River House Diary

I selected landscape designer Maryanne White based on the work she did for Maria Killam . We've never met but are working together electronically. I initially sent her the plat plan, house location survey, topographical information, the house plan and some photographs of the lot. We spoke on the telephone about what we were trying to achieve with the landscaping and the outdoor activities we enjoyed. We also emailed back and forth about favorite planting materials and color palette. Maryanne sent a pencil sketch of a draft plan, which was very close to perfect. We moved a seating area from one side of the lot to the other to take more advantage of the view.  After we approved the draft plan, Maryanne sent a CAD drawing of the preliminary plan with all the hardscaping and planting material specified. Once we approve that, the final plans will be delivered. Preliminary landscaping plan; personal collection We won't be able to afford the entire plan right away, but it gi...

Our lot is only 97 feet wide with 7.5-foot drainage setbacks on each side so the buildable area is 82 feet wide. And we are using almost every foot. A long, narrow house plan would fit the lot better; but then not as many rooms in the house could have river views. House location survey; personal collection

We knew when we signed the contract to build our house that a structural engineer would need to review the plans to see if they met local building codes. Our brother-in-law, who is an architect, warned us he would add more foundation piers. And so it happened. The original plan from House Plan Zone  included 17 foundation piers. Foundation drawing from House Plan Zone; personal collection The structural engineer added 24 more foundation piers for a total of 41 and he beefed up the construction of the piers. We have to pay extra for each of those additional piers. Cha-ching! Revised foundation drawing from structural engineer with 41 foundation piers; personal collection

Here are the front and rear elevation drawings of our house. Front elevation; courtesy of House Plan Zone Rear elevation; courtesy of House Plane Zone

After several rounds of changes the final house plan is finished! Main Level; personal collection Bonus Room Level; personal collection

"Where we love is home -- home that our feet may leave but not our hearts." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. Dad was a mechanical engineer by degree who worked at an architecture and engineering firm and then with a manufacturers' representative company, designing commercial heating, air conditioning and ventilation (HVAC) systems and selling the equipment. He and Mom were inveterate remodelers of every house in which they lived. (I got those genes.) They designed their last two houses, which they built; and Dad did most of the construction of their house on Dawson's Creek. Some of my fondest memories of Mom are sitting with her at the kitchen table and looking at house plan books. Building a custom home is a project I anticipate eagerly. After I retired in 2015, Pete and I decided it was time to move to New Bern. He was commuting by plane every week to Albany, New York, and figured it didn't matter where home was. So I started looking at house plans in ear...