Archive for March 2013
Test Your Soils Before You Build
If you have any worries that the soil on your building lot might present problems during construction, it is a good idea to have soil tests done. I’m not talking about digging test holes with a backhoe to look for boulders or other underground problems may. I usually do not recommend that because test holes like these only reveal what is…
Read MoreThe Toilet Closet Needs to Be Planned Out
Every aspect of your house needs to be planned. You can’t afford to leave things to chance. Good planning improves everything, including the lowly toilet closet. In high end houses, most master bathrooms are compartmentalized. By that I mean the space is divided up with the sinks and vanity in one space and the toilet…
Read MoreSize Your Two Car Garage Properly
I wish I had a dollar for every two-car garage I’ve seen that is too small. I would be a wealthy man. Most development houses have garages that are so small, you have to ask your passengers to get out of the car before you pull in. Otherwise they would be trapped in the car…
Read MoreSolar Orientation Impacts a Home’s Comfort and Energy Efficiency
I was sitting in the Baltimore Washington International airport recently and I was emphatically (and painfully) reminded of the importance of proper solar orientation in building design. Whoever designed this airport must have been tone deaf to solar orientation. And they probably never heard of passive solar design. Concourses A and B in the airport…
Read MoreHow to Make Your House Your Home
Recently, a client of mine sent me this nice photograph. Her note simply said, “The beauty of the sun in my kitchen.” This photo and note pleased me more than I can describe. She and I had been working hard to design a large home that denied its size and felt small and cottage-like. An…
Read MoreSize Your Garage Doors Correctly to Avoid Dents and Scrapes
Henry Ford was a brilliant man. But he could have used a bit of design advice about the size of garage doors. When Henry Ford built his first “horseless carriage” in a brick shed in his garden in Detroit in 1896, it never dawned on him to check the size of the shed’s door. It…
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