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Posts Tagged ‘Berkeley’

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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Carriage Doors and Cobblestones
Before
Inside
Storage maximized
Even more storage
Above the workshop

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The builder (John McBride) sent these photos of the interior plaster, the deep windows, and the interior all cleaned up, ready for plastering.

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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

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Radiused corners!
Thick walls will be used for a window seat and a deep desk
Big windows to the south

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