Henley Wood, the publishers of Remodeling Magazine, put out an annual report on the cost of remodeling construction. It is interesting in many ways, not the least in illustrating the wild variances in construction costs from region to region. The 2019 report is no different. Based on this year’s report, […]
The local landmark, generally referred to as “the Flintstone House”, which is visible from highway 280 in Hillsborough, is in the news again. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/06/flintstone-house-dinosaur-owner-hillsborough The article, linked above, is in the Guardian, the London based newspaper. The house itself hasn’t always been painted as it is now. I recall when […]
I don’t often do commercial work. Most years there will only be one commercial project in the studio. So it can be both challenging and fun when the opportunity comes up to work on a commercial project. This was a very quick project for a client that wanted to see […]
This week, I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorite things. I’m interpreting this loosely. But you’ll get the idea. It is offered up as a glimpse into my life and my way of thinking. Here are pictures and brief discussions about 5 of my […]
I have a project in my studio at the moment where the design of a new master bathroom is a key aspect of the project. We are adding on a new family room and master bedroom, and converting one of the existing bedrooms into the master bathroom. The existing bedroom […]
More often than not, when I am approached by a potential client about the feasibility of a project, after looking at the existing building or site, the answer is “yes, it is possible”. It might not be cheap, or easy, but it’s possible. Often times the answer is “no, but […]
One of the projects in my studio at the moment is the expansion of a mid-century ranch style house in the South Bay. The house, about 1100 square feet, was built in the 1950’s. It currently has 3 bedrooms and one and a half bathrooms. The house is well located, […]
There is beauty all around us, if we take the time to notice. Some times it is subtle. Other times it needs editing out the surroundings. But when we find it, it is worth the moment to stop and enjoy it. Taking that time to notice and enjoy is something […]
I almost never do this, but I LOVE this commercial from Apple for their new iPhone XR – whatever that is, I’m not an Apple person. But the way that they have visualized “running away from the humdrum” and the music, by Cosmo Sheldrake, is just outstanding. It is joyous. […]
One of the things architect’s often hear is a variation on the idea that what we do is draw buildings. We do, of course, draw buildings. It is not, however, the only thing we do, and, probably is not the majority of what we do, if by drawing buildings the […]
Sometimes you have to take a step back from the chaos of daily life and deadlines to take a deep breath. This post is a “social media zen moment”; watch this video and be amazed and simply enjoy the skill. I have never seen balanced stacks of rocks, called “cairnes“, […]
This past weekend, I went to see The World of Charles and Ray Eames exhibit at the Oakland Museum of California. It was great! It covers their careers in design from the 1940’s into the late 70’s. Several of their chair designs are considered modern icon’s and even classics of […]
I don’t know about you, but I am a big believer in New Year’s resolutions. Except, I generally intend to follow through on my resolutions. They really are goals after all. Goals are just dreams if you don’t take action consistently. So that’s what I try to do. I don’t […]
There are so many questions my clients have about Accessory Dwelling Units. If you are like my clients, you probably have questions, too. In order to answer these questions, I started my sister website, MyAccessoryDwelling.com. I have also been developing an online course, ADUs and You. The video based course […]
It is a crazy thing, the relationship between an architect and his or her pens. We all have our favorites. We all have those we loath. This article from NY Magazine popped up on my news feed this week: 100 Best Pens Oh, the joy! I’m like a kid in […]
We’re coming up on the holidays. Giving gifts can be so stressful. But I have some solutions to help relieve that stress: Great modern gifts, available on Amazon, so shipping happens quickly and customer service is great. (Just a disclaimer: Each of these links is through my Amazon Associates account, […]
It is that time of year. The trees are dropping their leaves. There is a crispness in the air. Mountains of enormous turkeys have appeared in the grocery stores. Pumpkin spice has permeated almost every food group. Yup. It is Thanksgiving week! I want to take this opportunity to offer […]
Have you been thinking about adding an accessory dwelling unit to your house? Have you been thinking about building an in law unit, or a backyard cottage? You have several options: you can do tons of research yourself, or you can plunge headlong into designing it yourself, or you can […]
It is autumn! My favorite season. That means, fall foliage, sweater weather, and, of course, updating the website with project pages for projects I worked on in the past year. I’ve added five new projects to my project pages. 4 new residential projects and 1 new commercial project. I encourage […]
In this business, we talk a lot about whether or not something has been “built to code”, or that we must do something because it is “required by the code”. In this post, I want to step back a little bit and examine this issue of code compliance. The building […]