Any Design Ideas/tips On My 2D Rendering Of This House Before I Start Building In Chief?

[business-spice]

So it's been YEARS since I've posted after joining back in  2004, nice new site by the way!  I'm getting heavily back into Chief using X5 and I have a client looking to improve his houses overall design.  I use the software as a designer for remodels, not an Architect.  Sometimes before spending 100 hours tweaking a design in X5 I'll do something like I did below (pics atached) in Coreldraw in 2d to get a starting point and see if the client likes it, very easy to make changes.  His main goal was to bring emphasis to the entrance area which I am having a hard time doing.  I forgo to save it but one idea I did was two 8' columns that rested at the front of the stoop and upheld a faux porch idea with a railing system that was identical to the railing/newels used in the new dormer addition to the right.  It was good in idea but in design it broke up the height of the entryway ad made it feel less grand, even with the columns and decorative posts.  I'm not sure if anything comes to mind with you guys but I'd appreciate any help before I get full started in this.  Thanks!  =)

 

edit: on the sides I designed a fence for them using brick columns roughly every 15' with rows of hedges between them, that's what they are in the design.  Also the brickwork to the right of the house is far up at the end of the driveway, just something to visually make the house look wider or more grand.

 

I was considering a stand-alone pergola covering the parking area to the right of the house to make the house feel larger in width.  City code won't allow a connected structure that close to the property lines however we could get away with a disconnected pergola.  Ideas?

 

 

 

[johnny]

Nice drawing btw.  Solid traditional brick design.

 

but since you asked for comments/critique:

 

- The window above entry door seems to have a diff radius than the rest of the windows (perhaps this is just an optical illusion), but I would make sure they all match.

- Can I ask what the balustrades and columns (garage) are functioning as?  I realize parts of the country adding detail for the sake of detail is a popular thing, but i've never been a big

fan of just adding detail without some semi-justification (meaning, yes i might call for a faux beam, but it looks appropriate to have a beam in that location for support).

- I dont think the front door looks great, especially with the only square clerestory window on front.  Perhaps making the entire front door/lager clerestory seem integrated would help.

 

Id readily admit these items are nitpicky and the house would be good without even changing anything.  For its style, you've done a great job on this.

 

When I was first getting into design, I used to draw my elevations (finished plans) in Corel since I didn't like the 2d options in AutoCad.

[business-spice]

Thanks!

 

I do think the radius of the large window over the entrance actually is different than the main windows.  It matches the curve in the brick that is right in front of it.  I think the main windows don't have that dramatic of an arch because they are limited to 8' ceilings on the second floor.

 

The balustrades and the columns in front of and above the garage are there simply for design sake.  This home is the tiny one of the neighborhood  with homes across the street being 6,000 and 8,500 square feet.  Pro golfers live in the neighborhood, Missy Elliot lived there and now her Mom lives in the house.  So they are simply looking to better fit in with some of the high class homes they are surrounded by.  Many having huge columns at the entrance and such.  Originally I had quoins on the ends of the garage to match the quoins elsewhere on the house but I thought since he particularly brought up the fact of wanting columns (mostly around the entrance though) that this was a way to fit them in and look different than the neighbors by just using quoins.  They would be 1/2 columns.  As for the balustrades the new addition of the dormer with window would be set back just about a foot to give the look of a balcony.  So many houses have just a simple dormer and I figured this would help with the classier look they were after,

 

Are you saying you think it may look better to remove the transom above the front doors and install very large double doors?  In my design since they don't have an open budget I was figuring just painting the doors black and using new brass elegant fixtures on both doors may be enough.  New double doors that would be just over 7', installed with new locks and removal of the old could add another $5k onto the project.  I do see now what you are saying which I never noticed before.  Not seen in my plan I was proposing a much more elegant and larger crystal chandelier for the large foyer window.

 

Thanks for the insight and critiques!  =)

 

Anyone else have any words of wisdom or ideas?  Or Johhny, anything else to add?

 

Thanks

 

Also, I forgot to add this in the first post (added now as edit): On the sides I designed a fence for them using brick columns roughly every 15' with rows of hedges between them, that's what they are in the design.  Also the brickwork to the right of the house is far up at the end of the driveway, just something to visually make the house look wider or more grand.

 

I was considering a stand-alone pergola covering the parking area to the right of the house to make the house feel larger in width.  City code won't allow a connected structure that close to the property lines however we could get away with a disconnected pergola.  Ideas?