Archive for November, 2011
The Best Beach House Designs
When we go about the home, many things to take into consideration. Building a summer home is no exception. Not only should your beach house designs take in to account the dimensions of your property, but also the specific details of its location. For example, when you purchase beach house designs, they cannot reasonably tell you how well their house would stand to a hurricane. That is the job of builders, inspectors and engineers. What’s about flooding and earthquake? Your holiday residence might be where you escape to dream a little, and take a break from your everyday life, but you shouldn’t be day-dreaming during the planning phases of its construction. Take into account all the details that may affect your beach house.
The fact of matter is that merrily getting a quality beach house design isn’t nearly enough. You must take extra steps to know where you are building, and insure that it is solid enough to accommodate your plans. Nature is never changing for and must realize that there are only going to be an increasing number of natural disasters, and you are wise to take into account all of the force of nature can affect your beach. It’s not about the aesthetics alone. Not by a long shot.
Before you delve into the various beach house designs, you would be wise to do some good research, due diligence about the location where you are going to build it. You should take into account the tides and available breakwaters, insure an adequate distance above sea level for protection, and do your research to insure that you are not building in a place of the planets which is often beset by storms. If you don’t want to be paying a fortune to build your dream cottage, you should also research what local materials are readily available at affordable prices, and then buy a beach house design which incorporates these materials in its design.
Probably the most important thing you could do would be to hire a builder that is intimately familiar with the area. All lands are different and have unique characteristics. There are probably tens of thousands of people who could draw out perfect beach house designs which will positively make you jump for joy, but a big part of building the perfect beach house is ensuring that it is designed for where you are going to put it.
Great beach house designs, like great designs for any building, always take into account the local geography and climate. They don’t foolishly seek to build the most sprawling, extravagant design possible, without factoring in the environment. You must also take into account the cost for homeowners insurance because they can get pretty damn pricey. Take care to do this to in a thoughtful fashion and you will be happier knowing that you have built a beach house which will keep you and your family safe for years to come.
Why Was the White House Painted White?
The White House is a well known building where it is the official working place as well as residence place for the President of United States. It is situated at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington. The building is unique and it is built by an Irish name James Hoban. John Adams was the first President who stayed in the White House. The building was extended when Thomas Jefferson shifted into it. The whole building was painted in white color sandstone following the latest Georgia style at that time.
There are some debates on the question; why was it painted white? Here are two different facts which have been claimed by most of the people. Some people said that the building was initially painted in light grey. During 1812 War, the building was burned down by the British Army. The whole building structure is then destroyed. The reconstruction began immediately after the war and James Monroe shifted into in 1817. At that time, the work was partially completed. It is said that, to actually cover the burn marks, the whole building is painted in White color. This is how they got the name ‘White House’ after that.
However, some people disagreed with that statement. They said that the building was originally in white. They painted the building in white to protect the sandstone used during the construction of the building. This is why it is named as ‘White House’. These two reasons were given when President Theodore Roosevelt wanted to name the building as all the while it is called the President’s House. It got its name as ‘White House’ simply because of the building color. At the same time, some people claimed that it obtained the name from George Washington Plantation where he first got to know his wife.
There are lots of interesting facts about White House especially on why was the House painted white and how it got its name. This beautiful building was proposed by George Washington and designed by James Hoban. It took around 8 years to complete the whole project. Although the idea came from George Washington but the first President who stayed in the building was President John Adams. Since then until today, it is the place where all official matters will be conducted and all confidential information will be kept. It is also the place for formal meetings with all other leaders and President Visitors.
The White House
The White House, located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is without doubt the most famous house in the world. This Georgian style house is the focal point of many political issues, however, my interest in the house is from the standpoint of Art. I will address only the central block of the house in this article.
The two-story mansion is the residence of the President of the United States and his or her family. This splendid home is difficult to address because it is so famous and is the focus of so many images. So please try to think of the house as a work of art rather than the center of political attention. Looking at the White House immediately we see that it is simple in design and not at all as lavish like many other mansions in the country are, e.g. The Breakers in New Port, Biltmore House in Asheville, and Hearst Castle in San Simeon.
The central block of the building is rectangular in shape and is wider than it is long, the main entry faces north with a grand portico supported by two-story tall white Grecian pillars. The driveway is ample in servicing residential traffic needs. The back side of the house faces the south and is the garden entrance. The difference of the facade is that the center of the house is curved with a balcony around the curve. Many people wrongly think that the Oval Office is located here on the second floor when in fact it is located on the ground floor in the corner of the west wing a good distance from the central block of the house (though connected by internal corridors).
Both sides of the home have extensive gardens and each has a large fountain with sprays at the center. The fountain on the front lawn is usually decorated with ornamental flowers in the patriotic colors of red, white, and blue. When looking at the windows of the house you will note that there is a staggered pattern of a curves that angel above each window. There are four windows across on each side and the second floor windows are aligned with those directly below. The upper floor windows are smaller and are not as embellished with as much details as their counter parts below.
With regard to proportion the garden face is far superior to the main entry. The portico proportions do not match the scale of the house and it is too tall, whereas the proportions on the garden face are splendid needing no adjustments.
Stephen F. Condren – Artist