Greetings NC modernists!
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Welcome to the North Carolina LiveModern forum. Thanks to Marshall for giving us this spot. I am absolutely sure there are a few folks throughout NC who are interested in modern design, whether it be housing, furniture, or anything which means cool to you. I encourage you to share ideas/ info about anything modern you think others should know about.
Have fun!
Austin
make it three...
Living in Chapel Hill in a MCM that needs some work!
Anyone else out there?
I was glad to see NC on the list
Great! Welcome. Glad to hear there are at least 3 of us. Here in Winston, there are a few mid-century modern homes, but you really need to scour through the traditional neighborhoods to find them. I love that style, although my home is a more traditional '30's bungalow, with a smattering of mid-century modern furniture thrown in for good measure.
I've run around with my digital camera and taken some photos of interesting architecture here in Winston-Salem...as soon as I figure out how to post I'll do so. There are also a handful of 30's era International-style homes here...flat roofs, stucco exteriors, etc.
Our downtown is getting some new life breathed into it, with a new, modern loft-style development slated to be finished by Fall 2006. The same developer is building a high-rise in Charlotte. Their website is www.blvdcentro.com if you'd like to check it out...it sounds like they've had huge interest. The architecture is unique to downtown as far as new residential construction goes...loft-style, 10' ceilings, bamboo floors, expansive glass, etc. Based on pre-sales I've heard from the developer, there appears to be an emerging group of people in WS who appreciate good design and urban living, but don't necessarily want to live in a converted warehouse.
Also downtown, the historic Nissen Building (built in 1927) on Fourth Street is being renovated and converted into 145 Luxury apartments.
Keep the comments coming!
Austin
New member from Raleigh. Currently in a 1967 hand-built split-level (NOT the kind you saw mass-produced in the 70s). Looking to renovate and expand soon in full Modernist manner. I'm sure I'll need all sorts of help and advice.
Great to see NC represented here!
David
Hey, glad to see representation from N.C.! I live in Milwaukee, WI, however, I have purchased mountaintop property in Andrews, N.C. I want to build a modern designed home on the property, however, I'm challenged with the final leg of road going to the site. Several switchbacks limit the size of equipment that can make it up the road. It's a site overlooking the a national forest with beautiful mountain views. Any resources in N.C. for designs? Thanks! 
Great to see this forum. We have been trying to build a modern home on Hyco Lake for six years now without luck, but we are not giving up. We are in Durham and enjoy the area very much.
For those of you looking for answers to NC-related modern design/construction dilemas, you should check out this Raleigh-based firm that has both a design and construction component. Plus they are really great, fun people to work with! www.tonic-design.com
Hello from Asheville.
My wife and I are currently remodeling our 1952 modular ranch. We are have done the house in phases and are currently working on the landscaping. We have some great architecture/design firms here. Excited to seet this forum.
Hi,
Since I am not currently in a position to build a house, I have nothing to offer but my emotional support, and to try to increase the head count in this forum.
I am barely a Tar Heel in that I have only been here one month. I am appalled (but not surprised) to find the mechanized destruction of a once-proud nation in high-gear in these environs. I relocated here from Seattle because of the horrendous cost of living and soul-shattering densification there. The McMansions here in Morrisville look sort of like even more gauche versions of 17th-Century French villas (the Post Arts-and-Crafts vulgarities of Seattle seem restrained by comparison).
My fantasy is buy some land west of here in unincorporated Wake County. I don't know what is out there, but I am hoping it's less expensive, less built up, and still has some trees standing.
I have frankly been underwhelmed by some of the modernist housing designs I have seen. There is a difference between minimalist and featureless. The cost of custom housing of any kind is out of my price range, and the more interesting the design, the higher still the cost.
I wonder (as many have) whether a group of like-minded people could pool their resources and buy some land.
Here's one more. I just sold my house. I'm currently wading through the sea of split levels, cape cods, and cookie cutter housing that seem to be abundant in Raleigh. There are a couple of contemporaries/moderns out there for sale but, it's slim pickings in the $225K-$250K range. If anyone just happens to see anything come up on the market, please let me know.
One day we would like to build custom but right now we need to be in the burbs so my son has access to sidewalks, good schools, playdates etc.
Miki
Hello APD,
Welcome to Raleigh. In this area (like any other) it can be hard to cut through the cookie-cutter mentality, but it is possible. What is needed is awareness in the public mind and evangelicism on the part of those of us already turned on to the possibilities of a modern life. Most people just don't even know about the modern alternative or what havoc (environmental, physical, aesthetic) the McMansions cause. I have given more subscriptions to Dwell as gifts than any other item ever! We need to talk about it and keep talking about it and not get discouraged.
Have you looked into the land that Nathan Weiler (of the Dwell home, www.thedwellhome.com) is trying do develop in Pittsboro? He is trying to do just what you mention, create a community development of modern homes (www.wieler.com/land). Not sure how this is going right now. I do know that they have just put the Dwell Home on the market for $650K. From what I understand this house was supposed to be the centerpiece of this community so I don't know what is going on with the whole thing right now. Anybody have any more info on this?
Keep talking, keep pushing...it can happen!
David
Agree about the earlier comment regarding Tonic Design in Raleigh and we had already selected them as the architects for our home.
Presently, we are in arbitration with our previous architect. That is a story unto itself but once the dust settles, we are looking forward to getting started with Tonic. I will say that the NC Board of Architecture has really been helpful.
It is interesting to see that the Dwell Home was placed on the market for 650K. We saw the home at Dwell's open house. Wasn't the target construction cost for the house 250K? I don't recall ever seeing in Dwell what the home actually came in at.
Jim
There seem to be a lot of unanswered questions about the Dwell Home and its pending sale. There are rumors that the only way the 250K price was met was because of freebies and that it does not reflect the actual price if you or I were to have one built. For more info you should probably check out the Dwell Home Forum on this very site. Much more discussion there.
Congrats on using Tonic! Say 'hi' to Charles for me next time you talk with them.
Are South Carolinians welcome? I'm in the process of buying a very modern and funky home on Lake Murray.
Where is Lake Murray? Do you have any photos? Would love to pictures of anything modern and funky in SC.
David
We now live in Los Angeles but have purchased 3 acres on the water in South River, NC, (19 miles north of Beaufort). It is AE 8 flood zone. We plan to build a concrete modernist home in about 2 years. We are looking for architect and builder with modernist concrete home experience. I like the fancy concrete blocks or ICF could work for us. I saw Tonic Design in a earlier post and will check them out.
Richard [email] rgsilvera@gmail.com [/email]
Just stumbled across this web site. Looks great! My wife and I are currently in San Diego and have been thinking of relocating to the Asheville area. Is there any hope at all of finding a mid century home in the area? I look online but see little of interest. Is building the only way to make this dream happen?
James
Hi,
Just joined. 32 yr. old male, native of Cary/Raleigh... I've been reading Dwell, and following the development of pre-fab modernist homes for a while now. I'm interested in buying some land either in SW wake county or on the border of wake and chatham county in between Lake Jordan and Cary. There isn't as much congestion around there, and hope to put a small, minimalist prefab (less than 1000 sq. ft). Not sure which one yet or what models are available to NC, but there are so many that appeal to me!
Dave
Am looking to possibly relocate to Charlotte. Can anyone recommend a good real estate agent that knows something about modern homes? Anyone know anything about the area?
Add another. We have land in Durham (near Southpoint mall) and are looking to build, preferably using some pre-fab components. Still thinking about who to work with...
Hi. I just joined this forum and I'm so glad to see some neighbors interested in modern design! We are currently under contract for a nice piece of wooded land here in Chapel Hill, NC and are attempting to build something modern. We looked into Nathan Wieler's Greenbelt homes in Pittsboro but are also exploring local GC's and modern home plans in order to find the most affordable option. Nate is trying to establish a few modern home communities out in Pittsboro and his ideas are exciting...the communities are just too far away from work and the city for us. You should check it out if you are interested though: http://www.wielerhomes.com/. Does anyone on this board have any recommendations for general contractors in the Triangle?
Karla
I'm a mountain enthusiast/real estate agent in the Hendersonville/Asheville market of Western North Carolina. I stumbled onto this website via some unique marketing material that REALTOR Mag put out. I'm searching for those who might be interested in a gorgeous new mountain home wrapped in nature and appointed with loving detail and rich materials. This elegant 3bdr/3bth Deltec home is situated at the end of a wooded, paved drive. The property is being offered by a seller who lives on adjacent acreage looking for nature lovers to share in their serenity elevated above Hendersonville. Only a few other lots will be available. The main level offers complete living with mahogany floors, kitchen and baths have maple cabs, and granite counters. The master bath is beautifully tiled with a heated floor system. The full finished lower level offers additional bdrms, baths, rec room and storage. For more information, please find this listing at www.oatesrealty.com, MLS#341224, or contact me.[icon:g28/]
I've lived in or near Charlotte for 20+ years. There is very little mid century or modern work going on here..and the real estate agents are virtually useless. The local MLS (with which I'm familiar) doesn't even capture architectural style. There are a few nice examples scattered throughout the area, but they're very few and far between. We're over run with bad architecture, and a combination of suburban sprawl McMansions and faux classical new urbanism. And of course, more real estate agents than ants (most of whom will talk only about resale and steer you away from anything interesting.) If you're able to live in a smaller space, downtown Charlotte has some limited potential for more modern multi-family styles...but single family homes are pretty sad around here. There are inner circle neighborhoods where the 50's ranch can be found and renovated, but everything new since the 70s is pretty sad classical rip offs. Sorry to be so negative, but for folks like us...it's hard to find or create a great space. I could give you some company names that would be more reliable if you like...what were you looking for?
Hello, fellow NC modernists. It's great to find this forum.
My wife and I have lived in Raleigh for 10 years. We live in a 50's ranch inside the beltline, which we have rennovated and modernized over the years. It's big enough for us and our two young boys, but we'd prefer something more modern. There are very few modern homes in this area, however, and we don't want our kids to change schools, so we're going to have to find a lot in this area on which to build.
This leads to my quesiton. We don't want to anger our neighbors, but we don't want a traditional house, either. Does anyone here have experience building a modern house in an established, traditional neighborhood?
Thanks.
P.S. Sojay, I grew up on Lake Murray in Columbia, SC. My dad lives in the Irmo area, and my mom lives in Chapin -- both on the lake. Enjoy!
[quote]Does anyone here have experience building a modern house in an established, traditional neighborhood?[/quote]
You might be interested in the [url href=http://www.lamidesign.com/plans/planscat/stealthpg.html]stealth house concept.[/url]
We have designed many modern houses in traditional neighborhoods. Once people get over the intial shock of something different and take a closer look they can appreciate the sensitivity to site, space, light, and materials---you know, the things that make architecture good. We are in Chapel Hill but work all around the triangle and beyond. www.dixonweinstein.com
Architects can work with you to find the balance between fitting into a neighborhood and designing/building in a modern way.
Thanks for the replies.
Lavardera, thanks for the link. I'm not afraid to build something modern in appearance, (I grew up in a very modern house) I was just wondering if anyone had personal experience dealing with the new neighbors once they see that the house isn't going to look like all the others on the street.
DWAwill, I'll add you to the list of local architecture firms to investigate when we get the ball rolling. Is they anything like a design competiton in the residential market, where you ask two or three different firms to view the lot, create a concept design, and then you select the one you like best?
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