Search results for "Conventions" in Home Design Ideas

Large transitional u-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen photo in Detroit with an undermount sink, beaded inset cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, green backsplash, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and multicolored countertops

James Broadway Photography
Inspiration for a timeless beige two-story brick gable roof remodel in Melbourne
Inspiration for a timeless beige two-story brick gable roof remodel in Melbourne
Find the right local pro for your project

A great use of a vaulted carport!!
Arts and crafts shed photo in Vancouver
Arts and crafts shed photo in Vancouver

We're in the shop here today showing you an alternating-tread staircase that's' going to a job-site in Napa tomorrow. I'm standing on the landing which is at exactly mid-floor level. It's going into one one these 100-year-old houses with a steep roof and lots of attic space. The homeowner called me last month saying he wants to access this large attic area with something better than a ladder. He didn't have room for a conventional stair but this alternating-tread space-saving stair was a perfect fit. It's all Red Oak which matches the hardwood floors throughout the house. Once these are installed at the site we'll put a handrail on top of the stringers on the open side.
I'll tell you a little about the alternating-tread staircases. It's built in a way that is nearly as easy to climb as a conventional stair. When we walk up a convectional stairway we normally use half of the stair tread at a time, placing one foot on the right half and the next foot on the left half. The idea of an alternating-tread stair is make half of each tread wide enough for your foot and then alternate the wide end of these paddle-shape treads from left to right. You still have your 10 inch minimum tread depth plus a 1 inch nosing projection. This give you 11" of support for each foot, just like a conventional stair. We normally make the risers a max of 7-3/4", but code allows us to go as high as 9 inches. This one is 7-3/4" which is very comfortable.
We installed a metal bar across the middle of each open-riser to limit the open space to less than a 4 inch gap.
Anyway, I just wanted to give you a quick shot of this. Tomorrow morning we get to go to the job-site and install this. I'd can't wait to see the look on the customer's face when we have this installed. I'll let him do the bragging :-)
Last but not least, I'd like to give glory to God and special recognition to a Jewish carpenter named Jesus. I don't know for sure if He built stairways as a carpenter, but I am happy to say that He is my LORD and I want to live my whole life for Him. God bless you!
And please contact me if you want any type of custom stairs.
Clyde 520-895-2060 or 916-991-9700

Design ideas for a large traditional full sun front yard stone landscaping in Chicago for summer.

m.o.r.e. Cabin
The paradigmatic North American cottage is romanticized as a wilderness log cabin. Nonetheless, typical cottages are “woodsy” versions of suburban homes with every modern convenience. These buildings sustain the myth that appearing to be one with the land equates to a reduced impact on the environment.
The m.o.r.e. Cabin inverts this idea through a separation from the landscape that is more sustainably constructed than other cottages. This unravelling of eco-fictions is not cynical, but optimistic: while organic environments are being degraded, what remains can be engaged more responsibly.
To this end, m.o.r.e. Cabin touches the land lightly through:
- Interpreting the law creatively to uphold its principles.
- Reducing foundation size through a steel mast.
- Low-waste cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure.
- Achieving greater tensile strength through a “folded” structure.
- Off-grid power and high-efficiency heating.
- Creating a home for endangered bats.
Interpreting the Law with Finesse
Zoning rules required a 100-foot (30-metre) setback from the lake. A cliff face at that 100-foot mark was incorporated into the design, whereas conventional construction approaches would entail blasting.
To minimize harm to the hillside and forest, a zoning variance was obtained to allow the front of m.o.r.e. Cabin to hover above, rather than sit on, the 100-foot (30-metre) mark.
The Mast
The technical solution to the environmental issue involved a single concrete footing and a steel “mast” placed within the required setback.
Avoiding a conventional large foundation preserved the watershed and prevented erosion, as did elevating the construction zone. Use of carbon-intensive concrete was also reduced for a lower carbon footprint.
m.o.r.e. Than One Way to Skin a Home
m.o.r.e. Cabin is built with suitably-sourced CLT panels and glulam beams.
The CLT was milled offsite then hoisted into place, avoiding damage to the landscape by the maneuvering of construction machinery.
Cabin-as-Beam
m.o.r.e. Cabin’s environmental considerations yielded structural innovation. Our challenge became to develop a structural strategy using cantilevered CLT panels as a response to the zoning variance that we obtained; CLT is fundamentally deployed in vertical/compressive sections, not horizontally in tension.
Conventional 5-ply CLT is too heavy to support itself over longer spans. The solution used thinner 3-ply CLT, with structural capacity ensured through “folding” (just like paper gains strength when folded).
Off-Grid
The home is solar-powered.
The elevated cottage catches more breezes and has excellent cross-ventilation. Heat is provided by a high-efficiency “green carbon” wood stove. Good R-value and thermal comfort are provided by CLT’s mass, and precise joinery provides air-tightness.
Inviting Over the Neighbours
One goal of the home was to create extensive lodging for endangered brown bats. Bat pods were integrated into the mast to provide safety from climbing predators and a clear flight path to the lake.
*“m.o.r.e.” stands for the clients’ grandmothers’ names; all of whom did more with less — and gracefully so.
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