Category Archives: Uncategorized

Austin City Limitations

Austin, Texas architect François Lévy – who has an expanding series of ready-made home plans in our Exclusives Collection — including this

innovative barn-inspired studio cottage, Plan 450-2 – offers excellent advice on siting in his François Lévy Architect Blog, so I am including it here as a bonus post this week.

“Lately I’ve been working with Newcastle Homes on a couple of urban infill residential projects. Newcastle is successful at pairing lots in near East Austin with clients who want vibrancy, neighborhood character, and proximity to the central city. As a rule these old lots are narrower than in other parts of the city, and while East Austin has been “hot” for several years, land prices are still more affordable than elsewhere. Thanks to careful design and planning, the houses they build are modern, energy efficient, appealing, and affordable.

The problem with East Austin lots, though, is that almost all of them are oriented Continue reading →

Green Ways to Vanish and Grow

Energy efficiency in home design isn’t new; it has simply become more urgent as natural resources dwindle and global warming increases. But here’s a new twist: the most creative approach to green building might just involve eco-friendly demolition –  if you need to remove the structure that’s already there and can recycle its key elements before building anew. I’m thinking of the fascinating new technique showcased by the demolition of the Grand Akasaka Prince Hotel

now under way in Tokyo. The hotel is shown here in the photo on the left, with Continue reading →

The Once and Future Double Hung Window

As springs creeps a little closer, my mind wanders over to the window looking for signs of change. Not much is happening outside so let’s consider the window itself, and especially the iconic double-hung variety — that is, a window with two sashes that can move past each other either up or down. It’s one of many window types to consider when you are designing or building a new house and remains a powerful symbol of home,  as shown in this New Yorker cover by artist

Gretchen Dow Simpson (courtesy Art.com). The double hung window has a long Continue reading →

New Off-the-Grid Plans

As the price of gas — not to mention electricity, heating oil, and other energy resources and building materials — continues to rise, it’s important to keep on the lookout for creative alternatives, especially when it comes to building a new home or vacation cabin. Enter Mark Iacocca, a designer/builder and LEED-certified professional whose tiny, innovative, off-the-grid cabins — he

calls them “recreational shelters” — are the latest additions to our collection. Here’s his Desert Shelters Plan  556-1. The exterior walls are constructed from Continue reading →

Hiding in Plain Sight

The new icomfort Wi-Fi™ thermostat from Lennox is very cool — figuratively speaking. Designed like an i-Pad (hence the i in front of comfort, natch), it lets

you set your home’s temperature from anywhere in the world with a smartphone, tablet or laptop. It shows how much energy your home is using and even doubles as a weather station. And there is, to my mind, an even cooler Continue reading →