On The Mountain – Spring 06 – House Design, Windows

House design & issues relating to windows in mountainous environments

house design

Rand Soellner is an architect is the Blue Ridge Mountains.  House design is his occupation.  He has been creating homes since he was a teenager.  This means he has been doing this for several decades and has learned quite a lot about how to accomplish this with creativity and technical know-how.

e-mail house design co.One of the aspects of Soellner’s expertise with house design has to do with residential windows.  Particularly windows in mountainous environments.  There are quite a lot of windows at high elevations that have problems.  Rand Soellner seeks to have only good things happen to his projects and therefore wrote this article to help people understand some of the things that he has learned.

Rand Soellner is a home architect, and he is the featured author of an article in Keller-Williams Spring 2005 Issue of On The Mountain. The article is called “The Do’s & Don’t’s of Mountain Design & Construction: Windows”

house design

House design is a huge subject.

Rand Soellner Architect examines each part of house design when creating a new residence.  There are many things to consider: the owner’s lifestyle, their site, their preferences for materials and systems, structural requirements, building code requirements, the views, wind, solar orientation, wind, street orientation, driveway, guest access, private and public areas.  There is a lot to think about and many issues to resolve.  The windows article on this webpage is just one consideration.  You may start getting a better idea of what is involved with house design if you review this entire website.  There are over 200 subjects covered, for your entertainment, information and to help you make better decisions.

house design

House design is enjoyed by the Soellner firm.

House design is a labor of love for Rand Soellner.  The technical aspects of window design and specification are just one of the myriad areas of focus required in this profession.  Window grille patterns are part of the artistic design issues and Soellner often uses a Prairie style 9-lite window grille, which Frank Lloyd Wright appreciated in some of his Chicago style house design projects in the Oak Park area outside Chicago.  Soellner finds the pattern sensible, in that it leaves the majority of the window pane open for a nice, clear view, with a little bit of detail around the perimeter for charm.

The size of windows greatly affects your perception of your exterior environment.  Generally, the larger the windows, the more you will perceive your views, which is something highly desirable if you happen to live in a beautiful place like the mountains.  The location of the first cross bar is very important.  Soellner has increased this height to 8′, 10′, 12′ and more in his main living areas, so that your perception of the sky and top of the mountains is unconcealed from the view below that level.

House design is something that probably most people might think is easy.  It is easy to enjoy and appreciate.  It does require a lot of knowledge to do properly.  There are many technical and artistic aspects of house design that can be handled by a residential architect.  This is a person like Rand Soellner AIA/NCARB, who designs homes for a living, every day.  If you are interested in understanding more about residential design and how having a professional like Rand working with you can help you achieve your dream house goals, please give him a call, e-mail or online chat.

Contact info for house design:
Rand Soellner Architect,  homearchitects.com 828-269-9046.

Tags: house design, Log, Timber frame design, Mountain architecture, Small homes designer, Luxury residential, cashiers architect, highlands architect, asheville, brevard, atlanta, newnan, denver, lake tahoe, lake lure, lake mead, pomona, fresno, las vegas, mobile, houston.

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links and resources:
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