Could I bild a modern house, in the style of an ancient Roman villa? How much would such a house cot to construct-would it be comfortable? I like the idea of the atrium, but having it open to the sky would not be a good idea in New England. However, the Romans adapted to the limate of Britain-presumably they wrked out OK. Any ideas?
The climate in Britain is much milder than the climate in New England. Here’s a comparison of the average weather conditions in Boston and London.
The Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades is a faithful reproduction of the Villa dei Papiri in Pompeii. It’s recent renovation cost $275 million. Pacific Palisades is a Mediterranean climate, so it’d be tolerable, if a bit chilly during the winter. I’d toss a little bit of the $275 million into modern upgrades, with flush toilets and modern kitchen appliances.
I have worked in several homes in the Atlanta area built in the style of roman villas. I installed a large skylight in the atrium of one. Another one had exterior grade doors that opened onto a courtyard with pool in it.
$275 million seems a bit high – unless you’re talking about building it out of marble.
But really, ‘How much would it cost to build a Roman-style villa?’ is the same as asking, ‘How much does it cost to build a house?’ It depends on the location, the materials used to build it, how big it is, and so on.
Here’s a sample floor plan of a villa. Do you want something that looks like a villa? Or do you want something *styled after one? If the latter, you could use modern materials and building methods to create something in the spirit of a villa. In the French Quarter of New Orleans there are houses along similar lines. For example, there might be a shop in front with an open courtyard in the back and living quarters upstairs.
You ain’t gonna like the bedrooms, I’m warning you.
I’ve always wanted a Villa style house as well. I think you could do the open atrium as long as you heated the ground. Expensive, but it can be done. Or just not used it in the winter, which is what we do anyway with our decks/patios/etc.
Heating it might be expensive as well. Seems like a big block of a house would retain heat better.