Adding On (Revisited)

About half of the work in our office is new construction and half renovations and additions. When designing a home from scratch some of the most important elements to study(besides the clients wishes) are views, site features, sun and wind direction, and the approach to the site. The most important single element in an addition/renovation is the existing building. Sometimes the portion you save and restore is key to the rest of the project. Although it is almost [...]

How Much? (Updated)

In 2009 I wrote an article about the price of installed components of a home.  You would think that due to the state of the economy, all prices would be lower in 2012.  According to an unscientific survey of a number of trusted contractors who are often the low bidders, many prices have gone up-especially windows.  You can see the original prices at 'How Much' The amended survey follows: We are frequently asked the cost of building a project. Universally [...]

Breakfast In The Bay

From Monticello to the house next door, it is common when planning a construction project, to create a master plan and then build in phases.  Phasing a renovation can allow the homeowners to live in the house during construction or spread out the cost over several years.  When building a new home, the construction of a guest house or garage before the main house, can create a secure space to store materials and/or establish a home base to [...]

By |2012-05-23T15:58:24-04:00November 1st, 2010|Categories: Additions, Construction, Miscellaneous, New Homes|Tags: , , |0 Comments

Wood: It’s Not What It Used To Be

I once owned a converted one-room schoolhouse built in 1865.  The siding and the trim around the windows, soffit, fascia, corner boards, etc. were made of pine.  When I bought it, it had been without paint for years yet the windows and trim were in perfect condition.  Today, if you left a wood window made of pine exposed for 2 years (or less) you would probably need to replace it.  Homes built 15 years ago can have major problems with [...]

By |2012-05-23T15:20:31-04:00May 31st, 2010|Categories: Construction|Tags: , , , |2 Comments

Contractors

I love visiting job sites. The structured chaos of running bulldozers, swinging boards and dripping mortar is invigorating. Each crafts person is working toward their own ends yet participating in a collective goal, not unlike the master builders of medieval cathedrals. Although our drawings guide the final outcome, the contractor choreographs the work being done on the project. Nothing lets me sleep easier than talented, experienced, professional contractors running my jobs. It is common to hear horror stories at cocktail [...]

By |2010-06-03T13:40:55-04:00October 19th, 2009|Categories: Construction, New Homes|Tags: , , |0 Comments

Cutting Costs on Construction Projects -5 Ways to Stretch Your Construction Dollars

When designing a home or addition, part of the fun for the owner is imagining the project finished without any compromises. When bids come in from the contractors, many home owners are eager to look at ways to reduce the price without loosing space or the character of the project. As the architects, our job is to help bring the price down as far as possible without loosing the qualities that the owners loved in the first place. It must [...]

By |2010-06-03T13:42:14-04:00October 8th, 2009|Categories: Construction, New Homes|Tags: , , |0 Comments

Kitchen Costs

One of the most expensive rooms in a home is the kitchen. It is easy to see why a kitchen is so expensive considering it contains appliances, cabinets, plumbing fixtures, lighting, ventilation, countertops as well as decorative finishes. To try to quantify some of those big ticket items we have compiled the following list of some of the elements that go into kitchens including their installed costs. The prices will vary depending on the supplier, contractor and the market conditions [...]

By |2010-06-03T13:52:56-04:00May 4th, 2009|Categories: Construction|Tags: , |0 Comments

Cutting Construction Costs

When designing a home or addition, part of the fun for the owner is imagining the project finished without any compromises. When bids come in from the contractors, many home owners are eager look at ways to reduce the price without loosing space or the character of the project. As the architects, our job is to help bring the price down as far as possible without loosing the qualities that the owners loved in the first place. It must be [...]

By |2010-05-17T21:10:18-04:00April 3rd, 2009|Categories: Construction|Tags: , |0 Comments

How Much?

We are frequently asked the cost of building a project. Universally the answer is: It depends what you build. Following is a list of some of the elements that go into homes in our region and their installed costs. The prices will vary depending on the supplier, contractor and the market conditions at the time of the bid. These prices were provided by suppliers and contractors in early 2009. Because there are thousands of small choices that make up a [...]

Go to Top