The builder (John McBride) sent these photos of the interior plaster, the deep windows, and the interior all cleaned up, ready for plastering.
Archive for the ‘Design Projects’ Category
Strawbale interior – first coat of plaster today!
Posted in Design Projects, tagged Berkeley, curves, process, small buildings, Strawbale on April 8, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Remodel Alive
Posted in Design Projects, tagged Berkeley, fun, living architecture, remodel on April 5, 2021| Leave a Comment »
This was a really fun project with creative owners. It was a house with a lot of character to start with, but also in need of reorganizing and re-tuning.
It started off as a duplex. The family lived upstairs and there was a dark, low ceiling rental below. We turned it into a single family home with the addition of a stairs between the floors. The lower floor became a fun space for the two boys plus storage and we moved the water heater out of the attic into the lower floor as well. (Upgrading to an Electric heat pump water heater to serve the main house plus the new ADU behind)
It is always hard to explain the subtle rearranging of the floor plan in a remodel..but one example is flipping a door and a window in the dining area to bend the traffic flow and improve the dining area tremendously.
One of my favorite things about this project and client is the instantaneous lived-in feeling, the retention of spaces like the boys workshop where they can be messy and creative, and the addition of details like the in progress mural on the new cabinets behind the stairs.
Tons more I could say…but pictures are more fun.
Contractor – McBride Construction
First Coat of Lime Plaster on the Strawbale Exterior Walls
Posted in Design Projects, Information, tagged green building, Limeplaster, process, small buildings, Strawbale on April 3, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Hydraulic lime plaster is similar to cement stucco, but with lime rather than portland cement. It is more flexible and more vapor permeable than cement stucco, but it takes more skill and curing time. It also requires warmer temperatures. While making portland cement requires a lot of energy and the chemical reaction releases large quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere, Manufacturing lime takes energy, but when lime plaster carbonates (hardens) much of the CO2 released during the manufacture is reabsorbed. (From Essential Natural Plasters, Henry & Therrien) According to Strawbale Building Details (Published by CASBA – California Strawbale Building Association)The strawbales themselves sequester 26 pounds of carbon each, preventing the formation of 95 pounds of CO2)
Studio Tune-up underway up the hill
Posted in Design Projects on April 1, 2021| Leave a Comment »
We are adding some french doors to the garden, some new siding, and making the interior nicer for guitar playing and singing. This little building sits in a very nice garden.
Here are a few more photos of the strawbale cottage:
Posted in Design Projects, tagged ADU, Berkeley, green building, insulation, process, small buildings, Strawbale on March 29, 2021| 1 Comment »
Strawbale Cottage is coming along
Posted in Design Projects on March 26, 2021| Leave a Comment »
The windows are in and the mesh has been inspected. They are getting ready for the first coat of structural lime plaster on inside and outside.
A cool photo
Posted in Design Projects, tagged Berkeley, small buldings on January 27, 2021| Leave a Comment »
More Architectural Monkey Bars
Posted in Design Projects, tagged Berkeley, body coscious design, children, designing for movement, exposed structure, fun, get off the couch, health, home fitness, kids, monkeybars, pandemic, vaulted ceiling on January 26, 2021| Leave a Comment »
I took a class in graduate school with Professor Galen Cranz called Body Conscious Design. That is where this idea started. The class was all about how to design better spaces, furniture and other things for the health of our bodies. Much of our built environment, down to the typical chair that often causes back problems, are not great for human health. This architectural detail helps prevent the atrophy of the upper body muscles. One of my projects in school had monkey bars in every hallway for an alternate means of travel.
Some Strawbale Wall Building Action (With Lap Steel Accompaniment)
Posted in Design Projects, tagged green building, Strawbale on January 14, 2021| 1 Comment »
We couldn’t have a bale raising party due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but it is a small building. Its going to be very cozy.
The Walls Have Arrived
Posted in Design Projects, tagged Berkeley, green building, small buildings, Straw Bale on January 8, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Snapshots of a favorite recent project
Posted in Design Projects, tagged ADU, Berkeley, carved post, cottage, painted beam, small buildings on January 6, 2021| Leave a Comment »
We converted the front house from a duplex to single family, then added an ADU at the back. So many fun details on this project I don’t know where to start.
First, Here is the new ADU. The landscape work is underway, so stay tuned. Note the castle post from previous blogposts.
Here are three of the kitchen
Hand Forged Bale Needles & Antique Bale Knife
Posted in Design Projects, tagged Berkeley, McBride Construction, process, Strawbale on December 30, 2020| Leave a Comment »
John has been getting ready for the strawbales over the holidays. He bought a bale knife on EBay and made his own needles out of a steel rod. Pretty cool.
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