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Plan Your Home Remodel: The Design and Drawing Phase
Renovation Diary, Part 2: A couple has found the right house, a ranch in Florida. Now it's time for the design and drawings
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I am licensed to practice architecture in Illinois, Florida, New Jersey & Wisconsin and I am a certificate holder from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Since 1996 I have worked from my home office and provide full architectural services exclusively to the single family residential market. My passion is to transform my clients' houses into their homes. I strive to have the "new" home accommodate my clients' lives without fighting them at every junction. I look to add curb appeal to encourage a beautiful streetscape. And I design any addition to look and feel like it has always been there.
Our projects have won numerous design awards as well as having...
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located... More »
In the first part of our series about this Florida ranch house renovation, we saw how Mike and Leann Rowe found a 1970s home with good bones and assembled a team to help them turn it into their dream house on the water. In this episode, we'll follow the design and drawing portion of the project.
In a project like this, design and construction are intertwined. The team assembled by Mike and Leann included me as the architect, builder John Prahl and Jimmy Temple of Canco General Contractors. Together, John, Jimmy and I will help the Rowes evaluate design options and keep the project on track. This team approach should save Mike and Leann time, money and aggravation as we all have input into developing the design and drawings.
Here are the first steps we're taking to get the drawings under way.
See Part 1 of the Renovation Diary
In a project like this, design and construction are intertwined. The team assembled by Mike and Leann included me as the architect, builder John Prahl and Jimmy Temple of Canco General Contractors. Together, John, Jimmy and I will help the Rowes evaluate design options and keep the project on track. This team approach should save Mike and Leann time, money and aggravation as we all have input into developing the design and drawings.
Here are the first steps we're taking to get the drawings under way.
See Part 1 of the Renovation Diary
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| 1. Create a budget and a wish list. The first step in any project is to establish what you want, what you need and what you can afford. So creating a budget and a wish list — something architects call a "program" — is essential. This is what Mike and Leann's new house looks like now. They need three bedrooms (one of which will be a home office/guest room) and at least two full bathrooms. They both love to cook, so they will need a kitchen large enough for the two of them. And they want the kitchen open to the views and located at the center of the home. |
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| 2. Define your story. In addition to the practical necessities and functional needs, your home should tell your story. So when starting out on the design, it's important to define what that story is. This photo of another house offers an idea of what Mike and Leann are looking for. For them, the story is about having immediate access to the gulf waters (Mike and Leann are avid boaters) as well as celebrating the casual, inside-outside Florida lifestyle. Big openings with walls of glass that can be pushed out of the way are a must. But since this is Florida, a way to keep out flying insects is also a must. Something clever, like these retractable screens that fill in large openings, is what we'll be opting for. |
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by Olga Adler
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| 3. Find inspiration. While not too long ago you had to buy all those magazines, tear out the one or two pictures that inspired you and then toss the magazine away, you can now just browse Houzz and save inspirational images in an ideabook. And while before you had to keep all of those bits of paper in a folder somewhere ("Where are those clippings? I know they're around here somewhere"), you can now e-mail a link to a photo or collection of photos to your architect. Which brings us to this wonderful ceiling. Mike and Leann would love a tall, vaulted ceiling. While browsing Houzz, Leann came across this photo and sent me the link. She loves the sense of space the ceiling creates and the white painted wood finish. So if the budget (there's that pesky budget issue again) and other issues allow, we'll develop a ceiling similar to this one. |
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4. Research the codes, ordinances and regulations. From earthquake resistance in California to impact resistance in coastal Florida, just about every town, village and city has a specific and unique set of building codes, ordinances and regulations that any project will have to comply with.
Though all of these rules will at times make us want to moan and complain, they exist to protect life and property. Remember the May 2008 earthquake in China that toppled many buildings, including schools, that cost many people, including children, their lives? This was a disaster that would have been avoidable with the existence of better building codes more strictly enforced. So let's remember this earthquake and its disastrous results every time we want to complain about "onerous" building codes and regulations.
Since our project is located in coastal Florida, we'll have to mitigate the effects of hurricanes. Most significantly, we'll have to make sure our new windows and doors meet or exceed the appropriate design pressure (DP) rating (a factor of wind speed, size and location). And there are strict regulations by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that will most likely have to be dealt with.
All of this won't be easy or inexpensive, but the resulting safer building will be worth it.
Though all of these rules will at times make us want to moan and complain, they exist to protect life and property. Remember the May 2008 earthquake in China that toppled many buildings, including schools, that cost many people, including children, their lives? This was a disaster that would have been avoidable with the existence of better building codes more strictly enforced. So let's remember this earthquake and its disastrous results every time we want to complain about "onerous" building codes and regulations.
Since our project is located in coastal Florida, we'll have to mitigate the effects of hurricanes. Most significantly, we'll have to make sure our new windows and doors meet or exceed the appropriate design pressure (DP) rating (a factor of wind speed, size and location). And there are strict regulations by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that will most likely have to be dealt with.
All of this won't be easy or inexpensive, but the resulting safer building will be worth it.
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5. Document what exists already. Whether building new or renovating an existing structure, a thorough understanding of the existing conditions is necessary. After all, it's not like we start with a completely blank slate. There are existing walls, roofs, windows and structures, as well as site features such as solar orientation, sight lines and landscape features. Getting a handle on all of this and making sure we understand the site and our existing structure will help us as we navigate the design of a home that Mike and Leann will cherish for a lifetime.
Two tasks most commonly used to document the existing conditions: 1. taking a whole lot of photographs, and 2) carefully measuring every wall, ceiling height, door opening, window location, electrical device location and so on. All of this information is then put into a computer-aided design (CAD) file as a baseline from which we develop our design.
Two tasks most commonly used to document the existing conditions: 1. taking a whole lot of photographs, and 2) carefully measuring every wall, ceiling height, door opening, window location, electrical device location and so on. All of this information is then put into a computer-aided design (CAD) file as a baseline from which we develop our design.
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| 6. Develop some basic sketches. My favorite question to ask as we brainstorm design ideas is "What if we ... ?" With Mike and Leann, we explored how best to arrange the interior spaces to suit their needs. Each time we'd come up with an idea, we'd develop a 3-D sketch (using Sketch Up, my favorite drawing program) so we could see the implications of the idea and weigh its pros and cons. Because creating an open floor plan with a kitchen at its center is a critical element in our project, having sketches such as this helps us visualize that open plan. The sketch also lets us see how we can incorporate a big, wide opening at the back of the house. Importantly, sketches such as these can be done quickly and relatively inexpensively. Let's face it, moving walls on a piece of paper is a whole lot easier than moving walls that have been built. |
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| 7. Look for possibilities. The design of every project is the process of discovering the inherent possibilities of the site and existing structure while considering the needs, wants and budget. So architects like to ask questions such as "What does it want to be?" With the intercoastal waterway and bridge to the mainland forming the backdrop, Mike's and Leann's new home wants to be open to the view out to the water and the bridge and up to the sky. The new home wants all of that blue sky and blue water to infuse the interior with light and space. So we'll look at raising the ceiling to get views out and up as well as create that big opening to capture views of all that water and across the waterway to the bridge and the mainland. |
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| 8. Record the decisions. During the process of designing the project, Mike and Leann have made a whole bunch of decisions: room sizes, furniture placement, floor finishes, light locations and more. How the finished project will look, feel and function is going to get recorded on the construction drawings. These construction drawings will then be used to communicate our decisions to the St. Pete Beach building official as well as to the builder and all of the other contractors and suppliers who will work on the project. Obviously, the more decisions made, the more complete the drawings will be — all of which will result in better communication that will save time, money and aggravation as the project gets built. Next: Securing the permit and starting demolition More: How to Read a Floor Plan 8 Ways to Stick to Your Budget Houzz Remodeling Guides |
Ideabook updated on Oct. 10, 2012.
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Though I'm sure you and the team did in fact perform such a process, I'm thinking for the readers who aren't aware of this step, it would be valuable knowledge for them to add.
In addition, might you consider another article expanding on your budget elements. It never surprises me the number of clients who think a budget is the square foot hard cost only and are shocked when soft cost, mark ups, permits, etc., etc. are added and suddenly they are overwhelmed.........
I guess that's why we get paid the big bucks though....
By the way, here's a piece I wrote a few months ago about budgeting. Hope you find it interesting and useful.
You have to set priorities so you know what has to give, when something's gotta give, because even with an unlimited budget, you will run into something (like the property lines, code, or physics).
The second problem comes from locking into finish detail too soon, instead of working out the traffic flow and area function with a generic look and feel, leaving brand names and color details out of it. Instead of a kitchen with "rustic wood cabinets, dark reddish brown, light whitewash glaze" that can be fulfilled at various price points, they lock and load onto "Olde Barn Knotty Cherry, stained with Kao Poux Brown, glazed with Toulouse Goose Cream" ... because they saw it on Houzzzz :)
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Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR - Yes, I agree that bringing in the interior designer early is important. Making sure that the architect and interior designer have the same goal in mind is important as well. There are way too many homes out there where it's obvious the architect and interior designer had different agendas. Guess that's why I tend to do the interiors for the homes I design.
I think the important point is to be flexible when establishing the budget. Just as you may decrease the budget because you've reduced the scope of the project, you may increase the budget as you've decided to increase the scope of the project.
Keeping an open mind and understanding trade-offs is how you best "manage" the budget.
www.olgaadlerinteriors.com