Local architects are volunteering their expertise to help the city of West Des Moines maintain the character of older homes that meet a need for affordable housing in the community.

The Central Iowa Architects Council is partnering with the city to create a pattern book that will serve as a reference guide for residents who want to expand or update their older homes. The book will include design guidelines for common additions and improvement projects in an attempt to create consistency with the new construction in the older neighborhoods, according to Clyde Evans, West Des Moines’ director of community development.

“We have heard a lot a different folks saying that they are looking to add on to their house, but they don’t want to just slap an addition on,” Evans said. “They want to be sensitive to the period (when) the house was built.”

The project is part of a community service program sponsored by the American Institute of Architects in conjunction with its 150th anniversary this year. The AIA challenged its local chapters to identify issues in their communities that architects could address.

Linda Schemmel, an associate planner for the city of West Des Moines and a member of the Central Iowa chapter of the AIA, applied for a grant for this project and received $10,000 from the AIA.

Schemmel and the city have identified three neighborhoods that could benefit from a guidebook such as this. The neighborhoods are from Ashworth Road to Railroad Avenue between First and 19th streets, north of Ashworth from 12th Street to Valley West Drive, and from Valley West Drive to 19th Street south of Ashworth.

Most of the homes in these areas were built between the 1920s and 1970s.

In creating the pattern book, members of the Central Iowa Architects Council will meet with residents of the target neighborhoods later this month and early next month to make a list of the most common items on the homeowners’ wish lists, such as bigger garages, more living room space, bigger master bedrooms, etc.

“We want to find out what people are struggling with so we can target the book to realistic projects,” Schemmel said.

Schemmel said the increased activity in home remodeling in the older parts of the city is driven by the high demand for affordable housing for young families in these “pedestrian-friendly” neighborhoods, which are close to schools, parks and services. But once people move into these homes, they may find that the story-and-a-half and bungalow-style homes do not fit their lifestyles, so they make updates. Many of these homeowners do not have the resources for professional design assistance.

“Architecture defines the character of the neighborhood,” Schemmel said. “As time goes on and people do updates, sometimes the character gets lost. These neighborhoods are still in good shape, and the city hopes that by offering help, they will stay as healthy communities rather than deteriorate.”

Maintaining the character of the neighborhoods should encourage additional investment in the area and result in increased property values, Schemmel said. She is expecting the project to generate more interest in infill development on vacant lots, so the pattern book will include designs for new homes as well.

Schemmel is excited about the project because it not only will help the city with its goal of maintaining a good supply of affordable housing, but also promote stability in these neighborhoods.

“If we can keep these neighborhoods healthy, it prevents fringe development by allowing whatever pressure there is for housing to be satisfied closer to the inner part of the city,” Schemmel said. “It’s a good use of the infrastructure that is already in place.”

The pattern book is expected to be completed at the end of this year. Copies will be available from the city of West Des Moines and on the city’s Web site.