How to Build a Frank Lloyd Wright Designed Home
The dream of living in a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired home can be realized. In fact, many residential architects specialize in Wright-inspired home design and changes can be made to Wright originals, making them your own. Aspects of these modern home designs include open spaces, intelligent floor-plans and the assimilation of surrounding natural features--all trademarks of Wright's custom homes. Many of Wright's signature styles, especially prairie and Usonian styles, can be built today and can also lend themselves to green home-building practices. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Make a construction plan. Determine budget issues and any housing necessities that need to be addressed in the modern home design you plan on building. Most Wright home designs lean to the aesthetic, and although they were functional during Wright's era, they are not necessarily functional by today's standards.
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Select a Wright home or design that suits your housing needs and desires. Wright built a variety of homes to choose from. Of special interest are the prairie and Usonian homes. These are some of Wrights most utilitarian and buildable structures. The Usonian project was developed to offer livable Wright designs at an affordable price. Go to the Historic Home Plans website to see views and descriptions of many famous Wright home designs. (See Reference 4)
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Search a custom home-design website. Many websites, including Home Plans, The Plan Collection and Architectural Designs, have a wide range of Wright-inspired home building plans available for purchase. Favorites include the prairie-style homes of which numerous design options and plans are available to accommodate different needs and budgets. (See References 2, 3 and 4.)
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Search for an architect versed in Wright's style. As Wright was possibly the most influential American architect of the 20th century, many architects designing Wright-style structures exist. Architect Michael Rust is a prime example. He received his training and early experience through the Taliesin Fellowship, the architecture program founded by Wright and which continues his legacy. (See Reference 1.)
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Consult a contractor to build your home. As with architects, special construction considerations may apply when building a Wright-inspired home. If an architect is consulted, inquire about suggested building contractors. Many architects use specific contractors whose building skills lend themselves to modern house plans such as those by Wright.
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Tips & Warnings
Most available Wright designs and building plans are Wright's artistic renderings and not construction blue prints. The Wright Foundation, through the Taliesin Fellowship, owns copyrights on most, if not all, of Wright's home-building plans. This is the reason for hiring an architect. An architect can make your ideas construction-ready and transform one of Wright's modern home designs into a buildable structure without any copyright concerns.
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