Florida House Concept D

Addison Mizner explored the Mediterranean Revival house in Palm Beach seeing it as a durable and appropriate architecture for the humid tropical Florida climate. And so it is that all over Florida one finds the masonry home with its terracotta roof. Where in Palm Beach Mizner built for the Gilded Age, nowadays Florida is the go to state for so many trying to hang on to middle class status. And so where the mansion has given way to the tract home, masonry remains the building material of choice.

VRT would like contribute to the design trends in the Florida tract home, whose more popular features include the metal framed 'bug cage' back porch aka the lanai, large multi-track sliding glass doors, salt water pools and spas, tiled floors, open plan layout, and privacy courtyards.

VRT proposes to combine these elements in the form of two interlocking L's, the bigger L comprising the indoor / outdoor living areas and the smaller L the bedrooms and master suite. And just to say a little more on this, VRT is not a fan of this modern mania to put the kitchen in the living room, to push the dining room up by the entryway, and to scatter bedrooms hither and yon. Doing such things invariably means the loss of long expanses of wall free from doors and openings - making for very awkward furniture placement - in VRT's opinion.

The design shown is around 3,500+ conditioned sq ft and another 2,000+ sq ft of screened in outdoor space. The living area is comprised of a living room with glass wall to 'bring nature in' in Frank Lloyd Wright's words, which flows into the dining room also fitted out with glass wall. The inside dining room connects to an outdoor dining area in the screened space separated by retractable sliding glass doors. The inside and outside kitchens are adjacent for convenience. Both indoor and outdoor living rooms are given Wright's long sofa bench treatment. In addition, VRT proposes to 'supersize' the large format projection TV incorporated in the living room.

VRT is a big fan of the circular driveway which it lengthens by having adjacent houses share the driveway mouth on each side. Shrubbery is used to screen the driveway giving it a semi-private feel.

The design shown is meant to serve as a template, a schematic modifiable in materials and design per the wishes of the homebuilder. VRT is a big fan of ICF reinforced concrete for Florida when feasible or concrete block otherwise.