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Architect David Carnivale welcomes you to "The Affordable House ", the internet's very first
Home Plan website, established on the internet March 15, 1996.
If you are looking for affordable blueprints to Colonial, Victorian, Cape Cod, Queen Anne, Federal, Georgian, Bungalow, Craftsman, Greek Revival, Gothic, Tudor or many other style homes, this is the site for you!
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Plan (A),used for designs 1, 2 and 3 comes in two variations. Designs 2 and 3 are two bedrooms and have a slightly smaller footprint than Design No. 1, which, being just slightly bigger, has space for a third bedroom, a Library and a second bath within its raised 'walkout' basement.This elegant cottage presents itself as a little jewel box, with each of its four facades perfectly symmetrical, although each is different.
Above: PLAN ‘A’, DESIGN NO.2 PENNSYLVANIAN GERMAN~The little 'pent' roof between stories recalls a feature of Pennsylvania Dutch in this pretty two-bedroom cottage. The footprint is just slightly smaller than in 'Design No. 1', but the plan is similar except for the basement being unfinished in this plan.
Above: Plan ‘A’, Design No. 3 ~ TUDOR~A cheerful little 2-bedroom, this makes a good starter home for those who feel 'priced out' of the housing market and it is amenable to future additions as the family grows.
Above:PLAN ‘B’ DESIGN NO. 4 ~ NEW ENGLAND COLONIAL~Simple, foursquare and solid, this is a dignified example of nineteenth century style. Genuine materials and true divided light windows add to the cost but it is better to have a smaller house with elegant first-rate materials than a vast McMansion built of papier-mâché.
Three bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms in just 1,370 square feet, this compact and easy to build home is fine for young families, is a classic American design and can be built for a reasonable sum. There are bigger homes shown farther along on this site, but this one serves well for those wanting to construct their first house without straining their finances unreasonably.
Following the Georgian period and a precursor to the American Greek Revival era, the Federal style was the first to turn the building's gable end toward the street.
Despite it's modest construction cost, Plan 'B', Design 5 (above) is quite gracious.
The garage and porch add to the cost of this variation to Plan 'B' (above) naturally, but not terribly and are for two very useful items should homeowners choose to spend a little extra.
Above: Plan C Design No. 7 ~GAMBRELThis cozy evocation of our colonial past permits several future additional rooms to be finished in the capacious attic as the family grows, at far less cost than building additions would be.
In just 1,156 square feet, the three bedrooms and two baths of Plan 'C' - used with the three various exterior designs of Design Nos. 7, 8 and 9 contains the features of many larger homes. The low-slung tile roof of Design No. 8 prevents additional rooms in the attic, but Nos. 7 & 9 can provide extra rooms below the roof it such is desired.
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Above: Although precluding the use of the attic for future expansion, the low-slung tile roof adds color, texture, style and character to this house, and its sense of solidity and permanence imparts to the smooth stucco walls below a feeling of strength and thickness which they might otherwise not have. It should be noted that these materials require next to no maintenance for many years at a time.
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PLAN ‘C’ DESIGN NO. 9 (above)Though not needing to be built on a sloping site as shown, for those with such a lot this English Tudor can easily tuck a pair of garages below. The large attic also allows for inexpensive future additional rooms.
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Above: the little overhang which 17th century New England settlers employed in their new American dwellings originally began as a result of limited space in walled European medieval cities. As seen here in Plan 'D', Design No. 10 though, the detail adds considerable charm in its own right.
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The warmth and beauty of natural materials add beauty to the modest size of Plan D, Design No. 11, as exemplified by the '‘Shingle Style'’ which was popular during the last decades of the nineteenth century. Though very small at just 1,156 square feet, it is both an economical and charming 3-bedroom starter home, perfect for those nervous about the cost of building their first house, and is suitable for future additions as the budget permits.
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There is nothing shy about the bold silhouette of this Swiss-inspired house. It is not a plan for everyone- at 1,156 square feet it is mainly for first-time homeowners who intend to make future additions someday, but it's size does permit those with ordinary incomes to construct a home of their own in this age of inflated costs.
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Design No.14, using Plan 'E', is a trim and smart Federal style residence. The scored stucco at the base and wood Chinese Chippendale balustrade adds a bit to the cost of this 3-bedroom, 2½ bath,1,399 square foot building, but are well worth the modest expenditure because of the way they turn this home into a 'stand out' in any neighborhood.
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This simple-to-construct rectangular 3-bedroom, 2½ bath (for use with Design Nos. 14,15 and 16) has a fairly 'open' plan, and because of the basement being raised somewhat, can even accommodate a separate 1-bedroom in-law apartment (or spacious recreation room). The soaring barrel vault over the dining table is a dramatic feature. At 1,399 square feet it is hard to imagine where this would not be affordable to build, or a lot on which it would not fit.
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This French Provincial style 3-bedroom, 2½ bath,1,399 square foot home does not need to be built on a hill as shown, although for those with sloping lots it would permit a garage to be tucked below the house. The dormers are especially charming in this stylish design, and whether on a hill or on a flat lot, it will become a much beloved family home for sure.
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Above:~LATE GEORGIAN~ (Plan E Design No. 16) ~Though called 'Late Georgian', this design emulates a time of transition between eras in American architecture; it also sports some Federal details such as the semi-circular entrance portico and lacy roof parapet - all melding together gracefully to add a certain gentleness to the solid, simple rectangular outline. Sparingly used, details such as light-colored windowsills, keystones and interesting blocks, or 'quoins' all provide additional interest to this 3-bedroom, 2½ bath,1,399 square foot home.
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~Victorian~ (Plan F, Design No. 17) ~Sparing use of ornamental woodwork in just a few very noticeable places provides this 3-bedroom, 2½ bath, 1,383 square foot house all the feeling of a much more elaborate Victorian home at a fraction of the cost.
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Plan F, Design No. 18
Certain universal features of Oriental architecture have here been blended to create a residence having a pronounced eastern flavor. The rectilinear outlines featuring the easily perceived dimensions of frame construction are common to traditional domestic architecture of Japan; the deeply overhanging eaves, supported by energetic brackets, are redolent with the influence of China and Korea; the richly pointed silhouettes formed by ridge boards having elaborately turned ends recall Siam; and lastly, the soothing serenity of a private courtyard -- all these combine to harmoniously create a powerfully exotic, exciting home.
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BOARD AND BATTEN (PLAN ‘G’ DESIGN NO. 20)Very popular in the years following the civil war but highly unusual today, the 'Board and Batten' siding of this residence is easily constructed, very affordable, and quite striking. A strong flavor of New Orleans and of Creole architecture permeate this three bedroom, two bath, 1,139 square feet structure.
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Three bedrooms, two baths, 1,139 square feet (more if additional rooms are added below the roof in design nos. 20 and 22 only), the staggered outline of this design is meant to direct views toward the backyard and provide privacy from the street. There is space in the somewhat raised basement (8' high and with many big, sunny windows) for a 3-bedroom separate apartment.
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~ADOBE~ (Plan G, Design No. 21)
A fluid blend of styles, this residence combines the exuberance and theatricality of Spanish Churriqueresque with the simple cubical geometry of pre-colonial Mexican and Pueblo Indian architecture. It consists of three bedrooms and two baths in 1,139 square feet and has the ability to include a separate 3-bedroom apartment if the basement is raised enough to permit large sunny windows.
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The serene delicacy of Japanese architecture is eloquently expressed with almost poetic simplicity in this 3-bedroom, 2-bath, 1,139 square foot residence. There is the ability with this plan to include a separate 3-bedroom apartment if the basement is raised enough to permit large sunny windows. The design is such as to permit a great deal of privacy from the street, with most views directed toward the rear garden.
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Used for Design Nos. 23, 24 and 25, this three bedroom, two bath home measuring 1,209 square feet in a 26' x 48'-8"'footprint' can be built for a reasonable sum on just about any imaginable site. There is enough space in the 8' high, somewhat raised basement (with big sunny windows) to allow a 2-bedroom separate apartment.
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Above:DUTCH COLONIAL (Plan H, Design No. 23) The gambrel roof allows for additional future second story rooms at modest expense as needs arise and budgets permit. The sweeping 'Bell-Cast Eave', visitors benches at the entrance, the rhythm of the six porch posts and classic Dutch door all add charm.
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P L A N ‘H’ ~ D E S I G N N O. 24A liberal interpretation of French provincial, this 1,209 square foot three bedroom, two bath home appears far larger than it is, and it has about it an atmosphere of restraint- as though the owners could have made it more elaborate but chose not to. Use of a shed dormer (discreetly placed on the rear facade only) would allow for extra rooms on a second story, and the somewhat raised, 8' high basement having generously sized windows permits future rooms on that level too.
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Above: PLAN ‘H’ DESIGN NO. 25 ITALIAN RENAISSANCE'Simplex Munditiis' (elegant in simplicity) aptly captures the atmosphere of this 1,209 square foot three bedroom, two bath Italian Renaissance style dwelling. Like with Design Nos. 23 & 24, additional rooms can be added in the 8' high sunny basement, and despite the deceptive appearance of the long and seemingly low roof, there is actually enough space on the second level to add two more rooms when the homeowner wishes to.
Blueprints may be ordered for these plans; see the bottom of this website for details.
Blueprints may be ordered for these plans; see the bottom of this website for details.
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A classic Cape Cod, Plan 'I', Design No. 26 is a very small house at just 1,285 square feet (less than half the size of today's average new home) but still it manages to provide four bedrooms and a spacious living room with a vaulted ceiling, fireplace and three exposures to introduce sunlight and fresh air from three directions. Some have chosen to 'bump out' the kitchen 3 or 4 feet for extra counter-space, which with benefit of hindsight, the architect agrees is a good idea.
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Four bedrooms and two baths in 1,286 square feet is about as efficient as one can get, but those who've ordered this plan usually 'bump out' the kitchen a few feet for extra counter-space- and that is a good idea. If this is desired, one should check with the local building department if such a minor change would be considered inconsequential, or would throw the department into a general state of hysteria. The architect can provide, on his letterhead an 'Addendum' stating the kitchen is to be extended (X) number of feet if that would suffice.
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~ ITALIANATE~Unpretentious, this is a solid, old-fashioned all-American design taken directly from the 1860s. It uses Plan 'I' The 'Italianate' style features hipped roofs, deeply overhanging eaves supported by elaborate brackets; 'eye brow' windows on the uppermost story (a holdover from the immediately preceding 'Greek revival style'); tall, elongated windows; and delicate, narrow porches.
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A bold buttress makes for a theatrical silhouette on this version of Plan 'I' and the addition of the garage adds visual interest to the composition. Buildings like this have been popular in America since the 1880s and will likely never go out of style.
Above: PLAN ‘K’ DESIGN NO. 32 TIDEWATER GEORGIANA dignified and proper family residence in just 1,600 square feet, this home will serve its owners well while remaining affordable to construct. Many people who have ordered this plan have chosen to spend a little extra to build the depth of the building 24' rather than the 22' shown on the stock blueprints - to double the amount of kitchen counter space, allow each bathroom to have a shower as well as a tub, and to make the room sizes a bit more generous at a reasonable extra cost. That is actually not a large change to be made in the field if the budget allows. Both the high basement with generous windows and the commodious attic allow for additional rooms on those levels.
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This modestly sized house is cleverly divided to yield four bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, kitchen, living, dining, breakfast rooms and even a library in only 1600 square feet. It accomplishes this by making conservative use of 'circulation areas' and by featuring not enormous, but reasonably sized rooms. Both the high basement with generous windows and the commodious attic allow for additional rooms on those levels.
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The simple addition of four stucco-clad block piers ( wood can be substituted if need be to reduce the cost) transform this simple 4-bedroom, 1,600 square foot, 2½ bath home into a vision of the American South of a century ago.
As with all three exterior versions of Plan 'K', many who have ordered this plan have choose to spend a little extra to build the depth of the building 24' rather than the 22' shown on the stock blueprints - to double the amount of kitchen counter space, allow each bathroom to have a shower as well as a tub, and to make the room sizes a bit more generous at a reasonable extra cost.
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Above:~GOTHIC REVIVAL~Mid-19th century American Victorian design, whimsical and joyful but whose judiciously used and fairly simple ornament is sparingly used to lower costs, Plan K, Design No. 34 delivers what most families could wish for and at a price most can afford.
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ABOVE and BELOW: Plan 'L', Design No. 35 "Turreted Tudor" is one of our most popular plans. At 1,800 square feet, this four bedroom, 2½ bath home is repleat with unusual features guaranteed to make it a cherished family seat handed down from one generation to the next.
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Above: This (4)bedroom, (2 1/2) bath, 1,899 square foot home has a 'footprint' of 44'x 23' (53' long with the porch). Beautiful sunny rooms with free flowing circulation, enough space for a growing family and peppered throughout with the details needed to impart that character and personality we all wish to have in our home.
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Above: PLAN 'O' ~ Design No. 442,000 square feet, 4 Bedrooms, 2½ baths.A roomy house in a traditional early American Colonial style; not a pastiche but a fairly historically accurate rendition with a few sensitively done adjustments for modern living. Obviously the expense of construction will be greater than for that of the 1,200 square foot dwellings shown earlier in this folio, but it is still within reach of most people.
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At 3,000 square feet, this five bedroom home isn't really 'affordable' the way the preceding designs are - but is offered here for variety, to inspire reader's thoughts and because many can, and choose to build such houses. Many similarly sized houses today have rambling plans filled with zig-zag partitions and windows and doors of miscellaneous types carelessly mis-aligned. This plan seeks to incorporate the desires of today's homebuilders in a more orderly, traditional way where axes and symmetry, similar openings regularly placed and discreet rooms serving specific functions to bring serenity to the design.
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Plan 'P' Design No. 47 is a large 5 bedroom house with luxury features measuring 3,000 square feet. It is one of our most popular designs and-- thanks to it's Tudor half-timbering-- has the ability to seem to have stood on that spot for a hundred or more years from the day it is finished.
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Plan'P', Design No. 48 (Italian Renaissance) is a dramatic, impressive residence due to the four large columns at each end, and the fact that these porches increase the already considerable breadth of this broadside dwelling. It is 3,000 square feet, which is large- but seems twice that size. The five bedrooms and spacious formal rooms will serve any large family admirably.
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Above: French Renaissance, Plan 'P', Design No. 49Like Design Nos. 47 and 48, this plan is guaranteed to make visitors whistle softly under their breath. Extremely elegant and restrained in it's French neoclassic lines and quiet, delicate detailing, Design No. 49 will surely impress, while at the same time it will be comfortable and pleasant to live in for its occupants.
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P L A N 'Q'This 2,477 sq. ft 3 bedroom 2.5 bath exuberant Victorian (or 3,256 sq. ft., 5 bedroom, 3.5 bath with finished attic) combines yesterday's elegance with today convenience and accommodates any size family. An elevator ties all four levels together, allowing an optional high ceilinged and sunny attic in-law apartment to be entered directly from the two-car garage below; or the elevator may be omitted (reserved for the future) with the shaft area initially serving each level as a large closet. The basement's many sunny windows and 8' ceiling is sufficiently large for a separate one bedroom apartment having its own private entrance from the yard should homeowners chose to finish it as such, or it may be used as pleasant recreation space.
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A clever feature is the oversized foyer completely open to the dining room- allowing the table to expand with many leaves during special occasions to seat as many as eighteen people by 'borrowing' dining room space from the foyer for large gatherings as if they were a single long room. Another clever feature are the visitor's benches in the entrance porch; these prevent strangers from strolling along the front porch looking into the windows should they not get an answer after ringing the doorbell. The building has been designed to be easy to furnish, and the blueprints for this dwelling are unusually detailed. Modeled on the famous 1888 Carson Mansion in Eureka California, this simplified version appears more elaborate than it really is. The details are all relatively simple and are all concentrated on just the front facade. The other three sides, while orderly with evenly spaced windows aligned vertically and horizontally, are fairly plain to reduce the costs. The building is essentially a rectangle with, on the main facade, a front porch, one stone arch, a square turret (similar to an oversized dormer in many respects) and one octagonal roof which the blueprints show can be easily constructed. Those four features transform this home into an authentically designed page from the past.
Ideally, the house would benefit were the main turret constructed another 8-12' in height, but it has been designed this way in consideration of the fact that most communities today have much stricter height limits than was possible to do in the nineteenth century. If you live in an area where a taller turret would be permitted, the architect suggests you do so.
Ideally, the house would benefit were the main turret constructed another 8-12' in height, but it has been designed this way in consideration of the fact that most communities today have much stricter height limits than was possible to do in the nineteenth century. If you live in an area where a taller turret would be permitted, the architect suggests you do so.
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A few words about Design No. 53At 2,551 square feet this 4-bedroom, 2½ bathroom Georgian style home is roomy but not ridiculously large.The exterior with its two double height columns, genuine divided light windows and real, working wood shutters would be much more costly to construct than an ordinary vinyl-sided box sprinkled with cheap windows would be- but you get what you pay for and this design is for those who want the real thing. Offsetting the cost a bit is the simplicity of building a rectangular house, and the easily-constructed gable roof. As with many designs in this folio, the interior is designed to seem larger than it is; entering one sees sweeping views the breadth of the residence with the Parlor on one side and the Dining Room on the other, in the best American tradition. Guests can use the lavatory (adjacent to but discreetly invisible from the Foyer) without passing through any of the principle rooms, windows and doors are carefully aligned whenever possible, there is a wonderfully useful little office off the Library, there are plenty of closets and a back stair. People who've never had a back stair think such a feature is not needed and is a waste of space, but in reality, very little square footage is needed and having a back stair transforms a dwelling and moves it up a rung on the hierarchy of what constitutes quality residences. Have two methods of circulating between stories adds infinitely to the sense of graciousness and space a home has; it makes everything feel twice as large the subtle, unconscious knowledge that there are a variety of paths one can take. It also allows staff, if there is any, to move about unseen, and for children who may have dirty shoes to go upstairs without soiling the main staircase. On the second story, please note how every single bedroom enjoys cross-ventilation, with views, light and air in two directions. The stair hall is rather dramatic with its open well, broad expanse of windows and long, deep windowseat. The three minor bedrooms all have two closets and the Master Bedroom has four, along with its own private bathroom. The washer and dryer are on this level for convenience. 2,551 square feet is not a small house- but is nowhere near the size of most McMansions that average 3,500 or more; the architect hopes some of the substantial savings will be employed in using genuine materials and real divided light windows because if built that way, the homeowner will instantly recognize that they made the right choice, that there really is no substitute for quality, and that the home has a certain charm and atmosphere, an ineffable, hard-to-describe loveliness that faux materials just cannot match. The somewhat raised basement (allowing for an 8' ceiling and big sunny windows) permits at least four more rooms down there, and the attic is tall enough to fit an additional few bedrooms if people wish. The size and rooms of this residence are such that it can easily accommodate a large, even an extended family, yet is efficient enough, and not so big that maintenance and cleaning will not become an around-the-clock burden.
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The interior plans of American homes since the 1970s have been a mess; a mishmash of zig-zagging partitions, kitchens which need to look through another room before seeing a window, gaudy and extreme foyers, windowless lavatories (this architect does not believe it is good design to have guests relieving themselves in what is basically a closet) and a lack of axes or designs where windows and doors (or anything at all) align with one another. It is as though all contemporary American floor plans have been designed by a first semester architecture student or a contractor who confidently states "I've got this" - but doesn't. Here, in design 85, this five bedroom, 2,500 square foot (large but not ridiculously large) residence eschews the slipshod and makeshift approach to planning and substitutes an old fashioned adherence to the axes and symmetry, balance and order missing from so many new buildings. The very wide openings joining the Living Room, Foyer and Dining Rooms provides that 'open' feeling people want, but without creating the chaos of having everyone living in just one room. The less formal areas like the Kitchen and Family Room are conveniently just steps apart and both lead on to a generous back porch overlooking the rear garden.The symmetry and breadth of the French inspired front facade has subtle, simple detailing meant to entertain the eye while not costing a fortune. Like some other designs in this folio, the front facade is meant to impress and leave neighbors wondering if the homeowner is printing money in the basement, while the rear facade is lower and 'homey' as a friendly-looking and warm family area. As with many other designs in this folio, the main unusual cost would be the genuine divided light, first-class windows. The cheesy glued on muntins common today would ruin this (or any other) house.The architect vigorously suggests too that real stucco be used; the imitation stucco often seen today makes any building appear like a fast food restaurant.
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"The Elms" in Newport was the inspiration for this aristocratic residence. Of course, 'The Elms' measures 60,000 square feet and this version is 2,723 square feet so naturally something had to give - nevertheless the spirit of the original has truly been captured. The secret to its air of serene and reserved beauty is the feeling one gets that the owner could have done far more than they did in the way of ornament but knew when to stop. That is how a building acquires a tone of 'quiet good taste'. 5 Bedrooms, 2.5 baths, Parlor, Library, Fireplace, formal (oval) Dining Room overlooking the garden, a sunny Kitchen and Breakfast Room opening on to the broad rear flagstone terrace raised a few feet above the garden, a small Family Room where guests and family can gather near, but not underfoot of the cook, back stairs (which, although few understand it these days, are handy to have and make a home feel much larger than it in fact is), plenty of closets, a classic, first-rate Foyer with an extra-wide stair and adorned with a shell niche; a snug but well-laid out little Office, convenient 2nd floor laundry, superb Master Bedroom complete with dressing room & private bath … it is a substantial amount to fit into a house- even in 2,723 square feet- so the minor bedrooms, Family Room & Guest Room are all very modest in size. Still, those are lot of features even if some rooms are small, and the flowing circulation and views along a number of long axes creates the sense that the house is very large. Surprisingly, the house only measures 26' x 56'. There is a sweeping terrace across the rear facade and the entire (flat) roof is a giant terrace (reached from the 2nd story via a stair over the main staircase) for 360 degree views of the surroundings.For a reasonable cost, the ceilings can be a foot or two higher than average resulting in the effect of making rooms seem much bigger and airier. In the long run, modest sized rooms means more than just less construction cost; it means lower real estate taxes (forever), less cleaning and lower heating, cooling and electric bills too. And less maintenance, less painting, less wasted space etc. This plan provides the best of both worlds; the impression of a mansion at the cost and upkeep of a regular house. It was designed that way on purpose. The somewhat extravagant looking and unexpected large urns providing a punctuation to the dwelling's silhouette can be any type satisfying the owner's fancy bought at any garden center; the main extra cost in this residence would be the high quality windows and balustrades. Other than that its a very 'buildable' rectangle with only a few belt courses and casings and an entablature of ordinary board lumber for ornament. The garden is another clever deception. Paths form a diamond (of grass) within a rectangle, with pointy shrubs marking the three corners of each of the four resulting triangles and connected by some small evergreen plants. This reduces the area that actually needs any gardening attention or flower planting to an absolute minimum while imparting the sense of a large formal garden. It is an illusion- but one that works.
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For those choosing to order by check:Make check or money order (U.S. funds only) payable to:David Carnivale, R.A.226 Natick StreetStaten Island, N.Y. 10306To my Canadian friends:Kindly use a Post Office money order. For no conceivable reason, U.S. banks refuse to honor Canadian bank checks. My apologies for this inexplicable American bit of insanity.
COMMISSIONED BUILDINGS and Working Drawings of any of the PRELIMINARY DESIGNS shown on this website: Working Drawings for original and unique home designs may be commissioned for a fee of $3,750. Please include your telephone number and, if possible, an email address. The process involves one or more revisions containing custom changes to the plans you ask for and which will be sent to you for your review and approval. Sometimes the first version hits the nail on the head; sometimes the second. Occasionally it takes three tries before the plan is exactly the way you like it. The architect needs to call and consult with you while these requests are accommodated. The architect doesn't 'nickle-and-dime' his clients to death - three re-designs are included but clients may be asked for an addition $275 fee for a fourth, fifth (etc.) additional re-design. Clients are advised to carefully examine and be certain of the design they are about to approve and to Ok the beginning of working drawings for; in this office plans are carefully drawn the traditional way, in ink on vellum. Last minute changes are very difficult to do on highly detailed, even somewhat ornate plans (called 'plates' in architectural parlance) drawn using waterproof india ink. All decisions should take place during the preliminary design stage, and approval to go ahead should be withheld until you are completely satisfied with the design. The architect will consult with you numerous times and for great lengths of time during the process as may be necessary. The retainer to begin the job is $1,500 with the balance due upon completion just prior to the blueprints being mailed. Each job usually takes two to three weeks. Jobs are done in the order in which they are received. If there are several jobs being worked on and there is any anticipated delay in starting yours, the architect will call and let you know so you can decide whether or not you wish to wait.Interested persons should telephone my office at (718) 987-2853. Please ask for the office manager.
ARCHITECTURAL RENDERINGS:The architect can capture your residence or other favorite building in an original artwork similar to those found in 'The Affordable House' publication. Drawn using fine-point quill pens, rapidographs and waterproof india ink on heavy weight drawing paper measuring roughly 12' x 15" (it depends on the building being drawn) with considerable cross-hatching and delicate pochè and containing intricate detail in the manner of ages past. The cost for such original artwork is $575. Several clear photographs, with one marked as being the angle you wish to have the building drawn from, along with a $200. retainer should be sent to the Staten Island office; a small copy of the work (establishing that it has been completed) will be sent within a week or so. Upon our receipt of the balance, the artwork will be immediately shipped to the address you specify. Contact our office at (718) 987-2853 if you have any questions.
TO THE READER: No matter how modest, the construction of any home is an expensive and stressful undertaking; remember to keep your eye on your goal. I wish you the best of luck, and a long and enjoyable tenure in your new residence. Architect David J. Carnivale
COMMISSIONED BUILDINGS and Working Drawings of any of the PRELIMINARY DESIGNS shown on this website: Working Drawings for original and unique home designs may be commissioned for a fee of $3,750. Please include your telephone number and, if possible, an email address. The process involves one or more revisions containing custom changes to the plans you ask for and which will be sent to you for your review and approval. Sometimes the first version hits the nail on the head; sometimes the second. Occasionally it takes three tries before the plan is exactly the way you like it. The architect needs to call and consult with you while these requests are accommodated. The architect doesn't 'nickle-and-dime' his clients to death - three re-designs are included but clients may be asked for an addition $275 fee for a fourth, fifth (etc.) additional re-design. Clients are advised to carefully examine and be certain of the design they are about to approve and to Ok the beginning of working drawings for; in this office plans are carefully drawn the traditional way, in ink on vellum. Last minute changes are very difficult to do on highly detailed, even somewhat ornate plans (called 'plates' in architectural parlance) drawn using waterproof india ink. All decisions should take place during the preliminary design stage, and approval to go ahead should be withheld until you are completely satisfied with the design. The architect will consult with you numerous times and for great lengths of time during the process as may be necessary. The retainer to begin the job is $1,500 with the balance due upon completion just prior to the blueprints being mailed. Each job usually takes two to three weeks. Jobs are done in the order in which they are received. If there are several jobs being worked on and there is any anticipated delay in starting yours, the architect will call and let you know so you can decide whether or not you wish to wait.Interested persons should telephone my office at (718) 987-2853. Please ask for the office manager.
ARCHITECTURAL RENDERINGS:The architect can capture your residence or other favorite building in an original artwork similar to those found in 'The Affordable House' publication. Drawn using fine-point quill pens, rapidographs and waterproof india ink on heavy weight drawing paper measuring roughly 12' x 15" (it depends on the building being drawn) with considerable cross-hatching and delicate pochè and containing intricate detail in the manner of ages past. The cost for such original artwork is $575. Several clear photographs, with one marked as being the angle you wish to have the building drawn from, along with a $200. retainer should be sent to the Staten Island office; a small copy of the work (establishing that it has been completed) will be sent within a week or so. Upon our receipt of the balance, the artwork will be immediately shipped to the address you specify. Contact our office at (718) 987-2853 if you have any questions.
TO THE READER: No matter how modest, the construction of any home is an expensive and stressful undertaking; remember to keep your eye on your goal. I wish you the best of luck, and a long and enjoyable tenure in your new residence. Architect David J. Carnivale
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~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~
I was born and raised in the restored village of Richmondtown on Staten Island, a 100 acre site with 30 buildings dating from the 17th to late 19th centuries and which - until the island was rapidly developed in the late 1960s - was surrounded by many thousands of acres of undisturbed woodland. It was a very rural place back then, where families lived for four or five generations at least, where everyone knew one another and where little had changed since the Victorian era. In fact, I started school in the last remaining two-room wooden schoolhouse in New York City; P.S.10 built in 1885. There were horses and a few outhouses and the occasional farm. It looked a bit like Martha's Vineyard before the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to Brooklyn was constructed and hundreds of thousands of new residents flooded the once bucolic island; sadly today it is but another crowed and typical suburb.
I studied architecture first at The College of Staten Island, then New York Institute of Technology (where I later taught architecture students for five years) and at the American University of Rome, receiving my license at age 29.
Living in many diverse places often for a year or two, including Cape Cod, San Francisco, Manhattan, Rome, Paris, and San Jose to experience the world before settling down, I also traveled the country for three years with the national touring company of a Broadway show, tended bar in numerous clubs back in the disco era, worked as a carpenter and mason on many buildings I designed along the way and finally returned to Staten Island to begin to practice full time. I am lucky enough to have works standing in the all the (American) cities I've lived in, and - thanks to commissions obtained through the website - in numerous places throughout Canada and Europe as well - about 600 buildings in all.
The book "The Affordable House" was turned down by a publisher in 1994 - but, reading an article in the New York Times that same year which said that "someday people will have computers in their homes" I set out to avoid spending years of effort trying to entice publishers and instead to discover how to put the book on what was then only known as the "World Wide Web" ('internet' was not yet the commonly used term) and decided to put the book 'on-the-air' so to speak, and wait for people to get computers.
It took a year and a half to locate one of the first webhosts and prepare the book for the nascent web; finally it launched March 15, 1996 and became only the second book to appear cover-to-cover on the internet (someone had put the Bible on first) and that day "The Affordable House" became the world's first architectural website. At the time there were approximately 100,000 websites in existence, although three quarters of them only showed "Under Construction" and were not yet functioning.
As with us all, the heady days of youth become mellowed with time, and I currently enjoy the more sedate pleasures in life; gardening, occasional travel, offering unwanted advice to young people and producing traditional, hand drafted examples of refined architecture for clients who want something better than average 'builder-boxes'.
The Affordable House Privacy Policy:You have complete privacy from us. The webhost may record how many visitors the site receives, but 'The Affordable House' itself does not spy on you, collect, use or share information about you or invade your privacy in any way whatsoever. We must stop this 'Total Surveillance State' nonsense and return to when people could read articles, books and newspapers without having them read us; when we watched television and it didn't watch us, when telephones didn't report our location every minute and when we were not the last ones to read our mail. The Affordable House is a 'spy-free' business. I hope you will enjoy this little reminder of freedom.
I was born and raised in the restored village of Richmondtown on Staten Island, a 100 acre site with 30 buildings dating from the 17th to late 19th centuries and which - until the island was rapidly developed in the late 1960s - was surrounded by many thousands of acres of undisturbed woodland. It was a very rural place back then, where families lived for four or five generations at least, where everyone knew one another and where little had changed since the Victorian era. In fact, I started school in the last remaining two-room wooden schoolhouse in New York City; P.S.10 built in 1885. There were horses and a few outhouses and the occasional farm. It looked a bit like Martha's Vineyard before the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to Brooklyn was constructed and hundreds of thousands of new residents flooded the once bucolic island; sadly today it is but another crowed and typical suburb.
I studied architecture first at The College of Staten Island, then New York Institute of Technology (where I later taught architecture students for five years) and at the American University of Rome, receiving my license at age 29.
Living in many diverse places often for a year or two, including Cape Cod, San Francisco, Manhattan, Rome, Paris, and San Jose to experience the world before settling down, I also traveled the country for three years with the national touring company of a Broadway show, tended bar in numerous clubs back in the disco era, worked as a carpenter and mason on many buildings I designed along the way and finally returned to Staten Island to begin to practice full time. I am lucky enough to have works standing in the all the (American) cities I've lived in, and - thanks to commissions obtained through the website - in numerous places throughout Canada and Europe as well - about 600 buildings in all.
The book "The Affordable House" was turned down by a publisher in 1994 - but, reading an article in the New York Times that same year which said that "someday people will have computers in their homes" I set out to avoid spending years of effort trying to entice publishers and instead to discover how to put the book on what was then only known as the "World Wide Web" ('internet' was not yet the commonly used term) and decided to put the book 'on-the-air' so to speak, and wait for people to get computers.
It took a year and a half to locate one of the first webhosts and prepare the book for the nascent web; finally it launched March 15, 1996 and became only the second book to appear cover-to-cover on the internet (someone had put the Bible on first) and that day "The Affordable House" became the world's first architectural website. At the time there were approximately 100,000 websites in existence, although three quarters of them only showed "Under Construction" and were not yet functioning.
As with us all, the heady days of youth become mellowed with time, and I currently enjoy the more sedate pleasures in life; gardening, occasional travel, offering unwanted advice to young people and producing traditional, hand drafted examples of refined architecture for clients who want something better than average 'builder-boxes'.
The Affordable House Privacy Policy:You have complete privacy from us. The webhost may record how many visitors the site receives, but 'The Affordable House' itself does not spy on you, collect, use or share information about you or invade your privacy in any way whatsoever. We must stop this 'Total Surveillance State' nonsense and return to when people could read articles, books and newspapers without having them read us; when we watched television and it didn't watch us, when telephones didn't report our location every minute and when we were not the last ones to read our mail. The Affordable House is a 'spy-free' business. I hope you will enjoy this little reminder of freedom.
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