San Juan Island Addition survives Covid!

Oh my, what a journey this project has been! 1st of all, getting materials to an island is hard….then material prices went crazy with supply chain delays. Plywood went from $25/sheet to $125/sheet in a year. Much appreciation to my clients for sticking through it thick and thin, and figuring out a way to keep the project going. Kathleen is a designer in her own right, and has a fantastic eye for detail and color! The blackened columns on the front entry were executed by local wood working legend Joe Romano. Construction by Ivan Plaza.

The front of the house used to have an old rotted exterior stair, and the client wanted to have an enclosed interior stair that united with floors of the existing house;

Partially a 2 story space, partially a cantilevered space, the addition adds an elegant way to access the main living space which is on the 2nd floor.

The new steel railings and wood treads blend in with the Zen Esthetic throughout.

Th new Powder Room features a wall of mirror with a floating LED circle light suspended delicately in front to light the whole room.

The Master Bathroom sink features a cool sliding up Robern Medicine Cabinet, that has a hidden LED strip below to light the counter- a built in night light for the whole bathroom. LED lights also frame and highlight an antique stained glass window that the clients have saved from another house.

The Master Bedroom features a cool window Bench that will eventually look out onto a nicely landscaped garden- still in progress.

A cedar wood paneled feature stripe runs across the ceiling of the Master Bedroom from the Window bench across to the opposite wall, to create an accent feature that focuses the room down the walls on both sides.

Master Bath has a lot os hidden storage.

Kathleen loves the Japanese soaking tub and says that the jets are more powerful then her hot tub outside! It is only 48” long!!!

Pandemic House in Skyline Rises with changes into form!

View from the street of this “Modern” House in Skyline, Anacortes.

This model shot of the house as originally designed, shows the original cantilevered balcony, more beams and more windows that merge with eh roof plane, but some things had to get cut because of the budget.

They also would up flipping the garage and only having one garage. The “Retro Modern” look of the house still remains even with those changes. The inspiration for the House was to have it look like an “Eichler”, but modern roofing insulation requirements of R-49 insulation caused the roof thickness to expand to 12”. There are other more expensive SIP panels that could have gotten the thickness down to 6”, but the budget ruled on this one.

Pandemic Bay Area Bathroom

“Seagreen & Mocha” is the theme of this bathroom remodel in Novato, CA. that is nearly completed for a repeat client . The glass shower screen doors still need to be installed.

Pebble tile floor in the shower insures not slipping on slick marble and adds texture.

The large format Porcelain floor tiles are a nice soothing sand colored neutral and the metal edging on the shower dam and pony wall ensure no chipping. We added an electrical outlet by the toilet for future bidet attachment- the rage now. No toilet paper needed! Next pandemic, no worries of running out:-)

To appreciate the changes, here is the shower before the remodel- standard pre-molded fiberglass very dated.

The toilet before felt cramped and wedged in.

PROGRESS FROM THE A-FRAME ADDITION- Henry Island!

For those of you that have not seen the model shots, below are studies for the siding materials for this addition onto a 1960s A-frame on an island in the San Juan Islands. Showing the real thing in construction phase and the 3D model rendering studies. So exciting to see this really happening…..it is always challenging to build on an island. All the materials have to be barged from the other island  (San Juan Island) to their beach and then hauled up the rocks by man power.

For those of you that have not seen the model shots, below are studies for the siding materials for this addition onto a 1960s A-frame on an island in the San Juan Islands. Showing the real thing in construction phase and the 3D model rendering studies. So exciting to see this really happening…..it is always challenging to build on an island. All the materials have to be barged from the other island (San Juan Island) to their beach and then hauled up the rocks by man power.

The standing seam metal roof is in a dark bronze color and I have been doing renderings to help the owners decide about the siding colors.

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Before & After Kitchen- Pandemic Survival 2020-21 Build!

Looking at this photo, you would never guess what this kitchen used to look like!

Looking at this photo, you would never guess what this kitchen used to look like!

They got the framing for the new beam across that opens up the kitchen to the Living Room, in before the lumber prices went thru the sky! The kitchen used to be cut off from the living room and accessed thru by a side opening into a slot, with a doorway on the other end. We blocked off the other doorway and opened it up to the rest of the Living Room, so that it flowed with the rest of the house.

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The final results are quite the transformation. The neighbors think that they are running a cooking show at night, because it looks like a stage set:-) If that is not a compliment, I am not sure what is. Kudos to these clients for sticking it out thru the pandemic without a kitchen for 3 months!!!!

RESTAURANT POCKET PARK BELLINGHAM

Doing a 3D model study for a restaurant in Bellingham, WA. to do a pocket park infant to increase outdoor seating. http://grandavenuealehouse.com

Doing a 3D model study for a restaurant in Bellingham, WA. to do a pocket park infant to increase outdoor seating. http://grandavenuealehouse.com

Studying connection points to the existing building  and trying to cut back on the expenses. Power from the building for heaters and lights will have to be carried over the sidewalk.

Studying connection points to the existing building and trying to cut back on the expenses. Power from the building for heaters and lights will have to be carried over the sidewalk.

The contractor wants to use 1” metal plates as the base for the extended platform, and steel columns and roof joists, for a more permanent structure to last thru multiple seasons. Who knows how long this Covid thing is going to last? Outdoor dining is the answer!

The contractor wants to use 1” metal plates as the base for the extended platform, and steel columns and roof joists, for a more permanent structure to last thru multiple seasons. Who knows how long this Covid thing is going to last? Outdoor dining is the answer!

"Layered in Nature" on San Juan Island

This project is for a new 2 car detached Garage with Guest Rooms for a Main House on the Waterfront on San Juan Island on a sloping site.

This project is for a new 2 car detached Garage with Guest Rooms for a Main House on the Waterfront on San Juan Island on a sloping site.

It is always challenging to s=design on a slope and to figure out the access to each floor. In this case, exterior stairs save space inside form being taken up.

It is always challenging to s=design on a slope and to figure out the access to each floor. In this case, exterior stairs save space inside form being taken up.

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The site slopes in 2 directions, so this uphill side will need retaining walls.

This will be the view that most people see, as the site is surrounded with tall fir trees in a forest setting. This design matches the Main House which has a steep roof pitch, but the added shed dormers are needed on the 2nd floor in order that the new structure does not over-whelm the Main House in scale.

This will be the view that most people see, as the site is surrounded with tall fir trees in a forest setting. This design matches the Main House which has a steep roof pitch, but the added shed dormers are needed on the 2nd floor in order that the new structure does not over-whelm the Main House in scale.