Thanks to Walk Score you can now rank a location’s walkability on a scale of zero to 100. According to the Walk Score Algorithm, the closer a location is to amenities, the higher the location’s walkability. A location with a score of 90-100 is deemed a “Walkers’ Paradise”. A score of 70-89 is “Very Walkable”. 50-69 is “Somewhat Walkable”. 25-49 is “Car Dependent”. 0-24 is Car-Dependent (Driving Only). The KHS address in Salem scored an 86. This didn’t surprise me, but I found myself curiously proud. As a fan of the concepts behind “smart growth” and “new urbanism”, I’m happy that my location is a model of walkability.

Walk Score enumerates six factors which contribute to a walkable neighborhood: a discernible center, compact density, mixed income and mixed use, convenient parks and public spaces, pedestrian-centric design, and nearby schools and workplaces. All make for a vibrant neighborhood with positive environmental, social, and economic impacts. I sang the praises of my condo’s interior neighborhood amidst my exterior, walkable neighborhood here.

Walkability should be a primary factor in awarding “green” status. It’s only common sense. Read more about Common Sense Green here.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Image excerpt from Fine Homebuilding Drawing Board column about inglenooksLook for my latest "Drawing Board" column about designing inglenooks in the February/March issue of Fine Homebuilding on newsstands now. In it I illustrate three ways to bring small fireplaces into cozy, everyday living spaces. Each scenario reinterprets the inglenook of yore for today's lifestyles. If you enjoy sharing the warmth of the hearth with good company, consider an inglenook for your own new home, addition, or renovation. Click here to see a PDF of the design column. Issue #209, February/March 2010. Reprinted with permission copyright 2010, The Taunton Press.

Visit the KHS publications page to see other magazine columns and articles I've written.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast

Photos (and drawings) provided by Susan and Ryan Hayes.A couple builds a smaller, affordable, “green” house

When I called Susan Hayes to talk to her about her new, affordable, “green” house in Williston, Vermont, one of the first things she said was, “We really wanted to respect the local vernacular…” She and her husband Ryan created what they call a “Modern Farmhouse”. The exterior was inspired by the farmhouse Ryan’s dairy-farming great grandparents’ owned, and “the inside is really sparse which is more of a Modern feel,” explains Susan. Their hybrid aesthetic is unusual for a “green” home.  The fact that it’s smaller is a “green” hallmark.

Smaller and greener
I found Susan and Ryan through their blog Building Green in Vermont in which they have documented their home’s “green” evolution. “We really weren’t that enlightened when we started,” admits Susan. But thanks, in part, to a lengthy local permitting process, they had time to research and educate themselves in efficient and sustainable design. Susan discovered that “size is absolutely critical.” After estimates for an initial design proved too expensive, she and Ryan realized they would need to downsize to keep the construction of their first house on budget and “green”. They scrapped plans for a 2200 sq. ft house (not including a finished, walk-out basement) for a 1568 sq. ft house (not including a finished, walk-out basement).

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You might classify this entry as an “integral” porch.  Unlike some porches which are applied to a home as a separate entity, this entry porch is integral to the house since there's living space above it. 

As part of a two-story bay of sorts, it projects toward the street and takes advantage of the space above it to give it greater prominence.  The scalloped shingle skirt, below the sills of the second-floor bay windows, helps announce the entry with a flair of flare.  The windows in the entry sidewall contribute a playful indoor/outdoor feel to this semi-enclosed entry porch.  Paneled half walls appear poised to embrace guests.  Chamfered post and panel details are enhanced by a dynamic paint-color scheme.  Together, the quirky elements of this diminutive entry suggest a storybook cheerfulness.

by Katie Hutchison for the House Enthusiast

I imagine most folks associate Martha's Vineyard with summer.  Not me.  It’s a favorite winter place.  It’s quiet then, rugged and achingly beautiful.  When I came upon this frozen dinghy, cozying up to some rocks in Lobsterville, I was reminded why I’m so taken with the Vineyard this time of year.

Brimming with ice, the boat was parked almost as firmly on the beach as the dark, worn rocks it had chosen for company.  Frozen water had found level in the old beached vessel.  A pattern of lapping waves in the sand swirled around the boat’s bowed sides and neighboring rounded rocks.  By contrast, the square edges of the boat’s seats betrayed our often orthogonal constructs.  The combination of curves, both natural and man-made, and straight or level surfaces, both natural and man-made, transfixed me.

When I look at this photo today, it seems a model of sympathetic site design.  I will tuck it away in my visual memory to tap into when pondering how to create a future site design in which a human intervention resonates with its natural environment.

by Katie Hutchison for the House Enthusiast