The Master Bath Is The Most Important Bath!

I put off finishing the master bath because I knew it wouldn't be easy, and would really tax my computer. All in All, I'm very satisfied with the results. What do you think?

I decided to pass on a nice double sink for the jacuzzi tub. In my opinion, a very small price to pay! The jacuzzi is courtesy of Whirl Pool, The toilet and double towel rack is courtesy of Kohler.

Can you guess the 3 items that are are missing?I also decided to add a separate shower in addition to the bath tub. Block glass windows light bath the room, and the shower. Imagine taking a show in natural sun light.

I couldn't think of a better place to put the bath tissue dispenser.

Art work are actual photographs I have taken.

The Master Bedroom, version one.

I took a break from furnishing the master bath, and had some fun furnishing the master bedroom. Some of the furniture was downloaded, and some I modeled myself.

The bed, chair, lamps, and glass shelf were downloaded items. The night stands, curtains, rug, and artwork above the bed were modeled by me. I used one of my own photos for the artwork. In this image you can see all of the windows, and 2 of three skylights.



The dresser was download. The speakers, Flat Panel TV, and white vasses were modeled by me. Can you guess what movie is playing on the TV (hint:you're not supposed to talk about it)?

How Often Does Anyone Ever Look Up And Notice The Roof?

How often does any of us ever look up and notice the roof. If you're like me, not that often. I have to admit, that I know nothing of the construction method of a common roof. When designing the basic facade of this building, I had no idea of what to do with the roof.

I resorted to the internet to school myself. I combed through several images to get a good idea of the basic concept of what makes up a roof.

The easiest part of this concept to grasp, were the interior components. I designed a half vaulted master bedroom ceiling, partial vaulted ceiling in the media room, and a full vaulted ceiling in the main hall. The open floor next to the stair case will allow natural light to flow from the 3 hall skylights, all the way to the first floor.

If You Could Design Your Own Kitchen?

I knew from the start that designing a kitchen would be challenging. Thankfully, the guys at Whirlpool, Kohler, and Bayside Cabinets took it upon themselves to model many of their own products, and made these models available online.


Here is an image of the Kohler faucet I used for the main kitchen sink.



The image on the right is the Kohler double basin
sink used as the main sink.







Here is an example of a base cabinet, from Bayside Cabinets. This is one of four drawer units placed throughout the kitchen.

I used 8 different sized cabinets to prevent unused space. Don't ask how I did the math!





So I started with a blank canvas. I gave red a try for the wall color.

Working out how many cabinets, and what size each cabinet has to be to use up all of the available space was difficult, to say the least. I couldn't end up with an extra foot, and I could not relocate any of the walls.

Right side of the finished kitchen. I went with granite counter tops...Of course! Not apparent in the image are the cabinets that make up the center island. This kitchen is made up of 29 Cabinets, 4 drawer units, and a pantry.

Left side of the finished kitchen. I added a smaller reserve sink and faucet to the center island to assist while cooking.

First draft photon render. I may have to add a some sort of door for the greenhouse entrance for energy conservation. I threw in a dining room set for the render, but will most likely change that when I furnish the dining room.

Here is a better view of the center island. Tons of extra drawer, and cabinet space, and a built in table for quick breakfast/snacks, and paying bills.

With the basic structure outlined and in place, it's time to tackle the details that make a building, well, a building.

The devil is in the details. Light switches, Electrical outlets, base boards, windows,and doors.

For my building, I decided to model custom light switches, but for the electric outlets, I decided to save time and download a generic model.

Here is a triple light switch. I used this one for the entrance to control two outdoor lights, and the interior entrance light.

Here you can see some of the details with the walls hidden. This image displays the windows, doors, base boards, electric outlets, and light switches.Here you can see the basic exterior of the building with the doors and windows applied.

Now the Best part of this whole process! I get to see what it would be like to stand in this very building. Here is a view from the entry way, looking into the dinning room and kitchen. You can see the preliminary kitchen layout.


Here is a view from the living room, looking towards the main hall, and staircase. Notice the original light switch.

Performing these light rendered images can take up to 30 minutes per image (not including set up) for the computer to process.

How Many Doors Does The Average House Have?

So I have my floor plan, and the basic walls up for both levels, it's time to nail down some details. The main issue I'm having, since I'm not an actual architect, or contractor, is that I know nothing about these details. So, with tape measure in hand, I start measuring.

I start off by modeling all of the doors need for my building.

Before I can start, I have to answer a few questions.

•How wide is a door supposed to be?
•How tall is a door supposed to be?
•How thick is a door supposed to be?
•What is the radius if a door knob?
•How high should the door knob be off the ground?
•How wide and thick should the trim be?

This is the basic door that will be used for all interior doors. I also modeled the door jam as part of the door.

This is the model used for both exterior balcony doors on the second level. One will provide access to the balcony from the master bedroom, and a second one for the Home Theater/Media room.

Here is the initial model of the front entrance doors. I still have to model the door handles.

This is a bizarre image of all of the doors in their proper place with the walls removed.

I have no answer for the initial question of how many doors the average house has, but this building has 20 doors total. That's a lot of Keys!

Who doesn't want an attached Greenhouse?

Instead of a detached greenhouse, I decided to add one to the rear of the building, featuring an entrance to from the kitchen and the garage. The kitchen entrance serves to transport grown vegetables, while soil and other growing materiel can be received through the garage.
Space permitting, this greenhouse could be used as a sitting room, with natureal light to read, or a breakfast nook.