The shingles arrived...and a science mini lesson!

The wood shingles were held up at the factory where they were being stained.  The factory was waiting for a full truck load before they would release the shipment.  That was good for the environment and bad for our project schedule.  Almost a month later than we expected, they are here.  The contractor was really pro active and instead of stopping the progress of the job, he moved on to other things, like completing the stone retaining walls around the driveway, and painting the trim around the windows.  These things would usually occur at the later stages of construction.

The red cedar shake and shingle bureau has conducted many thorough studies that conclude that shingles that are pre-stained, front and back, retain their finish significantly longer than those that are stained or painted after they are installed.  This is because unfinished wood absorbs moisture, and literally pushes the stain or paint off of the surface of the shingle.  Moisture seeks daylight to evaporate!

Surprise

view from the intermediate stair landing

The living room doors and windows

The master bedroom porch which leads to the deck

This is the entry porch with the bathroom dormers above

The roofing started today

We had a surprise last week.  When the mason came to start work on the stone chimney he found that it was originally built incorrectly.  It would never be able to burn wood without smoking into the house.  The patching that was required wouldn't be as seamless as we had hoped, and his recommendation was to take it down and rebuild it.  Once we heard this, we had to reconsider the chimney's presence at all.  Without it there is an unrestricted view of the water, and a large room with no obstacles for furnishing.  So, we decided to get rid of it completely.  Sometimes surprises are for the best. 

Point of Views

T

For some reason, the blog server is not allowing me to label each photograph....The top image is the view from the music room windows toward the bay.   The next image is the view from the second floor hall bathroom out of high windows.  No one will be able to see in, which is nice!  The next image is the girder that is above the living room doors.  The windows and roof above the doors have not been framed yet because we are waiting for some steel to be fabricated.  The bottom image is a view out the front bedroom windows toward the street.  By the end of this week, they will be finished framing and the roofing will begin.

Frame of Mind

The framers are almost done with the roof and dormers.  The windows have arrived at the lumber yard and are almost ready to be installed. 

The old chimney was built into the walls of the old house.  We are going to make it a free standing object in the living/dining room.

This is the street side of the house with the first floor walls framed.  You can see the new garage door openings below.  As soon as they finish framing the second floor, they will start the walls and roof rafters and the house will begin to take shape.

Planning

I went to a East End Planning and Design Conference last week sponsored by the Long Island Section of the American Planning Association's NY Metro Chapter and the Peconic Chapter of the AIA. The attendees were a varied group of planners, architects and town administrators. It was divided into three sessions:

1. Comprehensive Plans - the moderator and panelists discussed the direction in which the east end towns are headed, either by unplanned growth or as a result of decisions made by town codes, and the sustainability and impact of the changes that are taken place.
2. Downtown Revitalization - the moderator and panelists were representing the Towns of Southampton, Riverhead and the Village of Greenport. Discussion centered on projects underway that included master plans, LWRPs, and building and park development. It was very interesting to see how the three different municipalities approach these issues.
   
3. Architectural Guidelines - what impact does architecture have on a community, its traditions and how should they be reviewed, evaluated and implemented.

It's nice to get out of the office and think about the big issues for a change!

Chicken Coop

I am working on updating my website with new photos of projects that were completed last fall. One of my favorites is the most unusual. When a former client called me and asked for help in designing and fabricating a chicken coop for her new sustainable egg farm, I was thrilled. The criteria were simple. The coop needed to be movable so that the chickens could be kept in fresh pastures. It needed to protect the chickens from predators at night and provide shade during the summer days. It needed to be well ventilated, too. We came up with a prototype that was so successful that North Fork Egg Farm now has built a second one!

Well, there sure is a lot more light in the living room now that the renovation is underway! I can't wait to see the new addition started. The mason will start his work first, and the framing will begin after that.

I am thinking about designing this house as a series of distinct forms, in this case, gables, that express the different way that each area is being used. How they are expressed on the exterior is the big question. Are they transparent, are they solid, are they tall or short, can you get there from the outside, or only the inside? These are only a few of the questions I am asking myself right now....

The Studio construction is well under way, even though it looks like a mess. The roof and wall shingles have been removed, as well as the old windows and doors and the concrete slab has been jackhammered to smithereens and carted away. The new window and door openings have been framed, too. The plumber is digging holes for the new waste lines. It's going to look worse before it looks better.

keep it up

I was warned. If I want to have a blog I need to continue to write or no one will read it. I don't even know if anyone has read anything so far...I'm not really a good writer, but I want to let people know what architects do and think outside and inside of architecture. I hope to let my clients see updates of their projects when they aren't around to see the progress themselves.

I usually take a walk or a run mid-day with the dog. It gets me out from behind the computer screen and sometimes even inspires me. My usual walk takes me past these two properties, which are inspiring. The forms are clear and uncomplicated. One is old, one is new. They state their presence without overstating.

I am designing a house in Greenport that is on the Main Road. The owners want the house to be reminiscent of a farm house, yet modern. They want it to be 'green'. I am thinking about a simple form like these two, to keep the costs down within the budget. I like the metal roof for the aesthetics, and the heat reflectivity, and the material sustainability.

I don't know who designed the new house, or who the owners are. I walked up the driveway today along the rye grass field. No one is there during the week. I am working up the courage to visit on the weekend, unannounced, to state my interest. I am hoping for a warm reception.

Coordination

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day. The sun was shining in a crystal blue sky. The breeze was blowing softly, the birds were singing and the jackhammers were pounding the old concrete slab into oblivion.

Yesterday was the first day of construction on the studio renovation in Orient. I met with the contractor, and we discussed all the site issues. It was so invigorating for me to get out of the office and into the nitty gritty of a project.

We were in the crawl space looking at the waste lines, out on the street looking at the LIPA poles, discussing the location of the new supply well, the dispersion well for the geothermal heat, the septic lines, the electrical supply to the house and studio, and the water lines for both buildings. How in the world are we going to keep them all the necessary distances away from each other and the house, the studio and the trees? Architecture is like a life size puzzle that is constantly changing shape. I love puzzles.

Sunday Morning

This morning I will meet with clients and a contractor to review the contractor's bid for the renovations and additions of their home in Southold. It is a beautiful site on the bay. We are discussing ways to bring the cost down. My clients wanted to spend $450,000.00 on their house not including the kitchen and landscaping. I didn't think that this was possible since the amount of work is so great. The bids came in at almost $600,000.00. They are going to move ahead anyway.

The drawing is the new design. The photo above is what the house looks like now. The addition on the back of the house was done in the 1970's. It doesn't work well with the rest of the house in terms of design, flow and functionality. Because of its location around the stone chimney, it leaks terribly whenever it rains with a northeasterly wind. It will be removed and replaced with an addition that is responsive to the original roof forms of the house. I can't wait to start construction and see the transformation.

Applications

For the past few weeks, my job has been all about filling out application forms for all of the various agencies in the Town of Southold and Suffolk County.

I finished the schematic design for a house renovation in Southold over a year ago. My client was so happy about the design she called to tell me that she had already picked out the paint colors for the different rooms. Then the housing market crashed. The husband is retiring in 2011, and the plan is to sell their primary residence in Westchester County and move here full time, debt free. So, the plans have sat, while we wait for the market to turn around.

Recently, they called to say they want to start again. I was thrilled. With the design mostly figured out the next step is get the Southold Town zoning variance and the Suffolk County Health Department permit.

The Health Department is pretty straightforward: show the proposed addition on the survey along with the new septic system, the location of the water supply, and the same information for all of the adjacent properties, fill out the application and mail it along with the check.

The ZBA is a different story...The application is extensive, with numerous forms to be filled out and copied and collated. The drawings need to be noted with information that the Board is looking for, and the corners of the proposed work need to be staked out, photographed printed and labeled. In the back of my mind, while all of this work is being completed, I am thinking that after all eight copies are submitted I will get a phone call telling me that I forgot something, or need to change something. Then I head down to the Town Hall annex with my white out and my pen.