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We first showed you the loft ladder in this post from January, but since then we removed all of the wood pieces and took them down to the basement to be finished. For the treads, Kyle applied two coats of OSMO hardwax oil and for the handrails he used Daly’s Satinthane. With all the wood in our house, […]
What, did you think we’d take a break or something? That’s right, it’s time to move back outside! We’re still not done with our 2010 projects, but our minds have wandered to the impending days of summer and the ragged piece of land that is our yard. Until now, the yard has been a low priority project, […]
Now that the main floor is almost done, we’ve been focusing on adding creature comforts and making the space feel more homey. In other words, accessorizing. Last weekend we were in Portland, OR visiting some friends and before leaving town we stopped by West Elm. It was our first time visiting an actual store (oddly […]
We finally (finally!) finished the basement stair. It’s a small portion of the big 2010 project, but looking back at what we started with, it’s come a long way! A couple of photos from 2006 (before we moved in): Seriously, stair of doom! When our house was built in 1910, there was no interior stair connecting the […]
So this morning, shortly after reading the newest post on Door Sixteen, I sent Kyle an e-mail with the following subject title: “Dwell: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” We are beyond excited to see chezerbey mentioned in a feature about house blogs in the April issue of Dwell. Our site is listed among some pretty fantastic company, including blogs (and their bloggers) that I have a great deal […]
An architect is a qualified professional that not only designs your home or remodel but acts as your advocate throughout the entire process. A good architect will listen, they’ll be honest about how much things cost and how long things take and they’ll use their years of expertise to navigate an onerous permitting process, help vet potential contractors and be there for you during construction. If you don’t have an architect, that work is either done by you or the builder and compromises and sacrifices will inevitably happen.
This depends largely on the size and scope of the project and where you’re located. In some jurisdictions it’s easy and straightforward to get a permit, in others it can take 6 months to a year or longer. We usually advise clients to budget 3 -6 months for design for smaller projects and 12 months for larger projects. Permitting timelines can extend those estimates. Construction can take 4-6 months for small remodels or 16-18 months for custom homes.
Absolutely! We love to see what clients like (or don’t like!) and we’re used to gleaning the important info from all sorts of media – photos, sketches, diagrams – we’ve seen it all!
Maybe – this really depends on the housing market and how much time you have before you make an offer. It also depends on the property itself. If you’re looking at a house with a steep slope, we may advise that a geotechnical and structural engineer make their own evaluation. This can add more time based on people’s ability. We can usually make some basic recommendations based on our knowledge of the local codes, but it’s not a replacement for a more thorough feasibility study. If possible, we usually recommend that people make an offer contingent on a more thorough analysis. What we don’t want to do is give you a rosier outlook only to find that there were some unexpected issues with the property.
Depending on the scope of the project, phasing can be a practical approach. However, we usually advise that homeowners do everything in one phase if possible – this not only takes less time but simplifies the permitting process and is a more appealing process to contractors. When you phase a project, you have repeat mobilization costs that create a more expensive project in the end than doing it all at once. We’re happy to talk through phasing options though as each project is unique and sometimes it does make sense.
Yes! For us, interior design is an integral part of our process. We enjoy working with homeowners to think about their homes holistically and have extensive experience in all aspects of the design process.
In our experience, successful projects have homeowners that are engaged but trust us and the process. They ask questions and are clear communicators. They make timely decisions and speak up if something doesn’t feel right. They’re transparent about budget and schedule constraints so there aren’t missed expectations.
Say hello. Tell us about your project.