Design Confidently, Live Comfortably
  Early in the design process, homeowner Sara Qualey’s fear was that a long, narrow house would look like a prefab home. Originally from Elkhart, Ind., known as the birthplace of the manufactured-housing industry, Sara wanted her new home to have a different look. “When I saw Robert’s initial concepts, the footprint of the house was a long rectangle. I was trying to get past that, but it looked like a double-wide trailer. However, once we saw the elevations -- the scale drawings of the side, front, and rear -- I could see the deep overhangs on the roof, the bumped out window seats, and the interesting windows,” says Sara (see Floor Plan). Robert also prepared perspective drawings on the computer that showed the house from several angles. These drawings made it much easier to get a feel for the shape of the house and how it would sit on the land.   “I’ve never been fond of low-pitched roofs -- our last house had a much steeper pitch -- but the elevations and computer drawings helped me visualize the house and understand how all these things would make it look unique, not at all like a double-wide trailer,” she said. NEXT: A Continuous Roofline Saves Money BACK: Carving Out Space For a Cozy Room |
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DRAWINGS: COURTESY OF ROBERT GERLOFF |
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