New Company Builds Shipping Container House

Lots of people have thought about ways to do this but Ecotechdesign has figured out how build a great looking house out of shipping containers. The build photos are fascinating.

Open Architecture Network

Open Architecture Network | Helping communities sustainably improve living conditions through innovative design and construction.

A great big idea: architecture that actually considers people's real needs. This site describes hundreds of projects large and small going on all over the world. This is a fascinating place to explore what some of the world's most talented architects are doing.

Porchdog Project Biloxi MS

Here's just one project from Biloxi Missisippi. A disaster-proof house designed for this hurricane-prone area.

Many projects are from disaster areas like Haiti. Kits of vernacular materials and methods.

More Guastavino

Boston Public Library: Guastavino Inside

Another fabulous pictorial on Gaustavino vaulting in NYC. Dynamic panoramic views and a map of locations. This is why we love the NYT (and pay for a digital subscription)!

Curves of the City - Slide Show - NYTimes.com

Curves of the City - Slide Show - NYTimes.com

Guastavino Vaulting at Boston Public Library

Rafael Guastavino was a Spanish brickmason who developed a technique for building masonry vaulting that was based on medieval masonry methods. Many public buildings in Boston and New York have examples of his work. Here is a wonderful slide show from the NYT on some Guastavino arches in NYC.

Excellent Renovation Advice

Here is some objective advice about hiring a contractor for your renovation. I often don't give this advice emphatically enough  because it appears self-serving to do so. I'll let someone else say it this time: hire a good general contractor, it's worth the money. PS: Be sure to read the first comment.

The Perfect Wall (wonkish)

I've adopted the (wonkish) tag from one of my favorite writers. I'll leave it to you to figure out who it is since he doesn't write about home design and it would be way off track to mention here. A different favorite writer, one who does write about home design although in a very technical way  is Joe Lstiburek of Building Sciences Corporation. I highly recommend that you visit the BSC site if you're interested in technical analysis of building performance issues. Anyway....this is a great article (in Joe's inimitable style) that helps to clarify the complicated interaction of  moisture, air, and heat.

Sustainable Cabinetry

Virtually all cabinetry is manufactured with industrial materials and processes that are resistant to sustainable practices. You have to look beneath the surface to evaluate the real story behind the hype. This article from EBuild magazine spells out many of the issues. Perfect sustainability is not possible. As a consumer, you have to think about what are the most important issues for you. Recycled content? FSC certified wood products? Low or Zero VOC finishes? Or do you want to look deeper into a particular manufacturer's process? How do they handle waste? How do they heat their buildings? Do you want complete lifecycle analysis?
ONe cabinet manufacturer we like is Holiday Kitchens, they have a good style selection and mid-range prices. Our friends at Terrene have checked out their sustainability practices and found them in line with best practices for the industry.

Universal Design, Aging In Place

I've  noticed that several of the young people in our office have cobbled together funky furniture arrangements so that they can work standing up. This was once thought to be something only old people had to do. I predict that in a few years everyone will be using stand-up desks (and there's more room for files below). Universal Design is simply good human-centric design as I've written before and it's rapidly becoming mainstream, not just something for old or disabled people. A good article from the NYT points out that you can spend some time and effort on good design now and create a home for your old age for less than a year's stay in a retirement home. Design for aging in place is no different than Universal Design. This Caring Home has great articles, ideas, and products related to interior design for aging in place.

Non-slip river rock flooring, a great idea!

Two visions of the future

There seem to be two different visions emerging for the future of housing. The community based model and the industrial model. Community based examples such as Earthship and the natural building movement that I've written about before emphasize the use of local, non-industrial materials and community "labor capital".

Earthship in Todos Santos, Baja, Mexico

 Another vision is the capital intensive version such as BluHomes that I have also written about. These visions are not necessarily competing or mutually exclusive. The industrial model recognizes that we live in an industrial community too. Many people who have capital resources do not live "close to the land" do not have access to "labor capital" and do not  have access to natural materials.

BluHomes affordable ecofriendly prefab

Stone Tapestry

More interesting stonework. If you live in Southern Maine, you're lucky to be near Ethan Stebbins who does wonderful stonework patios and walls.

Recycled Style

Recycling can be done in style. Here is an architect-designed house that uses a lot of recycled materials. I hope we see more of this in the future, there seems to be a revival of the
"handmade house" from the Whole Earth Catalog and Shelter Book era. I love the car windshield as portico. Back to the 1960s!

The Microhouse

Derek Diedriksen builds not just small house, not just tiny houses, but MICROhouses. Playful and funky. Small is beautiful. His idea is that homeless people could use them and sell stuff out of them.

Treehouses in Costa Rica

This looks like fun: a sustainable treehouse community in Costa Rica.

Big builder jumps on the greenbuild bandwagon

Let's hope they don't break it. Meritage Homes, a "big" builder out west is aggressively re-branding itself as a green builder. Especially interesting is the emphasis on smaller, affordable homes that are energy efficient, advertised to be three times more efficient than Energystar. Affordable means in the 150k range. Of course they build many homes that must be considerably more expensive, like the one on the left. I'd like to see the cutaway model.

Custom Prefab Eco-Friendly Homes

Blu Homes based here in Massachusetts is producing a modernist pre-fabricated home in a variety of configurations. This is an idea that has been tried many times and never really caught on. I hope they have great success!

IKEA Cabinets

There comes a time during my first interview with some clients when they give me a sheepish look and then tell me that they are thinking of getting their cabinetry from IKEA. They are always relieved when they get an enthusiastic response from me. I love IKEA. A good kitchen designer and a good installer can get fabulous results with IKEA cabinets. We have three current projects using IKEA cabinetry.

According to the owner these IKEA cabinets cost $1,900.00

That said, you have to know how to design with the IKEA system and there are hidden costs. So if you're trying to compare apples to apples with a stock cabinetry program from a home center or a boutique kitchen designer you need to take these costs into consideration. The IKEA cabinets will not be as inexpensive as they seem at first blush but if your creative and play your cards right you can get a high design kitchen for somewhat less than a "designer" kitchen. Here is a rundown of items that need to be thought through if you're thinking about IKEA.

1. Measurements of your existing space: Unless you have totally freestanding plan that does not touch sidewalls, this can be complicated. Measuring means not just width depth and height but also level, plumb, squareness and straightness. Tools needed: Tape measure, longest level and biggest square you can find. I use a laser level, a 6' level, and a 6' collapsible square. If you don't know what I'm talking about get someone to do it who does.
2. Do all your measuring in metric system:  IKEA cabinets are sized in centimeters. Don't measure in inches and then convert to inches or even worse, don't try to keep switching back and forth between inches and centimeters. This isn't so scary, we've been metric since 1980 in case you didn't notice.
2. Basic principles of kitchen design: You'll be designing this yourself. Know your work triangle, space needed between counters and obstructions, appliance sizes, space needed to turn a corner, and cabinets heights at a minimum. There are many design issues to consider, I can't possibly go into them here. A knowledgable designer can do a very nice job with IKEA cabinets. There are some excellent blogs about kitchen design. Becky Sue Becker for example.
3. Delivery: If you have a small vehicle and more than a couple of cabinets you need to think about how you're going to get your cabinets to your house and how much it will cost. The good news is that IKEA cabinets are flat packed. The bad news is that they are heavy.
4. Assembly: This is the 800 pound gorilla. Assembly is not trivial if you have more than a few cabinets. We often build kitchens with 50 or more cabinets. It takes time, space, and tools. I have found that not all IKEA cabinets go together accurately. You need to be able to recognize when this is a problem and know how to correct it. Correcting it can be complicated. The alternative is to return items that do not fit together perfectly. This could be very time consuming.
5. Cabinet base:  IKEA cabinets do not have a base, that "toe" space below the doors. You or your builder will need to make a structure to support the base cabinets. You need to think about how this space will be finished (same finish as the cabinet doors? Black? metallic? vinyl cove? tile?)  and provide material for this.  It will need to be perfectly level and the correct height so that the top of the cabinets (not the top of the counter) ends up between 34-1/2 and 35 inches. If it's not the correct height your appliances won't fit right.
6. Installation: Installing frameless cabinets can be more complicated that you think. Especially if your walls are not perfectly straight and plumb. The cabinets do not have much resistance to racking. You can easily pull them out of square while trying to make them conform to the walls. If you do, the doors will never line up correctly and your fashion kitchen will look like a cheap and sloppy dorm room. Agian the issues are too many to go into here. I'll give you an important piece of advice that will help you avoid one big pitfall: Install base cabinets first, start at the dishwasher with the top of the cabinets at 34-1/2", keep everything level from there.

Good luck!

Universal Design is Good Design

Universal design products are increasing the efficiency and  functionality of homes. This video concentrates on products that are especially focused on aging boomers, but most of these things are useful for any age. This excellent blog by kitchen designer Becky Sue Becker has a number of articles on universal design and is in general a great informational resource. More general information on Universal Design here.

Spectacular Stonework

I love stone...did I say that before? There is a movement in stoneworking akin to the fine woodworking revival of the '70s. Thea Aldin is one of the most creative practitioners of this art. Thea's site is full of wonder. A spiral stone wall below.

Andy Goldsworthy first taught us that forms like this were possible in stone. Thanks Andy. Collage of Andy Goldsworthy images below.

Dam Ice dams

I have had many calls and emails from clients over the past few weeks asking me what to do about the ice dams on their roofs. The most comforting words I have are "you're not alone". Joe Lstiburek at BSC talks about the ice dams and icicles we see everywhere these days (thanks Dave). This articles says about everything there is to be said about the problem. There is no quick fix. Scraping the snow off the roof just damages it, the underlying problem is always lack of air sealing and insulation.

Tank vs Tankless

I have this discussion several times a week with prospective clients: conventional storage tank water heaters vs tankless on-demand water heaters.  This article from Builder Magazine online has a good summary of the issues.

Where will it be located and how will it be used are important considerations. If you're looking at tankless units online, don't be mislead, the installation cost is much more than a conventional water heater. That said, they cost very little to operate and are definitely appropriate in many situations.

Natural Builders

In case you haven't noticed, the spirit of hippie/self sufficient/shelter movement of the '60s and 70's is still alive and being brought into the 21st century by people who call themselves "Natural Builders"  I love these guys. They're technologically sophisticated and skillful. They are exploring vernacular building techniques. They are the greenest builders out there. Here's just one example of this type of building.

New Ecology and WegoWise

Our friends at New Ecology have a new energy management tool called Wegowise. It's especially designed for people who manage multiple properties. It downloads information directly from your utility accounts and tracks energy usage. I haven't had a chance to explore it in detail but it looks very interesting.

The Garden in Winter

The naturalistic designs of Dutch landscape architect Piet Oudolf have changed the landscape of landscape design. Fortunately, his work can be seen in the US. His website  is an education in garden design. In this brief interview he describes how he uses textures that change with the seasons. A great slideshow with the article! I wonder why the NYT didn't include this photo of Battery Park in winter, an Oudolf design right in their neighborhood.

Or this one of the High Line Park also in NYC.

5 Tips from Green Home Remodeler Sarah Susanka | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

5 Tips from Green Home Remodeler Sarah Susanka 

Sarah was a green remodeler before green remodeling was cool.

TRANSFORMATIONS, INC. - Zero-Energy Communities

TRANSFORMATIONS, INC. - Zero-Energy Communities

This builder is doing great things in Massachusetts. Also check out the neat construction drawings for a rain garden.

Calvert USA, Attic stairs

Calvert Attic stairs

Pull down attic stairs are a necessary but awkward and badly insulated part of many houses. We often try to seal and insulate old attic stairs. The results are usually unsatisfactory. If you are replacing a pull down stair, the ones they carry at your local big box store are only of one or two sizes, not weatherstripped or insulated, and have a rickety mechanism that verges on dangerous to use. This company produces the best, most versatile attic stairs that I have found. Many sizes, many heights, a robust mechanism, aluminum and steel ladders as well as wood. They fit flush with the ceiling and are easy to trim inconspicously. Best of all, they come with excellent weatherstripping and integral insulation up to R-14. They also have horizontal mounting stairs for hatchways in gable ends. What more could you ask for?

Horizontal mounting stairs

Embodied Energy in home construction

This is a great video from TED Talks illustrating how to think about embodied energy in new home construction and remodeling.