I’ll just share the McBride Construction Photos of the sandy colored concrete sills on the strawbale:
www.instagram.com/p/COfuDyWH_s_/

Posted in Design Projects, tagged Berkeley, green building, process, small buildings, Strawbale on May 10, 2021| Leave a Comment »
I’ll just share the McBride Construction Photos of the sandy colored concrete sills on the strawbale:
www.instagram.com/p/COfuDyWH_s_/

Posted in Design Projects, tagged construction process, hemfir on April 29, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Design Projects, tagged Berkeley, small buildings, stairs, storage on April 19, 2021| 1 Comment »
Posted in Design Projects, tagged Berkeley, curves, process, small buildings, Strawbale on April 8, 2021| Leave a Comment »
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
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)





Posted in Design Projects on April 1, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Design Projects, tagged ADU, Berkeley, green building, insulation, process, small buildings, Strawbale on March 29, 2021| 1 Comment »
Posted in Design Projects on March 26, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Design Projects, tagged Berkeley, small buldings on January 27, 2021| Leave a Comment »
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.