Choose An Architectural Style Thats Perfect For You

Most people are attracted to a home for more than its number of bedrooms and square footage. Whether consciously or subconsciously, you are drawn to the individual character of a home.

Most people are attracted to a home for more than its number of bedrooms and square footage. Whether consciously or subconsciously, you are drawn to the individual character of a home.

Part of what makes up that character is referred to as architectural style.

During various periods of American history, different architectural styles were prevalent with builders. If you were to take a home tour around a specific town, you can get a feel for when different neighborhoods were built based on the architecture of the homes. Today, many new homes incorporate different aspects of these styles on the exterior and interior.

The Queen Anne, Gothic Revival and Empire homes are all variations of the Victorian style. Popularized after the Civil War, these homes were most popular in the South and West. With its intricate shapes, elaborate trimming, and fish-scale shingles, these homes truly reflect the Victorian age. Inside, the homes are finely detailed with stained glass windows, elaborate trim and molding, and side-by-side entry doors. Other common elements are wraparound porches and bay windows.

Greek Revival-style homes were built during 1820-1850. Many of its elements represent the style of Greek Temples with columns, gable or double-sloping roofs, and pediments over windows and doors. The windows are usually square and rectangular with fan windows over the entryways. The interiors are symmetrical as well, with detailed woodwork and baseboards.

Colonial homes take on the simplistic style of the original homes of settlers to the United States. Common to this style are the steep roofs with gable ends, clapboard siding and small windows on the outside and wainscoting and chair rails on the inside. A popular variation of the Colonial-style is the Cape Cod, which is usually 1 stories with the front door in the center and two gable (triangular structure) ends.

If you've ever seen a photo of the White House, then you are familiar with the Georgian style home. Built during the period of 1715-1790, the homes were inspired by English pattern books and reflected the wealth of the owner. Inside the home, you could find large, ornate cornices and trim incorporating leaves and shells. The exterior is marked with medium pitched roofs with minimal overhang. The front door is centered with a decorative crown overhead and flanked by flattened columns. There are numerous windows with nine or twelve panes in each.

The Arts and Crafts style, prominent from 1890-1920, was one of the first styles native to America. It originated in Southern California between World War I and II. Some of its features include large porches, exposed stucco or stones, low pitched roofs with large overhang, as well as tall narrow windows grouped together to permit plenty of sunlight. The interiors have open floor plans with built-in cabinets and furniture and natural fireplaces. Similar styles to the Arts and Crafts home include the Tudor, Spanish, Mission, Bungalow and Prairie.

Recognized by its flat roofs, metal casement windows and plain or absent interior molding, the Modern style home is the catch-all style for homes built since the 1920s. This home design generally favors function over style. The Ranch home is probably the most popular variation of the Modern style. The Ranch originated in California in the 1930s, and became popular nationwide in the 1950s and '60s when it became a symbol of the post-World War II American Dream. Common design elements for the one-story home are its pitched-roof, wood or brick exterior, and built-in garage that shares the same roofline with the home. It also favored a patio in the rear of the home in lieu of a front porch.

Knowing the style of home you like can be helpful when looking for a new home. The more information you can give your real estate professional, the better they can serve your needs and get you in your dream home.

Copyright 2005 FreeHomeBuyingResources.com All Rights Reserved.

Jamie Madison is a former Realtor who provides valuable advice for prospective homeowners. Get insider information when searching for a new home or applying online for mortgage loans. Claim your *FREE* Report 99 Home-Buying Tips at http://www.FreeHomeBuyingResources.com

PRONTO North America ERP Provides Empowering Architecture

With drill down support out-of-the-box, PRONTO-Xi Digital Dashboard delivers unprecedented flexibility when it comes to unraveling the hidden meaning in the data. According to Tom Verzi, Director of Marketing for the Minnesota-based ERP leader, Starting at the highest level summary data, the Dashboard supports multiple levels of information consolidation, right down to the underlying transactions were required. In addition, the color coding of information allows at a glance review of detail, no matter which level of consolidation.

With drill down support out-of-the-box, PRONTO-Xi Digital Dashboard delivers unprecedented flexibility when it comes to unraveling the hidden meaning in the data. According to Tom Verzi, Director of Marketing for the Minnesota-based ERP leader, Starting at the highest level summary data, the Dashboard supports multiple levels of information consolidation, right down to the underlying transactions were required. In addition, the color coding of information allows at a glance review of detail, no matter which level of consolidation.

Empowering Architecture:
PRONTO-Xi Digital Dashboard is based on Microsofts market leading architecture, including IIS, ASP WebParts, and SharePoint Portal Server. Coupled with PRONTOs optional API Compiler, technically savvy users can extend and customize their Dashboards as required.

Verzi noted, End-users can tailor the look and feel of their Dashboard interface using the simple administration screens supplies as standard with every implementation. All critical business objectives can be mapped and delivered via the Digital Dashboard in the minimum of time with maximum impact.

Technology:

• Access PRONTO-Xi data on IBM AIX, Solaris V7, Red Hat Linux, Windows 2000/XP.
• Out of the box web parts for Menus and Reports, EIS, POS, Financial KPIs and CRM.
• Utilizes Microsofts industry leading IIS web parts and optionally, SharePoint Server.

PRONTO North America, based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, is the North American Master Distributor of PRONTO-Xi, a comprehensive software system allowing manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to effectively manage all phases of the supply chain. Far beyond just another Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System, PRONTO-Xis financial and distribution applications are unique and have provided maximum return on investment for a wide variety of organizations since 1976.

From PRONTO Planning to PRONTO Production; from PRONTO Forecasting Management to PRONTO Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP); from PRONTO Advanced Warehousing to PRONTO Quality Management System (QMS), the cross-section and breadth of integrated elements addressed by PRONTO-Xi is unmatched in the marketplace and justifies the companys natural leadership role as the best fully integrated business software solution for more than a quarter century. PRONTO North America is quickly emerging as the combined manufacturing, service, and distribution ERP leader.

Professional Marketing Firm reaching the Manufacturing Community Worldwide

Successful Site Architecture

Successful Site Architecture Notes taken at the Search Engine Strategies Conference Dallas, Texas, November 2001 by Robin Nobles

(Written based on a session given at the Search Engine Strategies Conference in Dallas in November 2001.)

Speakers:
 

Buying A Home Zoning and Architectural Review Board Restrictions

When you buy a home, you need to be aware of the various things that can limit your control over the property. This is as true for finished lots and single family homes as it is for townhouses, condos, and apartments. Its a good idea to understand these limitations before you buy, so that you can decide whether youre willing to live with them or not. After you buy, its too late; youre stuck.

Zoning

In most jurisdictions, zoning limits how a piece of property can be used. There are many variations of residential zoning. In some, no business activity is permitted. Some allow business activity but no signs. In some, no commercial vehicles can be parked regularly.

Some residential zones permit only a single dwelling per quarter acre, per acre or per ten acres. Most limit the owners ability to subdivide land. Some allow only single family dwellings while others allow high rise apartments. Still others allow apartments, but limit the height of apartment buildings. Many do not allow mobile homes.

Some jurisdictions have overlay districts in addition to zoning. These are common in areas with many older buildings and a community desire to preserve them. Additions to homes of this type are obviously restricted, but restrictions regarding the location, style, height, and even whether theyre allowed at all or not, also applies to fences, sheds, walks, gates, and similar ancillary structures.

Fredericksburg, Virginia has a forty block historic district. Residents of this area must follow normal zoning rules. However, they must also submit an application to the Architectural Review Board for any changes to the visible exterior of their homes. This can be a surprise for some new homeowners in the area.

You can find detailed information about zoning, overlay districts and the like fairly easily. Simply visit the courthouse for the county in which the property is located or ask your real estate professionals for assistance.

Raynor James is with http://www.fsboamerica.org- sell your home online. Sellers list your home for free the first month. Buyers always look for free.

Desperate Architects: Want to Know a Secret About Architectural Drafting?

Copyright 2005 The Magnum Group

Its about twenty after 9, on a Tuesday morning, Im an architect and Im thinking that life is bed of roses. But it wasnt like that a year ago

This time last year, the revenues of my practice were shrinking at an alarming 15% annual rate I was trying everything in the book to pull the revenues out of tailspin, primary of which was outsourcing most of our CAD drafting offshore. That exercise failed miserably, and I couldnt even start to figure out why.

We had been very diligent in selecting the service provider (Himalaya Zeta CAD, based in India) got custom samples done, and ramped up slowly to midsize assignments, to the point where Himalaya successfully drafted a 120,000 square-foot, mixed-use project in Miami

Bertie Spalding, the our Project Manager for the Miami job, was impressed with their work. We decided to move Himalaya even further up the ladder of design complexity.

We had just been awarded the design of a 1,250-room luxury hotel in a major metropolis. We decide to ask Himalaya to draft the lobby, restaurants and service areas. We put Henry Kluger, one of our middle-level architects, in charge of the outsourcing activity.

But Himalaya kept doing it wrong; they couldnt keep up with the schedules and we missed several important deadlines with the customer. We ended up hiring 18 temporary draftsmen at $40 n hour to finish the schematic drawings inhouse.

This set the project back by a whole month. The customer, justifiably angered, withdrew the design contract from our firm, moved to one of our competitors and left us in a hole $32,000 deep.

I was surfing the net around that time looking for tips on refinancing my house when I saw this article on outsourcing CAD. Give the service provider good tech support or perish, it said. Hmmm I thought we had given that support, but in any case decided I would ask Himalaya their opinion.

The results were shocking Henry Kluger had not responded to their questions in time and on some occasions not at all. They had to fly in a storm without instruments. Give us good support and we can do anything, they said.

We decided to give Himalaya another chance. This time it was the County Civic Center, half a million square feet downtown. We asked Himalaya to draft the atrium, the shopping mall and the auditorium. Bertie Spalding coordinated from our end and I carefully watched over the communication with Himalaya.

Bertie answered each of their questions in detail and on the same day. He talked to Himalaya on the phone several of times a week. Himalaya used collaboration software to show Bertie its monitor screens in real time. Our software tech took care of the mechanics of uploading and downloading.

The work flew and we completed it before schedule. The customers were so happy that they promised us the design of the County Hospital in as soon as the funding was in place.

Our firm now thrives on our outsourcing expertise. Also, were getting known as the county building specialists. The smell of roses is all over the office.

So be seized of the secret: Give your architectural drafting service provider good tech support and good communication if you want the relationship to stay meaningful and effective.

Good luck and have a blast!

(This story is based on a true incident; names have been changed to protect the privacy of people and firms as well as the confidentiality of projects.)

Lakshman Balaraman, MSEE (University of Michigan), is Executive Director of The Magnum Group, a CAD drafting service provider located at Chennai, India. Talk to him and his team at:http://themagnumgroup.net/Message%20Form.htm