TOO BIG, BORING, OR UGLY Lane Kendig Lane Kendig, inc.

1950s - Little Boxes

Big Boxes

MAJOR PROBLEMS Monopoly Houses Monotony Too Big House Tear Downs

MONOTONY Lack of Interest and Deadening Sameness Caused By: –Identical to Similar Floor Plans on Adjoining Lots –Little to Distinguish Elevations –Repetitive Roofs –Common Building Heights –Building Masses or Volumes Similar

Monotony

MONOPOLY LIKE HOUSES They Look Like the Houses in a Monopoly Set…A Cheap Plastic Box –No Detailing Particularly on Sides and Rear –Overhangs Absent - No Shadow Lines –Punch Out Windows –Blocky Building Masses –Similar Heights along Street Front

4 Monopoly Set Homes

Blank Wall Punch Out Windows Lack of Detail No Eaves Features of Monopoly Box House

FALSE FRONTS Architectural Details, Window and Door Trim, Shutters, etc. on Front Only Varied Façade on Front Only Masonry – One Brick Deep on Front

House #1 Front Window Trim R oof Orientation Trim Change in Plane

House #1 Rear Lack of Window Trim Horizontal Siding Blank wall

THE PROBLEM’S CAUSE Production Builders Mass Production  Repetition Narrow Target Market  Similar Floor Plans and Size Maximize Size and Cut Back on Detailing

MONOPOLY BOX SOLUTIONS Enrich the Palette by Adding Details Eaves 360° Architecture Windows and Doors Blank walls Garages Landscaping

REQUIRE EAVES Eaves Provide a Shadow Line that Articulates the House. Requirements –Eaves on All Sides –Minimum 12 Inches -- Encourage More –Insure Eaves Relate to Historic Styles

Require Eaves

Inadequate Eaves – 4”

Bungalow – Eaves and 360° Details

Partial Eaves Eaves tacked on Front Elevation No Eaves on Side

DETAILING Window Trim Door Trim Architectural Details or Features –Entryway –Patterns with Materials or Trim –Bay Windows –Dormers

Punched Out WindowsWindows Trimmed Simplest of New England Box had Trim

Rich Detailing Roof is Trim Roof Articulates Facade Detailing

Lack of Detail

Rich Details on Little Boxes

Blank Walls Stupid Windows Large Blank Wall Expanse Utilities

Windows Aligned Garage Door Siding Large Eaves Articulated Walls Good No Trim Windows and Detailing

FALSE FRONTS The House Front is Dressed Up The Rear and Sides as Cheap as Possible Community Suffers –Rear Views of Monopoly - Like Houses –Looks Cheap –Neighbors Get the Bad View

Front ElevationRear and Side Elevation

False Front – Rich Detail

One Brick Deep Masonry Window Alignment Trim No Trim

360 Degree Detailing Simple Painted Trim

360° Materials and Trim Blank Wall

GARAGES Narrow Lots – Garage Takes Up Over 60% of the House Frontage –3 & 4 Car Garages Impacting Wider Lots Complicates Architectural Solution to Monotony –Insignificant Portion of Façade to Work With –Garages All Look About the Same

Excessive Garages Garage taking 50% of House Width and 40% House Width

GARAGE SOLUTIONS Limit portion of house occupied by garage Garage Location Garage Type Alley Mews

Rear Garage Hidden

Side Load Front Front Load Garage Treatments

Side Load Garage – 85 ft. Lot Width Detailing on Garage

Side Load Orientation Three Side Loads Facing Same Direction

Alley Access 40 foot lot

Front Access 40 foot lot

Mews Alley Public Street Mews Alley Access

Mews Garages to Rear on Alley

Blank Walls A Recent Trend is Leaving One or More Side Elevations Nearly Windowless –Same Problem as Commercial Buildings – Ugly –Less Light in Interior of Unit –Utilities

The Blank Wall Useless Window Award False Front

Blank Walls Stupid Windows Large Blank Wall Expanse Utilities

$800,000 Blank Wall

Blank Wall and Garage

Blank Wall Treatment Dummy Windows

Blank Wall Treatment Dummy Windows Poor Windows Alignment

MONOTONY CODE Limit Repetition of a Model Type Criteria for Certifying Model Elevations as Different –Roofs, Height, Pitch, Orientation –Porches –Architectural Features –Windows

Identical Floor Plans

Additions Over Time

Luxury Boxes From Road Near Identical Masses

Similar Roof Lines No Details on Rear Windows 2nd Level Decks Approaching Units

Luxury Boxes Street Face

Monotony Code Control Area

Identical Floor Plans

TYPES OF MONOTONY CONTROLS Mandatory Controls –Eaves –360 Degree Trim and Materials Menu Approach –Roof Pitch, Height, Orientation –Porches –Architectural Detail

Model Approval Sheet

Different Roof Heights and Pitches Garage Types – Front or Side Load Side Load Garage Front Load Garage Architectural Feature

Roof Orientation Roof Heights and Pitches Porch Styles Façade Areas and Roof Areas

Monotony Code Result Roof Shape Roof Orientation Overhangs 360 Masonry

Garage Types Masonry Detailing

Narrow Lot Variable Lot Width Wide Lot

Vary Height One Story Two Story

Different Floor Plans and Garage Placement

Porches, Roofs, 360° Details Porches or Not Dormers Roof Lines

Failed Attempt Materials Divide Neo Nothingness – Too Busy

Material Breaks at Building Wing

LANDSCAPING Greenery Hides a Multitude of Sins Green Volume Counters Building Volume Even in Winter, Bare Trees Have Significant Impact – Altered Scale

Trees Shelter and Screen

Trees Arch Over Houses and Reduce Apparent Scale

Lot Landscaping Strategy 1920’s LandscapingModern Foundation Planting

Foundation Planting One Small Screening Tree

Wooded Front Yard Screens and Dominates House in Scale

Foundation Planting Displays Full Mass New Street Planting

Tree Preservation Winter Tree Cover Effective Screen Road Layout Focuses View

Lot Edge Landscaping Screens and Reduces Apparent Scale Allows Views and Screens

BUILDING PLACEMENT Lining Buildings up on the Front Setback Line –Good for Urban Enclosure –Bad for Monotony Mandate Staggered Building Pads –Perspective Alters Building Scale –More Difficult to See Similarity –Landscaping More Effective

Variable Lot Setback

Shallow Setback Deep Setback Building Pads Define Setback

Grade Change Alters Relationship Foundation Roof Peak

Grade Change 2.5 feet

Grade Change 3.5 feet

Large Grade Change

TOO BIG HOUSE House is too big for lot. House is so big that it alters community character. National trend to larger houses. Blatent display of how much one paid for the house.

Too Big Luxury Boxes

Relative Scale 2 Story3 Story Moderate Building Volume Large Building Volume Small PorchPorch, Stairway, 3rd floor deck

Too High Extravagant Bulky Details Taste ? – Display Size and Bulk

Building Coverage (BC)Floor Area Ratio (FAR) Floor Area responds to multiple floors.

LVR BVR LVR SVR BVR Site Volume Ratio (SVR) LVR-BVR = SVR

The Not So Big House Design and livability over size. Display good design. High quality materials rather than bulk. Materials selected to blend.

Materials that Blend with Environment Landscaping to relate to site Quality architectural Statement

TEAR DOWNS A too big house in an existing neighborhood of smaller scale units. Destroys the character of the neighborhood. Creates a need for variances Gentrification

THE PROBLEM Neighborhood is very desirable. Homes are out of date and need upgrades. Economics is driving the problem. –The land values support the cost of acquisition, demolition, and new structure. Community is not unanimous in opposition. –Some oppose on Character others support on greed.

SOLUTIONS Same tools as the too big house. Early Identification –Identify before economics has created teardown conditions –Allow for logical room additions while maintaining character. –Less controversy because problem has not yet become an issue – can be done in normal zoning review.

Standard Bungalow Appearance

Expanded to the Rear

PREPARE FOR TEARDOWNS Identify small house neighborhoods before they have been discovered 1950s Bungalows Cape Cods Identify current zoning building volumes Develop expansion strategies Adopt new standards

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