Designing Homes for Pet Owners
An interesting trend in modern housing is the designing of homes and spaces to accommodate pets, perhaps because people see their animal companions as family members. While this trend does not have any legal implications, it can make certain family situations – such as dog custody after a separation – easier to resolve. Separation regarding dog custody should not influence design decisions, but residences that acknowledge this possibility can simplify the situation.
Maybe you and your family will always live together forever, maybe not. Either way, having a residence that caters to pets could be useful now or in the future. As such, professional architectural design should always consider the implications of dog ownership on a home. Even if this means you use custom elements to avoid problems later down the road.
Sure, there are some legal issues regarding dogs, but those generally come in to play when dogs are deemed dangerous, destructive or if there are issues of ownership. Even then, most people have the issues resolved amicably so legal dog custody is more rare. The more common situation that architecture can help with is the potential for conflict later on regarding who has which spaces.
If you live in the same house with a dog, then it’s easier to deal with feeding the dog, taking it out and so on. But if you and your spouse or partner split, the pet’s living arrangements might not be mutually agreeable. Who keeps the pet? Who takes care of it? How will split time, visitation or cohabitation be worked out?
One solution that architects love to use is what’s known as bespoke design. There’s nothing wrong with using pre-fab parts in your buildings, but sometimes that’s not enough. With bespoke design, you can give your architect the specifications for the home you want to design and they will help make it happen. This includes the ideal spaces for pets.
As examples, consider a few residential spaces that incorporated this kind of design with seemingly perfect results.
The short version of this one is “Go big or go home.” If you are a dog owner wanting the ultimate in pet-friendly housing, these owners spared no expense, building a 14,000 square-foot home in the Catskills that includes a separate suite for their three Irish Wolfhounds.
If you have cats, gloriously high ceilings and a second floor kitchen area that features two skylights might be just what you need to keep them happy.
Known for being an innovative designer with an eye for detail, architect John Friedman, AIA designed this home around his client’s plans for a chicken coop. The coop is visible through a glass wall in the kitchen.
With the right approach, your architect will incorporate the necessary components to meet your current needs. However, in case the situation changes, they will design various solutions into your home. A bedroom with private bath for you, perhaps, and a separate room that can be perceived as a den now and a child’s room later. You can also subtly weed out materials that might be less than pet-friendly.
Modern architects utilize a variety of materials, and many are pet-friendly, such as the following:
- Durable flooring options
- Stain-resistant fabrics
- Non-toxic paints
As you may have guessed, not all materials are equal. Some are more energy efficient than others, and in today’s world, that is a priority too.
This is more relevant to the design of shared space than dedicated pet space. For example, in a multi-family unit where each floor contains a different apartment, your residence may be above a neighbor’s unit. All of these factors influence which materials your architect selects.
Open plans are a popular feature in contemporary design, and they help pets and family members interact. For example, with a catio, your feline can be outside while still being in the house.
With advanced technology like this, you can still get the benefit of bright, cozy spaces. Generally, the same old principles of design apply, but technology has enabled a wealth of new options.
In fact, archives show that some architects even offered details on which parts of buildings are most at risk of infestation.
All that said, consider things like the following:
The point goes beyond dog custody to all kinds of coinhabitations, even if you don’t have to worry about legally shared pets.
If you look at the shared space custodial framework of the 2017 Dirty Dancing remake (as at 5:20 in Voice), it can work for families as well. The only issue with dogs is who has them. Whether one unit gets the dog or whether both utilize a communal dog room on the ground floor.
When it comes to innovative design, nobody offers a service like the one you’ll receive from Michael Fitzpatrick Architects. We handle everything from architectural plans to documents, design for construction and working drawings. In addition, we coordinate with engineers, getting information on the foundations, framing and other important structures in your new home. To learn more about dog custody laws and who gets the pet, contact us today.