Saturday, December 26, 2009
Kitchen Renovation
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Garage Conversion
In many homes the garage takes up some of the most valuable real estate on the property. Often the garage is the first thing you see when you drive up and it is connected right into the heart of the house just off the kitchen. That may make sense in some cases, but just as often the garage (if you could see through the walls) has the best views on the property and blocks the view from the rest of the house.
When we are asked to add a family room or another large space to any home the first place I look is the existing garage. In most cases, a garage conversion will cost less than building a new structure since the walls, roof, and foundation are already in place. That is not to say that there are no challenges. If we need to include plumbing in the new space (as in a master bedroom suite) we must find a way to connect the waste line to the existing septic outlet. Luckily, by code there must be a change in level between the garage and the house. That usually gives us room to add ‘sleepers’ (2x6’s or larger boards) to the concrete floor as a nailing surface for the finished floor. That gives us room for pipes, heat ducts, wires etc.
If you still need a garage, luckily one of the least expensive structures to build is a garage. It is rare that we cannot find a better location for a new garage to take the place of the one that has become a living room, family room or bedroom suite. Sometimes the best solution is to have a freestanding carriage house design with a connector to the main house.
The next time you drive up to a garage, think about how great it would look transformed into a new family room, master suite or living room.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Basement Gym
Basements can be dark, windowless caverns that are only visited when the boiler is acting up or a box needs storing. They can also be a treasure trove of underutilized inexpensive space for creative homeowners.
While we have utilized those areas in many ways for our clients, few conversions are as well suited for the basement as a home gym. Some of the best reasons to use that subsurface space are obvious including the fact that it is basically free raw space.
Others include:
1. It is close-just a short walk down from the first floor.
2. Easy to sound proof-at least two walls can be 10 inch thick concrete (foundations).
3. Basements are inexpensive to heat and cool-even in the steamiest summer they remain comfortable.
A home gym does not necessarily need a lot of space, but it needs to be laid out efficiently to accommodate the users and their equipment. Lighting is important since most basement windows are small or within a recessed area (unless the basement is a ‘walk out’). By mirroring the workout space, like a commercial gym, not only can the users work on perfect form, a greater sense of volume can be achieved.
The optimum basement gym can include a bathroom with shower, changing room and sauna or steam room, but often we simply provide a large well-lit, comfortable space. If a bathroom is included in the design, the location of the septic outlet will determine if a pump is required.
After a good workout, it might be time to think of the many other uses for a basement including a home theater, wine cellar, or recreation room.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Contractors
It is common to hear horror stories at cocktail parties about the construction project that has gone wrong. While I would not deny that these catastrophes do happen, my experiences could not be more different. I have been involved with countless construction projects and nine hundred and ninety nine out of a thousand projects have been a success because there was a dedicated construction company running the job. Interestingly enough we have had great success with both very small construction companies as well as large ones. About half of our projects use fixed bid contracts and half of our clients prefer using a construction manager. Again, we have had great outcomes either way.
Contractors have an almost impossible job as the nexus between the architect, the owner, craftspeople and suppliers. They must balance high quality, cost, and usually a tight schedule while at the same time dealing with forces beyond their control which impact the job such as weather, design changes, and basic human interaction.
Occasionally we do require contractors to redo a part of a project that was built incorrectly. Most often the contractor is on top of the issue before we even have a chance to know there was a problem.
Mistakes and oversights happen with all human endeavors. The contractors I work with are quick to fix any problems better than new and have been known to return to their projects years later to make minor adjustments and become personal friends with the people whose homes they have built.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Cutting Costs on Construction Projects -5 Ways to Stretch Your Construction Dollars
1. Keep it simple: Generally the simpler the overall details and structure of a home, the less expensive it is to build-the exception are extremely precise modern details.
2. Consider cost effective materials both on the exterior and interior of the home. There can be a $20/square foot or more difference between higher priced flooring materials and lower priced choices. The same is true of exterior materials. Before making those choices be aware of the trade offs, sometimes they are minimal.
3. Keep built-in cabinetry to a minimum. In the long run those elements can be added, but in the short run they are expensive. You may need to buy more furniture to take the place of cabinetry.
4. Explore the trade-offs of lower priced windows and doors. For exterior doors and windows the savings may not always justify the change. Make certain that the alternatives are durable, attractive, and energy efficient before making those changes.
5. Review choices for the mechanical system. There are many ways to heat and cool a home. Not all systems are designed equal, but the cost differential between the most expensive and the least expensive is substantial.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
FineHome Source
Once again we had a beautiful day, a great crowd of interested visitors, and a tent full of enthusiastic professionals showing their work. This year like last, kids had a blast painting birdhouses while their parents learned the details of geothermal heating and cooling, solar hot water heating and how a Windsor chair is made by hand(I bought two of those).
It is hard to describe the synergy created by over 40 experts and craftspeople in one place talking about what they know best - creating a comfortable, beautiful and efficient home. Whether you were looking for concrete countertops or limestone, they were there. If you want to walk up a beautiful set of stairs, we had some talented stair builders and if you wanted to go straight up to the second floor, there was an elevator manufacturer. We had experts on security, home automation, sound systems, and a company that installs the best whole house generators to keep those things running.
In a sluggish economy we had a great turn out, showing there is always a market for high quality products and service providers with integrity.
I would like to thank everyone who came to visit and everyone who spent their day talking about all the things that make up a fine home.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Fireplaces
When my home (and his) was built in the late eighteenth century, building fires was serious business. These fireplaces were undoubtedly the center of the families' lives and perhaps sometimes made the difference between life and death. Those farmers cooked in their fireplaces, slept near them and made sure they never went out during the long cold winter.
In the late 1700's Count Rumford (who was born Benjamin Thompson in Woburn, Massachusetts in 1753) wrote about his fireplace innovations which included a high wide firebox as well as widely splayed jambs. These changes greatly increased efficiency and reduced smoking. We often use Rumford designs today, especially when efficiency is paramount. The basic design of the fireplace is still the same after hundreds of years and although Count Rumford made great improvements to the efficiency of fireplaces, most people prefer a deep fireplace that can comfortably hold oversized logs.
Even though a fireplace in the 21st century is physically unnecessary to heat a house, it is the heart of what we consider home. There is a comfort associated with a roaring fire in the fireplace and a thrill to contain the most dangerous element any home can know. We all bring our memories of childhood hearth sitting to the table when we began to design our own fireplace. My daughters' favorite question after playing in the snow is "Can we build a fire and drink hot chocolate?", all she cares about is the comfort and the cocoa.
Modern building codes have encouraged us to become safer and more efficient in our fireplace designs. A house fire caused by a well maintained, well-designed modern fireplace is almost unheard of.
There are many alternatives to a traditional fireplace such as wood stoves, gas inserts and even LCD screens that show a crackling fire. While being very convenient, those alternatives will never compare to the first fire I start in my fireplace each fall.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Laundry Rooms
It is often true that the simple things in life are the ones that make us the most happy. In our homes the unsung and hardly glamorous laundry room serves to keep the engine of our lives running smoothly. Though clean socks may not guarantee happiness, it is a start.
While it is true that a stacked washer-dryer works fine in a closet and clothes can soak in the kitchen sink, a dedicated space centralizes the chores. There are, in fact, many workarounds to a dedicated laundry room but having one is certainly the gold standard of clean clothes. The ideal laundry room can include a fold down ironing board, of course a washer/dryer, a generous sink, storage galore, and, best of all, room to fold, organize, and work.
There are three popular places in a two story home that this cleaning hub ends up: the basement, the main living floor and the second (bedroom) floor. Each location has its pros and cons.
The basement is often the default location if there isn’t room anywhere else. It is isolated and therefore unobtrusive, but is inconvenient for attending to loads of laundry and distributing the finished product.
The first floor is usually in the thick of things and is most convenient for a family that is in the midst of a dozen projects and needs the laundry room for cleaning boots, soaking delicate clothes, and constant loads of laundry that everyone is attending to. A laundry chute can mitigate the need to be constantly running up and down the stairs.
The second floor is where most the laundry is generated and distributed which makes it an ideal location for the laundry room. The main drawback is that it is not the most convenient spot when everyone is downstairs and the clothes need to be moved from the washing machine to the dryer. It can be a short walk to dressers though when those clothes need to be put away.
No two families are the same, and what works perfectly for one rarely is ideal for another and those needs change over time. Speaking as a father of three: a laundry room can be one of those simple pleasures that we all appreciate.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Carpenter Architects
Few homes of that period have not been added onto over the centuries. The earliest additions almost universally were built well and are in keeping with the design and craftsmanship of the original home. Twenty-first century additions on the other hand, often are of poor quality materials, workmanship and design. When asked to renovate a period home, we find that much of the time, those later additions have deteriorated and must be removed.
I am always impressed with the ingenuity, and craftsmanship of those nineteenth century builders and the beauty and proportion of their work. There was a tradition of fine home building that only a few carpenters and contractors maintain today. For a wood and stone building to last 200 years, the details had to be right. Even without perfect maintenance, these beautiful homes survive and remind us that the places we live can have elegance and grace and be made to last centuries.
Photos courtesy of Historic American Buildings Survey
Friday, July 31, 2009
FineHome Source
Saturday, July 25, 2009
The Philip Hart House-Sleeping Porch
Their home is in Hart’s Village just outside of the Village of Millbrook. Philip Hart built his home in 1800 and the village of Hartsville grew around his home and mills. A very early industrialist Mr. Hart owned a gristmill, a sawmill and a fulling(a step in the production of wool cloth) mill. The wood framed home is a stunning example of a center hall Federal design.
Philip Hart’s family in 1889 added a porch to the rear of the home. The first floor was open, off the center hall, and the second-floor porch was screened in and used by the Harts’ daughter-in-law, who suffered from tuberculosis. The family believed she’d be cured if she got plenty of rest and fresh air out on the porch. The porch is now used as a place to retreat and read, a perch to view the property or an outdoor summer bedroom as originally designed.
Nan and David bought the home in 1984; they immediately began a pain staking restoration of the interior and exterior of the home including the rear porch. The Greenwoods have furnished the home with period antiques and art work giving the home a most comfortable and beautiful style.
Bedroom Addition
About fifteen years ago my wife and I bought a circa 1790 farm house that had been added on to over the centuries. We restored portions of the house and renovated others. When our children outnumbered the available bedrooms, we decided to add on.
Like many farm houses, ours was built close to the road on one side and next to a hill on the other. Of the two sides left, only one allowed us to add a bedroom without destroying another.
After trying many alternatives, I was able to design a bedroom and master bath addition on the second floor with the bonus of a spacious open porch below. By using foam insulation in the ceiling of the porch, we were able to create two of the warmest rooms in the house.
By building the porch on a full foundation, we also have the option in the future to glass in the porch and easily add heat if additional space is needed.
The design of this addition, like all of our designs, was the product of a patient search. The clients were some of the most demanding people; my wife, my children, and myself.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Stairs
Friends, family and clients I know aren’t always so lucky, especially if their stairs were built in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Those stairs can be so steep that you have to lean back just to stay vertical and to avoid hitting your head. The owners of period homes who face those stairs each morning generally fall into two categories: ‘Love the charm, wouldn’t change a thing’ or ‘can’t stand another day like this, we need a second set of stairs’. I can understand both points of view.
The creation of a beautiful stair requires an eye for design and the discipline to maintain strict compliance with building codes. There are an infinite number of ways to design a successful stair, but you can find just as many ways to miss the mark.
A beautiful stair can be the showpiece of a home. It can set the tone as visitors enter the front door or be a secret passage the attic or the master bedroom. A stair can also be a constant annoyance or even a hazard. The extra time it takes to make a staircase special is always worth it. Even if it is not grand or expensive a well designed stair is special and may be special for generations.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
The Garden and The Home
Architects spend a lot of time on the placement of a new home or addition in the landscape. Views, sun angle and orientation, prevailing winds, relationships to the approach and internal flow are all part of the mix when designing the spaces. Often part of our design extends into the landscape and includes retaining walls, patios, porches and outbuildings. The landscape designer takes those elements and incorporates them into an overall plan of the entire property. We work as a team to create a wonderful experience which integrates the home and the landscape.
Just as the architect creates spaces inside the home, outdoor ‘rooms’ can be created on the property surrounding a home. These spaces can be private getaways, cutting gardens, meditative retreats, or just a fun place to sit and talk.
In addition to creating interior spaces from which to observe the flora and fauna, we often design garden structures which can be utilitarian, but sometimes they simply punctuate the landscape as part of the grand scheme. A garden folly can be just a sight to behold or a working potting shed or pool house.
Home owners vary in their garden choices as much as they do in their architectural tastes. Whether a garden is formal or free form, natural or completely staged, the object is always to create a wonderful experience which has been integrated with the home.
Monday, June 01, 2009
Parish Hall
One of our favorite examples of non residential projects is St Peter's Parish Hall. Working with the committees was a lot of fun and in the end we all were happy with the results.
EXTERIOR
INTERIOR
For this project we won a national American Institute of Architects award for design. The jury felt that our new building fit very comfortably next to the carpenter gothic church built in the nineteenth century.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Before and After
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
As fun as the photgraphs are, living in the renovated spaces is the most fun.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Pool Houses
Nothing says summer like kids splashing around in a pool--except perhaps an adult party centered around a pool on a balmy summer evening. In either case, a pool house makes everything easier. Whether the pool house is small and simple or includes a full kitchen and guest quarters, having a place to store cold drinks, towels and refreshments makes summer entertaining a lot more fun.
A pool house can be a place to access only the absolute necessities while enjoying the pool, or it can be a destination that allows friends and family to spend the day around the pool and then stay for the night. A well designed pool house can easily double as a guest house for summer and winter use.
In the end, pool houses can be just for fun.
Monday, May 04, 2009
Kitchen Costs
For additional prices of materials such as flooring and counter
tops, please review our previous article "How Much".
For a larger view simply double click on the chart or to recieve a pdf of this list, please e-mail a request to: Lois@crisparchitects.com and we will send you a copy as soon as possible.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Screened Porches
Owning a screened porch on a buggy summer evening is like owning a castle with a moat when the barbarians attack. The screened porch provides a place to relax outdoors without having to pay attention to the barbarian bug population.
In general, the screened porches we design are larger than the average open porch. Most often they are designed as outdoor rooms and are furnished with sofas and chairs as well as dining tables and occasionally a fireplace. Screened porches can even be a cool place to sleep on a warm summer night.
New technology has made the screened porch even more attractive by extending the useful season and almost magically allowing us to change an open porch to a screened porch a the push of a button.
One of our clients wanted a large porch for entertaining and dining and to take advantage of the stunning view from that side of the house. The problem was that almost like clockwork at 5:00pm when they were getting ready to greet their guests, swarms of bugs would appear. They also did not want to obstruct their view at times and seasons when the bugs were not present. The solution was an automatic roller screen system which was hidden in the soffit most of the time, but when needed would descend and make the wide open porch into a comfy screened porch.
We have also included radiant heat pipes in the stone floor of some screened porches which allow the owners to comfortably use the porch earlier in the spring and later in the fall. When combined with interchangeable glass panels, the screened porch easily becomes a three or four season room.
These days we have more options than ever when designing the perfect screened porch. Bugs just don’t know what they are up against.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Adding On
A case in point is a project we recently finished which included additions, renovations and restorations. Like most old homes it had been added onto by successive generations of home owners. Also like most old homes, some additions were done well and others were not thought out quite as fully. The historic portions of this home set the tone for the rest of the project. In addition to relating to the existing home and meeting the spatial requirements of our clients, it was critical that we save two large very old oak trees. Needless to say the oaks are doing fine.
When adding to a very old home every wall that is opened reveals the secrets of the carpenters which has been hidden away for sometimes centuries. Those carpenters often recycled posts and beams from even older structures. When times were tight, it seemed they used every piece of scrap wood they could cobble together to make the building stand. Most of all those explorations inspire awe and respect for the people who built these wonderful buildings by hand.
Not every renovation/addition project has a great existing building to take inspiration from. Often the portion which is added becomes the stronger design element and therefore influences the rest of the existing home. I don’t know if that is the tail waging the dog, but sometimes perhaps the tail should do the waging at least in home design.
I must admit, that adding onto an historic home is like working with a colleague whom I respect and admire. We are challenged by those homes to do our best.
Friday, April 03, 2009
Cutting Construction Costs
The following are 6 ways to either design the most cost effective project from the start or adjust a design once the bids come in:
1. Keep it simple: Generally the simpler the overall details and structure of a home, the less expensive it is to build-the exception are extremely precise modern details.
2. Consider cost effective materials both on the exterior and interior of the home. There can be a $20/square foot or more difference between higher priced flooring materials and lower priced choices. The same is true of exterior materials. Before making those choices be aware of the trade offs, sometimes they are minimal.
3. Keep built-in cabinetry to a minimum. In the long run those elements can be added, but in the short run they are expensive. You may need to buy more furniture to take the place of cabinetry.
4. Explore the trade-offs of lower priced windows and doors. For exterior doors and windows the savings may not always justify the change. Make certain that the alternatives are durable, attractive, and energy efficient before making those changes.
5. Review choices for the mechanical system. There are many ways to heat and cool a home. Not all systems are designed equal, but the cost differential between the most expensive and the least expensive is substantial.
Bonus idea: Add a porch. Few additions to a home add as much beauty, functionality, and pleasure as a porch and for a fraction of the cost of interior space.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Modern Farmhouse Design
Depending on when and where those homes were built, they could be made of stone, brick, shingles or clapboard. Most farmhouses had porches since there was no air conditioning and many farm and family chores were undertaken there. The porch roof provided shelter from the sun and rain yet allowed the cool breezes to flow through and help make those steamy summers tolerable.
The center of family life in the farmhouse was the kitchen. Meals were prepared and often eaten there as well as home pickling and canning for the long winters (in the North). In the older farmhouses, a cooking fireplace was essential. Additional fireplaces were used to heat as many rooms as possible.
I live in an old farmhouse originally built around 1790 and then added onto in the 1800s and more recently added onto by my family. I have come to appreciate the simple detailing the wide board floors and beautiful fireplaces.
When designing a modern farmhouse, porches, wide board floors and beautiful fireplaces are welcome. The floor plan can be center hall, side hall or a variation of the two. Gathering places within the home are as important today as they were 200 years ago. Modern farmhouses include big bright kitchens to accommodate the inevitable influx of friends and family. These days many families spend most of their time in the kitchen cooking, eating, talking, studying and just visiting. Energy efficiency is important, with some farm houses using geothermal heating and cooling and solar panels on the barns.
We are lucky to inherit the traditions of our founding families including their most treasured possession, the farmhouse.
Children's Rooms
This was an epiphany since our mental image of the room changed immediately. In fact the babies room would soon become a toddler’s room, then a preschooler’s room, an elementary school child’s room, then middle school…until eventually it could become a college student’s room. In our planning, we went from wanting the room adjacent to the master bedroom for access to the baby, to realizing that our daughter would soon want distance and privacy from her parents(and vice versa). This is a lesson I try to pass on to my clients who are adding a children’s’ room to their home.
The toddler will be a high school student quicker than we think. Additional sound proofing is inexpensive during construction but costly afterward. Choosing layouts that work both for a small child and a young adult makes everyone’s life easier. Paint and furniture is easy to change, relocating rooms is hard.
The new bedroom we built is the place were my three children gather and where they bring
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Taking Care of Yourself (Guest Blog about Saunas)
In today’s economic and work environment taking care of your physical and mental health is ever more important. Exercise and healthy lifestyle in general include different kinds of things. But the one single part often missing is relaxation. For me nothing else works as well as a Sauna does. Sauna owners overall say that a Traditional (Finnish type) Sauna offers absolutely the best way to wind down from the stress, tension and noise of everyday life.
I just returned from a trip to my home country, Finland. We own an old country home over there, and it has, of course, a separate sauna building with a wood burning stove. Although it was cold and dark over there (early December being maybe the worst time to travel to Finland), I was really looking forward to it. Heating up the sauna, and bathing in the evenings just by myself, with a complete darkness and quietness outside wore off the jet lag just like that, and I slept better than I ever had. I stayed in our place for three days, and had a sauna bath four times… Not so many people can build a wood burning sauna here in the US, but you can also get a very similar experience in a well designed and built sauna with an electric heater.
Besides relaxation, saunas actually do offer real health benefits, too. Bathing in a proper traditional sauna has among others, these health benefits:
Helps to remove toxins
Cleanses your skin
Soothes aches and pains in muscles and joints
Improves cardiovascular performance
Relieves congestion
Burns calories.
These probably are more important than relaxation for most of the people, but for a Finn, sauna means relaxation and belongs to our way of life. A list of corresponding medical studies can be found at the Finnish Sauna Society web site at http://www.sauna.fi/80.html
Saunas are actually one of the fastest growing amenities being added to the home today as the aging population continues to focus on bringing wellness into their lifestyle. Adding a Sauna to a home is also another opportunity to add value to the home design that makes it a step above others in the market place. A few things to consider when choosing a sauna:
- Sauna type; do you already have a certain (framed) space for a custom-made sauna,
or is a free-standing unit a better choice for you? - Do you maybe have an unused separate building, or would you consider to build one? Could you use a pool-side or deck sauna?
- The size; how many people are going to use it at the same time? If you prefer to lay down on the (top) bench, then you need at least one longish bench set.
- Choice of wood; do you prefer the traditional cedar with its aroma? Please note that cedar boards tend to turn darker during the years. European Alder might be a better choice.
- Floor-plan; if you can, plan to have the door (always opens outwards) on a longer wall. This will optimize the heater location, and the circulation of the air in the room.
- Can you include a window in your sauna? It is a very good thing to have.
Drain is not required, but if you have it, it is an advantage.
Modern design and technology can make the sauna one of the most stunning additions to a home. The Finnish sauna…where health and relaxation meet. Kalevi Ruuska kalevi@optonline.net