Design Blog
Thoughts & Musings
This is the “After”, the black trim and roof are quite handsome.
This was the “Before”. The front door remained in the same location.
Finally got up to Bellingham to see this Second Floor Addition that I designed awhile back...turned out very nicely. It was a pretty nondescript house before. The client is a contractor, so that helped. Added are 2 bedrooms for his kids, bath and a Family Room. Covered deck off the back.
The second floor covered back desk is a great place to hang out!
We started out with a bigger building, but had to shave down the sq. ft. due to the budget. So wound up with a smaller 1st floor then 2nd floor. But it actually works to have more of a covering for the garage (which will have frosted glass doors for the Yoga Studio).
I really like the way the lower roof wraps around to create the covered porch for the 2nd floor deck.
The 20 degree angle of half the guesthouse gives it some visual interest and the main house has some angles too. The owners did not want a rectangular box.
This will be the view from the street, so it has a lot of visual interest.
Working with the San Juan Community Home Trust to come up with a standard 2 bedroom, 1 bath house with a play loft that can be something that they can use on other sites on the island. Big on the list was a welcoming old fashioned front porch. One of the board members drew up the house, and I transferred the design into 3D and CAD so it can be a digital product. Unfortunately , designing with a committee making constant changes has been challenging. But I think we have finally settled on the final form.
There is a side porch that leads to a laundry and the back hallway.
The back of the house is where the bedrooms are.
Simple Shed Style roof with nice big covered 2nd floor porch that acts like a covered entry for the 1st floor entry door. 1st floor is a Shop/ Entry with Laundry and bath. 2nd floor has 2 bedrooms, 1 bath. Covered porch facing South, so great light.
Large windows on the 2nd floor pour light into the stairwell.
Back will have forest views.
For a 1st time house for a young person, under 1000 sq. ft. on the 2nd floor is perfect.
Many clients can’t understand the spacial relationships indicated in 2D drawings, so I think it is helpful to see a 3D model of the space to help understand the massing elements. To be able to walk into the kitchen and feel what it would be like is helpful-no?
Here I am trying to illustrate the idea of a cozy seating area in the kitchen as a window bench, to be able to sit and have a cup of coffee with your mate or friend.
This option maximizes storage on the back of the peninsula with no stools. There would be 12” deep storage on the back.
This option maximizes the storage with a bank of 24” deep pantries and a coffee station.
A more overhead view.
Trying different entry options on this new house- this is a combo of Gable roof over entry with attached Shed roof.
This entry option is just a simple Shed roof all the way across
This is the one that they are going with- Gable over the entry and then a lower Shed Roof that is only 4’ deep, not covering the entire deck so it lets in more light.
Here is the opposite side, the view side of the house. Master Bedroom at the top floor with elevator for aging in place.
End of house has a large covered deck with outdoor kitchen and a place for a large dining table.
Parting shot of how the front entry will look from the side with the final entry design.
It is hard for a lot of clients to visualize spaces, and it is very helpful when they ask me to generate 3D images so that they can see what I see when I am designing it. But it also is a way to further explore the topic and get into the details that I had not thought about. Here we are looking from the deck into the Great Room with staircase, Living Room, Dining Room and Kitchen to study. The house is under construction right now, the foundation is being poured, and wall framing will be next. We are actually doing things that will affect the wall framing, by going through this study.
This image shows the relationship of the beamed ceiling and tv/fireplace wall that we are studying.
This is looking into the kitchen and out tot eh side deck that has a BBQ and sink for covered outdoor entertaining off the kitchen- very Pacific Northwest!
Shot looking from the outside on the deck into the Living Room.
Then there was another idea that the client had saved from “HOUZZ”, that had flanking display shelves and some storage. I added a bench in front of the Electric Fireplace, as a place to warm up in the winter- I know people like to be able to sit by a fireplace when it is cold out, even though it is only electric, it will generate heat.
Skagit Island Counties Builders Association! This was the kitchen that I did for my neighbor in Anacortes! The Contractor was “True Bearing Built”- my 3rd project with them- great contractor to work with!
When you don’t have lot of space and want a jetted jacuzzi tub and a shower, this works! It is a 48” long Japanese Style soaking tub that has really powerful jets- not those tickling bubbly ones that do not get into your sore muscles. Have done 2 projects with this tub and everyone loves it. 30” deep. EMPAVA EMPV-48JT11
The tub faucet is built into the lip of the tub with the controls and an integral sprayer to wash down the tub after use- very handy! The wiring is a bit tricky. The contractor did not look at my drawings when installing the cabinet handles and put the lower drawer handles in the middle of the door panel instead of at the top. This means that one has to bend down another 6 inches and practically touch your toes to open a drawer- ugh! My pet peeve! Please try to catch your hardware installer before they make this mistake….once the holes are drilled, it is over. You can patch the holes, but a divot will always be there.
The Laundry involved adding a skylight, changing flooring, adding cabinets . Much more functional with storage to put stuff and a folding counter.
Nice new shower in the Guest Bathroom!
New media cabinets with pull out drawers for an extensive record collection! Equipment hidden behind screened doors. Again, cabinet pulls are mounted in the center of the doors instead of a the top of the doors! The older that you get, the harder it is to bend down:-) No patching those holes now…..these cabinet installers are likely on the construction crew, do not look at the drawings, and are told to install the hardware….do I sound picky? God is in the details, as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe used to say!
Kitchen needed more storage, so the space under the overhang with filled in with cabinets. Easy fix! And people can still gather there.
Shop is on the left, Art Studio is on the right.
This will be the view from the street
The rear of the Art Studio will have a covered porch facing West.
Here is the other side of the Covered Porch of the Art Studio. I really like the split roof for the 2 halfs at 2 different angles.
