—for free. Visit google.com/sketchup to download SketchUp, and wade through a few of the tutorials. Then, once you get the hang of it . . .

1. Build your foundation
It’s not hard to draw your dream house from scratch. But it’s even easier to import a picture of one you like and ask SketchUp to turn it into a 3-D model. The program’s perspective tools are very powerful, even skewing door and window frames slightly to bring the picture to life.

2. Upgrade your digital palette
A paint-bucket tool applies textures, or skins, to shapes you’ve created in the layout. This adds depth and detail to your renderings. You can use the stock textures or download additional ones from imageafter.com, which features 17,000 different ceilings, walls, floors, fabrics, roofs, and outdoor elements. Another option: Convert photographs of real-world textures into virtual skins.

3. Go furniture shopping
SketchUp allows you to drag items from 3-D libraries—think clip art—to help flesh out your renderings. The stock objects grow old quickly, so upgrade by downloading the SketchUp Bonus Packs (sketchup.google.com/bonuspacks.html). Then augment your collection by searching for “CAD symbols” at Web sites such as kohler.com, knoll.com, steelcase.com, hermanmiller.com, wolfrange.com, subzero.com, and monogram.com. These furniture and fixture manufacturers offer free, downloadable 3-D packs for their popular products to encourage architects to use them in professional renderings (and convince homeowners to follow through on the vision).

4. Curb your enthusiasm
“SketchUp is a good program for understanding how renderings are created or for conceptualizing simple projects, but try to keep it exploratory,” advises Vicari. “I can’t tell you how many houses I’ve seen that the residents have clearly designed themselves—they always end up kind of Frankensteinish. It’s not as easy as building a deck.” If you’re serious about bringing your creation to life, take your plan to an architect and ask him to base his design on yours.   

—KYLE WESTERN