- Jul 20, 2016
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I'm interested in design with comfort and efficiency in mind. Even as a child, I would rearrange rooms to get them "just right". For me a living space works best if there can be at least 2 separate areas in a home - so people can to do different things without bothering the others.
I came across this article about 2 small houses joined together by a porch. I knew that design. It was one used by early settlers here and is called a dog-run house. The space in the middle was shaded and cool, which was ideal for the dogs and people. The middle space with a breeze blowing through helped cool the other rooms. As I researched more, I found that this idea has been taken to new and sometimes larger designs. Basically, the cooking and eating functions are on one side, the living space is in the middle, and the bedroom(s) are on the other side. Makes complete sense to me.
I came across this article about 2 small houses joined together by a porch. I knew that design. It was one used by early settlers here and is called a dog-run house. The space in the middle was shaded and cool, which was ideal for the dogs and people. The middle space with a breeze blowing through helped cool the other rooms. As I researched more, I found that this idea has been taken to new and sometimes larger designs. Basically, the cooking and eating functions are on one side, the living space is in the middle, and the bedroom(s) are on the other side. Makes complete sense to me.
Designed by architect Brian Crabb of VIVA Collectiv, The Ohana is two tiny homes, each on a 24 x 8 trailer, with a spacious sunroom in between. With each side comprising 176 square feet of usable space, and the sunroom adding another 247 square feet, the total comes in at just a hair under 600 square feet of usable space. While a bit larger than the standard tiny home, it’s a wonderfully novel way to live big while still on the small side. It’s also a very reasonable way for a family of four, for which the home was designed, to cohabitate while living in a small footprint.
https://www.treehugger.com/tiny-houses/family-home-two-tiny-houses-connected-sun-room.html
Because these homes were built before electricity and air conditioning came on the scene, builders had to adapt their homes to the sticky summer weather in the best way they could: by building a giant hole through their home (pretty genius, if you ask us!). According to design expert Charmaine Wynter, "The breezeway provided airflow through the center of the home, which was vital to maintaining a comfortable dwelling."
https://www.realtor.com/advice/buy/what-is-a-dogtrot-home/