Renovation 4th Edition

by Michael Litchfield

  working with an architect:

  creating lasting value in a renovation. In the

   Educate yourself. Learn everything you

  three case histories that follow, you’ll see such

  can about design and construction before

  value because, in each, the homeowners were

  engaging an architect.

  fully engaged in the process, from planning

   Know your budget. A good exercise at any

  through completion.

  time but essential to defining the scope of a

  renovation.

  aFForDing an arCHiteCt

   Be specific. The better you know your

  Many people on a tight budget think they just

  priorities and spatial requirements, the

  can’t afford an architect. Consequently, only 2%

  quicker a design can evolve.

  to 3% of new homes are architect-designed. But

   Get your builder involved early. If you or

  hiring an architect needn’t be an all-or-nothing

  your architect is working with pie-in-the-sky

  proposition. Increasingly, architects are willing to budget numbers, your contractor will bring

  act as consultants for homeowners who want to

  you back to earth. GCs can also spot details

  manage more of a project themselves. And many

  that would be problematic to build.

  architects will reduce their fees if, say, they don’t

   Don’t contract for services you don’t need.

  have to provide as many drawings in the con-

  But first you must learn what those services

  struction set—a workable solution if the builder

  are (see the first point).

  has a decent design sense and can resolve details

   Communicate digitally. Sending emails

  on-site. Whereas a full-service architect’s fees

  or digital photos to your architect is much

  (including site visits) might run 10% to 15% of

  more time- and cost-effective than face-to-face

  the total budget, clients willing to do a lot more

  meetings. Plus, you’ll have a record of what’s

  of the work themselves can often get those fees

  been discussed.

  down to somewhere around 5%.

  Following are paraphrased remarks from Duo

  Dickinson, a Madison, Conn., architect and the

  author of Staying Put: Remodel Your House to Get

  the Home You Want (The Taunton Press, 2011).

  planning Your renovation

  33

  Keeping a ContraCtor on traCK

  change orders handled? This information is far

  more important than an initial bid.

  Dave Carley, a contractor on Bainbridge Island,

  Can i do any of the work to save money?

  Wash., for two decades, did the roof-raising

  Maybe. If you’re hiring a contractor, the best

  remodel on pp. 40–42. The architect and home-

  thing you can do to help control costs is make

  owners of that project raved about Carley, so

  important decisions in a timely manner so the

  here’s his reply to my question, “How do you get

  crew can keep busy. If you do help, it’s still

  the most out of a contractor?”

  important that you stay out of the crew’s way so

  “By being a good customer,” he said with a

  you don’t interrupt their work rhythm. You may

  laugh. “What frustrates contractors the most is

  be able to do some tasks, such as tearing out dry-

  indecisiveness, an inability to move forward, and wall, pulling nails from demolished lumber, or

  disorganization by the homeowner. What con-

  sweeping up at day’s end. But be aware that even

  tractors want to do is move in, do good work, get during demolition, a good crew will be looking

  paid, and go home. . . . We understand that there

  for house conditions that need fixing—such as

  will be change orders and that every job must be

  water damage or insect infestation—so allow the

  somewhat fluid. But what kills project momen-

  crew to concentrate and observe.

  tum and morale more than anything is having to

  stop. Or go backwards in some cases. When you

  Which is better, a fixed-bid or a cost-plus con-

  have to take apart your own work or remodel the tract? Until a builder tears off finished surfaces

  remodel, it’s really tough.

  and has a close look behind the walls, there’s sim-

  “My favorite customers are the ones who

  ply no way to know what he’ll find—and hence,

  come to meetings prepared and are good deci-

  what a renovation will cost. Consequently, even

  sion makers. It allows me to do my job better. If

  fixed bids will contain contingencies (typically

  they have everything chosen, I can do better pric-

  15%) to deal with the unknown. Builders with

  ing, better ordering, better scheduling. And, of

  solid reputations and enough work on their plate

  course, better building.

  often resist fixed-bid situations, however, because

  “These days, most people don’t go through the they feel that such agreements are unfair, set up

  full process with an architect. They get a [mini-

  unrealistic expectations, generate excessive

  mal set of] plans drawn to get them through the

  paperwork, and make for stressful relationships

  city and get a permit and then kind of feel their

  all around. Even careful budgets tend to be a bit

  way through the project. Some people are good

  fluid anyhow. For example, if demo comes in a

  at making decisions and others really struggle. I

  little under budget, you have a cushion if the dry-

  understand their need to contain costs, but good

  waller goes over. In any event, reputable contrac-

  architects prepare the clients, set up realistic

  tors use transparent accounting, regular client

  expectations, and do their homework so their

  meetings, and progress billings based on percent-

  plans are accurate. Which allows me to move for-

  age of completion.

  ward with confidence.”

  Creating Lasting Value:

  taLKing MoneY

  Three Case Histories

  Because we briefly addressed money while dis-

  Although they vary in scope, the following three

  cussing architects’ fees, here are three questions

  renovations are all modest. Each evolved within

  that clients ask contractors all the time. The

  a relatively small footprint, made the most of nat-

  answers are composites from many builders.

  ural light, and created multifunctional areas to

  Why shouldn’t i just go with the lowest bid?

  optimize space and functionality. Each also

  Reputation is a far better indicator of the kind of

  employed a number of green-building principles

  work you’ll get and the kind of experience you’ll

  to conserve resources.

  have. Initial bids are just baby steps when viewed

  in the context of an intimate relationship—this is

  bringing a CraFtSMan

  your home, after all—that will go on for months

  HouSe into a neW CenturY

  and at times be very stressful. In many case
s, com- The two-bedroom bungalow “instantly felt like

  peting contractors are fishing from the same

  home” to Sandra and David. It had beautiful old

  pond: buying materials from the same suppliers,

  windows, wavy glass, unpainted woodwork and

  paying the same hourly rate, and using competi-

  built-in china cabinets in the dining room, and

  tively priced subs. Low bidders sometimes hope to the house had been well cared for. Small by

  recover profit on change orders. So check referrals today’s standards—roughly 1,150 sq. ft.—it had

  carefully. What was the homeowner’s experience?

  comfortably housed a couple and their three kids

  Was the work on time and on budget? How were

  when it was new. Its close quarters would be

  34

  Chapter 2

  Before renovation, the kitchen had few cabinets, almost

  no counter space, a terrible layout, and was impossible to

  keep clean. A full-size refrigerator and stove didn’t help

  the cramped space.

  This 1925 Craftsman bungalow is modest yet commodious, with an oversize, welcoming porch.

  To the east, two small rooms further chopped up the area.

  Built from kits, such cottages provided affordable housing for working-class families.

  A breakfast nook, at right, had been turned into a pantry

  because there was so little room for storage. The table had

  to be moved into the kitchen. The architect started by

  removing the partitions to open up the space.

  something of a challenge because one of the bed-

  rooms would become David’s home office, but

  the couple welcomed the opportunity to get rid of

  The kitchen, before. Architect Fran

  stuff they didn’t need, recycle on a regular basis,

  Halperin’s “before” drawing shows why the

  and live simply.

  kitchen was unworkable: Roughly one-

  The kitchen, however, was a horror: cramped,

  third of the floor space was chopped into

  dingy, and badly out of date. The bathroom was

  two small rooms.

  also dark and a bit funky, but they could live with

  it. The couple lived in the house before starting

  their renovation, but when they did, they had an

  ace in the hole. David’s cousin, Fran, was an

  architect who loved a challenge.

  Program requirements: “A kitchen you can use

  without bumping into stuff! More storage, more

  counters, more room. It’s impossible to keep

  clean, and the old linoleum is shot. The bath-

  room is dark; it would be nice for both of us to

  have our own space in it. We rarely use the tub.”

  kitchen solutions: “Take out the walls and open

  The kitchen, after.

  it up” to create one large kitchen space. Create a

  With the space

  large island whose concrete countertop includes

  opened up and a

  a cooktop, prep areas, and places to eat and hang

  multifunctional

  out. Replace the full-size fridge (17 cu. ft.) with a

  island devised to

  European (9 cu. ft.) model. Upgrade the sink, and

  optimize space, the

  kitchen now has

  replace the glass in the over-sink window with

  breathing room.

  obscure glass to increase privacy. Replace the old

  linoleum with Marmoleum®. Add a desk in the

  kitchen for Sandra next to the east window.

  planning Your renovation

  35

  With natural light from three directions, the renovated kitchen is bright, airy, and easy to navigate. A cheerful corner creates a temporary office for Sandra, a An island with a colorful concrete top conserves space by combining functions: It serves as a

  therapist. Lower cabinet drawers are large enough for files,

  cooking and prep area and, with room for three tall chairs, an intimate eating area.

  while drawer-pull shapes echo accent tiles on the wall.

  Bathroom solutions: Replace the old, encased

  tub with a glassed-in shower stall (see the top

  photo on the facing page). Instead of installing a

  second window on the south wall, install a light

  tube over the shower at a fraction of the cost—

  and greater privacy. Tile floors with radiant heat-

  ing. In the small space next to the shower, add a

  stand-up beauty area just for Sandra—David

  can have the medicine cabinet over the sink for

  his stuff.

  Green touches: The California cooler in the

  north wall keeps produce cool naturally, so the

  refrigerator can be smaller: Shop often, eat fresh.

  David, a rocket scientist, was

  Marmoleum flooring. The light tube is free lighting.

  intrigued by the simple efficiency

  of the traditional California cooler

  Parting thoughts [Sandra]: “It’s such a gift to be

  built into the north wall of the

  able to work with an architect. . . . What I

  kitchen, so he improved upon it.

  remember most from the renovation was the

  He insulated its door and added a

  enormous joy of seeing what you thought it was

  pair of thermometers so he can

  going to look like turn out even better. And to

  monitor his attempts to optimize

  its performance.

  have the space transformed was like magic upon

  magic. . . . The island is our favorite place for

  meals. David and I often sit side by side and hold

  hands as we eat; it’s very intimate.”

  A playful cutout provides privacy for a kitty loo.

  Project size: 230 sq. ft., kitchen and bath

  Marmoleum flooring’s wide range of colors allowed

  Architect: Fran Halperin, San Rafael, Calif.,

  the designer to duplicate the pattern of a parquet border

  www.halperinandchrist.com

  in the adjacent dining room. Craftsman houses often

  interior design: Sharon Low, San Francisco,

  repeat architectural patterns in floors, cabinets, windows,

  Calif., creativerooster@sbcglobal.net

  and doors.

  Construction: Eric Christ, Noah Garber,

  www.halperinandchrist.com

  Completed: 2009

  36

  Chapter 2

  interior Design: mAkinG it All Work

  Interior designer Sharon Low and architect Fran Halperin often collaborate

  because their skills mesh so nicely. Says Fran, “Sharon is able to pull all the

  pieces together. Architects aren’t really into all those tiny little details, the

  pulls, the towel bars. You have to be a born shopper to be able to find all that

  stuff. She’s a hunter-gatherer.”

  Says Sharon, “Fran’s a 3-D person, I’m more 2-D. I understand how colors and

  surfaces and textures work. And I’m a pretty good diplomat. If I am working

  with couples whose color choices are on totally opposite ends of the scale, I

  can somehow come up with a palette that pleases them both so they can

  choose their battles about something else. I like to say that I’m sort of a color

  therapist; there’s probably about 20% design and 80% therapy in each project.

  Often I throw in something so completely different that it rocks them off their

  boats and really gets them talking to each other.”
<
br />   A glassed-in shower stall with a light tube upgraded a dark bathroom with

  a tired tub. To the right of the shower is a stand-up makeup counter with

  plenty of drawers underneath. Again, elegant details make the small space

  feel special: A pomegranate-seed motif in the tiles repeats in the drawer

  pulls and in a custom tile design on the radiant-heated floor.

  a MuLtiFaCeteD jeWeL

  in a SYLvan Setting

  At first glance, the space beneath the garage was a

  daunting place to add an in-law suite. It was dark,

  steeply pitched, and—perched on one of San

  Francisco’s foggier hillsides—damp almost

  300 days a year. Structurally, the rehab was sure

  to be complex as well. So by the time the owners,

  Nayaran and Melanie, met with Stephen Shoup of

  buildingLab, they’d spent a lot of time pondering a

  renovation and had as many questions as answers.

  Initially, the suite would house an au pair, but

  someday one of their parents would probably

  move in. So it needed to be a self-contained living

  space. Aesthetically, the suite should match the

  main house. For budgetary reasons, it must be

  built entirely within the footprint of the garage,

  490 sq. ft. And because both clients were busy,

  they needed to simplify decision making and lines

  of responsibility. They wanted just one entity,

  buildingLab, to handle all aspects of the job—

  whether wrangling with the city, refining the

  design, or explaining the technical implications

  of a choice.

  Program requirements: Create an in-law suite

  from the raw space under the garage. Tie the new

  A garage above, an in-law below. Cut

  unit to the main house by incorporating similar

  into a steep hillside, the unused space

  materials, proportions, and aesthetics. Although

  beneath the garage was a natural for

  Before. Seen from the house walkway, the garage sits

  an in-law suite—if some formidable

  it will initially accommodate a nanny, it may

  against a steeply sloping hill. The bottom of the window is structural challenges could be met

  someday house an elder parent. Although the unit the same level as the garage floor, so most of the structure and an ingenious floor plan could be should be autonomous, it need not be slavishly so was unused space.

  devised.

  planning Your renovation

  37

  green Designs