I recently fulfilled a childhood dream: I am now the owner of a Rolls-Royce; a 1986 Silver Spur. These cars are ostentatious, pretentious, bougie, and more than a little bit classist. But they are stunningly beautiful, astoundingly well crafted, hand built from the finest materials, the ultimate in luxury. It […]
What an Architect does
98 posts
The house project in Benicia is progressing along nicely. Things slowed because of weather, but they are picking up again. In this video, shot last week, you can see how things are coming along. The designer for the project is Oregon Architect, Nir Pearlson. I am the local, California Architect […]
Last year, I made a video answering the question, how much do architectural services cost? It is my most viewed video from last year! I guess it gets to the first question most people have about hiring an architect. Two basic questions have shown up in the comments to that […]
How do you design a kitchen for entertaining? Well, it depends on the type of entertaining. For this condo refresh project in Sonoma, the clients wanted to be able to entertain friends and family for wine tastings, cocktail parties, and small dinners. With the many great restaurants on the Sonoma […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
Continuing my video series about the architectural project process, here is video 4 in the series: What Is Design Development? Many clients want to rush through Design Development. There is the sense that we have to apply for the permit! But rushing this phase is a mistake. It is important […]
Continuing my series of video posts about the architectural project process, I present to you, the third video in the series: What Is Schematic Design? After we have collected all the pertinent information required for a project during Pre-Design, we move on to Schematic Design. This is the phase when […]
Architects approach projects in a systematic way: we look for different pieces of information and input at different stages of design. This is because the project process moves from the most basic information and gets more detailed as the project moves forward. Pre-Design is the first phase of any architectural […]
When you embark on an architecture project, no matter if you are renovating a bathroom, or building a new house, you are setting off on an adventure! Think of it as your own person Lord of The Rings – without the orcs. But, instead of trying to get rid of […]