Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 68 into law. AB 68 addresses Accessory Dwelling Units, specifically addressing planning and zoning regulations in order to make them easier to design and build.
Yearly Archives: 2019
20 posts
It is with great pleasure that I share the completed Berkeley Cottage. I started this project with New Avenue Homes – I am a New Avenue Homes architect partner – in January of 2018. The owner wanted to build an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) that she could rent for a […]
Architects get their inspiration from many places. In my experience, our day to day life is spent with our attention focused on very pragmatic things: water proofing details, code compliance, worrying about your budget, dealing with building officials. None of those things is the reason I, nor most of my […]
Continuing the discussion of the design process for the custom home I am working on, in this post we’re going to look at how the Schematic Design process is developing. I worked on the design while the clients were away. When they returned, I showed it to them using both […]
All of the images in this post are preliminary and schematic and subject to change as we go through the design process. We aren’t looking at materials yet. The images were created in Enscape and Revit and are copyright 2019 by David Locicero, Architect. I’ve recently posted about starting a […]
There is a lot of chatter in architectural circles about VR – virtual reality. It is a technology that allows us to see the building much as we would in reality before we build it. It takes advantage of our ability to “build” a model of the building in the […]
Kicking off a new project is always fun. There is nothing but possibilities ahead of us! A blank piece of tracing paper and a hand full of pens and we’re ready to get started. I recently started working on a new house project with some old clients of mine. I […]
Since opened this practice back in 2013, I have been a home based business. I did that for many reasons: financial conservatism and family obligations chief among them. It was an effective solution at the time. Now, however, I am busier than I have been in years, and my office […]
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 […]