Customizing Designs

Customizing Designs

This is part of what Rand Soellner does, nearly every day: customize designs.  For instance, one of his popular current house designs is his Forest Meadow Series.  It is infinitely customizable.  It can be any of the following widths (from left to right): 32′, 36′, 40′, 44′, 48′, 52′, 56′, 60′, 64′, 68′ and beyond.

Soellner has created schematic and finished Construction Document packages for homes that are 32′, 36′, 40′, 44′ and he is designing one right now for a client in Pennsylvania that is 68′ wide.  Part of the interest to new clients is that they can see the main features and optional arrangements available from an offered “Series” design.  This gives them a comfort level about what they are going to receive in their design.  So, if they like the look of a particular series and an arrangement that may be closer to what they desire, they will have something similar to that, along with their requested floor plan revisions.  Also, it is usually less expensive in terms of design time for Soellner to modify an existing series design than starting from scratch.  However, he still designs “from scratch” houses and he is glad to do so.

You are unique.  Rand Soellner has never found any new client to be totally happy with anyone else’s previous design arrangement or exact appearance.  Each new person has their own functional and aesthetic preferences and needs.  This is the reason that you have not found the perfect house design for you while you have been searching on the Internet.  And you won’t.  Why?  Because you have not yet engaged someone to design one according to your exact requirements.  Even so, new clients often are delighted to see that Soellner’s Series designs can come close.  That is why so many of his clients enjoy the benefits of having him customize designs for house series he has right now.

For instance, in his New Pennsylvania Farmhouse, he started with one of his Forest Meadow series previous designs, one that was 44′ wide.  He then analyzed the requirements of the new clients and visited their site, including driving around on it for hours on an ATV.  Then he reversed the previous plan, modified the room arrangements to suit the new needs, modified the garage, the connecting “Bridge”, vehicular maneuvering area in front of the house, created a new site plan, modified the front and rear porches to suit the new clients’ needs and wishes, angled the home toward the best views, modified the structural system and other items required of the new project.

Let’s take a look at just one of these custom modifications:  the Kitchen.  Specifically, the kitchen pantry.  Normally, Soellner provides a day pantry in the main Kitchen, with slide out doors and shelves that pull out along with the doors.  Then the main walk-in Pantry might be next to the Kitchen for larger bulk storage.  This particular client wanted more pantry right there in the Kitchen, and a smaller central island.

custom designs
One of Rand Soellner's customized designs underway in "The New Pennsylvania Farmhouse" project in Bedford, PA. (C) Copyright 2011 Rand Soellner, All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

So, Soellner inserted a very creative circular room, about 6′ in diameter right there with the kitchen island, displacing some of the island and replacing it with what looks like a stone column 6′ in diameter, visible from the Foyer, Kitchen and Great Room spaces.   In addition, Soellner located a 23″ flat screen TV (see note 11-125 on the plan to the left), at the request of the clients, and an overhead illuminated copper pot rack over the center of the island to the left.

So now, the new clients have a very creative, aesthetic, functional and totally original kitchen arrangement that began with an existing series design.  It evolved into a very personal, functional and beautiful solution just to meet the new client needs.

So you see?  That is why it is impossible for you to find exactly what you want for free by surfing the Web.  You are special.  You have unique needs.  And at the very least, you will likely need to have any existing designs modified by a residential architect to create a customized design solution to meet your requirements and site conditions.

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