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Archive for the ‘Design Projects’ Category

Builder for the project is is Bay Builders. Posts were carved by John McBride.

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I have been sorting through old photos this week and was reminded of these cool lanterns by Coe Studios used on a Rockridge project.

I also came upon this picture of vine curtains that I took in western Massachusetts a while back.

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We are finally getting close to completion on this North Oakland pilates studio for Corpokinetic. The ventilation system is sized to provide 5 air changes per hour when needed to keep the Co2 concentration to 400-500 ppm. It is a heat recovery system for energy efficiency and has a HEPA filtration system that can be activated if there is wild fire smoke or other pollution outside. Hopefully none of this will be needed, but seems more than likely these days. It will also minimize transmission of the ordinary cold virus in the studio. Thanks to Beyond Efficiency for mechanical design and Walter Mork & McBride Construction for installation

Plumbing inspection was also passed today. Here is John McBride testing the drain lines for leaks before the inspector arrived:

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John McBride and I have two projects on this years tour. A strawbale accessory dwelling unit and a stick framed accessory dwelling unit. We are proud of both projects and put a lot of extra heart and soul into them. The tour is free. you just sign up HERE. I’ll be there to answer questions.

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Ive been meaning to get a better photo, but I want to have this piece in my journal. Shawn Lovell made this for us a few years ago. It makes the steps safer and complements the garden nicely. (The steps were made in 2005 by Matt Hornby out of concrete rubble from our foundation replacement. )

closeup
another closeup

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This was a remodel and tune-up of an existing music studio and adjacent decks and stairs

Bent copper rooflet and extra large craftsman sconce
The builder (for scale)
pathway lighting
Stone steps to lower deck (In process)

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I went up to check out the lighting installation at the little music studio. Cable lighting can look very 80s…but sometimes it works well and allows for a very flexible solution. Exterior lights are large arts and crafts lanterns. No photo of the pathway lighting…stay tuned for a few more photos soon.

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It turned out nicely. I’d like to have a drying rack/dish storage hanging over my drainboard sink too.

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I never managed to get any photos of this project….but it was a tiny addition and rearrangement of the south end of a house on two levels to better connect to the yard and maximize the south light. The centerpiece was a stair with botanical railing and thick wood treads. The blacksmith, Shawn Lovell recently gave me some progress photos that she took. Thanks Shawn! I’ll take a photo of the organic handrail she made for our place and post that next.

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First here is a 3d model we built as a schematic design tool. A few things changed and not all the details are there, but you can get a sense of the overall layout.

This one was a rebuild of an existing garage. (We had to rebuild it to meet the energy standards for habitable space, but we had to keep it the same as the garage in footprint, height, and roofline. ) The owners wanted to keep it simple…and kind of traditional. We think it turned out well.

The heating is a Fujitsu minisplit, the insulation is beyond code including slab edge insulation, lighting is all LED, high efficacy, & high CRI. A spot HRV keeps the air fresh even when the owners are out of town.

Big doors to the patio open wide on a nice day

We kept a flat ceiling and a traditional attic for simplicity
A wall of cabinets on the property line side…120 Volt LED track lighting
McBride construction planned ahead and added flat blocks for mounting all the exterior electrical and plumbing
Very durable solid oak counter and painted cabinets and shelving
Kitchenette – induction cooktop with a toaster oven and microwave covers most cooking needs..and a remote fan in the ceiling
The back side patio
The electrical panel got a little roof and side screens
efficient full bathroom
My helper, Éowyn, enjoying the cool tiled shower

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I’ll just share the McBride Construction Photos of the sandy colored concrete sills on the strawbale:

www.instagram.com/p/COfuDyWH_s_/

photo (& sill) by John McBride

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