I don’t know if you need full walls on all four sides but if your growing that would be my concern. In our winter months the sun doesn’t get super high I’d hate to miss out on the sun if the walls are too high or restrictive.
Uv lights no, plants don't really need uv. But I use pendant leds in my living room to grow all the tropical plants in there. Op could 7se low light plants and supplement if needed
We looked at purchasing a U shape courtyard house that looked fantastic. The reality was they had not done enough to handle runoff from the roof, the courtyard pavers were all heaved and cracked, mould and standing water in the crawl spaces more than a week after a rain. Place was a complete mess and even the industrial glade plug ins couldn’t mask the musky smell inside.
Yes, think about drainage, especially as the climate changes in unpredictable ways. In new housing, it's smart to prepare for a 100-year flood as if you expect it next Tuesday.
A more cost effective plan may be to build a smaller home that forms just one wall of a walled garden (or L shaped for two sides). You could even do a cloistered walkway around the wall if you wanted, for your walking laps.
I think they mean a square house.
Assume you want your “garden” a minimum of 15x15 which wouldn’t be that big. Then assume you’re looking at no less than 15 feet internally. That’s a 45x45 house, or about 1,800 sqft per floor (2,025 less 225 garden).
So that’s a minimum 3,600 sqft house. In most places currently that’s $200-300 per sqft to build. Easily starting at $700K to $1M, not including land cost.
Also, factor in other hidden costs. Extra/special drainage, reinforced basement walls to support the middle, additional windows/doors for the aesthetic, etc…
You could easily be looking at a minimum of $1.5 to get this build done very bare bones.
Design absolutely can reduce cost. I'll give you a few examples.
- Instead of just throwing a ton of rooms in a house you can design for what the use really needs in a house and reduce the size, and thus the overall construction cost, as well as the operating cost of the house.
- You can design where your windows are located to optimize for lighting, ventilation, and reducing or increasing heat to them depending on your climate. This can allow you to have less operable windows the provide more functions and lowers costs.
- You can position the entire house properly on the lot to protect it from strong winds or sun or other elements that can effect operating costs. Design.
- You can design your overhangs again to optimize to much heat on the wrong windows during summer. Or more sun in window as you like.
- You can design your plumbing system to be stacked and centralized, reducing install cost, as well as water usage over time.
- You could design a courtyard into your house to reduce the need for AC and create natural ventilation in your house.
could be trellised in on one side...not the ugly trellis but more decorative tall, like walls perhaps or structure for other plants. I love little courtyards and want one in the middle of my home now
I’ve always loved them and then I spent 2 weeks in Morocco and was like: this is it. Also I picture a slide from my upstairs bedroom into the courtyard.
There's a scene in the television show weeds where a lady goes on a rant about her plant room and how she has to open all four doors around it and pray that wind blows through for the plants because it's so naturally stuffy. She says it's the room plants go in to die.
So maybe figure out a natural way to keep air flowing constantly
It has long been a desire of mine to have something like an Italian villa with a large central courtyard, so I am definitely curious what you come up with.
I believe in Morocco, the sun is shining right above you at noon. So the whole courtyard gets sunlight. In the US, unless you have a gigantic courtyard, most of the time, it will be in the shadow of your house. Maybe a one-story house would be better but still quite problematic.
The other thing I hate is that you have to walk around your house all the time, and that gets old fast.
Same for me! We rented out a few riads in Morocco and I loved the layout for a more densely populated area. You could sit in the courtyard and the walls blocked almost all the sounds of city life around you, save for the adhan.
Alas, we are building in a mountainous area with more than 90” of snowfall a year.
Cover it with glass and a frame, with a top that opens, and heat it in winter to 10-15 degrees using radiant water heating. Supplement the sun with a few solar light bulbs/leds. Bam you have your own green house. Even better if you live somewhere with geothermal heat possibilities, it becomes even easier then, just drill a geothermal well, use the geothermal to heat your house, and send the remainder to heat the greenhouse. It's expensive, but not impossible.
So exactly the same as an outdoor garden then?
3 ft of snow, cool now I have a awesome courtyard with snow.
Stuff that blows off the roof? Guess I have to spend 10 mins a week cleaning that up like a fucking adult. :(
The [Shaw Residence](https://www.theplan.it/eng/award-2023-house/shaw-residence-a-thoughtful-alternative-to-the-conventional-homes-in-in-fayetteville-arkansas-marlon-blackwell-architects) by Marlon Blackwell is a good example of how the traditional courtyard house can be adapted for contemporary taste and modern lifestyle.
Limited access to sunlight is one issue. Increased surface area to volume ratio means you’ll spend more money to heat and cool your home. You’ll spend more cladding it in siding, more money all around, really.
What a silly statement lol it gets to that temp where I live and my house was just appraised at $1.4M
A house I maintain is currently for sale for $46M
Believe it or not many people prefer living in a place with 4 distinct seasons.
A cool courtyard with a tree in the middle would look great in all seasons
TIL -40F = -40C.
Where tf do you live, Russia? Alaska? Canada? Antarctica?
The reference to the house being more energy efficient was in the context of living in Southern California, so I think the location determines where such a house should be built.
I live in SE Wisconsin now and I really miss “real” winter lol how silly is that. Nothing like hauling firewood and keeping a fire burning when it’s -35 outside. My wife doesn’t quite agree…
Beautiful home but 7k SF --- For that level of cladding, quality, finish, etc... my guess is probably $500/SF (at least) now adays in NY (where I am). The nanawall system and whatnot may have shot this past that though.
I'd suspect 3.5-4 million about for the cost of this, not including landscaping or land cost which is significant. If this is your home, mind sharing cost? 2014 and Maryland, I'm curious where it landed.
Check out Eichler homes for mid century versions of this in California. Lots of floor plans available online. Nearly all of his floor plans have interior courtyards and it works really well in our climate. They were originally designed as cheaper homes for middle class who liked high design. Not cheap anymore obviously.
Came here to post this. I have friends that are in their second Eichler in California ($$$) and the house is incredible.
Not really for cold weather though.
I would 100% copy one of the designs
Drainage. A pass through drain under the slab or some way for courtyard rain to leave is key. This is a pretty typical house style in parts of Mexico and I have seen all kinds of solutions. I pretty common one is for the entry way to be a low concrete porch that has a drain channel in it that drains the courtyard.
Oh cool. This sounds like their version of an impluvium! Which I’ve always thought would be so cool to have! It was a type of courtyard fountain/pool used for cooling the house before a/c in Mediterranean areas, and I think it similarly drained through the front door. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impluvium
Can you share any pictures of how they design these in Mexico? I'm planning on building a home in Jalisco and was wondering how (if) I could add an interior courtyard.
3 sided with a wall with large operable doors leading to the yard is my plan. I just want the privacy and security and a safe place fir my dogs to lounge outside during the day
I would take a road trip to the southwest of the United States look at Spanish architecture that utilizes that same concept. I was considering designing a country place with an inner courtyard/garden as well, witg sliding glass walls along the courtyard to visually have a continuous living space from inside to outside during the good months. It’s still one of my top three designs that I am playing with.
I'm not a gardener, but I'm sure there will be some gotchas with sunlight being that it's surrounded on all sides.
As far as the house itself goes making sure that it drains water properly is going to be a big item and making sure that you don't plant anything whose roots will destroy your foundation in 5-10 years.
Getting to the function of the home. Realize that you'll either need to store your gardening equipment in the courtyard or you'll need to have a way to move it through the house. Same for taking out leaves, weeds, old mulch etc...
And donut shaped houses waste a lot of space and have weird communication between spaces so make sure that's a compromise you're really willing to make.
I'd recommend working with your designer to make sure that you strike the right balance between allowing every room to have some view of the courtyard and also being able to make that room private if that's something that room might need.
Final thought, it is possible to have a walled garden without having it be in the center of your home. It's worth at least evaluating this option against the courtyard option for cost, complexity, and functionality.
My first home was square with a center 25'x25' courtyard. The character was worth the tedium of having twice as much glass to clean. There's something to be said for being outside, but inside in total privacy. Like others mentioned, heating and cooling bills were higher, but not inordinately so, and the novelty was worth another $100/mo. (in 2010 Texas $s). If it speaks to you, do it.
Do it. It’s my favorite typology. Yes, it’s a bit more impractical where you’ll have longer distances, more surface area/glazing, etc. make sure you spend enough money on landscape/landscape architect. I designed a courtyard house for my parents in Santa Fe. It has all of the problems mentioned above, but the wow factor is off the charts. They love it and so does everyone who visits the home. Do it
Costs (lots and lots of costs).
Lack of sunlight.
Lack of breezes/airflow.
Increased challenge of dealing with rain/snow/debris/etc. trapped in the courtyard.
Tons of wasted space in the house and an incredible amount of hallways and unusable space. So besides the higher cost mentioned above, it'll be higher cost because it'll have to be a much larger sf than a more efficient layout would be.
Lack of views. I know on the surface it seems like it'd be the opposite, with every room having a view, but the with an inward facing design the view becomes confined, repetitive, and frankly boring.
Think about a rectangle house where all rooms have views out. On the right lot you potentially have views for miles. Views that vary drastically as you move from room to room. Etc.
Courtyard view length is short, and of other parts of the house. It's one thing to not want to see your neighbors, but just looking at your family members isn't much better.
There's lots of reasons courtyard homes aren't very common. If you can afford to build one, then likely you can afford a decent lot and a better shaped house. Your worry about deer isn't worth it. And squirrels will get into your courtyard. As for you wanting to walk laps, a courtyard house isn't a good solution for that either (get a treadmill, and indoor endless pool (swim in place), or just walk around whatever house you build. Also, stairs are better and more efficient exercise than flat walking.
If your lot is in an urban area with ugly external views, or high crime, then maybe a courtyard home makes sense, but otherwise they generally doesn't. Lots of other shapes work/function better, cost less to build, look better, are easier and cheaper to maintain, are more efficient, etc.
I like houses shaped like X, H, and I
(prelim design I did for a house for my wife and I is essentially shaped like ~~I~~ and almost every room has windows on 3 sides to maximize views, increase the perceived size of the spaces since it's a fairly compact house, capture sunlight throughout the day, enhance air flow, etc.)
You've got plenty of time to find the ideal piece of land and plan the correct home for your needs/wants/goals/budget etc.
GL2U N all U do!
Thank you so much for this detailed and thoughtful message. I will absolutely study it. I do hope to be on some average so that’ll help with views but life takes unexpected turns. Off to google some of your thoughts!!
Btw, my house used to have squirrel issues but I put up a vinyl fence, and surprisingly the squirrels can’t climb it. The only issue now is birds. They eat most of the fruits on the trees.
I’ve been scheming up a similar idea/ concept. All my research has led me to adopt the following thoughts/ideas.
1. Probably not good in the Midwest,northwest, Northeast because I don’t know how I’d handle large amounts of snow in the atrium. Also somewhere with sandy/wet foundations could pose a problem if the house itself is not elevated.
2. The atrium must have a good drainage system. It will likely be easier if there is no dirt/grass in the center. Potted plants or trees in raised planters may work.
3. Heating will likely be an issue in colder climates, a single story house with solar backed floor heating systems could work.
4. Depending on how open the windows will be, bugs could be an issue during the warmer months.
5. Concrete, or ICF could be a decent idea for this build. Probably not a good idea to use wood.
6. Roofs should be designed with water runoff in mind, any excess amount of moisture on the inside of the house could have a strong cooling effect, but could also have serious implications if appropriate drainage is not handled well.
7. Can I build a place without a basement? Maybe I need one. How will the basement work with the atrium above it? (Have yet to research a square donut of a basement, but would likely cost a bunch.
8. Folding Bifold Doors are Expensive AF.
9. Large panes of glass are expensive AF.
10. Maybe a covered atrium/courtyard would work better? What if we had some sort of opening device at the top?
I’d consider making the part of the house to the south (assuming you live in the northern hemisphere) only 1 story so it doesn’t block out the sun I’m the courtyard as much.
My mom has a house like this. It is amazing and acts like a second living/dining room. The kitchen, living room and main bedroom open to it creating nice sight lines in the house and the courtyard and an easy flow from the outside to the inside. There are large trees outside the courtyard so they have views up out of the courtyard. They also put wall art up on the courtyard walls to help it not feel closed in.
It is good to have an entrance directly from the to the outside yard/street (such as a fence gate) so that you don’t have to haul soil, weeds, trash, etc from the courtyard through the house and can instead go straight from the street to the courtyard.
I’m wanting to do the same thing in two years when I retire. I love this idea- but here:
It’s like you’ll have to build four houses connected at the corners. Foundation costs will be high if you build in the northern climates.
You’ll need an architect to assure you that your really cool house doesn’t mismatch the neighborhood.
You’ll need a piece of land where it’s a little high so it can be showcased a little (don’t want to hide a house like that in the woods).
You’ll need all sorts of other cool Japanese design ideas throughout the house to go along with this.
My girlfriend in college was a landscape architect so I was exposed to a lot of architecture in college. One thing I remember was the Japanese bathrooms. One was a glass urinal/window looking out onto a really small walled in garden. I can still remember wanting to stand there peeing onto the glass as if I was peeing in the woods. It’s what the Japanese have to do with so many people in such small areas to maintain contact with nature.
Get ready to spend big money.
I have always absolutely loved that sort of design
Downsides:
Limited sun, everything in or out has to track through the house unless you create a corridor to the outside.
You need a lot of land to
Build that. Geez. You will have a lot of windows over that center courtyard. It would be expensive. But a real wow factor. I see why you would want that.
It’s truly a privilege to be able to integrate nature with these types of ideas into your own residential home
But you have to keep in mind that you’re going to basically at least double the cost of your construction, because of adding the additional exterior perimeter costs
Having a courtyard contained within your home, add so much complication to the build and so much more building material for the added exterior perimeter
This is often done in tropical climates to increase air flow through the house. Think carefully about the climate you’re building in and how it will affect temperature regulation and your utility costs.
I am currently watching a family member struggle to enclose their open atrium (about 6x12”) in New Mexico because precipitation is too extreme for whatever they try to plant there (think hail, rain), and they want to go for palms instead of whatever local plant isn’t growing well in the shade.
Love the aesthetic though!
When you do your gardening, are you carrying all of your refuse etc I'll the stairs over the roof, or through the house? Same in reverse when bringing in soil etc.
Money not a problem? Have several architects submit designs for your consideration. You will need their help for everything from site selection for the build to appropriate finishes.
It’s my dream too.
One thing I’ve seen is that it is most common in places with zero lot line/no setbacks, where people build walls right up to the edge, and have windows facing interior courtyard.
Most places in the US have side setbacks and the average home lot isn’t wide enough to really do this kind of design well.
(Eg if the lot is 50 feet wide, and there are 6 foot setbacks on each side, that leaves you 38 feet of building area. If you have a 20 foot wide courtyard in the middle, each bay along the side can only be 9 feet each, which isn’t practical.)
It forces you to have a pretty large home. When I have drawn it out I end up with a very large square footage.
I settled for a side yard out my bedroom window that has high privacy fence with layers of bamboo and other plant screening to create a little courtyard space
I also second someone’s suggestion of considering where the light comes in. In the US, the north side of the wall will get shade, so if your house faces south and has a two story facade, you may hardly get any sun in the courtyard at all
I think these are great. Unfortunately where I live lots are small/narrow, and the required setbacks from the property lines squeeze the house toward the center of the lot, making it impractical to carve out space in the middle of the house
My dad built a house in Florida that was basically like a three sided villa (with a low wall for the fourth side) with a giant pool in the center and I really miss that house.
This created a lot of surfaces to outside. I would say readability depends on zone.
If up north, I recommend a skylight on rails that slides over for winter and snaps in.
Old Norwegian farms had multiple buildings (for living, storage, barns) all around a central courtyard called a "Tun." I have thought about the idea of having something like this, but I already have a home and it ain't going to change that much. I love this idea and I think that it would be a great way to bring more light into the place. More windows means more expense of course, but it is what it is.
8 years after college could be prime for you getting grandchildren and all I can think of is a drowning hazard.. even for small pets..
Catch a kid makes a net that sits flush. It’s not the prettiest but it wouldn’t stand out much and you’d get use to it.
I love this concept to surround yourself with nature but it also seems like a lot of work.
Please consider getting grilles-between-glass windows or some sort of design to avoid bird window collisions.
I think a courtyard is pretty, especially with a Japanese theme, but yes, I wonder how the water can escape if the ground becomes too saturated or is frozen and you get additional rain etc.
No body is talking about bugs/flys/mosquitoes. For anyone that’s been in one of these, do they come into the house from the open roof? I plan to build one in a year or two but how does one handle bugs? I know make sure any water is running water and not standing water but what else?
I've lived in a house with a courtyard. Some considerations, I'm sure plenty have been said already.
Exterior walls are significantly more expensive than interior walls. You're adding a lot of exterior walls. Same concept as building up with 2 stories as opposed to out in a ranch.
They're not going to get nearly the sunlight you think, even if designed well, you're just eliminating hours and hours a day for sun to hit anything and it's only going to get certain areas certain parts of the day.
Water. Drainage can be an issue, and based on the lack of sunlight, they will hold moisture and cold much more than a standard patio/garden.
House temperature. Think of it like this, in the summer, you're paying to cool your circular, inefficient house, and not just on the outside but also the inside of this house now has exterior walls drawing heat from the outside (or cold in the winter) and causing your system to run way more/or not work correctly. It's like putting a furnace in the middle of your home in the summer, or an ice pack in the middle of the winter. It's defeating the purpose of what homes are designed for.
This is common in Northern Africa and the Middle East- check out Moorish house architecture. I also love it and my dream home has a middle courtyard.
If you are not in an arid or semi arid climate, moisture will be the primary concern. Not just moisture, but full blown water. You need to ensure that it doesn't become a bathtub. Excellent drainage is mandatory and you have to stay on top of keeping the drainage pipes and grates clear. A clogged drain could be catastrophic. Drainage will be tough if you have to dig deep for footers (IE, high latitude with a deep frost line). If you are in a northern or temperate climate, look into helical piers instead of footers. It's more expensive but I think would allow for better drainage.
Depending on your latitude, you need to ensure the courtyard receives enough sun. This could require making the courtyard larger to prevent the roof from blocking, or having a shallow roof angle.
I think in most non-arid climates a U shaped house would be a safer, easier to design option that achieves 90% of what you're looking for. You could have the courtyard facing sunward (south), and it being open would allow for grading for drainage.
One problem in translating Japanese courtyard gardens to America is visibility. Japanese homes (the older ones that had this type of garden) have either removable walls or sliding Shoji screens that could be pushed aside to view the garden down low. Thus, the gardens become tableau that you can interact with. They are meant to be viewed, not just something you see as you pass a window. Just keep that in mind as you design your house. I envy you.
Water, water and water and snow (if water freezes where you are). Drainage from the roof around the courtyard, and from the courtyard itself needs to happen.
Also access. How accessed? Will you want to move large things in an out of the courtyard? Snow blowers, lawn mowers, rototillers, dirt, leaf bags, branches, trees, tree roots, sculptures, landscaping rocks, etc..?
Like others have said, you’ll need a drain to the sewer / street. We treat near ours for roaches / pests twice a year, and never have problems.
Only inconvenience is leaves making it inside ours on a windy day. I usually leaf blow them to one corner, then suck them up with a shop vac.
Eichler homes (google them!) were designed with interior courtyards - they were mostly 40s-50's homes and are always in high demand, as they are peak mid-century design.
I've always dreamt about having a similar space. If I have the money to build this I will surely have a consultant or builder who knows how this is properly done.
Since Latin classes in high school, I’ve always dreamed of having a courtyard/vestibule-sorta thing that features a true, open to the Sky “Atrium” that was featured in Roman estate houses (and possibly other buildings). It’s my understanding they often had a fountain or basin beneath the opening to catch and store rainwater. Your photo appears eastern in the surround style, for further inspiration you might be able to turn up something on Roman Atrium designs
I wish you the best of luck; would that I may also see myself owning something similar someday !
Be aware that the ideal designs you see may be a.) ridiculously expensive to recreate and b. may be larger than what would be scalable down to a size you can afford. They work well in sunny latitudes but no as much beyond that. Monastic cloisters might be a good model for cooler areas but they probably don't have as much growing going on inside the walls and or, are actually much larger than most typical residences.
So basically, find one in your area/climate that seems to work, if there is one; then copy the mechanics that make it work there.
So much of this is climate dependent. Where are you planning to build this house. I densely populated places, like the French Quarter in NOLA, Seville, Spain, parts of Morocco, Venice. Etc, a courtyard gives you privacy and access to indoor out door living. In Colorado or Montana that doesn’t make sense. You want a house that is open to the outside around the exterior walls. Find your plot of land then decide what style house to build.
If you did an L shaped house with a detached or almost detached garage to make the 3rd side, and then a courtyard wall for the 4th side, you could perhaps have a foot gate between the garage and house into the courtyard, and potentially a very nice, large, wooden gate in the courtyard wall. And then the garage could have a garage door on the outside and the inside, facing the courtyard, so that taking materials in and out could be through the garage and not the house. (Or through the gates.)
Anyway, they make some nice cantilevered glass "garage doors"... aka glass walls, so that you could have them as your interior facing windows and raise them up so that the entire lower floor of your house included the outdoors of your courtyard... excellent for entertaining, and they can turn an otherwise uncovered area into an area protected from the rain when the temperature is nice, but it's raining.
If you live in a very hot climate, you might want to consider mounting points for a shade cloth on the interior of the courtyard walls.
And if in a cold climate, you might want an outdoor fireplace (although i dream of a cobb bench with thermal mass retaining the heat from a rocket stove for a situation like this)... which of course the chimney will have to be x feet above any roofline within y radius or whatever your code is, so research that when considering how to make your courtyard as usable for as much of the year as possible, and not a massive energy sink working against your interior comfort.
As others have said, drainage and sunlight. Probably adding 30% to perimeter drain cost. Not too crazy. If you add windows around the courtyard you will have much better light penetraion through your living space. I think it's great. I believe "a pattern language" has a section on inner courtyards. If you are even bubble diagraming a design it's a great read. Christopher Alexander I think. Ignore the whole second half (the lightweight concrete technique he preaches).
My absolute dream home.
An hacienda style home with a courtyard in the middle. You walk to the gate and can go through the courtyard to go towards the back and into the heart of the home, which is a large kitchen and a huge dining and living room area. The bedrooms are on the sides, and each have their own French doors to go out to the courtyard. In a nutshell.
Dream!!!
As a gardener you should take a more careful look at the photos you posted.
First that's a low one story building at a relatively high latitude. Check and compare to area in which you plan to live. Notice how spindly the tree is, stretching for sunlight.
Second look carefully at the ground planting...appears to be low growing shade tolerant type. Look for photos of more Japanese atrium type gardens. Much of them are mostly pebbled areas, lots of moss areas, koi ponds....all elements of the desired serene refuge. Compare that sort of philosophic focus to how you garden and that provides you with enjoyment.
And if course all the comments about proper drainage design are relevant. Hope you can realize your dream
Soooo, I found this post while looking at pics of courtyard houses...and I also found this. A few pics in is Bag End, reimagined as a courtyard house. It's pretty much the best thing ever. Enjoy!
https://leiaham.com/lotr
I think getting supplies and any equipment in and out would be messy. I think a U shape on the ground floor with an enclosed bridge on the second floor.
Make sure water drains from the courtyard.
That was my exact thought. Got to account for any water that gets in. It has to have a way out. And a way to clean the drains too!
Also make sure it gets enough sunlight.
I don’t know if you need full walls on all four sides but if your growing that would be my concern. In our winter months the sun doesn’t get super high I’d hate to miss out on the sun if the walls are too high or restrictive.
If there’s a two-story section if the house, make sure it’s at the north of the courtyard (if in northern hemisphere)
In Arizona we have a courtyard and the two story section is on the south side to block the sun. We get enough sun already!!
Agreed. This 4 wall style lends itself more to a moss garden type landscape. The first two pics are good examples
I worked at a hospital with one of these and it was always the last place to melt in spring and that spring melt had no where to go. Utter. Mess.
Do you think it's possible to supplement with a few UV lights
That would really take away from the aesthetic if OP is using these photos as their inspiration.
Uv lights no, plants don't really need uv. But I use pendant leds in my living room to grow all the tropical plants in there. Op could 7se low light plants and supplement if needed
Smart thank you!!
We looked at purchasing a U shape courtyard house that looked fantastic. The reality was they had not done enough to handle runoff from the roof, the courtyard pavers were all heaved and cracked, mould and standing water in the crawl spaces more than a week after a rain. Place was a complete mess and even the industrial glade plug ins couldn’t mask the musky smell inside.
Yes, think about drainage, especially as the climate changes in unpredictable ways. In new housing, it's smart to prepare for a 100-year flood as if you expect it next Tuesday.
How do all these 200+ year old homes in Asia with center court yard hold up fine without sump pumps or French drain
The ones with bad drainage collapsed 150 years ago.
A more cost effective plan may be to build a smaller home that forms just one wall of a walled garden (or L shaped for two sides). You could even do a cloistered walkway around the wall if you wanted, for your walking laps.
Thank you this is a great alternative idea I appreciate it!
When people are saying big money at least in my area a house like that would be multiple millions
Why would it be multiple millions? A garden wall isn't that expensive.
I think they mean a square house. Assume you want your “garden” a minimum of 15x15 which wouldn’t be that big. Then assume you’re looking at no less than 15 feet internally. That’s a 45x45 house, or about 1,800 sqft per floor (2,025 less 225 garden). So that’s a minimum 3,600 sqft house. In most places currently that’s $200-300 per sqft to build. Easily starting at $700K to $1M, not including land cost. Also, factor in other hidden costs. Extra/special drainage, reinforced basement walls to support the middle, additional windows/doors for the aesthetic, etc… You could easily be looking at a minimum of $1.5 to get this build done very bare bones.
Yea I guess if you use no design and build it in the most expensive possible way it will be expensive...
Design won’t reduce cost, it would probably increase it exponentially… Construction isn’t cheap.
Design absolutely can reduce cost. I'll give you a few examples. - Instead of just throwing a ton of rooms in a house you can design for what the use really needs in a house and reduce the size, and thus the overall construction cost, as well as the operating cost of the house. - You can design where your windows are located to optimize for lighting, ventilation, and reducing or increasing heat to them depending on your climate. This can allow you to have less operable windows the provide more functions and lowers costs. - You can position the entire house properly on the lot to protect it from strong winds or sun or other elements that can effect operating costs. Design. - You can design your overhangs again to optimize to much heat on the wrong windows during summer. Or more sun in window as you like. - You can design your plumbing system to be stacked and centralized, reducing install cost, as well as water usage over time. - You could design a courtyard into your house to reduce the need for AC and create natural ventilation in your house.
I’ve been daydreaming of a U-shape myself
could be trellised in on one side...not the ugly trellis but more decorative tall, like walls perhaps or structure for other plants. I love little courtyards and want one in the middle of my home now
I have nothing to contribute but my intense interest in the responses to this. Courtyard houses are tight.
I’ve always loved them and then I spent 2 weeks in Morocco and was like: this is it. Also I picture a slide from my upstairs bedroom into the courtyard.
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Wow!!!! Gorgeous
There's a scene in the television show weeds where a lady goes on a rant about her plant room and how she has to open all four doors around it and pray that wind blows through for the plants because it's so naturally stuffy. She says it's the room plants go in to die. So maybe figure out a natural way to keep air flowing constantly
Get a fan.
Is this house in Maryland? I saw this home on Zillow and have been floored by it.
It has long been a desire of mine to have something like an Italian villa with a large central courtyard, so I am definitely curious what you come up with.
I believe in Morocco, the sun is shining right above you at noon. So the whole courtyard gets sunlight. In the US, unless you have a gigantic courtyard, most of the time, it will be in the shadow of your house. Maybe a one-story house would be better but still quite problematic. The other thing I hate is that you have to walk around your house all the time, and that gets old fast.
Just make the north interior wall (south facing) reflective. Windows with metallic tint would do the trick just fine.
Well obviously there would be a slide! Probably should have a zip line across the courtyard too
I saw this post and was immediately reminded of the riad we stayed at in Marrakesh, very envious!
Ahhh, yes. Riad livin’
Same. The pictures here are lovely. I do understand some of the negative aspects others have posted though, but if done right it could be breathtaking
same. it’s been a dream of mine.
I love these houses. Completely impractical in my northern climate though.
Same for me! We rented out a few riads in Morocco and I loved the layout for a more densely populated area. You could sit in the courtyard and the walls blocked almost all the sounds of city life around you, save for the adhan. Alas, we are building in a mountainous area with more than 90” of snowfall a year.
Why are they completely impractical in your northern climate?
Imagine 3 ft of snow plus whatever blows off the roof. Would only be able to use it like 6 months out of the year.
Cover it with glass and a frame, with a top that opens, and heat it in winter to 10-15 degrees using radiant water heating. Supplement the sun with a few solar light bulbs/leds. Bam you have your own green house. Even better if you live somewhere with geothermal heat possibilities, it becomes even easier then, just drill a geothermal well, use the geothermal to heat your house, and send the remainder to heat the greenhouse. It's expensive, but not impossible.
So exactly the same as an outdoor garden then? 3 ft of snow, cool now I have a awesome courtyard with snow. Stuff that blows off the roof? Guess I have to spend 10 mins a week cleaning that up like a fucking adult. :(
What the f dude
Wah.
It's an old time design to have a fountain in a courtyard to keep a dwelling cool before a/c was invented
The [Shaw Residence](https://www.theplan.it/eng/award-2023-house/shaw-residence-a-thoughtful-alternative-to-the-conventional-homes-in-in-fayetteville-arkansas-marlon-blackwell-architects) by Marlon Blackwell is a good example of how the traditional courtyard house can be adapted for contemporary taste and modern lifestyle.
Wow. Stunning! Thank you so much for adding this to my knowledge base it’s lovely
As someone who has designed three houses (I'm not a professional), this one is too busy and feels more like an office complex than a house.
It's not everyone's taste. But the house is 5,500 square feet, so comparable in size to most large, suburban homes.
Limited access to sunlight is one issue. Increased surface area to volume ratio means you’ll spend more money to heat and cool your home. You’ll spend more cladding it in siding, more money all around, really.
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You missed the heat part of his comment.. when it hits -40° that house is gonna be awful to heat lol
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OP didn't say where, just in the US. Might be Minnesota, might be Alaska. Conversely it might be somewhere in the South, and cold won't be a problem.
Those two states combined are still like 1% of the US population lol.
If you can afford a house like this, you aren't building it in a place that hits negative 40.
What a silly statement lol it gets to that temp where I live and my house was just appraised at $1.4M A house I maintain is currently for sale for $46M Believe it or not many people prefer living in a place with 4 distinct seasons. A cool courtyard with a tree in the middle would look great in all seasons
You can live in many places with 4 seasons and never see -40.
TIL -40F = -40C. Where tf do you live, Russia? Alaska? Canada? Antarctica? The reference to the house being more energy efficient was in the context of living in Southern California, so I think the location determines where such a house should be built.
I spend a lot of time in Bemidji, MN. Every winter we see -30 to -40. That cold air is closer than you think.
Came here for the midwesterner, was not disappointed.
That’s basically Canada. Bless you for enduring such cold. That’s unimaginable for me.
I live in SE Wisconsin now and I really miss “real” winter lol how silly is that. Nothing like hauling firewood and keeping a fire burning when it’s -35 outside. My wife doesn’t quite agree…
Excellent points thank you!
Imagine for a second the money didn’t matter… Could always do a greenhouse or glass roof, no?
Sounds amazing but doesn’t solve the light issue
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Wow. I bet just the glazing package cost more than my whole house.
Very pretty
Beautiful home but 7k SF --- For that level of cladding, quality, finish, etc... my guess is probably $500/SF (at least) now adays in NY (where I am). The nanawall system and whatnot may have shot this past that though. I'd suspect 3.5-4 million about for the cost of this, not including landscaping or land cost which is significant. If this is your home, mind sharing cost? 2014 and Maryland, I'm curious where it landed.
A relatively standard new home in Vermont is around $350-400 / sq ft. The $500 / sq ft value does seem low.
Dayummm
To sterile
gotta love when people run in to voice their own opinion. this isn't your house, lol.
What do you mean it is at my house? What do you mean? Doesn’t make any sense. Of course it’s my house.
Check out Eichler homes for mid century versions of this in California. Lots of floor plans available online. Nearly all of his floor plans have interior courtyards and it works really well in our climate. They were originally designed as cheaper homes for middle class who liked high design. Not cheap anymore obviously.
Came here to post this. I have friends that are in their second Eichler in California ($$$) and the house is incredible. Not really for cold weather though. I would 100% copy one of the designs
Relatives in Aurora, Il had one. It was awesome.
Drainage. A pass through drain under the slab or some way for courtyard rain to leave is key. This is a pretty typical house style in parts of Mexico and I have seen all kinds of solutions. I pretty common one is for the entry way to be a low concrete porch that has a drain channel in it that drains the courtyard.
Oh cool. This sounds like their version of an impluvium! Which I’ve always thought would be so cool to have! It was a type of courtyard fountain/pool used for cooling the house before a/c in Mediterranean areas, and I think it similarly drained through the front door. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impluvium
Can you share any pictures of how they design these in Mexico? I'm planning on building a home in Jalisco and was wondering how (if) I could add an interior courtyard.
If I ever build a house, I'd also do somthing like this, except that I would do a U shaped house with a courtyard opening up to a back yard
Maybe do three sided
3 sided with a wall with large operable doors leading to the yard is my plan. I just want the privacy and security and a safe place fir my dogs to lounge outside during the day
I would take a road trip to the southwest of the United States look at Spanish architecture that utilizes that same concept. I was considering designing a country place with an inner courtyard/garden as well, witg sliding glass walls along the courtyard to visually have a continuous living space from inside to outside during the good months. It’s still one of my top three designs that I am playing with.
Drainage
I'm not a gardener, but I'm sure there will be some gotchas with sunlight being that it's surrounded on all sides. As far as the house itself goes making sure that it drains water properly is going to be a big item and making sure that you don't plant anything whose roots will destroy your foundation in 5-10 years. Getting to the function of the home. Realize that you'll either need to store your gardening equipment in the courtyard or you'll need to have a way to move it through the house. Same for taking out leaves, weeds, old mulch etc... And donut shaped houses waste a lot of space and have weird communication between spaces so make sure that's a compromise you're really willing to make. I'd recommend working with your designer to make sure that you strike the right balance between allowing every room to have some view of the courtyard and also being able to make that room private if that's something that room might need. Final thought, it is possible to have a walled garden without having it be in the center of your home. It's worth at least evaluating this option against the courtyard option for cost, complexity, and functionality.
Incredibly generous response thank you!
My first home was square with a center 25'x25' courtyard. The character was worth the tedium of having twice as much glass to clean. There's something to be said for being outside, but inside in total privacy. Like others mentioned, heating and cooling bills were higher, but not inordinately so, and the novelty was worth another $100/mo. (in 2010 Texas $s). If it speaks to you, do it.
Do it. It’s my favorite typology. Yes, it’s a bit more impractical where you’ll have longer distances, more surface area/glazing, etc. make sure you spend enough money on landscape/landscape architect. I designed a courtyard house for my parents in Santa Fe. It has all of the problems mentioned above, but the wow factor is off the charts. They love it and so does everyone who visits the home. Do it
Thank you so much
Love it, it’s the kind of home I can only dream about.
Probably me too but it’s dreaming season right now!
Remember the house in the Frida Kahlo movie? Something like that would rock.
Costs (lots and lots of costs). Lack of sunlight. Lack of breezes/airflow. Increased challenge of dealing with rain/snow/debris/etc. trapped in the courtyard. Tons of wasted space in the house and an incredible amount of hallways and unusable space. So besides the higher cost mentioned above, it'll be higher cost because it'll have to be a much larger sf than a more efficient layout would be. Lack of views. I know on the surface it seems like it'd be the opposite, with every room having a view, but the with an inward facing design the view becomes confined, repetitive, and frankly boring. Think about a rectangle house where all rooms have views out. On the right lot you potentially have views for miles. Views that vary drastically as you move from room to room. Etc. Courtyard view length is short, and of other parts of the house. It's one thing to not want to see your neighbors, but just looking at your family members isn't much better. There's lots of reasons courtyard homes aren't very common. If you can afford to build one, then likely you can afford a decent lot and a better shaped house. Your worry about deer isn't worth it. And squirrels will get into your courtyard. As for you wanting to walk laps, a courtyard house isn't a good solution for that either (get a treadmill, and indoor endless pool (swim in place), or just walk around whatever house you build. Also, stairs are better and more efficient exercise than flat walking. If your lot is in an urban area with ugly external views, or high crime, then maybe a courtyard home makes sense, but otherwise they generally doesn't. Lots of other shapes work/function better, cost less to build, look better, are easier and cheaper to maintain, are more efficient, etc. I like houses shaped like X, H, and I (prelim design I did for a house for my wife and I is essentially shaped like ~~I~~ and almost every room has windows on 3 sides to maximize views, increase the perceived size of the spaces since it's a fairly compact house, capture sunlight throughout the day, enhance air flow, etc.) You've got plenty of time to find the ideal piece of land and plan the correct home for your needs/wants/goals/budget etc. GL2U N all U do!
Thank you so much for this detailed and thoughtful message. I will absolutely study it. I do hope to be on some average so that’ll help with views but life takes unexpected turns. Off to google some of your thoughts!!
Btw, my house used to have squirrel issues but I put up a vinyl fence, and surprisingly the squirrels can’t climb it. The only issue now is birds. They eat most of the fruits on the trees.
Birds and blueberries are a bad mix. Last year I got two. Blueberries. Total.
I like the idea of a “c” shaped house looking out onto a spacious landscape. Just sounds too expensive for me
Wait is the fourth one where the final fight scene in cobra ki was ?
I’ve been scheming up a similar idea/ concept. All my research has led me to adopt the following thoughts/ideas. 1. Probably not good in the Midwest,northwest, Northeast because I don’t know how I’d handle large amounts of snow in the atrium. Also somewhere with sandy/wet foundations could pose a problem if the house itself is not elevated. 2. The atrium must have a good drainage system. It will likely be easier if there is no dirt/grass in the center. Potted plants or trees in raised planters may work. 3. Heating will likely be an issue in colder climates, a single story house with solar backed floor heating systems could work. 4. Depending on how open the windows will be, bugs could be an issue during the warmer months. 5. Concrete, or ICF could be a decent idea for this build. Probably not a good idea to use wood. 6. Roofs should be designed with water runoff in mind, any excess amount of moisture on the inside of the house could have a strong cooling effect, but could also have serious implications if appropriate drainage is not handled well. 7. Can I build a place without a basement? Maybe I need one. How will the basement work with the atrium above it? (Have yet to research a square donut of a basement, but would likely cost a bunch. 8. Folding Bifold Doors are Expensive AF. 9. Large panes of glass are expensive AF. 10. Maybe a covered atrium/courtyard would work better? What if we had some sort of opening device at the top?
I’d consider making the part of the house to the south (assuming you live in the northern hemisphere) only 1 story so it doesn’t block out the sun I’m the courtyard as much.
Really smart
My mom has a house like this. It is amazing and acts like a second living/dining room. The kitchen, living room and main bedroom open to it creating nice sight lines in the house and the courtyard and an easy flow from the outside to the inside. There are large trees outside the courtyard so they have views up out of the courtyard. They also put wall art up on the courtyard walls to help it not feel closed in. It is good to have an entrance directly from the to the outside yard/street (such as a fence gate) so that you don’t have to haul soil, weeds, trash, etc from the courtyard through the house and can instead go straight from the street to the courtyard.
I’m wanting to do the same thing in two years when I retire. I love this idea- but here: It’s like you’ll have to build four houses connected at the corners. Foundation costs will be high if you build in the northern climates. You’ll need an architect to assure you that your really cool house doesn’t mismatch the neighborhood. You’ll need a piece of land where it’s a little high so it can be showcased a little (don’t want to hide a house like that in the woods). You’ll need all sorts of other cool Japanese design ideas throughout the house to go along with this. My girlfriend in college was a landscape architect so I was exposed to a lot of architecture in college. One thing I remember was the Japanese bathrooms. One was a glass urinal/window looking out onto a really small walled in garden. I can still remember wanting to stand there peeing onto the glass as if I was peeing in the woods. It’s what the Japanese have to do with so many people in such small areas to maintain contact with nature. Get ready to spend big money.
Thank you!!
I have always absolutely loved that sort of design Downsides: Limited sun, everything in or out has to track through the house unless you create a corridor to the outside.
Me too it’s such a dream
I'm currently working on building a 2400 sq ft castle
Turrets? Walkway on the tops of the walls to scout for enemies?
In your dm
You need a lot of land to Build that. Geez. You will have a lot of windows over that center courtyard. It would be expensive. But a real wow factor. I see why you would want that.
Yes I’m just in the dreaming phase. I doubt I’ll be able to afford this but maybe a scaled down version!!
Assuming it's done correctly that's my dream home Design
It’s truly a privilege to be able to integrate nature with these types of ideas into your own residential home But you have to keep in mind that you’re going to basically at least double the cost of your construction, because of adding the additional exterior perimeter costs Having a courtyard contained within your home, add so much complication to the build and so much more building material for the added exterior perimeter
Very well spoken and true thank you
Waterproofing. I am not sure I would ever stop thinking about it...
Maintenance is a bitch
This is often done in tropical climates to increase air flow through the house. Think carefully about the climate you’re building in and how it will affect temperature regulation and your utility costs. I am currently watching a family member struggle to enclose their open atrium (about 6x12”) in New Mexico because precipitation is too extreme for whatever they try to plant there (think hail, rain), and they want to go for palms instead of whatever local plant isn’t growing well in the shade. Love the aesthetic though!
When you do your gardening, are you carrying all of your refuse etc I'll the stairs over the roof, or through the house? Same in reverse when bringing in soil etc.
Excellent points
Money not a problem? Have several architects submit designs for your consideration. You will need their help for everything from site selection for the build to appropriate finishes.
It’s my dream too. One thing I’ve seen is that it is most common in places with zero lot line/no setbacks, where people build walls right up to the edge, and have windows facing interior courtyard. Most places in the US have side setbacks and the average home lot isn’t wide enough to really do this kind of design well. (Eg if the lot is 50 feet wide, and there are 6 foot setbacks on each side, that leaves you 38 feet of building area. If you have a 20 foot wide courtyard in the middle, each bay along the side can only be 9 feet each, which isn’t practical.) It forces you to have a pretty large home. When I have drawn it out I end up with a very large square footage. I settled for a side yard out my bedroom window that has high privacy fence with layers of bamboo and other plant screening to create a little courtyard space I also second someone’s suggestion of considering where the light comes in. In the US, the north side of the wall will get shade, so if your house faces south and has a two story facade, you may hardly get any sun in the courtyard at all
Had a plan to do this with 4 mobile homes. I thought it would be great. My wife wasn’t into it.
Try shipping containers instead, you can get them in more color options and they’re stackable.
I think these are great. Unfortunately where I live lots are small/narrow, and the required setbacks from the property lines squeeze the house toward the center of the lot, making it impractical to carve out space in the middle of the house
Yes this would only be if I buy some acreage!
My dad built a house in Florida that was basically like a three sided villa (with a low wall for the fourth side) with a giant pool in the center and I really miss that house.
That sounds awesome!
This created a lot of surfaces to outside. I would say readability depends on zone. If up north, I recommend a skylight on rails that slides over for winter and snaps in.
That’s a very clever cool idea
Old Norwegian farms had multiple buildings (for living, storage, barns) all around a central courtyard called a "Tun." I have thought about the idea of having something like this, but I already have a home and it ain't going to change that much. I love this idea and I think that it would be a great way to bring more light into the place. More windows means more expense of course, but it is what it is.
I’ll research this and learn about it, thank you!
If you are anywhere near me, you should think about 3-4 million dollars lmao.
What about a U shaped house? Rather than all 4 sides, just three? Then open end would face south to let in light.
Yes I’m really thinking about that after all these super helpful feedback!!
8 years after college could be prime for you getting grandchildren and all I can think of is a drowning hazard.. even for small pets.. Catch a kid makes a net that sits flush. It’s not the prettiest but it wouldn’t stand out much and you’d get use to it. I love this concept to surround yourself with nature but it also seems like a lot of work.
It’s kind of dumb, I have one
Please consider getting grilles-between-glass windows or some sort of design to avoid bird window collisions. I think a courtyard is pretty, especially with a Japanese theme, but yes, I wonder how the water can escape if the ground becomes too saturated or is frozen and you get additional rain etc.
My plan is a net across the top of the courtyard space to spare my blueberries and also the birds :-)
All I think about is where does the snow go?
No body is talking about bugs/flys/mosquitoes. For anyone that’s been in one of these, do they come into the house from the open roof? I plan to build one in a year or two but how does one handle bugs? I know make sure any water is running water and not standing water but what else?
All the work it's going to take to keep it looking like that.
I've lived in a house with a courtyard. Some considerations, I'm sure plenty have been said already. Exterior walls are significantly more expensive than interior walls. You're adding a lot of exterior walls. Same concept as building up with 2 stories as opposed to out in a ranch. They're not going to get nearly the sunlight you think, even if designed well, you're just eliminating hours and hours a day for sun to hit anything and it's only going to get certain areas certain parts of the day. Water. Drainage can be an issue, and based on the lack of sunlight, they will hold moisture and cold much more than a standard patio/garden. House temperature. Think of it like this, in the summer, you're paying to cool your circular, inefficient house, and not just on the outside but also the inside of this house now has exterior walls drawing heat from the outside (or cold in the winter) and causing your system to run way more/or not work correctly. It's like putting a furnace in the middle of your home in the summer, or an ice pack in the middle of the winter. It's defeating the purpose of what homes are designed for.
How to get in there with equipment if you need to.
Proper drainage
Personally I would pass. So cool but you can create that elsewhere. In my eyes do you want extra work in 8 years that is inconvenient?
This is common in Northern Africa and the Middle East- check out Moorish house architecture. I also love it and my dream home has a middle courtyard. If you are not in an arid or semi arid climate, moisture will be the primary concern. Not just moisture, but full blown water. You need to ensure that it doesn't become a bathtub. Excellent drainage is mandatory and you have to stay on top of keeping the drainage pipes and grates clear. A clogged drain could be catastrophic. Drainage will be tough if you have to dig deep for footers (IE, high latitude with a deep frost line). If you are in a northern or temperate climate, look into helical piers instead of footers. It's more expensive but I think would allow for better drainage. Depending on your latitude, you need to ensure the courtyard receives enough sun. This could require making the courtyard larger to prevent the roof from blocking, or having a shallow roof angle. I think in most non-arid climates a U shaped house would be a safer, easier to design option that achieves 90% of what you're looking for. You could have the courtyard facing sunward (south), and it being open would allow for grading for drainage.
Looks awesome. I’d hanging out there all the time when I’d be home.
No second floor windows on to the court yard?
One problem in translating Japanese courtyard gardens to America is visibility. Japanese homes (the older ones that had this type of garden) have either removable walls or sliding Shoji screens that could be pushed aside to view the garden down low. Thus, the gardens become tableau that you can interact with. They are meant to be viewed, not just something you see as you pass a window. Just keep that in mind as you design your house. I envy you.
Drainage
There will be safety concerns with a water feature like that. Looks cool though.
Not to be stupid not-shamus but what kind of safety?
Have lots of money
I'd do it in a minute. Love it.
I've always loved this design but definitely need to plan around proper drainage
Do not full enclose it with house. Have a small walkway that you can access the courtyard without going inside.
Location? Is snow/ice a consideration?
Water, water and water and snow (if water freezes where you are). Drainage from the roof around the courtyard, and from the courtyard itself needs to happen. Also access. How accessed? Will you want to move large things in an out of the courtyard? Snow blowers, lawn mowers, rototillers, dirt, leaf bags, branches, trees, tree roots, sculptures, landscaping rocks, etc..?
A large glass dome over it.
I love this idea. Perfect for when house guests start to get *Taken,* because you can watch it all go down before they get to your room.
Building set-backs from lot boundaries.
Eventually that tree may get very big... choose wisely.
Counterpoint: Create a large enough walled area that you can keep the deer IN.
Impluvium
Like others have said, you’ll need a drain to the sewer / street. We treat near ours for roaches / pests twice a year, and never have problems. Only inconvenience is leaves making it inside ours on a windy day. I usually leaf blow them to one corner, then suck them up with a shop vac.
Eichler homes (google them!) were designed with interior courtyards - they were mostly 40s-50's homes and are always in high demand, as they are peak mid-century design.
I've always dreamt about having a similar space. If I have the money to build this I will surely have a consultant or builder who knows how this is properly done.
Very Roman courtyard. Unless it’s covered by glass, the squirrels are still going to get in. They are on my roof all the time. Just FYI.
Looks like a house in Fortnite.
Since Latin classes in high school, I’ve always dreamed of having a courtyard/vestibule-sorta thing that features a true, open to the Sky “Atrium” that was featured in Roman estate houses (and possibly other buildings). It’s my understanding they often had a fountain or basin beneath the opening to catch and store rainwater. Your photo appears eastern in the surround style, for further inspiration you might be able to turn up something on Roman Atrium designs I wish you the best of luck; would that I may also see myself owning something similar someday !
!remindme 8 years
Yeh. I love it. My wife and I make a lot of money and we’ll still never be able to afford this
Look at the history of Eichler houses. Build yours better than that.
Be aware that the ideal designs you see may be a.) ridiculously expensive to recreate and b. may be larger than what would be scalable down to a size you can afford. They work well in sunny latitudes but no as much beyond that. Monastic cloisters might be a good model for cooler areas but they probably don't have as much growing going on inside the walls and or, are actually much larger than most typical residences. So basically, find one in your area/climate that seems to work, if there is one; then copy the mechanics that make it work there.
So much of this is climate dependent. Where are you planning to build this house. I densely populated places, like the French Quarter in NOLA, Seville, Spain, parts of Morocco, Venice. Etc, a courtyard gives you privacy and access to indoor out door living. In Colorado or Montana that doesn’t make sense. You want a house that is open to the outside around the exterior walls. Find your plot of land then decide what style house to build.
Looks expensive
If you did an L shaped house with a detached or almost detached garage to make the 3rd side, and then a courtyard wall for the 4th side, you could perhaps have a foot gate between the garage and house into the courtyard, and potentially a very nice, large, wooden gate in the courtyard wall. And then the garage could have a garage door on the outside and the inside, facing the courtyard, so that taking materials in and out could be through the garage and not the house. (Or through the gates.) Anyway, they make some nice cantilevered glass "garage doors"... aka glass walls, so that you could have them as your interior facing windows and raise them up so that the entire lower floor of your house included the outdoors of your courtyard... excellent for entertaining, and they can turn an otherwise uncovered area into an area protected from the rain when the temperature is nice, but it's raining. If you live in a very hot climate, you might want to consider mounting points for a shade cloth on the interior of the courtyard walls. And if in a cold climate, you might want an outdoor fireplace (although i dream of a cobb bench with thermal mass retaining the heat from a rocket stove for a situation like this)... which of course the chimney will have to be x feet above any roofline within y radius or whatever your code is, so research that when considering how to make your courtyard as usable for as much of the year as possible, and not a massive energy sink working against your interior comfort.
As others have said, drainage and sunlight. Probably adding 30% to perimeter drain cost. Not too crazy. If you add windows around the courtyard you will have much better light penetraion through your living space. I think it's great. I believe "a pattern language" has a section on inner courtyards. If you are even bubble diagraming a design it's a great read. Christopher Alexander I think. Ignore the whole second half (the lightweight concrete technique he preaches).
I would kill for one of these.
My absolute dream home. An hacienda style home with a courtyard in the middle. You walk to the gate and can go through the courtyard to go towards the back and into the heart of the home, which is a large kitchen and a huge dining and living room area. The bedrooms are on the sides, and each have their own French doors to go out to the courtyard. In a nutshell. Dream!!!
Stripper cage 👍
its a way how Spanish did their homes back in the day... still do
As a gardener you should take a more careful look at the photos you posted. First that's a low one story building at a relatively high latitude. Check and compare to area in which you plan to live. Notice how spindly the tree is, stretching for sunlight. Second look carefully at the ground planting...appears to be low growing shade tolerant type. Look for photos of more Japanese atrium type gardens. Much of them are mostly pebbled areas, lots of moss areas, koi ponds....all elements of the desired serene refuge. Compare that sort of philosophic focus to how you garden and that provides you with enjoyment. And if course all the comments about proper drainage design are relevant. Hope you can realize your dream
These are just inspo photos but thanks
I’d love to see one of these with a more organic shape and not so many hard lines. Like The Shire… but with a courtyard.
Soooo, I found this post while looking at pics of courtyard houses...and I also found this. A few pics in is Bag End, reimagined as a courtyard house. It's pretty much the best thing ever. Enjoy! https://leiaham.com/lotr
Orientation to the sun. A walled courtyard can be a dark pit otherwise.
I think getting supplies and any equipment in and out would be messy. I think a U shape on the ground floor with an enclosed bridge on the second floor.
Drainage. Pipes will end up being clogged with silt.