Introducing the ClemDesign blog

Welcome to my blog for ClemDesign. My name is John Clem and I am the chief cook and bottle washer here at ClemDesign. ClemDesign offers custom and stock house designs. Our plans contain all the components you would typically expect such as the foundation plan, floor plan or plans, roof plan, elevation views, cross section views and detail views. Our plans contain a level of detail typically expected by builders. I do not specify everything in regard to exterior finishes, window and door manufacturers, roofing materials, interior finish materials, etc. Since the home owner will typically have a specific look in mind, I leave these details up to the owner and the builder.

In case you are interested, I am not an Architect. I am a residential designer with many years of hands-on experience in residential construction.

My personal preference is Modern Design. I love modern design. I like classic mid-century modern homes as well as newer modern designs. So, typically, everything I design is of the modern style or incorporates modern elements. I do offer a few contemporary designs because I have customers that are not interested in modern.

I personally like modern style homes for a number of reasons. I think I most like the lines of a modern home, such as low pitched roofs (or no roofs) that do not dominate the home. I also like the window styles that are associated with a modern style home. There are typically more windows in a modernist home, but it is also the heights, types and grouping that make a difference. I also like car ports on a home as opposed to a garage. It bothers me when driving through a subdivision and all I see are two or three garage doors and a small entry door on the side. The size of the garage doors on these buildings overwhelms the front of the house. A car port on the other hand does not really have a front or a back. They still shelter vehicles, but in a less obvious way. They even kind of disappear.

Its not that I like modern homes because they are different, I think they offer a better environment for the occupants. There is a different kind of feeling you have when you enter a modern style home. I describe it as a "lighter" feel. They typically have very open floor plans with lots of windows. The windows help to expand the feel of the rooms and to bring the outdoors in. Modern style homes also typically use lighter colors and have contemporary furniture. These also add to the lightness of the atmosphere. You almost never see a modern home with dark paneling, heavy curtains and overstuffed furniture. I believe that a modern style home can actually help the occupants by creating a more relaxing atmosphere.

All of my home plans are designed to use traditional platform framing techniques. This keeps the construction costs down and allows the owners to specify the interior and exterior finishes they want. I do specify all the exterior walls of my designs to use 2x6 studs with foam sheathing. This provides the owners with a well insulated modern style home on a realistic budget. I can alter my designs to utilize more energy efficient materials such as ICFs or SIPs upon request.

In this blog, I will be posting information about designs I am currently working on as well as other things related to modern style homes. I will do my best to keep it current.