building – we shape space

December 19, 2024December 23, 2024

epilogue: NEVER REALLY FINISHED

DECEMBER 2024 ISSUE

“Architecture is like frozen music, and the role of the photographer is to make it sing.”

Ezra Stoller, Photographer

Early on, a vision of the architect’s project begins to jell. The design process is all about developing and documenting that vision so that it can ultimately be translated into built form. At least for me, the vision includes not only the building but its contents as well. In many cases, the owner develops a very different vision and furnishes the house in a way that taints the architect’s perceptions. (Perhaps another example of arrogance on the part of the architect, but it remains true)! This discrepancy in visions may explain why, in some cases, the architect chooses to photograph a project before it is furnished. In other cases, the visions are in closer alignment and the architect chooses to photograph the project after it is furnished. A well-appointed house enhances the architecture, and good photography can capture that. Great photography goes even further, by capturing the house’s underpinnings, or what Francis DK Ching calls “form, space, and order”.

*Higher Perspective photograph of the dinky House*

The contents within the house area referred to as FF&E (furniture, fixtures, and equipment) and are typically outside of the scope of the architect’s work. Owners and/or interior designers are the ones who normally deal with these things. I once heard FF&E explained this way: If you pick up a finished house, turn it upside down, and shake it, whatever falls out is the FF&E. The part you’re shaking is the architecture.

In the case of the dinky, most of the FF&E was new, since we didn’t move. We still live in the BirdHouse during the week. So, Susan and I (but mostly Susan) spent months collecting furniture and furnishings. We also seized the opportunity place a couple of classic pieces that had been gathering dust for decades. One was a fire-engine red funnel fireplace that Susan won in a raffle in the 70s, which was converted to a chiminea and now sits proudly on the deck. Another was a recently restored classic Dr.Pepper machine salvaged from my grandfather’s welding shop, for which I carved out a niche near the stair. I modeled these things and placed them, along with the other furniture, in my house model so we could visualize various options and scenarios. When designing any custom house it is important to make sure the furniture works. In a small and efficient house, it is especially important.

Assuming you want your house photographed, deciding when to do it is tricky. You will probably think “once it’s finished”, but when is that? I would contend that all projects, the dinky included, are never really finished. There is always a dangling punchlist item that was not checked off, or a piece of furniture to add, or some artwork to frame and hang. At some point, however; even though it’s not completely finished, it’s finished enough! At the dinky, that time was summer. I hired Urban Lens to photograph the interiors and Higher Perspective for drone shots of the exterior. We’re quite happy with the results. I think they show the house well, and give the viewer a pretty good sense of the spaces. Interestingly, they also make the house look larger than it really is, and than its name suggests. Ah, the magic of photography!

The kind of project that we originally embarked on may have reached a point where the house is photo-ready, but it will take more time for the site to reach the same point. In the last few months our focus has moved back toward site improvements. In addition to landscaping, we’ve been thinking about the benefits that a small carport would offer. Primarily it would provide shelter for an EV that Susan has been eyeing. It could also provide a convenient place to store yard tools. If sited at a lower elevation than the existing parking area, it would to allow a more accessible path to the dinky. What I’ve dubbed the dinkier carport is now in the preliminary design stage. I suspect that we’ll come up with other “necessary” improvements along the way. In other words, the dinky project is not really finished, and may never be!

THE dinky CHRONICLES, on the other hand, are finished!

BONUS Material:

I began THE dinky CHRONICLES in January of 2023. This, the final post, is being published in December of 2024. The design and construction, at least for our original scope of work, is now behind us. We have experienced weekend living in this cabin, on this site, in all four seasons. The verdict is out, and we love it!

As established in the initial issue of THE dinky CHRONICLES, Prequel: AN ORIGIN STORY, the dinky House is, at its core, a fishing cabin. The architecture of the dinky was inspired both by this function and by its river-focused site. The Little River is a wild river and the fish in it have not been stocked. They are native. The redeye bass, for example, have inhabited these waters for millennia. In short, they belong there. I catch them, appreciate them, and then I let them go. I want these beautiful and unique fish to remain for future inhabitants to the dinky – my grandchildren, and theirs.

November 20, 2024

construction administration 5: WHEW!

NOVEMBER 2024 ISSUE

“A doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his client to plant vines.”

Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect

The Architect and the Owner are often given the benefit of the doubt during construction. Curious neighbors may say, “What is that framing on the side of the house all about?” Relatives may ask “Are you really going to leave it painted black?” After construction, however, the juries begin to render their verdicts. If the architect’s vision is wonky, if the program is too restricted by owner, or if the contractor is not up to par, this is where it will all become evident and you may be forced to plant vines! I like to think that vines are not necessary on the dinky House!

Whew! This is the final post following the construction administration phase – the time following it to the point of “substantial completion.” The last post, Seeing the Light, took us right up to the 2023 Christmas season. The original construction schedule had us scheduled to be complete by the end of October, and I had taken off the week between Christmas and New Year’s for the move in. As October drew closer and we still had a good ways to go, I was forced to go back to the bank and tell them I needed an extra couple of months. This happens …. a lot. By the time Christmas arrived, project completion was close enough that we opened our presents, ate our dinner, woke up the next day and started the move in. The appliances had not been installed, we still had a little tile left, the shower door had not been installed and the final punchlist had yet to be written. We also added a concrete patio leading from the Dormitory. This was a “change order” that I presented to Phil late in the process.

The countertops had just been installed, so the tile setter was working around me as I was putting together furniture in the middle of the Living and Dining area. The glass guy slipped in and installed the shower door. Susan kept busy cleaning the place, which is something that is usually subcontracted. Susan had been ordering furniture for months and storing it in our garage and a small rental storage unit nearby. Susan knows that I actually enjoy putting furniture together. She blessed me with plenty of enjoyment, We kept busy from the crack of dawn to the dead of night for the remainder of my “time off”. The transformation was pretty amazing.

Time for me to generate a belated punchlist. A punchlist is simply a room by room listing of all the things that are not complete, not working, or not to the level of refinement that should be expected. Ideally, the architect would do the puchlist when the builder thought he was substantially complete. Once all the punchlist work was completed, the owner could begin the move in. My punchlist was relatively short, partially because we did a lot of it ourselves during that week. I actually like doing things like installing door hardware, toilet accessories, and that kind of thing.

There are a couple of other things pertaining to construction administration worth mentioning. During the course of the dinky House construction, because of my dual archictect/owner role, I was at the jobsite a lot! Sorry, Phil! In my day-to-day role as just the architect, I usually visit a jobsite just enough to stay abreast of the progress of the job. That’s normally a couple of hours every other week, but sometimes more, depending on what is or is not happening. I’m there to provide another perspective for the owner and to make sure that the vision I documented on paper ends up in brick and mortar. We call these visits “field observations” and not “inspections”. It is not the responsibility of the architect to catch every mistake the builder may make or to tell him when and how to construct the project. The means and methods are up to the builder. I normally spend whatever time is required to carefully look over the jobsite, alert the builder to any deviations from the contract documents that I encounter, answer any questions the owner or builder may have, and gauge the progress so that I can make sure that the owner and I have decisions made so as not to impede progress. I normally follow these visits with a Field Observation Report. Depending on the agreement, I often review the builder’s pay request to make sure they are in line. The builder is fairly entitled to be compensated promptly for work completed and for necessary material deposits, but should not request funds for work not completed. There are rare occasions when a builder is borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. Architects also make sure that a project is closed out correctly – punchlist completed, warranties turned over, and liens releases are signed. The architect is also coordinates change order to make sure they are fair and equitable. Spread out over the course of construction, there is quite a bit of effort in this phase, which is why it is normally about 25% of the total architectural fee.

So, back to the dinky House. It seems like we were finally finished, but were we really? That question will be answered in the final issue of the dinky Chronicles. Join me next month for Never Really Finished.

BONUS Material:

In the summer of 2009 my youngest daughter was preparing for college. She and our other daughter, already in college, decided that Susan needed someone other than me to nurture. Specifically, they felt she needed a puppy. The girls hounded Susan for weeks (pun intended) until she caved. My only responsibility with the new puppy was to name him, which I did, after the legendary architect LcCorbusier, or Corbu for short. I anticipated that Susan would fall hard for the cute little puppy as he peered out from his tiny crate. What I did not anticipate…. was that I would too.

Corbu quickly took over the house, then he claimed the yard. He also commanded a roving boundary, within sight or earshot of Susan. She knew him best and was the first to channel his often random thoughts, although I quickly learned the art as well. Susan was the Momby and I was simply Dad. Anytime we left the house, Corbu would jump in his crate, knowing that we might take him with us. We often did. He was the best traveler of all the children. He was so quiet that sometimes we would look in the crate to make sure he was still there. Of course he was, but he would occasionally slide under his bedding, as if he had disappeared – the Amazing Corbini!

Corbu loved to play. He would take squeaky balls to the top of the stairs, drop them, then go chase them down. If he was downstairs and Susan or I squeaked a ball upstairs, he would immediately run up and grab the ball with his mouth. He could tell them apart by their squeaks! Even though he never reached his goal of 12 pounds and had to take ten steps to match my one, he loved to “go for the walk”. Rarely did a day pass that we did not roam the neighborhood together. Neither wind nor rain nor dead of night could stop us from our appointed rounds. He was a really clever dog and could navigate the neighborhood well, and even turn for home when he started to get winded. Corbu liked to explore and go on hikes with us. One of his last was to the property where construction of the dinky House was about to begin.

To our great sorrow, Corbu died unexpectedly during the Summer of 2022. We had anticipated he would be laying claim to another place, but it was not to be. It did not feel right for Susan and I to be enjoying the dinky without his presence. We decided to commission a pop art poster and gave it the most prominent spot in the house. I know it’s weird, but It seemed right. It’s our tribute to the best dog ever!

July 24, 2024October 29, 2024

construction administration 1: FROM THE GROUND UP

JULY 2024 ISSUE

“You can dream, create, design, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it requires people to make the dream a reality.”

– Walt Disney, Visionary

Architecture differs from other art forms in many ways. As discussed in the Procurement post, architecture usually requires the use of someone else’s money. I would add that it also takes more than just the artist (architect) to bring it to fruition. It takes excavators, foundation masons, block masons, framers, plumbers, electricians, tile setters, finish carpenters, and a host of other tradespeople. And it takes someone to choreograph all of these folks – the General Contractor. In residential construction, he or she is normally referred to simply as “the builder”. Most of the time the builder is using the tradespeople that they are comfortable with and have used successfully on other projects. Sometimes, the Owner will want to use a different tradesperson, that they know, for part of the work. The builder will normally go along with it, but they will forever refer to this tradesperson as “your guy.” If anything goes awry, it will likely be because of your guy!

And don’t forget the architect. During Construction Administration, the architect serves as the owner’s representative during this phase but works closely with both the owner and the builder. In general, the architect helps to insure that the builder has all the information he needs to keep the project moving. This includes reviewing pay draws, assisting in the change order process, checking shop drawings, and observing the project. The observations are to ensure that what was so carefully documented is, in fact , constructed the way the documents indicate. The architect cannot and should not be dictating how the builder performs his job, nor should he or she be following behind the builder with a tape measure! The main purpose of the observations is to insure that the design intent is carried out. At the end of the project, the architect prepares a punch list of any minor items required to officially complete the project.

Construction begins with the site. Before meaningful work can be accomplished, the site has to be cleared for the building footprint and driveway. In addition, a “laydown area” for materials must be provided and there has to be an area to park for the workers. The surveyor normally returns to locate and flag the corners of the house and edges of the driveway, based on the drawings. Even though we do our best to get these right on paper, sometimes looking at it surveyed in the field suggests that we tweak something a bit – maybe the house slide up the hill a couple of feet, or maybe swing the driveway a little wider to save a tree. Once all this is figured out, the excavator is called to the site for some really serious work!

*June 2022 – clearing of the path (viewed from top)*

Normally the builder coordinates all of this, but in the case of the dinky House, I did the coordination of the surveyor and excavator, even before I officially hired the builder. In the Summer of 2022, John Lawton, my guy, cleared the building site, the driveway area, and the drainfield area. We called him back in the Fall to develop a footpath he had previously cleared across the steep incline from the dinky House to the Little River. He masterfully used the boulders he uncovered as he backed his way back up the path. creating the steps that make the path manageable.

*Sept. 2022 – boulders added (viewed from bottom)*

Also in the Fall we had officially hired Phil as our builder, and he took over. With the site cleared, what most think of as the actual construction can begin. Normally the excavator would move from clearing the site to digging the footings, but in our case, Phil used his guy to dig the footing and bring the utilities on site. The dinky house has a daylight basement, which obviously requires more excavation than simply digging for a crawl space. Fortunately we did not encounter any rock that could not be removed with the track hoe and soon the footings excavations were underway, stepping with the grade and reinforced with rebar along the bottoms (In bad soil conditions, the rebar are heavier or spaced more closely; sometimes additional rebar are required at the top). Luckily our dirt was good and soon the footings were ready for concrete.

Deviation: Everyone understands how dependent on the weather that farming is. Few understand that construction is as well. Among those who do are builders and their subs and suppliers. Also among them are those brave souls who have undergone the process of building their homes!

*Oct. 2022 – forming/reinforcing footings*

*Dec. 2022 – erection of concrete block walls*

In North Alabama, the late fall and winter months tend to be our wettest of the year. 2020 was not an exception and for several weeks Nature toyed with us. To pour our footings, not only did the skies have to be clear, but the gravel road leading to the jobsite had to be dry enough so that a really heavy cement truck did not get stuck in a rut. When we got a marginal break in the weather, Phil ordered half-full trucks so that they could get to and fro. Clever.

Soon the concrete block was delivered, which was the catalyst for more strategically spaced rain. A new group of workers, the block masons, were finally able to make it to the site. They made good headway on the basement and the crawlspace walls and completed them shortly before Christmas. This was kind of a milestone – construction going vertical!

This ended 2022 and is a good place to end this post. Next we will follow the progress of filling the block, pouring the slab, erecting the SIPs panels, and the rest of the wall and roof framing. Join me in August for construction administration 2: Dried In.

BONUS Material:

When we purchased the dinky site, the trees and flora populating it were native….well, mostly. Unfortunately, some non-native species had been introduced over time. The result was that the site was really overgrown with vines, thickets, and weeds. That was not what we wanted, nor did we want a classic suburban yard, with pristine sod and manicured boxwoods. What we wanted was a native landscape, with maybe a select few adaptive plants…but not invasives!

I would suggest that there is a vast difference between an appreciation for the outdoors and an appreciation for native beauty. It is possible to appreciate what is around us, without really knowing what should be around us. Susan, who is a gardener through and through, immersed herself in the study of native plants before the ink was even dry on the purchase agreement. She convinced me that if we got rid of the invasive plants, the native plants would thrive. And, oh yeah, we might want to add some additional plants in a few places as well. One side benefit to native plants, she explained, is that they don’t require much care, since they are in tune with their environment. And so, we began our quest to reclaim the native beauty of our dinky site in April of 2022. The invasive plants fought back vigorously, and the plants we added have required considerable work to get established. Susan swears that this will lessen considerably after a year or so. I think she’s lying again!

So, what are we left with today, after hundreds of hours of cutting, digging, pulling, watering, and planting? And after decimating our landscaping budget? Well, I know I’m biased, but I think we have revealed and enhanced one of the most beautiful settings anywhere. Every time we return to the dinky site, there is something else blooming – native, natural, beautiful. And it’s just getting better and better and better. It turns out that Susan, once again, was right.

May 21, 2024August 7, 2024

construction documents: BLUEPRINTS

MAY 2024 ISSUE

“Architecture must exhibit these three qualities – commodity, firmness, and delight.”

– Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, Architect

Of the three qualities of architecture cited by Vitruvius in the first century BCE, “delight” is the one easiest to understand. It is an aesthetic quality that separates architecture from mere “building”. It is born out in the design phase. “Commodity” is how well the work of architecture performs and how well it serves its intended use. “Firmness” refers to the robustness and appropriateness of the work of architecture’s systems. “Commodity” and “Firmness” are pragmatic qualities. They originate in the design development phase, but are pervasive throughout the construction documents phase.

*Vitruvius lecturing on the subject of Architecture*

Architecture differs from other arts in a number of ways, chief among them, in its complexity. In addition to creating their works of art, artists typically finance and construct their works as well. A work of architecture is different. Though designed by the architect, their work is typically neither financed nor constructed by them; rather, it is financed for and by a client, and it is constructed by a builder. This presents a couple of interesting issues. How much deference should the architect give to the owner, or is it, how much deference should the owner give to the architect? And, how does a builder even know how to build the work of architecture, when it was conceived not by the builder, but by the architect?

The answers are simultaneously easy and complex. The architect and owner must come to a common vision, then the vision must be documented in a way that the builder can decipher. The process for making this happen is carried out in the phase of architectural service called Construction Documents, the third of the five phases of service that architects typically provide. In this post we’ll use the dinky House as a case study to better explain this phase. One sidenote: Somewhat unusually, in the case the dinky House, the architect was the owner, or at least half of the owner.

So, what are construction documents? In a nutshell, construction documents are two separate deliverables – construction drawings and a project manual. Basically the drawings are a set of graphic representations of the house in different views and at differing scales, that serves to document the house . The project manual is a written document that compliments the drawings by filling in the gaps and adding information related to contracts, materials, and methods.

*construction drawings and the project manual*

Construction drawings begin where design development drawings end, when all of the major decisions regarding the house design have been made and agreed to. Then the architect engages in the process of drawing everything (within reason) that is necessary to adequately price and construct the house and improve the site. It is a Hurculean effort. In the case of the dinky House drawing set, it was comprised of 26 sheets of 24×36 drawings. That’s pretty typical for our firm’s custom residential projects, although a large house could have twice as many sheets. When dealing with houses, all of the drawings are typically produced by the architect, sometimes with input from other design professionals. Such was the case for the dinky House.

Back in the day, we produced construction drawings, which we called working drawings, on our drawing boards. Using a parallel bar, pencils and pens, we drew and lettered on vellum and mylar. We used scales, compasses, and triangles to produce flat, two dimensional drawings that we enhanced with zip-a -tone and rub-on letters. (I love to draw this way!) This romantic version of the architect was in its last hurrah while I was still in architecture school. By the mid 1980s computers had become sophisticated enough to replace the collection of hand drawing tools…..and quickly did. Computer aided design (CAD) and later, building information modeling (BIM), are now part of virtually every architect’s practice. They are the preferred tool in the construction documents phase due to their accuracy and precision. They are not, at least in my opinion, not the best tool for actually designing, as explained in the schematic design: PART’ TIME post.

Like most of our firm’s residential projects, the dinky House construction drawings were produced in a modeling program, Sketchup, and its companion program, LayOut. The house was modeled as a 3 dimensional object in SketchUp, then 2 dimensional views were generated in LayOut, where it was fully noted, dimensioned, and rendered. This was done for all of the drawings in the set. The resulting drawings are all to scale with all of the accuracy of the model. The resulting drawings are what the builder used to price and construct the project. Pretty cool, huh?

*3d SketchUp model to 2d LayOut drawings*

The order of drawings in the dinky House drawing set is pretty typical. It begins with the site plan, which locates the house on the site and shows the site development. Then come the plans, which are horizontal slices through the house. They include general floor plans, dimensioned floor plans, reflected ceiling plans, and a roof plan. Next, the exterior elevations illustrate what the completed house looks like from every direction. Then come the building sections, which are vertical slices through the house. I have eight cross sections and three longitudinal sections. Interior elevations follow, and illustrate appearance of every wall that is significant in some way, perhaps due to its shape, unique wall finishes, or because they contain cabinetry or built-ins. Next, schedules are included to further describe doors, windows, finish materials, plumbing fixtures, appliances, and toilet accessories. Then there are details, lots of details! Structural drawings come after details and illustrate how the house goes together. They consist of a foundation plan, floor framing plans, and roof framing plans. Unless the house allows for a really simple heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, I normally provide mechanical plans. (Spoiler alert: the dinky House has a mechanical plan.) Electrical drawings complete the drawing set. They contain power plans and lighting plans for the house and site.

The project manual is the often forgotten part of the construction documents. At least for me, these are not fiil-in-the-blank or boiler plate documents. They are specifically tailored to the house, just as the drawings are. They contain information regarding procurement, a bid form, requirements for the builder and his subs, and technical specifications for virtually every material and system in the house and site. Contractually they carry even more weight than the drawings. Should they be in conflict with the drawings, they take precedence. In the case of the dinky House, I ended up with 41 pages in the project manual, not including the contract. More on that in the next issue.

After the intense effort of the construction documents phase, we are ready to find out what it will actually cost to construct the house, and hopefully engage in the steps to get construction underway. We’ll pick up there in the next issue – procurement: LET’S GO!.

BONUS Material:

Blueprints are the physical sheets of drawings generated using a contact print process that results in blue sheets with white lines. It’s basically a negative image. If you’ve seen original construction drawings by an early 20th century architect, you’ll immediately recognize them as blueprints. Blueprints were the common reprographic technique used back then, but it is an old technique and has long since fallen out of favor. For a while the profession used what were called blue line drawings, or whiteprints – blue lines on white paper. They were easier to read and allowed the architect to make notes directly to them. Most architectural drawings these days are reproduced more like a photocopy – black lines on white paper. Our firm sometimes uses color prints, which I think will become increasing commonplace. It allow us to increased flexibility in how to illustrate our design intent to the client and builder.

*blueprint of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pappas House*

Like many words, the definition of blueprint has evolved. What I’ve been describing as construction drawings are just a pumped up version of what many think of as blueprints.. Architects don’t really use the term, unless they are actually referring to a very old drawing that actually is a blueprint. In fact, about the only time we hear blueprint mentioned is when someone is on the phone asking, “How much would you charge me to draw up some blueprints?” …..There are so many things wrong with that question that it’s difficult to know how to begin answering it! Now, perhaps, I can just refer them to weshapespce.com.