So what is it that makes a house, or in this case a ranch, feel like a home? There are undoubtedly a million different answers. For many, it’s the feeling they get when they drive onto the property. For others, it’s the larger context of the surrounding neighborhood or community. And for some, it’s even the toys scattered about the living room floor where their children play. In fact a great many of the elements that draw us to a place are simply a function of the lives that happen in the spaces we enjoy.
The job of the architect is to take cues from these experiences and use them to define a tangible vernacular for design and building. If done well this language of architecture will speak to the homeowner on an emotional level and heighten the experiences they have in or around their home.
Materials Matter
While many tools are available to the architect, one of the most significant and powerful is material selection. For those who enjoy history, reclaimed wood can bring a sense of story to the project and make the home feel as if it has been there for 100’s of years. Similarly, a regional stone selected and stacked in just the right way can reference construction techniques from a simpler time. Pre-rusted steel connections and an unfinished roof will give a sense that a home is in a long process of aging although it has only just begun.
Comfort from Nature
The Weatherford Ranch project pictured here is a perfect example of the impact that materials can have on a project. There is still a great deal of work to be done, but most of us working on the project fell in love the day that reclaimed timbers and siding were installed. Material imperfections read as intentional character. Irregularly shaped beams express themselves as naturally born of irregularly shaped trees. In short, natural aged materials make the home feel comfortable in it’s own skin.
There is no greater news than to hear that a homeowner has already spent countless hours sitting on the porch of a half-built home because it just makes him happy. While this is also a function of light, proportion, site orientation, and the many other elements of good design, I believe the materials here are a significant part of the allure.
Special thanks to Mike Barnett of S&B construction for negotiating these nonuniform materials into the specified architectural details. For finished photos of a similar home reference the Llano ranch project on our site.