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We, at Storybook Homes, have people call us every week looking to downsize, they want the coziness and practicality of the smaller homes. They also tell us they also want a better protection on their investment, something they can really enjoy living in, yet something that is more easily sold in a down market.

The general public appears to be much more cautious about buying a home. They are looking to making the most of their money while protecting their investment in these turbulent times. It simply doesn’t make sense to buy a large $1M+ home this month, only to have it fall in value 10-20% (or more) in the very short future.

I’ve spoken with a few Realtors who have said the homes over $750K are simply not moving, or extremely slowly at best. These larger homes are sitting on the market (you can see some of them on the nightly news), some are unfinished and deteriorating, while the smaller homes >$325,000 is where the majority of current sales are occurring.

There are a few other important trends in the AIA report worth noting, I put the reference below if you would like to read it in it’s entirety.

Storybook Homes has specialized in the smaller homes (“cottages” are what we would like to call them) since it’s inception. We simply love the smaller cottage for all kinds of reasons. Now, it appears, the national trend is also looking toward the smaller cottages for more reasons than simply financial (although that’s as good of a reason as any). Our hope is that we will see lots of charming, well-built, well designed, and beautifully landscaped smaller homes popping up all over the country.

(1)- AIArchitect Jun. 8, 2008

All valid questions and concerns. I don’t know the future, but we can certainly learn from the past in a large degree.  Markets have traditionally gone up and down, with the general trend in most areas to rise over time.  For most of us, a home will be the largest and most important financial decision we can make in our lifetime, so this decision needs to be taken seriously.

I believe if we were to look at the history of real estate prices, the homes that held their value the best, were the “desirable” homes in the most “desirable” neighborhoods. If that is true, then what is a “desirable” home and neighborhood? Do you know of any neighborhoods in your city or town that falls into this category? (please tell us about it in this blog).

Everyone will feel different about this, but for me, the “desirable” homes are the ones that have lots and lots of character, in a way they are unique.  They have something that sets them apart. The “desirables” generally follow eye-pleasing proportional guidelines and balance, even if there are a few whimsical elements thrown in to unbalance a certain aspect or two.

For me, it’s generally the older neighborhoods and homes, or the new ones that haven’t “cut too many corners“.  For me, it’s the neighborhoods with the mature tree-lined streets, where no two houses look exactly the same.  I believe it’s really in the details and craftsmanship, and certainly the overall curb appeal that really counts. In Europe, the well preserved 200 year old country cottage with it’s complimentary cottage garden, will always be in demand.

Now I realize the costs to construct a home these days are substantial, but I do believe that a few key elements, details, and features should not be left off simply for the sake of saving a few dollars, because some are well worth the expense. The decision to pick and choose rests on each individual person as to what stays and what can go or be substituted. And please don’t misunderstand me, I’m not advocating spending more than your budget, all I’m trying to say is be a little creative in your choice as well as in your budget, because the best way to preserve you investment is to create something “desirable” enough for someone else to pay you for it.

I’ll admit, I’ve seen some homes that didn’t look a bit like the original design, an original design that was so appealing to begin with. Too many corners were cut because of their expense (or lack of time spent shopping around for a deal)–the roof pitches lowered, windows simplified, special details removed, and exterior materials substituted. In the end, it didn’t look at all like it was intended.  Once again, I am not admonishing you to go out and spend a small fortune, but what I am saying to anyone reading this, is to pay attention to the details, because in the end they may make all the difference between your house being easily salable and one that is not, especially in a down market.

I have always believed that in a down market, the cutest and most charming homes will nearly always sell first and for the most money (as long as they are not substantially more expensive).  I also believe that buying or building a home like this in the right area is one of the best ways to preserve your hard earned money.

I love all styles of architecture.  Each has their certain appeal, whether Tuscan or Tudor, whether Craftsman or Cottage, they can all be a great investment if they are built and placed right.

There are many things yet to be said about this, so I’ll continue this in another article and in response to anyone’s comments.  I’ll address the size of a home in another article.
Not everyone will feel the same way I do, and I respect that.  Please post your comments and share your insights if you have something you would like to add.

These clients sent us some of their requirements on what type rooms they needed, what the basic floor plan ideas they had in mind and some design elements they wanted incorporated into the plan.

We gathered all their information and created for them quite a unique house. These particular owners wanted a lot of whimsical storybook style elements and features. This house can actually be seen on our Custom Cottage web page, it is the image on the bottom.

It’s been great to work with these clients because they gave us some good guidelines but more importantly, they gave us enough liberty to really express our ideas and then we blending them all into something that the clients really love. Great projects like these are very satisfying.

This particular cottage has all kinds of special features such as; incredible swayed roof lines, crooked chimneys, mushroom shaped chimney pots, custom made odd-shaped windows, a turret with custom copperwork and finial, a one-of-a-kind front door and entry, flared roofs, diamond paned windows, stained/leaded glass, etc, etc., etc., and that is only on the outside, the inside has even more whimsical features and embellishments to list here.

There are going to be a lot more of the same great storybook style homes popping up throughout the country as this style becomes more and more popular.

This article about ceilings. Please don’t overlook the importance, interest, and beauty that ceilings can contribute to your cottage. I think too many people overlook the importance and beauty that a ceiling can contribute to any room. Let’s face it, if you really want to “Wow!” your guests, looking up in a room and seeing a stunning ceiling can be one of the most exhilarating treatments a room can have. Yes, it is an additional cost, and yes, it is rather tiring (if adding ceiling accents other than paint) on your arms and shoulders when addressing the ceiling, but it can create some dramatic results.

Historically, ceilings within cottages were ‘just’ the exposed timbers and joists supporting the upper floor. Sometimes, in the smaller and simpler of cottages, plaster was in-filled between the large timbers and then painted or whitewashed. Sometimes, the upper floor construction was hidden (or covered) with plaster and then wood moldings were applied in various different patterns. In the larger cottages or villas, the exposed timbers were molded and/or carved and some were very ornate in their designs. In the large Tudor estates, exquisitely designed Plaster ceilings were created by tooling, which included bosses with relief, emblems, and sometimes plastered pendants which added to the decorated ceiling. Some of the most intricate of patterns could be obtained by using plaster. Most of the really ornate plastered ceilings are considered to be of the “Jacobean” style and era.

For our purposes however, there are some cottage standards that I think are very complimentary and suit the “new” Old-English cottage style. As mentioned above, exposed timbers are one such standard. Exposed timbers are almost considered – at least by me – as a necessity. Ceiling timbers can be plain, rough-sawn, artificially distressed, carved, or accentuated by additional moldings and brackets or corbels. These timbers can also be purely decorative, meaning that they are not structural or don’t actually support the floor above. Structural timbers occur in real timber framing of the cottage, and this is a great route to go if you choose to have your cottage timber-framed. The ceiling timbers can be of varying sizes and grid patterns.

The use of tin on the ceilings, with all of its wonderful patterns, can also be used with good results. Tin, by many, is considered to be more of the Victorian era, but I have seen some beautiful ceilings using both wood and tin together with pleasing results.

As mentioned in an earlier article within this blog, painting of the timbers is not encouraged. Show off the wood’s beauty by showing the wood itself.

A tip to help you place small moldings on the ceiling is to screw plywood sheets (5/8″ or thicker) on the ceiling joists (floor joists for the floor above) and then screw the drywall (5/8″ thick drywall) on top of this. I don’t recommend nailing ceiling drywall as I have seen all too many times nail heads poking through and exposing themselves if the drywall is nailed instead of screwed. The plywood will act as a substrate for the molding which can then be attached without the worry of trying to find the hidden joist above.

Also, avoid any modern texturing patterns on the drywall between the timbers. By this I mean, it will not look authentic or complimentary to have modern “knock-down” or “orange peel” texturing on the ceiling or the walls, so avoid this if possible anywhere within your cottage. Rather, go with a smooth finish or a troweled plaster look, which appears so much more authentic. These types of finishes do require more work and expense but the results are worth it.

I don’t want this article to become too long, and there are few other things I would like to mention, so I will do that in the next and concluding article about ceilings.

Any comments?

Historically, softwoods were common and given a “dry-scrubbed look”. This look was created by scattering damp sand which when swept up would pick up the dust and other fine debris. Then, “sweet smelling herbs and petals were broadcast over the floor and brushed in hard.” Finally, one last good sweeping was performed to clean any of the last remains. This technique would somewhat embed the oils from the herbs and petals into the softwood which would in turn release the wonderful natural fragrances over time.

Wood floors are what I recommend the most for many parts of the cottage, but in order to really compliment the cottage style, the wood species and finish should be fitting. Hardwoods are generally the most typical wood flooring materials used, like oak, walnut, maple, etc. Softwoods, like pine, are used less frequently, but they also have their place and can be beautiful. Just as an interesting side note, because pine is and was generally less expensive, sometimes the center of a room floor was laid in pine and covered with a rug, while the outer area and more visible part of the floor was laid in the more expensive hardwoods. This was a more common practice that can be found more in America than in Europe however.

To create an old worn look to a new cottage floor, many companies “distress” the wood itself. In other words, they scrape it or dent it or ding and scratch it purposefully to give it the appearance that it is old and has been used and walked upon. Most wood flooring companies have really mastered this technique and the results are outstanding (granted you like the “used” look). I think this finish works very well within the cottage. Some wood flooring companies also put square nails or false peg plugs at the end of each linear piece of wood so as to create the old-fashioned look that the wood pieces were top nailed directly onto the joists or substrate below, rather than blind nailed (which is the most common technique today, where the wood is nailed into the side of the piece at an angle and is not seen from the top).

Tile flooring is another great material. I lean towards the natural stones and slates, but there are some very beautiful man-made ceramic tiles as well. Tile floors are popular in entry ways and laundry areas, along with bathrooms. Some of our associates put radiant floor heating in bathrooms which are tiled so that the tiles are not so cold to the touch.

Linoleum-type floor coverings have a real interesting history and can be used if other floor coverings are just too costly, but most of these modern types of linoleum-like floor coverings are considered the cheapest and least desirable types of floor coverings and should therefore be avoided in most instances, but the choice is still yours.

Another popular flooring today (and somewhat traditional) is concrete floors. Concrete floors can be stained, etched, stamped, shaped, etc., and finished or polished in several ways. The only caution here is to choose the proper colors and textures to compliment your cottage. Cracking may also be the only real problem with this type of flooring, so hire an experienced concrete flooring contractor who really knows what they are doing to help prevent this. Concrete floors were sometimes used in the early 19th century cottages with pleasant results.