Our house story

Here is the picture that started it all. Ryan found this in a magazine and brought it home to me.
Ryan's drawing of the front elevation of our house. He actually drew up the plans himself. We then took them to a draftsman and engineer so they would meet building code. I'm not sure of the quality of the picture on the blog; I hope you can see it all right.
Another picture from a book or magazine. This is what our fireplace and staircase are modeled after. So the funky metal poles in the middle of our house are for the floating staircase. We are going to use different rock and won't have a pass through fireplace. They look pretty but are highly inefficient and smoke lots.
The floor plan, according to Ryan's original sketch. I don't think anything has changed, and again, if the quality is not there, I apologize. (Maybe click to enlarge it?) This is of the first floor only. The second floor is the loft. We put a lot of thought into what we wanted in a house and the most efficient use of space for us. No hallways, a HUGE closet/dressing area for us that can be accessed from both the bedroom and the laundry room. (This is a real necessity when you have someone who works late at night and someone who gets up early. Essential to be able to get dressed/shower without bothering the other person.) Smaller bedrooms in exchange for a giant kitchen and dining area, and a reasonable size living room. We wanted a giant kitchen because we like to eat and cook, and we envision having lots of people over whenever we can. No office; instead we opted for two alcoves to house books and desks, as well as two desks in the kitchen area.

It's been over three years since we came across that first picture of the ranch house. And if it takes another three years before it's done, it will all be worth it. (It won't take that long! just sayin')