Ideal Fraternity/Sorority House?

[jwsteele]

There's been a lot of discussion in the "Post Pictures" thread along with discussions in my own fraternity about building a new house so I thought it would be cool to see what your dream house for your chapter would be.

Mine would be an old fashioned Tudor style house with a huge front lawn. On the first floor there would be a formal living room with a "gentlemen's club" type feel (dark wood panelling, leather couches & chairs), a big dining room, a television room with tons of sports paraphenalia, couches and a huge entertainment center, a pantry like kitchen fully stocked with random snacks and a soda fountain, a study room fashioned like an in-house library (once again dark wood and bookshelves) and then an area in the back with grungier furniture and carpets that would be a place to party without ruining the front rooms.

There would be bedrooms on the second and third floors and they would be mostly doube rooms with a single for the president and maybe some huge triples on the third floor. There would be a second, upstairs "party lounge" on the second floor and a study room on the third floor. Both floors would have bathrooms and a laundry closet.

The chapter room would be formal and decorated with fraternity crests and paraphenalia and would be hidden somewhere in the house with a secret location so others couldn't find it.

There would also be a basement with a TV area and a weight room/gym.

The backyard would have something fun like a sand volleyball court or a basketball court. There would be a large parking lot, a patio with chairs for grilling and a lot of grass to play sports.

The house would sleep about 40 (my chapter is about 80 men strong and we'll probably be at 90-95 by next fall) which would allow pretty much everybody who wants to live in the chance but nobody would be forced to live in.

What about you guys?

[BigRedBeta]

Originally Posted by jwsteele

There's been a lot of discussion in the "Post Pictures" thread along with discussions in my own fraternity about building a new house so I thought it would be cool to see what your dream house for your chapter would be.

Mine would be an old fashioned Tudor style house with a huge front lawn. On the first floor there would be a formal living room with a "gentlemen's club" type feel (dark wood panelling, leather couches & chairs), a big dining room, a television room with tons of sports paraphenalia, couches and a huge entertainment center, a pantry like kitchen fully stocked with random snacks and a soda fountain, a study room fashioned like an in-house library (once again dark wood and bookshelves) and then an area in the back with grungier furniture and carpets that would be a place to party without ruining the front rooms.

There would be bedrooms on the second and third floors and they would be mostly doube rooms with a single for the president and maybe some huge triples on the third floor. There would be a second, upstairs "party lounge" on the second floor and a study room on the third floor. Both floors would have bathrooms and a laundry closet.

The chapter room would be formal and decorated with fraternity crests and paraphenalia and would be hidden somewhere in the house with a secret location so others couldn't find it.

There would also be a basement with a TV area and a weight room/gym.

The backyard would have something fun like a sand volleyball court or a basketball court. There would be a large parking lot, a patio with chairs for grilling and a lot of grass to play sports.

The house would sleep about 40 (my chapter is about 80 men strong and we'll probably be at 90-95 by next fall) which would allow pretty much everybody who wants to live in the chance but nobody would be forced to live in.

What about you guys?

Sounds about perfect, though I'd stay away from tudor - just personal preference, and I think a stately brick house in a Jeffersonian style (columns and the like) would be a better fit on the campus of my alma mater. Also, at least at my chapter of about 85 guys, we'd need closer to 65 spots simply because most everyone wants to live in the chapter house as long as possible. We rarely have problems filling b/c our freshmen live in.

[AOIIalum]

My ideal chapter house? This is coming from a former Corp President and an alumna, so here goes:

One which is centrally located to the other sororities on campus with ample parking, in good repair inside and out, attractive and appropriate decor, guest mini-suite (use for official visitors, sisters spending the night, resident "sick room" or temporary storage when not in other use), and an updated House Director apartment to allow her plenty of space to work and live with some privacy. Formal and informal living space, a formal dining room which could also work as a multi-purpose room, house kitchen with a separate resident pantry and kitchenette (for when the house kitchen is closed). Since I'm coming from a sorority mindset, add in a breathtaking staircase from the 2nd level into the entry hall. High-speed internet throughout.

As for the residential areas, my ideal would be to have competitive residential facilities (meaning style and number of resident bedrooms, bathrooms, showers, etc.) as well as state of the art computer and study rooms. It would be nice to have a small all-purpose room with a large closet (for luggage, winter coats, etc) on each resident floor as well. For the chapter: a large all-purpose meeting space, a smaller officer's work space, a dedicated "arts and crafts" room where posters, banners, recruitment props, etc. are to be made without members having to worry about paint spills or creative accidents in other parts of the house, member mailboxes, an informal room, a dedicated rec or workout room, and finally more storage space!

[SWTXBelle]

My dream would be to purchase the old Soldiers and Sailors Hospital on Belvin Street in San Marcos. Back in the day it was the Pike house (actually you can read about it in Weird Texas) but it was a wreck when they had it, and is abandoned and forlorn now.
It is in a historical district, and has a MASSIVE front lawn. I'd love to be able to restore all 3 (or is it 4) stories. Make the first floor meeting space, media room, study, formal living room for guests, kitchen and dining, and housemother's quarters.And yes, make sure to have an impressive staircase - coming down from the very top floor!
Second floor - guest suite and suites - single rooms (hey, there is tons of room!) sharing a bath.
Third floor - more rooms - and storage, storage, storage!
I'd have a parking garage tucked behind the building - and a garden area.
This would all take only a bizillion dollars. Oh - and my chapter coming back.
A girl can dream . . .

[banditone]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

My dream would be to purchase the old Soldiers and Sailors Hospital on Belvin Street in San Marcos. Back in the day it was the Pike house (actually you can read about it in Weird Texas) but it was a wreck when they had it, and is abandoned and forlorn now.
It is in a historical district, and has a MASSIVE front lawn. I'd love to be able to restore all 3 (or is it 4) stories. Make the first floor meeting space, media room, study, formal living room for guests, kitchen and dining, and housemother's quarters.And yes, make sure to have an impressive staircase - coming down from the very top floor!
Second floor - guest suite and suites - single rooms (hey, there is tons of room!) sharing a bath.
Third floor - more rooms - and storage, storage, storage!
I'd have a parking garage tucked behind the building - and a garden area.
This would all take only a bizillion dollars. Oh - and my chapter coming back.
A girl can dream . . .

Pics for SWTX - this is the only pic I could find of that building:

[macallan25]

Our house is pretty much what my ideal house would be. We are very fortunate to have it.

[SWTXBelle]

banditone, you are my hero. How cool is that building???