LOW INCOME HOUSING ON SAN JUAN ISLAND

Working with the San Juan Community Home Trust to come up with a standard 2 bedroom, 1 bath house with a play loft that can be something that they can use on other sites on the island. Big on the list was a welcoming old fashioned front porch. One of the board members drew up the house, and I transferred the design into 3D and CAD so it can be a digital product. Unfortunately , designing with a committee making constant changes has been challenging. But I think we have finally settled on the final form.

There is a side porch that leads to a laundry and the back hallway.

The back of the house is where the bedrooms are.

New Shop/House on Whidbey Island

Simple Shed Style roof with nice big covered 2nd floor porch that acts like a covered entry for the 1st floor entry door. 1st floor is a Shop/ Entry with Laundry and bath. 2nd floor has 2 bedrooms, 1 bath. Covered porch facing South, so great light.

Large windows on the 2nd floor pour light into the stairwell.

Back will have forest views.

For a 1st time house for a young person, under 1000 sq. ft. on the 2nd floor is perfect.

MODEL KITCHEN STUDIES- SKYLINE, ANACORTES

Many clients can’t understand the spacial relationships indicated in 2D drawings, so I think it is helpful to see a 3D model of the space to help understand the massing elements. To be able to walk into the kitchen and feel what it would be like is helpful-no?

Here I am trying to illustrate the idea of a cozy seating area in the kitchen as a window bench, to be able to sit and have a cup of coffee with your mate or friend.

This option maximizes storage on the back of the peninsula with no stools. There would be 12” deep storage on the back.

This option maximizes the storage with a bank of 24” deep pantries and a coffee station.

A more overhead view.

Entry Studies for a New House on Camano Island, WA

Trying different entry options on this new house- this is a combo of Gable roof over entry with attached Shed roof.

This entry option is just a simple Shed roof all the way across

This is the one that they are going with- Gable over the entry and then a lower Shed Roof that is only 4’ deep, not covering the entire deck so it lets in more light.

Here is the opposite side, the view side of the house. Master Bedroom at the top floor with elevator for aging in place.

End of house has a large covered deck with outdoor kitchen and a place for a large dining table.

Parting shot of how the front entry will look from the side with the final entry design.

3-D STUDIES FOR A CUSTOM HOME IN ANACORTES

It is hard for a lot of clients to visualize spaces, and it is very helpful when they ask me to generate 3D images so that they can see what I see when I am designing it. But it also is a way to further explore the topic and get into the details that I had not thought about. Here we are looking from the deck into the Great Room with staircase, Living Room, Dining Room and Kitchen to study. The house is under construction right now, the foundation is being poured, and wall framing will be next. We are actually doing things that will affect the wall framing, by going through this study.

This image shows the relationship of the beamed ceiling and tv/fireplace wall that we are studying.

This is looking into the kitchen and out tot eh side deck that has a BBQ and sink for covered outdoor entertaining off the kitchen- very Pacific Northwest!

Shot looking from the outside on the deck into the Living Room.

Then there was another idea that the client had saved from “HOUZZ”, that had flanking display shelves and some storage. I added a bench in front of the Electric Fireplace, as a place to warm up in the winter- I know people like to be able to sit by a fireplace when it is cold out, even though it is only electric, it will generate heat.

MADE IT TO A PROGRAM COVER!

Skagit Island Counties Builders Association! This was the kitchen that I did for my neighbor in Anacortes! The Contractor was “True Bearing Built”- my 3rd project with them- great contractor to work with!

WHIDBEY ISLAND REMODEL- 1 year to finish

When you don’t have lot of space and want a jetted jacuzzi tub and a shower, this works! It is a 48” long Japanese Style soaking tub that has really powerful jets- not those tickling bubbly ones that do not get into your sore muscles. Have done 2 projects with this tub and everyone loves it. 30” deep. EMPAVA EMPV-48JT11

The tub faucet is built into the lip of the tub with the controls and an integral sprayer to wash down the tub after use- very handy! The wiring is a bit tricky. The contractor did not look at my drawings when installing the cabinet handles and put the lower drawer handles in the middle of the door panel instead of at the top. This means that one has to bend down another 6 inches and practically touch your toes to open a drawer- ugh! My pet peeve! Please try to catch your hardware installer before they make this mistake….once the holes are drilled, it is over. You can patch the holes, but a divot will always be there.

The Laundry involved adding a skylight, changing flooring, adding cabinets . Much more functional with storage to put stuff and a folding counter.

Nice new shower in the Guest Bathroom!

New media cabinets with pull out drawers for an extensive record collection! Equipment hidden behind screened doors. Again, cabinet pulls are mounted in the center of the doors instead of a the top of the doors! The older that you get, the harder it is to bend down:-) No patching those holes now…..these cabinet installers are likely on the construction crew, do not look at the drawings, and are told to install the hardware….do I sound picky? God is in the details, as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe used to say!

Kitchen needed more storage, so the space under the overhang with filled in with cabinets. Easy fix! And people can still gather there.

MODERN ART STUDIO/SHOP ON WHIDBEY

Shop is on the left, Art Studio is on the right.

This will be the view from the street

The rear of the Art Studio will have a covered porch facing West.

Here is the other side of the Covered Porch of the Art Studio. I really like the split roof for the 2 halfs at 2 different angles.

KITCHEN & BATH MAKE-OVER IN ANACORTES, WA.

This was a challenging existing space with many 45 degree angles. I was determined to get rid of the 45 angles in the cabinets and not ditto them as the previous design had done.

Kitchen “AFTER” uses rift cut Oak Cabinets from “Smith & Vallee” in Bow, WA. Photo Credit- Damian Vines Photography.

The Kitchen “BEFORE” had angled cabinets everywhere and a refrigerator that took center stage. We moved the stove to the peninsula, moved the refrig. and kept the sink where it was.

The Kitchen “BEFORE” had a weird corner area to the right of the refrig. with more angled cabinets, even in places where the wall did not angle.

Kitchen “After” backsplash detail is glass mosaics that go well with the Quartzite counters. The gas stove was supposed to have a pop-up downdraft, but there was a structural member in the way so had to go with an over-head fan. New doors go out to the deck, where there once was a picture window.

AFTER- New Master Bathroom utilizes that existing space much better then the old design with flanking storage cabinets.

AFTER- The backlit Vanity Mirror really floats off the wall and adds good light at the same time.

The Master Shower ”AFTER” features a pre-fab shower base, a bench under the shower head, glass tiles (from Home Depot, no less) and a glass enclosure. The free-standing tub replaces a huge tub deck that took up most of the bathroom before. This is very light and airy.

Master Bath BEFORE had 2 sinks, an enclosed shower.

Master Bath BEFORE with huge tub deck. Very dated looking and not a good use of space.

CONTRACTOR = TRUE BEARING BUILT CONSTRUCTION (This is my 4th kitchen/bath job with them- they really keep the clients informed on weekly progress with reports that are very helpful)

Another Cool Modern House!!!

I am so excited to report the I have clients that trust my logic and vision for GOOD Architecture!!! I have had to fire 2 clients this year so far for not being able to listen to logic. I am so sorry. I do not like to do this, but when I am pushed to put my hard earned architectural stamp on work that I can not condone, the pressure is great. The process is complicated and I have so many appreciative clients that value my logic, and appreciate my vision. To those, I extend my heartfelt thanks! I am here to serve as best that my talents can do.

Working with a client right now on a vacant lot on Whidbey Island. Just starting to work with the 3D model of the site that I imported from the surveyor. There is a surprise 10’ drop from one side of the site to the other. I asked for a survey of the site and was able to crate a 3D site model with the slope of the site. These things are invaluable to access how tha house sites on the site.

The client wanted an outdoor covered porch , outdoor kitchen, hot tub.

There is a 9’ difference from one side of the lot to the other

Working on different elevations

The Lot slopes more dramatically then we thought- need to evaluate the grade changes….trying toi save trees.