Yes we do single room renovations sometimes.
Traditional clean
Here is a featured renovation of a kitchen we completed recently where the overall effect is clean, simple traditional, very appealing to almost everyone. In a word – timeless. Choosing the right materials is the key to longevity. The homeowners chose wisely consequently if one were to look at the kitchen in 10 years it will defy one to identify the year it was built. That is what we should all strive for. I really like this kitchen and our homeowners are going to be proud of it for a long time. For more photos check out cakeonthebrain.blogspot.com
New Build Mountain Contemporary – A Different approach to the standard build.
Front
This is the Architect’s concept drawing for the new build we are about to put shovel to ground on. I am really eager to get started on this house so we can look at working out some different techniques. At the risk of coming off too technical, here are some highlights.
Slab on grade means reduced build costs right out of the gate compared to a full foundation. I want to get rid of the standard footing and stem wall foundation our current spec requires us to use and then we will likely go with a monopour. The result should be reduced concrete, forming and material costs compared to strip footings and stem walls. If we monopour we avoid extra concrete pump truck charges because we eliminate steps. Forming with ICF instead of wood strip footings means we can leave the forming in place (also a cost saving), we protect footings from frost heaving, and we have perimeter R value protection and vapour barrier under the footing. I like vapour barrier not just under the slab but, also under the footings to prevent rising damp which is what you potentially get with high water levels or high hydrostatic pressure under foundations and slabs. Unprotected footings potentially wick up moisture and moisture in footings ultimately can get into the wall, think of that white powder you see on some slabs and walls. Why not squash that possibility outright. The byproduct of all this is potential savings on the build, reduced energy costs for the customer in the long run and a cleaner drier foundation and slab.
What about the ‘Green impact’? Imagine this system used in a remote area for a holiday home. Concrete footings protected with vapour barrier keeps concrete off direct contact with the soil thus reducing leaching in the soil. Every little bit helps. In the past I ignored ICF concrete because it was more expensive. Why change what isn’t broken? Well is it more expensive. Some ICF forms have webbing that negates the need for framing, The insulation is already in place so no need to add this and drywall is easier, plumbing and electrical is different but, certainly no harder for installation. I think the building industry can benefit from putting these concepts into broader application.
What should I renovate now vs. later. Spend your money once.
Of the thousands of questions homeowners ask, anything you do now should be with an eye towards what you might want to do later. A recent discussion I had with a homeowner was concerning a dormer addition on the third floor of a 100 year old home. The homeowner wanted to know costs for the addition but, there were lots of reasons why they might want to wait and do it in 3 years, here is what I suggested. Because the area on the main floor directly below said dormer would get a new kitchen, the time to upgrade structural would be while the kitchen reno was underway. Do the point loading now, techno speak for load it with studs. That way if the decision in 3 years to do the dormer was viable all that would be required is the 3rd floor work it would not be necessary to rip out the wall in the kitchen to do the point loads. All reno`s should take this approach. Another common one is when new owners purchase a home and want to reno right away, all good for the reno business but, consider this. If conditions allow, move in, decide what you like about the house and what you want to improve. It takes living in it to decide and this can help you avoid going too deep into the carried away category. What if you just spent $200k on a reno then found your neighbour was a bit loopy and liked to shoot firecrackers off the side of your shed. Bottom line, spend it once and spend it wisely.
New Build, new products, new ideas.
And so the new build guys are running to the reno business and what are we doing – New builds. Well, we still do reno’s but drama has it’s place in Reno’s and new builds are my way of taking a holiday while still working. We are doing a contemporary wonder and I’m excited. We are looking at Insulated concrete forms (ICF), 2 levels of slab on grade to keep the concrete volume down, ergo build cost tight. Footings, why do we continue to use lumber for strip footings when there are other ideas out there. Look up Fab-Form, it’s brilliant in its simplicity. We are going to be doing details that I am challenged to even figure out but, in the building industry if you are not willing to try things you are surely a dinosaur. I am also looking at panelized prefab walls to keep site labour productive and quality and consistency up. Speed is money these days and homeowners paying rent while waiting to get in their new house is a burn. My new mantra is let’s find every system that can potentially improve this game we play and let’s use them. Get good at it and show others how we do it, teach the young folks or let them teach us if that’s what it takes. Consider the things that some dismiss as gimmicks. Learn about those products we have avoided not because they are not worthy but, because we are too comfortable using the same stuff we always use. Suppliers – if you’ve got something good, a great idea, a great product – find me.
Buyer beware – Purchasing a reno’d home.
Buyer beware. We are finishing up a reno that a Contractor, and I use the term loosely, did as a flip in the Vancouver West side. This is a typical case of a Red Hot Real Estate market combined with the attitude that you can do apallingly bad work and someone will buy it regardless. In this case the drama is someone did buy it and we ended up having to completely rewire, replumb, reduct for forced air and review a whack of structural goof ups. After all the patching of drywall and trimming of baseboards and casings we spent close to $60k to get what – the same floor plan, the same level of finishes, the same absence of insulation, standard drywall in showers and overall funky finishes on the exterior that the home owner needs a financial holiday before they can even begin to address. All I can say is there is something wrong with the system when houses like this sneak through and hit the market waiting to pull a number on a new home owner. Where is the culpability? My message. Get inspections prior to buying. Get a contractor to walk through with you if you are not confident with your ability to assess a house. People buy shiny floors and chrome and Granite countertops. Unfortunately folks, the real money in a reno is way before you get to that point. If it has to come out to fix what’s behind drywall hang onto your hat because your world just got ugly.
Working with a Contractor
Principal of McPhail Renovations, Will McPhail discusses working with a contractor.
10 Steps to a Slow Home
Slow Home Studio was founded by principals John Brown and Matthew North of the architectural firm housebrand of Calgary, Alberta. Borrowing the vocabulary of the slow food movement, the studio strives for a more “considered, calm and intuitive” approach to residential design. Based on a philosophy of starting with a logical urban site selection. The well-considered design principles help create modest homes that are environmentally sustainable and built to endure.
Slow Home Studio suggests following these ten design guidelines “to create a residence that is simple to live in and light on the environment.”
1. LOCATION: A Slow Home is located in a walkable neighborhood that minimizes your use of a car.
2. ORIENTATION: A Slow Home is correctly oriented to the sun and properly related to its surroundings.
3. ORGANIZATION: A Slow Home is modestly sized, and has a good flow between spaces with a strong connection to the outdoors
4. ENTRY: The front and back entries in a Slow Home are spaces, not just doors.
5. LIVING: All indoor and outdoor living spaces in a Slow Home have good daylight and are easy to furnish.
6. KITCHEN: A Slow Home has a compact kitchen with an efficient layout, good work surfaces, and sufficient storage.
7. DINING: A Slow Home has a well-defined dining area that properly fits a table that is suitable for daily use.
8. BEDROOMS: All bedrooms in a Slow Home have good daylight, sufficient storage, and can logically fit a bed.
9. BATHROOMS: A Slow Home has an appropriate number of well organized and modestly sized bathrooms.
10. SERVICES: The service spaces in a Slow Home are unobtrusive and highly functional.
Via: Slow Home Studio, Switchboard NRDC
My Scrambled House
After two years of planning, our client Carmen has finally started her renovation! Follow along on her blog “My Scrambled House” for the latest stories and images!
Green Sustainable -Maintainable.
I was recently at a BBQ where the question of sustainability came up. It was asked of me directly what exactly does sustainable mean with respect to building. My response was sarcastic when I said it is when people buy any product so long as it has a green leaf on the package. My thought is it is certainly partly about the products we use but, I think it is at least as important how a product is installed – maybe even more important. My next comment was I don’t care how Eco friendly your product is, if it is installed in a manner in which it can not be saved at the first sign of trouble then in the garbage it goes. How Eco is that? I wondered out of the room and when I came back there was a discussion in full flight that after hearing my remark on reusability, the the term sustainable didn’t seem to fit as well. The description ‘Maintainable’ seemed to be a better descriptive. So, ‘Rick’ gets credit for the term as it is very fitting. I think for my purposes the words sustainable/maintainable are forever linked. If a product or system is not maintainable then the claim of being sustainable is surely diminished.
Build for replacement. What does that mean to – sustainability.
Replacement and sustainability – sounds like an oxymoron but, are they? In the Reno business we work with the old and the new. From my perspective almost everything associated with a reno is sustainable. We save the existing structure and re-purposed it. With all the talk about Green products that go into renovations there is very little discussion about installation. How a product is installed is partly what makes it sustainable.
Example 1. The ABS drain under your kitchen sink. If it is assembled so it can be taken apart and reassembled then it does not go in the garbage – how many kitchen sinks are out there? Let’s take it a bit further.
Example 2. Access panels for plumbing and electrical in walls. In the real world we still put everything behind drywall. Plumbing leaks or electrical issues force us to tear into the wall and the drywall goes into the dump. Recently we completed a high end condo reno. Three days after we left, the shower in the suite above leaked and took out our brand new kitchen ceiling. The home owner lived with a hole and job site for another 3 weeks. In the end he called us back to improve the repair after we noticed the fix was a bit dodgy but, also the Eco floor took on moisture in a couple of areas which threatened its untimely end.
All discussions on sustainability should include a revisit of installation. I think the insurance industry would benefit tremendously from the use of access panels, bulkheads and any trick we can use to hide the systems we know will need replacement while still providing access. Water lines are the big ones but, not the only. We have 2 renos we are about to start that were initiated by insurance claims. In both cases the homeowners were displaced while the plumbing that was the culprit was yanked and repaired. Does it make any sense to install it exactly to ‘as built’. I don’t think so. Stay tuned for some photos on how I will remedy. Once we are done the insurance folks will get an invite because I think homes built with this in mind will be cheaper to insure.
