The studio will be closed for the holidays from December 23, 2020 until January 4, 2021. This is my annual closure to rest, relax, reflect, and renew. 2020 has been a challenging year for all of us. I will be looking back at the year, what was accomplished, and what […]
Yearly Archives: 2020
44 posts
The new house project under construction in Benicia is coming along nicely. I visited the site with the client and the builder on Wednesday of last week. It was a beautiful autumn day, and the house looked great. All of the cladding is up and the doors and windows are […]
Are you looking at your home differently than you did pre-pandemic? Has working from home and schooling your kids from home made you reconsider how spaces in your home might work? Are you worried about the in-law unit in your house that was built without permits? These are all questions […]
2020 has been quite the year. It started out with great promise. We were all excited to the back end of 2019 and looking forward to a fresh, new year. (2019 doesn’t look so bad, now. LOL.) That changed in hurry. The international pandemic has taken us all in new, […]
This project recently came into the studio: A condominium refresh up in Sonoma. I don’t usually take work so far afield, but I know the client and am considering opening a Sonoma satellite office. So I figured, it looks like fun! It is a roughly 1000 square foot 2bd 2bath […]
The Benicia house project is coming along! The last time I was at the site, the house was still being framed. No roof structure was in place. Now, roughly six weeks later, the roof is up and insulated. The walls are up and insulated. The contractor will be starting to […]
Oy. The pandemic is lasting longer than I had expected. If you are like me, you are getting tired of the isolation that goes with working from home. Not to mention a little bit too much togetherness with the family? Maybe? A little? There was a recent news report that […]
Continuing documenting the construction progress for this accessory dwelling in the Oakland Hills, I paid a visit to this project again this month. Things have kind of slowed down. The city is taking their time reviewing the fire sprinkler permit application. And the folks at EBMUD (the water utility) are […]
The pandemic is going to extend into 2021 or longer. It is possible that the thawing permafrost will release as yet unknown viruses on mankind. What can we do today to make our homes safer? There is one thing that you can today, with very little effort, to make your […]
In this video I explain how I see our current situation and why I think the virus is here to stay. I also talk about why some people will be able to retreat to the country. I predict that this will mean an increase in vacation home sales – and […]
With this post I am introducing a new series of posts about the possible affects the Covid-19 pandemic may have on house design. As much as we would like things to return to “normal” – normal being the way it was before the pandemic – an argument can be made […]
This video summarizes my architectural Creed. It is the foundation for all my work. The full version of my Creed can be found here. If this statement resonates with you and you are looking to start a project, maybe we could work together. Reach out to me via email at […]
One of the project’s in my studio is a new house in Benicia, California. It is a small, 800 square foot, 2 bedroom house. Follow me as I visit the site. Because of the shelter-in-place order, I haven’t been able to visit the site until recently. The builder has already […]
One of the most common reasons my clients chose to build an accessory dwelling – either a backyard cottage or in-law unit, is for either their elder parents, or for their adult children with kids of their own. Building an accessory dwelling on their property allows them to have two […]
Many people think that once they have a permit in hand, they no longer need an architect. That could not be further from the truth. You need an architect during construction for many reasons. Just some reasons are: The architect is an advocate for the design – helping you and […]
You will often hear architects, contractors, and engineers talking about how a building is “to code”, meaning it complies with the building codes. We talk about it like it’s a good thing, something to be proud of. But is it? Not really. The building code defines the worst acceptable building […]
Continuing my series of videos about the architectural project process, we now come to Phase 5: Permits + Bidding! Woo hoo? This is my least favorite project phase. It is the phase where the design team (you and I) have the least control and influence. And it is the phase […]
I’ve written about this secondary dwelling unit in Oakland before. About a month ago I posted on the progress. This past week I stopped by again to check on the progress. Since the last time I was there, they have started on the underlayment for the green roof assembly, and […]
Remodeling clients often have questions and concerns about the return on their investment for including various features and amenities they might be considering. I get it. Construction isn’t cheap. If you are going to invest $30,000, $100,000, $250,000 or more in the remodel and / or addition to your home, […]
The 5th in my series of videos about the architectural project process, this video is about Construction Documents. Some still call them “blue prints”, but they are no longer blue. Some people think that this phase is the only thing that architects do. There are two common misconceptions about architects. […]