Custom Fireplace

Posted on January 14, 2022 by caridesigns

Custom Fireplace

This fireplace is the center of a grand scale living room of a Craftsman home. The client’s primary concern was eliminating the raised hearth (trip hazard) and integrating it with the original details of the room, which were many.

Brick veneer lends an earthy tone to the firebox edge.

The original heath trim was salvaged and laid into the floor.

The stone folds up and into the firebox, providing a spot for the materials to land.

No longer a trip hazard, the fireplace is more easily integrated into living with a young family.

Original fireplace with terracotta tile and a raised hearth

Material Matters

Posted on September 25, 2013February 2, 2022 by caridesigns

Material Matters

I was walking down the street in Berkeley, as I often do, when I saw this house:

“How odd!” I thought. The upper section of the facade looks like it was wrapped in stucco- almost like wrapping paper. Confusing, until I walked past the next door neighbor:

What is going on here?

One can assume these two houses were built at the same time because the design is essentially the same: a craftsman style pitched roof where the upper portion of the facade sits proud of the lower portion. This second house is more closely aligned with the way this house was likely designed and detailed.

How do I know this?

The second facade is a American Craftsman style, which emphasizes the beauty of how the building was put together. Therefore, the structure is clearly expressed using posts and beams within the facade itself. The first house strives to use Mission Style as inspiration for the facade design. In this style, the massive adobe walls function as the structure, so there is no need to delineate pieces of structure.

What is wrong?

What likely started out as a simple need for resurfacing changed the entire nature of the facade design. The stucco siding appears to be covering up the original Craftsman elements, leaving a bumpy, awkward facade.

What would I have done?

Mission style walls are usually thick, or try to appear so. The change in plane is actually an exciting opportunity to really go all the way with the Mission Style redo! I would thicken the front wall to align with the most proud piece of facade. This thickened wall mimics adobe construction resulting in a deep window opening that further reinforces the Mission Style:

Front Porch Enclosure

Posted on September 8, 2013September 28, 2022 by caridesigns

Front Porch Enclosure

Let us discuss the art of the front porch enclosure. East Bay friends, you have seen these home renovations everywhere. It’s possibly the easiest way to add a room to your existing home — simply put walls where you already have a roof and foundation. This can be a great way to give you more front entry storage as lots of these old houses have no coat closet. It can also add a bit of an airlock to keep out the typically cool night air.

What is going on here?

This particular enclosure was added after the fact. Pictured below, one can see the inconsistencies in the porch. The roof and columns are original, as well as the low wall between. The siding is different — shakes as opposed to the original horizontal wood.

What is wrong?

The addition appears to want to blend in with the original, creating several inconsistencies:
The windows are haphazard, with so much variation in their head heights (read: top of window) and residual space (the in-between), the eye is not sure where to look.

The walls of the new enclosure are offset different amounts from the roof.
The language of the shakes is dissonant with the window style. The original house has punched windows with horizontal siding. Since the newer enclosure also uses punched windows, it begs the question, why change the siding? (Case Study: punched windows vs. window wall, check out the Dune House.)

What I would have done?

The #1 skill a designer brings to the table is the ability to draw. I would have started by drawing all of these walls in elevation so that the homeowner and I are both able to see the layout from an objective perspective. I would then choose a language: window wall. This does away with the siding problem altogether.

While it is possible to copy an original style so as not to be able to delineate from old and new, it is both difficult and dishonest.

Wimpy Window Replacement

Posted on August 26, 2013June 28, 2022 by caridesigns

Wimpy Window Replacement

I used to live in this house:

It was my first home in Berkeley, and I lived with a 77-year-old man. (That is a story for a different blog.) I still live nearby, so I occasionally walk by and notice the changes. Recently, the neglected house was painted and the windows replaced. “Hurray!” I thought, until I noticed this:

What is going on here?

An original round-top window was replaced with a rectangular one. This means 2 things to me:

They used recycled windows. These are old windows- simple, wood-framed, single pane, painted windows. The look is fine for the rest of the house, but they could not find a window to match this opening.
They did not have a designer.

How do I know this?

The infill panel is not designed- it is the cheapest, most basic way a contractor would choose to close the gap. The homeowner probably didn’t think twice about it, going along with their trusted contractor or at least agreeing to an inexpensive solution to their window-replacement dilemma.

What is wrong?

The infill panel is a flat piece of painted plywood. This is bothersome in two ways:

It is painted white, the color that should be reserved for the exterior casing, not the stiles and muntins of the window.
A large expanse of plywood is seldom used as exterior sheathing, and most certainly would not occur in a singular instance like this in a well-designed house. Therefore, it just looks cheap.

How I would have done it?

Design is about patterns and systems, and keeping everything consistent. The panel is a replacement for a window, not the casing. Therefore, it should be matching green. In addition, I would use a few simple wood members to create a faux window, or some more creative design (client dependent) to give the panel shadow in a manner consistent with the windows. This allows the eye to glide over the replacement without registering it as a poor substitute for a real window.