Shingle Style Lake Home

Over at ron brenner architects we have been working on a new shingle style lake home for a client of ours. You can see the you tube animation below.

The home features an L-shaped plan configuration with the 3 car garage on the front leg of the L.  This allows all the public living spaces and the 3 second floor bedrooms above to be arranged across the rear of the home; taking advantage of the beautiful lake views.

When in doubt - bid it out!

I am asked quite frequently the question - How much does it cost to build this house?

Unfortunately the only way to know how much a home costs to build is to have it bid.  This is because there are simply too many variables that have an effect on construction cost.  For instance:

• The construction climate (supply and demand) in your particular region
• Labor costs in your region
• Material costs in your region
• The quality of your builder
• The construction quality desired
• Level of service desired
• The complexity / sophistication of the design
• The quality level of the materials and finishes that you select
• Issues pertaining to your building site
• sloped or flat lot
• quality of soils
• proximity to utilities
• Proximity to suppliers / materials

To illustrate the complexity I used a free online construction cost calculator (from building-cost.net) and plugged in identical data for two separate locations - Chicago, Illinois and North Platte, Nebraska.  I assumed a custom designed 2500 square foot two story home with a 1000 square foot finished basement, two car attached garage, one fireplace and a pretty high level of custom design and construction quality.   The numbers I received were as follows:

• Chicago, Illinois - $871,000.
• North Platte, Nebraska - $672,000

Next I took the exact same specifications but just reduced the quality level by one category.  Here are those numbers:

• Chicago - $636,055
• North Platte, Nebraska - $491,800

Now the same house but reducing quality level by one more category resulted in the following:

• Chicago - $473,929
• North Platte, Nebraska - $367,513

A pretty brief glance at the numbers above illustrates my difficulty in answering the "how much does it cost?" question.  So how do I answer it?

If you want to know the construction cost of a specific home design you need to have it bid by one or several professional building contractors.  Go ahead and purchase the plans.  The dollar investment and time commitment are very minimal compared to starting a design process from scratch, and in the end you will have a realistic number you can work with.

If prior to purchasing a plan you want to gain a general idea how much construction costs are in your area; then you need to do some homework.  Visit the model homes in your area and talk with the builders.  Compare the level of design, the construction quality, size of home, amenities, exterior finishes, interior finishes, etc.  After a while you will begin to gain a better understanding of the costs for the kind of home you want.  In this process you'll also be narrowing down the builders to those that are best suited for you.

A White Farmhouse Plan

I just published a new exterior animation of our Hudson Farmhouse Plan on You Tube.  Check it out.

The design features a modern open floor plan and a main floor master suite within a classic farmhouse exterior.   You can see more at the following link:  Hudson Farmhouse

Red Barn House on Display

One of the homes we have designed over at ron brenner architects is currently showing during the Twin Cities Parade of Homes. If you have the time - and you are in the Twin Cities area check out model number 239 at 10138 Tapestry Bend in Lake Elmo. I think the house exemplifies charming country living.


The design was a collaborative effort. Mark Sova of Main Street Builders worked out a smart initial floor plan, and I crafted the exterior imagery suggesting just a few plan revisions. Mark worked with the home buyers to develop the interior decorative theme. The result is a snappy modest home that I would characterize as an eclectic farmhouse. Below are a few images.

Stillwater Craftsman - Ridiculously Good!

We have had a flurry of interest and activity for our Stillwater Craftsman recently.  Seems to me it might be appropriate timing to discuss what makes this home design so darn good.  Here are a few highlights:

• It's smart and efficient.  A really great new floor plan at just under 2100 square feet.
• It's darn cute
• It's adaptable
• Great mudroom
• Open but intimate living spaces
• It's 3d

The proof is in the pudding.  Take a look below.

An open and efficient main level floor plan with well organized circulation patterns.   Great connection with the outdoors, both front and rear. If desired the plan could also be adapted to incorporate a main floor owners suite.

Three right sized bedrooms including Owners Suite.

You can't say this is not cute!  Just the right amount of ornament - not too spare and not over the top decorative.

Open floor plan while remaining intimate.  Ingenious!

If you want to see more of this home design just go ahead and visit the following link at Simply Elegant Home Designs:   Stillwater Craftsman

SEHD Unveils Awesome New House Plan

Today at Simply Elegant Home Designs we unveiled an awesome new house plan - The Willowbrook!  Check it out and let us know what you think.

Birdseye view of front entry

Front View

Rear View

This house plan would be suitable for the shorelines of lakes, rivers and oceans; but would be equally at home in the country, or on a large wide lot with beautiful views!  You can obtain more information on this fresh new country house plan at Simply Elegant Home Designs website by following:  The Willowbrook

Southern Comfort!

I remember the day I turned 18 (legal drinking age back in the day) quite well.  The pint of Southern Comfort I was provided as a birthday gift led to a turn of events that my old friends will never let me forget.  The day started out normal enough.......Oops - this is a blog about home design.  Let me start over.

A few weeks ago I received a call from a wonderful couple in Alabama.  Two years ago a tornado had ripped through their property and destroyed their lake home. Since then they have been working on a new home design.  They had become pretty happy with the floor plans, but just could not get comfortable with the building exterior.  They came to the conclusion they needed some design assistance, and asked if I could help.  I said, "Absolutely!"

The original lake front elevation.  A good beginning but too tall for a  two story house (main level and lower level).  The elevation also needed a logical scheme for patterns, materials, etc.

The new lake front elevation.  I brought the roof line down and lowered the dormers to a more reasonable height.  Other changes included:  creating a dramatic window pattern at the central gable, reconfiguring the porches, developing new column and beam details and adding a material / color palette appropriate for a lake cabin.

WOW!!!  was the response when I sent the sketches to them.  That's the greatest reaction I could possibly hope to receive.  

The moral of this story is... don't be afraid to seek the help of a professional.  With their assistance you can create a design that you will be proud to call home for years to come.  Now this is what I call real Alabama Southern Comfort!