A home we designed in West Seattle on a steeply sloping site
Read More
Find me on the web
-
Meta
Categories
-
Designing a contemporary home on a steeply sloping site in Seattle
Read More
Posted in Homes we've designed, New home design examples Tagged ECA, Front Porch, Project Program, Seattle, Stairs, steep slope Comments closed
Ask The Architect - Adding an apartment to our basement
We have a 1920’s craftsman is seattle. We are considering putting an apartment in the basement which is unfinished. It has tall ceilings and the foundation is such that it looks as though windows could be added to the side walls. What would be good questions / things to know to find out the feasibility?
An ADU designed and built by Simply Additions, a Connecticut contractor
Answer
Mia, in the City of Seattle what you would like to add to your home is called an “Accessory Dwelling Unit” or ADU for short. This is permitted outright in Seattle in owner occupied single family homes. The first part of “feasibility” is understanding the regulations that affect the creation of an ADU. Read More
Posted in Ask the Architect Tagged Accessory Dwelling Unit, ADU, Ask the Architect, Basement, Mother-in-law apartment, Remodeling, window well Comments closed
Ask The Architect - Cost of an architect to design a future home
I don’t have a piece of land and I’m not ready to build, but I have been dreaming of designing a home for years. Can I hire an architect to help me design a home for my future use? if so, what is the cost of the designing process?
A design we recently completed on Magnolia in Seattle
Answer
Architectural plans generally go through 3 principle stages. Each successive stage builds on the one before. The first tangible stage of an architectural design is called Schematic Design. Generally the Schematic Design stage does take into account the particular site considerations that you have. Read More
Posted in Ask the Architect Tagged Ask the Architect, Design Development, Fees, New Home Design 101, Schematic Design Comments closed
Adding a Shed Dormer to a 1920’s Era Bungalow
My Client's 1920's Era Bungalow
I am working for a client right now designing a shed dormer addition to their 1920’s era bungalow in the Ravenna district of Seattle. The challenge was to find an economical way to expand their home to make way for a new baby. They also want to add the modern amenity of a Master Suite.
Computer model of the house used in the design process
Read More
Posted in Homes we've designed, Remodel Design Examples Tagged 2nd Story Addition, bungalow, dormer, Home Remodel Design 101, Remodeling, shed dormer Comments closed
Ask the Architect - Under Stair Storage Ideas
This is a second question from a regular reader. We had a series of Ask the Architect conversations concerning opening up her kitchen. Some of this conversation presumes familiarity with the original question so please review the articles on “Opening up my Kitchen” for more context.
Question
I am planning on building a closed storage space underneath the staircase (if it is a good idea); it is just open space right now where my shoes and coats are exposed with an Elfa storage I built underneath the staircase.
Looking at the entry from the living room - open space below the stairs
There probably are better ideas, but I was thinking of turning my coat rack 90 degrees so that it’s facing the entry door and creating a closet door facing the entry door or having the closet door facing the kitchen (which is better, if so?). I’m also thinking about creating a tall shelf that pulls out sideway, next to the coats. The sideway shelf would serve as a food pantry and hopefully, the rest of the space can store shoes, bags, scarves, socks, etc. But I don’t have to have a food pantry. Read More
Posted in Ask the Architect Tagged Ask the Architect, Opening up a kitchen, Stairs, Storage, under stair storage Comments closed
Ask The Architect - Creating A Vaulted Ceiling
Single story mid- century ranch home: Can the flat ceiling be opened up into a vaulted ceiling that follows the pitch of the roof?
Answer
There are a couple of items to consider when converting a flat ceiling to a vaulted ceiling in a home of this era. I live in a “contemporary” ranch styled home built in 1959 and I vaulted the ceiling in my bathroom when we remodeled it.
The first question to answer is structural. How is the roof actually built? If the house was built today it would more than likely be built with prefabricated roof trusses. In that case there’s little that can be done, short of replacing the structural support for the roof and cutting out the bottom chord and intermediate supports of the truss. This is probably the worst case scenario.
Transition in my home from vaulted ceiling to flat ceiling
Fortunately for you, homes built prior to the mid 70s generally had “stick framed” roofs. In this case it is possible to remove the ceiling joist and hang sheetrock on the rafters. That is, it’s possible as long as the rafters are properly supported. In the best case the ridge of the rafters are currently supported by vertical elements extending from a bearing wall below and the rafter span is short enough not to require intermediate support. This is something that really requires an expert to look at for you to determine if the rafter support is sufficient and if it isn’t designing an alternative support. Read More
Posted in Ask the Architect Tagged Ask the Architect, attic insulation, remodel ranch house, Remodeling, Vaulted ceilings Comments closed
Ask the Architect - Opening up my Kitchen, another follow up question
Rick, I forgot to mention, thanks for your precision in your feedbacks; it has been extremely helpful. If you don’t mind, I want to ask you if having a rounded end in option 4 (not quite option 3) would work for additional seating or would it be obtrusive or unattractive? Would the same base still work?
View of the soon to be removed closet and kitchen wall
Just curious, does it make better sense to have the food prep and bar counter area the same material (one continuous slab) or different? Which side should have the natural stone (be it granite, caesarstone, etc) for aesthetic and functional reasons? Do you have a material in mind for the base of the counter bar area (is it something standard) or should it match with the cabinets of the whole kitchen which I haven’t decided yet? Thanks a lot for all your input! Read More
Posted in Ask the Architect Tagged Ask the Architect, cabinetry, Eating Bar, Kitchen, Kitchen Remodel, Opening up a kitchen Comments closed
Ask the Architect - go ahead, ask him!
This is a monthly reminder about a new feature of the blog which I hope will make it more useful. There is now a new “Ask the Architect” page where you can post a question. I’ll do my best to answer your question in this blog (as well as on the “Get Satisfaction” website). Go ahead, try it. Ask a question!
Remodel of a 1920’s era Bungalow in Edmonds
2 story addition to a small bungalow making it a family sized home
This is a renovation we designed a few years back in downtown Edmonds. It started off as an 800 square foot, 2 bedroom bungalow from the 1920s. It sat on a spectacular view site and was owned by a young family needing a lot more space but working on a relatively tight budget. The foundation was typical of the era and couldn’t support another story. We designed it so the bulk of the structure rested on new foundation eleviating the need to replace the old one.
It was also our intention to be true to the original architectural style and form or the bungalow. I think we did a pretty good job and the clients love it. It also reflects my personal views of the front porch. It’s large enough to gather on and it clearly identifies the front door. I’ve finally plugged another hole in the website by adding this house.
Follow me on Twitter
Posted in Homes we've designed Tagged 2nd Story Addition, bungalow, Front Porch, Remodeling Comments closed
