This is my final entry in this competition. Thank you very much Blake, for hosting. I've had a lot of fun, and you managed to finally get me to interact with the community instead of always being a ghost. Thank you also to the judges for your time and critique. Thank you to each of the other participants, whether judged or not. I've really enjoyed seeing how so many people interperet the tasks, and have picked up at least one great idea from each of you every round.
BUDGET: $161,091
After eight years together in the big city, John and Dirk decided it was time to move somewhere their precious daughter could grow up with more freedom. When Dirk was offered a job playing for the Sunset Valley Llamas, the pair recognized their opportunity and grabbed it.
Unfortunately, nothing in Sunset Valley really met their exacting standards. They found a large home with good bones and a spectacular view of the harbor, and seeing the potential put an offer in. Then they proceeded to sink a lot of money into turning the traditional monstrosity into a sophisticated modern home. The use of reclaimed wood and high-energy-efficiency design gives both men a real sense of pride now. "That roof has to go" declared John as he and Dirk surveyed their new home. "Agreed," said Dirk, shifting Kelly on his hip. "I think if we just lower the pitch of the roof, we can limit demolition to the mansard area," added Dirk. "Sounds good to me," said John, and he called their general contractor immediately. There turned out to be some necessary demolition on the large fireplace surround as well, though they saved most of the structure. Using the walls around the fireplace, they then extended the upper viewing platform to turn it into a fantastic entertaining space. These changes wrought a dramatic improvement in the home's profile, and neighbors can hardly believe it was once the very staid Wagner's Repose.
1. Front Elevation
2 Rear Elevation
3 Overhead - Roofline
4 Overhead - Main
Replacing the tired old firplace wound up being the next order of business. Their new fireplace was sleek, modern, and entirely custom. The bathrooms all required complete gutting, and they decided to move the kitchen into the main area to enjoy an open floorplan. The old kitchen became John's study, a place he retreats at every opportunity.
5 Entryway
The entryway is airy and inviting after a replacement of the doors and windows. A new wardrobe tidily stores the unavoidable outdoor gear, and there's plenty of space for Kelly's stroller. John and Dirk decided to add seating for putting on shoes, and a handy mirror over a side table allows them to check their appearance before venturing outdoors.
6 Dining
The entryway opens to the stairwell and to the dining room. The highlight of the room is the modern art wall sculpture occupying the entire eastern wall. Inspired by Dirk's love of Shang Simla, the chairs give a nod to the Far East.
7 Kitchen & Living
Directly adjacent to the dining area are the kitchen and eating area. Sleek modern appliances fit in with the new cabinetry, and Dirk had a professional-grade bar installed. A professional athlete needs impressive entertaining space, and the understated finishes give the room an air of sophistication. The fireplace takes center-stage in the living-room. A large sectional sofa provides ample seating for their friends. On one side rests an elegant entertainment center.
8 Study
As a professional author, John knew he needed his own work and relaxing space. The old kitchen fit the bill perfectly, with its panoramic view of the harbor. The large desk provides plenty of work space, and the massive bookcase holds his collection of first-edition novels. John particularly loves the comfortable chair in the room, and most evenings find him with his nose in a book after Kelly goes to sleep.
9 Main Bath
With a toddler in the house, having on-site laundry wasn't an "option", the men felt it was a necessity. Still, every effort was made to create an elegant space for their necessary chores, with high-end cabinetry and plenty of storage. A nature-themed rug provides a splash of whimsy while more subdued shades guarantee privacy.
10 Overhead - Bedrooms
The general layout of the bedrooms wasn't bad, decided John and Dirk. However, they knew they had to do a lot to bring some punch to the design. The hallway became a mini-art-gallery leading into all 5 rooms of the floor. They elected to use different doors for the bedrooms and bathrooms. The choice of all-glass bedroom door was made to allow the maximum amount of natural light into an otherwise quite dark space. Semi-translucent curtains in the bedrooms protect the privacy of their occupants.
John and Dirk divided the master bedroom into two sections. The dressing area boasts a luxurious sitting area with an operational fountain. On the other side of the fountain is the bed, flanked by pillars of flowing water that soothe the men to sleep. They decided to forgo curtains on the windows in favor of a clean look, as privacy was no concern with the windows facing the bluff.
11 Master Sitting Area
12 Master Sleeping
13 Master Bath
"Our private spa," is how John describes the master bathroom. The bathtub cost a fortune, but it was worth every penny when Dirk's muscles ache from intensive training. Following the design of the rest of the home, natural materials predominate in the bathroom, while bright turquoise accents give a burst of color.
14 Workout
The front room was a functional, but incredibly boring. they replaced the three boring windows in the front room upstairs with a triple-wide round window. The treadmill takes advantage of the new view out the window, while a pullup bar occupies a corner. Dirk wanted this place to be an inviting retreat as well, so he had a bookcase and seating installed, for reading up on the newest sports strategies.. or to entice John to come spend time with him there.
15 Child Bed
Kelly's favorite color in the whole world is purple, so the fathers decided to eschew the traditional pink and decorated her room to please her. To give visual excitement and encourage creativity, they painted the ceiling in stripes, and installed a bold wallpaper along two short walls. With an eye on the future, they put a twin bed in (they're hoping to convince her to sleep there soon), as well as numerous toys. A dresser and bookcase occupy the passageway to the adjoining bathroom. The bedroom leads out to a private porch area, where they put a chair, some plants, her walking trainer, and an art table to encourage her to spend time outdoors.
16 Child Bath
Matching the color scheme of her bathroom, but a bit more sophisticated, the secondary bathroom upstairs should suit the child into her teen years.. and beyond, if they can convince her to never leave home. Once again, natural materials were sourced for everything possible.
17 Overhead - Loft
Very few people know that John's hobby (aside from writing and reading, which are really his work) is art. Intending to keep it that way, John decided to turn the third floor landing area into a private art studio and gallery. Utilizing the under-stair-space for storage, he rarely feels cramped despite the small dimensions.
18 Upper Deck
Both men are very pleased with how the upper deck turned out. They installed a wet bar in the pergola, and comfortable seating allows them to enjoy the unparallelled view. Its also a perfect spot for parties.
19 Garage
Dirk has a dirty secret... he's a pack rat. You'd never know it from their home, becuase John and he agreed to keep clutter entirely under control there. However John didn't say anything about the garage, so that's where Dirk has stashed his memorabilia from years of competitions. Who knows, someday it might be worth more than the house.
20 Back Yard
John and Dirk both love nature, and they love spending time outside as a family. They established a formal garden with all their favorite fruits and vegetables. A giant tree provides shade for Kelly's play area, but they were sure to leave plenty of space to just run as well.
Designer Notes:
I deleted exactly 1 section of roof. One. So that's one point at the end off. However, I'm very happy with the result of getting rid of that absolutely terrible mansard roof. As we were allowed to delete chimney surround, I approached the problem of the hideous chimney carefully. It turned out that there was a wall in the middle of it as well as around the large chunk, so I deleted the exposed wall on the house-side but left one section. I used this as a column support to extend the lookout deck into something functional. So no extra walls were created. I deleted all sections of the chimney-surround-wall at the top, leaving only the deck-level chimneypiece exposed.
Thank you to everyone who provided help on figuring the stairs out! They barely made the pictures, but it polished off the cohesive look.
I would like to thank several developers for their (free) Custom Content. When we started this competition, I was working off a fresh install of the game. Now I've had plenty of time to go through cc with a fine-tooth-comb to make sure it wont' kill my game again. I don't think I'd have made the budget for this house without it, either, particularly as the only 3-tile modern fireplace native to the game cost in excess of $7,000.
11th Aug 2014 at 2:15 PM
