Just for fun- do you think you could build an intentionally crooked house? Would an inspector sign off on it? I've actually considered building a house that was off just a little, to make it look old. Say- a few inches of sag in the roof, and maybe have the gable ends lean in ever so slightly. I was looking at a vintage one-room school house recently, and you could tell at a glance it was old, just from the ridge line. I've read articles about storybook houses, and some of those are very crooked- on purpose. Do you suppose in today's over-regulated environment, you could convince the building department that you MEANT to build it that way, and that it is safe? Maybe I'll just build a crooked shed to scratch that itch......
There are limitations on the foundation but I'm not aware of plumb, level or square restrictions on framing, etc. There are engineering concerns as vertical parts go out of plumb and water sealing becomes more critical/ harder to do, but it is quite do-able. Generally eave walls bowing out accompanies a sagging ridge, that is where that dimension has gone. it would be a good idea to discuss this with the building dept up front so they are prepared and on board when they arrive rather than you trying to "talk them down".
This is a folly in the garden of monsters at Bomarzo, Italy from the 16th century
http://www.leboulevard.it/bomarzo.jpg
Here is one in Irvine,CA with a hefty asking price. If they could get this past an inspector in that area then I would say you would be safe.
http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/blog/comments/the-crooked-house-del-italia-westpark-irvine/
years ago, worked on a house in waitsfield/warren area of vermont. we put lead sheets of standing seam roofing on a house that was purpose built with a sagging ridge line. that and pre-made weathered siding made the place look 100 yrs old. takes all kinds I guess.
speaking of that area in vermont, I also worked on a house with a 14'x8' front door. in the center, it had a submarine style oval door for everyday use. Inside, had a fireplace open on 2 sides and hanging from the ceiling by 4 chains. you could crawl right under it. Weird.
I might, if I thought it would come out as well as this one did
http://www.simondale.net/house/ [cool]
I don't think it is so much deliberately crooked as irregular and asymmetrical.
I actually have a dream to one day build a house that looks like it has sunk into the ground a couple of feet on one corner, using old siding and roofing perhaps, and then have everything inside be pristine and plumb. Of course, I have other ideas too, like a 6x8 foot shack on the top of a hill. You walk in this decrepit looking thing, and go down stairs to a 2000 square foot underground house with daylight on the other side of the ridge. Or how about taking a 70's rancher on a corner lot, and remodeling it into a three story Victorian, where the entrance is where the side of the house used to be (so as to make use of the shorter side for the front of the house). I say go ahead and build a whimsical shed. Look up the Witch House in Beverly Hills.
I've seen pictures of the Witch House, in an article featuring a number of 'storybook' houses. Maybe I'll build a sway-backed shed or something. Part of the fun for me is that as a life-long toolmaker, building anything crooked goes against my nature in the extreme. I even have to make sure the rows are straight when I mow the lawn!
Make all the crooked features perfectly symetrical. This way you win both ways.
Bruce
hmm I don't understand the question. [crz]
I can't build a straight house... [waiting]
(https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d184/glennkangiser/Underground%20update%202005-01-30/23e4.jpg)
haha Thinking the same thing c*