JANUARY 31ST, 2012
By BUILD LLC
[All photos by BUILD LLC]
BUILD just finished up a residential project in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood and it includes a stair design that we think you’ll find interesting. In our book, stair design is one of the most challenging aspects of architecture because of the bandwidth it requires. The building code regulates strict provisions over stair design, stairs are typically located where several materials integrate together, stairs can be geometrically complex, and stairs are often the architectural highlight of a project. An innovative stair design requires an architect to put their structural engineer cap on to some degree and, during construction, a modern stair requires several trades (framers, finish carpenters, steel workers, cabinet makers, etc) to coordinate and communicate successfully together. So basically, stairs are unusually complicated for their relative amount of square footage.
In addition to highlighting our latest stair, we’ve got 6 bullet points for successful stair design. These are some behind the scene tips that we’ve gathered over many years of designing, building, and pulling our hair out over stair design. Each point dives into the thinking and development of this particular stair. Enjoy.
Read more »
JANUARY 10TH, 2012
By BUILD LLC
This edition of OtR is overflowing with incredible design, designers, and design events. No better way to kick off a new year than with some highly inspired activity brewing within the creative community. Let us know what’s been grabbing your attention and spinning your wheels these days in the comments section below.
LEARNing
Get familiar with Theaster Gates. Chicago-based artist, designer, cultural change-maker. His time is ripe in Seattle with an ongoing exhibit at the SAM and an upcoming lecture at the University of Washington.
[Image Credit: kavigupta.com]
Read more »
JANUARY 6TH, 2012
By BUILD LLC
In part one of the series we reviewed the logic and benefits of retaining an existing foundation and reusing it in new construction. Today’s post gets into the nitty-gritty of some items you’ll want to consider and check off the list with an existing foundation. These factors often determine the viability of reusing a foundation in “new” construction or a substantial remodel. Our top 10, here goes:
Read more »
JANUARY 3RD, 2012
By BUILD LLC
More and more in our residential design-build work, we’re reusing existing foundations. Even some of our projects that look like brand new homes have actually reused the existing concrete of a previous home on the site. There are a lot of important reasons for doing so, here are ten:
Read more »
DECEMBER 2ND, 2011
By BUILD LLC
[All photos by BUILD LLC]
BUILD just put the finishing touches on a Mid-Century Modern home in Seattle’s Wedgwood neighborhood; a community filled with handsome MCM models. This project is a great example of bringing an older residence up to 21st century standards, while retaining the original charm of the home. The design and construction of an existing structure is always tricky to navigate, especially when key items are important to the home’s character. Subsequently, we rely on systems that have proved themselves over the course of numerous projects. The Guide to Updating Mid-Century Modern Homes is a good starting point and working with extraordinary clients who possess a keen sense of humor definitely helps. Today’s post breaks down the remodel into its constituent parts and calls out the specifications and links to fixtures, appliances, materials and all sorts of good stuff. Enjoy the read and let us know what you think.
Read more »
NOVEMBER 22ND, 2011
By BUILD LLC
We’re moving onto drywall with a current project of ours and we’ve got 10 tips to share from our library here at the school of hard knocks. Drywall is typically the phase when the rubber meets the road (or the doo-doo hits the wind-turbine as it may be). If items like framing, hvac and plumbing weren’t adequately thought through, the drywall phase is when a lack of planning or a miscalculation becomes evident. Drywall is also one of the toughest trades to master; it takes a steady hand and a well-experienced eye. Here’s our top 10, hit that comments button and share any advice you might have.
Read more »
NOVEMBER 15TH, 2011
By BUILD LLC
Siding is one of the most important stages to get right with residential construction for several reasons. It is the first line of defense from the elements; making sure that adequate budget, time, and expertise is spent on the siding system will save time and money elsewhere. The siding system will register the greatest effects of weathering than any other element on a home; for better or worse, the sun’s rays, the driving rain, expansion and contraction will all play a role in how the siding looks in the decades to come –good design anticipates the effects of weathering. More than most aspects of a home, the siding system communicates the philosophy of the design; does the siding reflect the functions of the home or does it conceal the nature of the spaces inside, does the siding create a visual harmony around the structure or does it break the volumes into smaller scales? Lastly, the siding is the face to the outside world; is it integrated with its environment and its neighbors, confidently defiant, or obstinately forward-thinking within a traditional context? These are all important aspects to work through with the design of a siding system. We’ve got 10 pointers to share about siding systems; as always, we’d love to hear about your advice for siding systems.
Read more »
NOVEMBER 8TH, 2011
By BUILD LLC
While finding door handles and cabinet pulls that look good and function well can be challenging enough, there are a few additional variables that require attention. Establishing a manufacturer/supplier relationship that consistently delivers ALL the required parts and pieces on time is vital. A practical, straight—forward install that the carpenters can figure out without frustration is also important. And last but not least, it’s got to be cost effective (not just the hardware itself, but the whole package inclusive of the aspects above); a modestly priced $75 handle that takes the carpenter 3 hours to install isn’t cost-effective.
Needless to say we’ve been through a lot of hardware over the years. The list of favorites that we currently use is a tried and true selection that we’re very pleased with. They each meet the aesthetic code of everything they need to be and nothing more (we’re always baffled at how difficult it is to find hardware that isn’t “overdesigned”). Let us know what hardware has made the final cut on your projects.
Read more »
NOVEMBER 1ST, 2011
By BUILD LLC
Designing and building houses means that we review a lot of plumbing fixtures; and with the overwhelming number of fixtures on the market, it’s critical to filter down the options to a manageable selection from which to choose. By the time we evaluate the function, cost, aesthetics and timeliness of the available fixture options, we’re typically left with only a handful of great fixtures.
There are a number of fixtures on the market that we admire for their aesthetics, like Dornbracht and Vola, but they rarely meet the target budget of a project. So while we’re fans of such fixtures, you won’t find them in the list below; the items on this list meet all of our requirements including a high cost-effectiveness.
It’s a valuable list that we’ve come up with over the years –these are the tried and true fixtures that we continue to use on our projects; and anytime we find valuable information in our database we like to add it to the BUILDblog and share it with the rest of the design community. This is just our list, though. If you’ve got your own favorites we encourage you to share them, because we’re all in this together.
Read more »
OCTOBER 28TH, 2011
By BUILD LLC
The foundation and backfill are completed on our new Bellevue house and it’s a great time to share a few important tips on groundbreaking and concrete. In line with a modern design philosophy, the foundation should look so simple and straight-forward that it’s a relatively invisible feature once the structure is complete. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that the install is easy or mindless. Another key piece of the modern philosophy is that time, effort and thoughtfulness are each crucial to the end product that seems “simple”. Here’s our top 10 bullet points to tackle a new foundation
Read more »
