We haven't forgotten about this blog; it's just that things have been moving pretty slowly since we submitted the permitting documents a month and a half ago. We've worked on non-design topics; construction contract, budget, and financing have been the biggest items. We'll talk about some of those a bit more in a future post, once things are mostly settled there.
The biggest blocking piece was the permit from the city. The initial review finished in about a month, and resulted in a request for some revisions. The building reviewer wanted more notes and details on the plans, along with some extra structural engineering for the foundation. At the same time, Yuval decided to revise the foundation to reduce expense. The original design had a slab-on-grade garage, and it required a large retaining wall on the west edge of the garage (i.e., lots of pricey concrete and steel). The revised design modifies the foundation to follow the slope of the land, and uses concrete supports under the garage. The garage will be framed with thick wood with concrete poured on top.
But the major hurdle was trail requirements. When the land was initially divided into the smaller lots for building, Bellevue required some improvements to the land. They wanted the unofficial dirt trail down the hill developed into a real trail with pedestrian and bike lanes and some landscaping. Yuval worked with them, and they changed the requirement to a trail easement, with the development to be done by the city at a later point. Our lot has the easement on it (a 15' foot strip along the south edge). It made our land a bit narrow, but we were able to work within the confines. We weren't too worried about having a trail there, because the neighborhood seems fairly quiet. It would be a huge benefit to us, since it leads down to a lot of shops and buses.
While reviewing our documents, the city told us we needed to do the trail development as part of construction. The trail will be nice to have, but we weren't counting on the extra cost. The hill we're on is steep enough that it will have to be stairs. We're guessing that over 150' of stairs and railing would be significantly more expensive than a bit of sidewalk.
This requirement surprised Yuval too. He represented us (since we now own the land), and did all the work of talking to the city about the issue. Eventually, a legal review found that Yuval had a special agreement with the city for this issue, so we do not have to develop the trail. Instead, we'll work with the city to design it and construction will happen later.
Current status: The revised permits are under review. Since the trail issue has been settled, the main work from the city should be the building review. They know we are on an expedited schedule, so we're hoping the permits will come through fairly soon. And after that, construction!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Kitchen Design Finished
The kitchen design is finalized. We made the few remaining decisions in-person at the new Pedini showroom in South Lake Union.
First and most important was choosing the finish of the upper cabinets. We wanted something lighter than the dark brown lower cabinets. The section of uppers is small, so we chose something with a bit of contrast. We quickly narrowed our choices to the painted glass finishes. A coat of paint on the back of glass provides some gloss and depth to the color. We settled on Bianco, which (despite the name), isn't white. The paint color is a light grey, and the glass adds just a hint of green to it. It is fairly neutral and matches our other materials well; it is lighter than the other cabinets, but is enough darker than a white wall to stand out nicely. Sadly, we cannot find any photos of the color on Pedini's site.
While we were at the showroom, we noticed they had a sample kitchen with an interesting mechanism for opening the upper cabinets. In the Magika line (which we are using), they have an upward-opening option in addition to traditional side-hinged cabinets. To prevent the upswing doors from running into your head, they are hinged in the middle. The upper half is hinged to the cabinet like expected, but the lower half is hinged inward, so it stays roughly vertical while the door is opened. When fully open, the door is compact and out-of-way, without hitting the ceiling. Particularly for someone tall, this seems like a nice alternative. They cost a bit more, but it is worth it to us. The sample unit they had was equipped with a motorized control, so just a touch would open or close the door. We weren't interested in the extra expense or complexity of the motors, so we chose the manual version.
We discussed several small decisions, mostly about handles. Magika has two handle options: hidden handles inset into the top of each door, accessible via a horizontal channel; and external vertically-oriented handles in aluminum or white. We generally liked the inset handles; they look clean and lack bits to snag on. For the back of the island facing the dining room we considered the aluminum handles for the visual effect. However, the channel for the inset handles adds height to the cabinets, and matching a set of channeled and channel-less cabinets on the two sides of the island would've been tricky.
On the upside, this conversation revealed that using handled cabinets in the bathrooms would lower the height a bit, so we switched those. Back in the kitchen, the cabinet and drawer on the appliance wall can't fit channels, so those require external handles. We spent a while debating which handles to use, and how to position them. We decided to have no holes drilled by the factory, and decide which handles to use and where to put them at installation time.
The fixed, opened shelving was dropped from the order completely. The shelves from Pedini wouldn't exactly match the cabinets, and were fairly expensive for simple shelves. Since we are getting other built-in cabinetry work done in the house, we decided we could get a better result by having those shelves constructed later.
With a few emails for revised diagrams and cost quotes, we now have the kitchen design fully locked.
First and most important was choosing the finish of the upper cabinets. We wanted something lighter than the dark brown lower cabinets. The section of uppers is small, so we chose something with a bit of contrast. We quickly narrowed our choices to the painted glass finishes. A coat of paint on the back of glass provides some gloss and depth to the color. We settled on Bianco, which (despite the name), isn't white. The paint color is a light grey, and the glass adds just a hint of green to it. It is fairly neutral and matches our other materials well; it is lighter than the other cabinets, but is enough darker than a white wall to stand out nicely. Sadly, we cannot find any photos of the color on Pedini's site.
While we were at the showroom, we noticed they had a sample kitchen with an interesting mechanism for opening the upper cabinets. In the Magika line (which we are using), they have an upward-opening option in addition to traditional side-hinged cabinets. To prevent the upswing doors from running into your head, they are hinged in the middle. The upper half is hinged to the cabinet like expected, but the lower half is hinged inward, so it stays roughly vertical while the door is opened. When fully open, the door is compact and out-of-way, without hitting the ceiling. Particularly for someone tall, this seems like a nice alternative. They cost a bit more, but it is worth it to us. The sample unit they had was equipped with a motorized control, so just a touch would open or close the door. We weren't interested in the extra expense or complexity of the motors, so we chose the manual version.
We discussed several small decisions, mostly about handles. Magika has two handle options: hidden handles inset into the top of each door, accessible via a horizontal channel; and external vertically-oriented handles in aluminum or white. We generally liked the inset handles; they look clean and lack bits to snag on. For the back of the island facing the dining room we considered the aluminum handles for the visual effect. However, the channel for the inset handles adds height to the cabinets, and matching a set of channeled and channel-less cabinets on the two sides of the island would've been tricky.
On the upside, this conversation revealed that using handled cabinets in the bathrooms would lower the height a bit, so we switched those. Back in the kitchen, the cabinet and drawer on the appliance wall can't fit channels, so those require external handles. We spent a while debating which handles to use, and how to position them. We decided to have no holes drilled by the factory, and decide which handles to use and where to put them at installation time.
The fixed, opened shelving was dropped from the order completely. The shelves from Pedini wouldn't exactly match the cabinets, and were fairly expensive for simple shelves. Since we are getting other built-in cabinetry work done in the house, we decided we could get a better result by having those shelves constructed later.
With a few emails for revised diagrams and cost quotes, we now have the kitchen design fully locked.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Exterior Siding
The bulk of the exterior will be finished before most of the interior of the house, so we need to finalize the design for that fairly early. Yuval also likes to submit a basic siding scheme with permitting documents, even though it is not required.
We were inspired by a picture of another house by Whitney Architecture. We like the simplicity of plain lap siding for most of the house, with large panels to emphasize features such as the stair tower. The other houses at Bellevue 41st have used more elements than this in their siding schemes. Our house will have a lot of exposure to view, so we wanted something simpler to keep it from being too busy. This picture also suggests a light grey/dark grey color scheme that is cohesive but provides nice contrast between the different sections. The funny thing is, in person this house is a nice cream/chocolate brown color; but we prefer the grey that we saw in the picture.
Another picture inspired a plan for the windows. We like the contrast of the dark window trim against the light siding. To prevent it from being too stark, we'll use a dark grey instead of straight black.
Markus designed a great siding scheme from those initial inspirations. It uses lap siding for most of the house, but uses a smaller width on the upper floor for variety. The stair tower and the garage use panels, along with a little bit around the living room windows. The section next to the front door is designed as wood slats, to warm up the entry a bit. We've also discussed using wood on a section of the upper floor over the garage, to mesh with the green roof garden up there. Other than the wood, we are planning on a light grey for the lap siding, and dark grey for the panels.
We still have to finalize colors and woods, but we like the current design, and are happy to have a piece that is nearly perfect from the start.
Pictures from:
We were inspired by a picture of another house by Whitney Architecture. We like the simplicity of plain lap siding for most of the house, with large panels to emphasize features such as the stair tower. The other houses at Bellevue 41st have used more elements than this in their siding schemes. Our house will have a lot of exposure to view, so we wanted something simpler to keep it from being too busy. This picture also suggests a light grey/dark grey color scheme that is cohesive but provides nice contrast between the different sections. The funny thing is, in person this house is a nice cream/chocolate brown color; but we prefer the grey that we saw in the picture.
Another picture inspired a plan for the windows. We like the contrast of the dark window trim against the light siding. To prevent it from being too stark, we'll use a dark grey instead of straight black.
Markus designed a great siding scheme from those initial inspirations. It uses lap siding for most of the house, but uses a smaller width on the upper floor for variety. The stair tower and the garage use panels, along with a little bit around the living room windows. The section next to the front door is designed as wood slats, to warm up the entry a bit. We've also discussed using wood on a section of the upper floor over the garage, to mesh with the green roof garden up there. Other than the wood, we are planning on a light grey for the lap siding, and dark grey for the panels.
We still have to finalize colors and woods, but we like the current design, and are happy to have a piece that is nearly perfect from the start.
Pictures from:
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Permitting Documents Submitted!
We have finally submitted the required documents for getting permits from the city to start construction; the submission process was called 'Permit Intake' — yes, there is a process to start the process. We submitted them on the last day of May. The intake process involves initial reviews to make sure our documents are in order and look reasonable. Now they go through the full review process. To encourage green construction, Bellevue has a program which completes permitting within six weeks (the normal process, to our amazement, takes twice as long). As soon as the permits are approved, we can break ground. We should be able to start construction around mid-July.
There's still plenty to do in the meantime (mostly on Yuval's plate). We need to get the construction contract signed, agree upon a more detailed budget, draw up a construction schedule, and finalize construction financing. We are close to finalizing the kitchen and bathroom designs from Pedini and will be placing that order near the start of construction. We also want to get a siding scheme finalized soon. Yuval will start sharing the plans with others in charge of specific areas. On area is framing; once that is done, we can order the lumber. Another is mechanical, to get detailed designs for HVAC and hot water supplies.
Submitting the permits was an important milestone and puts us that much closer to starting construction.
There's still plenty to do in the meantime (mostly on Yuval's plate). We need to get the construction contract signed, agree upon a more detailed budget, draw up a construction schedule, and finalize construction financing. We are close to finalizing the kitchen and bathroom designs from Pedini and will be placing that order near the start of construction. We also want to get a siding scheme finalized soon. Yuval will start sharing the plans with others in charge of specific areas. On area is framing; once that is done, we can order the lumber. Another is mechanical, to get detailed designs for HVAC and hot water supplies.
Submitting the permits was an important milestone and puts us that much closer to starting construction.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Shiny things! (Sinks, Faucets, Toilets)
We don't need to choose plumbing fixtures until later in the process. Most of the time, they come near the end of interior design. But when Yuval sent us a sample list from one of the other houses, we spent an afternoon and evening picking out sinks, faucets, toilets, and accessories (drains, mainly), because we're exciting like that.
Kohler is our preferred supplier. To simplify our choices and provide visual consistency, we decided to reuse the same items and lines as much as possible. Our faucets of choice come from the Purist line. For the lavatory, we were drawn to the version with separate linear handles, and we matched it in the shower and bath/shower. We considered the single-handle stem version, but found it fairly ugly.
The Purist line also has kitchen faucets with several variations: bridge or single stem, larger or smaller, and pull-out spray or no spray. We're not fond enough of the bridge look to pay several hundred dollars more, so we chose the single stem version. We chose the larger faucet with spray as the main kitchen faucet, and the smaller without spray as the prep faucet in the kitchen. In the laundry room, we went with the larger version without spray.
Looking through all the sinks was a bit more work. Upstairs, we settled on rectangular under-mount sinks with a curve to the basin. They are simple, and look nice. We considered choosing something more stereotypically modern such as a vessel sink or wading pool sink, but neither seems as usable.
The powder room needed something a bit different. Yuval suggested that we could save money by skipping cabinets and using a wall-mount sink. We will separately install a bit of storage for the few things that we want to keep in that room. We found a reasonable wall-mount sink that should work well.
We quickly narrowed down the kitchen sink to two options. A large single-basin sink, or a model where some of the basin is taken up for a shelf on the side. Even though it has a smaller basin, we really like the shelf on the Stages sink. It is well-placed for using as a prep area, since the prep faucet will be mounted right above that section. The main problem is that it costs twice as much, at least in part because it comes with a whole bunch of accessories. They may not be completely useless, but we'd be happy to have just the sink. Despite that, we'll probably use the Stages sink.
The laundry room just needs a large, sturdy sink. The garage gets a large, sturdy sink that can mount to the wall. It also gets a service faucet which can accept a hose. This means we don't need a hose bib anywhere else in the garage to use it as a car washing area.
For toilets, we only had a few requirements. We want dual flush, and for the master bath and powder room we want comfort height. Out of the many options, we chose a style that looks a bit more modern. We decided not to spend the money on Kohler's fancy new Numi toilet, because we don't need a toilet that is also a geek gadget. Also, it costs $6000.
It will be a while before we need to order these, but it is another set of decisions made.
Kohler is our preferred supplier. To simplify our choices and provide visual consistency, we decided to reuse the same items and lines as much as possible. Our faucets of choice come from the Purist line. For the lavatory, we were drawn to the version with separate linear handles, and we matched it in the shower and bath/shower. We considered the single-handle stem version, but found it fairly ugly.
The Purist line also has kitchen faucets with several variations: bridge or single stem, larger or smaller, and pull-out spray or no spray. We're not fond enough of the bridge look to pay several hundred dollars more, so we chose the single stem version. We chose the larger faucet with spray as the main kitchen faucet, and the smaller without spray as the prep faucet in the kitchen. In the laundry room, we went with the larger version without spray.
The powder room needed something a bit different. Yuval suggested that we could save money by skipping cabinets and using a wall-mount sink. We will separately install a bit of storage for the few things that we want to keep in that room. We found a reasonable wall-mount sink that should work well.
We quickly narrowed down the kitchen sink to two options. A large single-basin sink, or a model where some of the basin is taken up for a shelf on the side. Even though it has a smaller basin, we really like the shelf on the Stages sink. It is well-placed for using as a prep area, since the prep faucet will be mounted right above that section. The main problem is that it costs twice as much, at least in part because it comes with a whole bunch of accessories. They may not be completely useless, but we'd be happy to have just the sink. Despite that, we'll probably use the Stages sink.
The laundry room just needs a large, sturdy sink. The garage gets a large, sturdy sink that can mount to the wall. It also gets a service faucet which can accept a hose. This means we don't need a hose bib anywhere else in the garage to use it as a car washing area.
For toilets, we only had a few requirements. We want dual flush, and for the master bath and powder room we want comfort height. Out of the many options, we chose a style that looks a bit more modern. We decided not to spend the money on Kohler's fancy new Numi toilet, because we don't need a toilet that is also a geek gadget. Also, it costs $6000.It will be a while before we need to order these, but it is another set of decisions made.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Inspiration: Glass
Glass is an ubiquitous element in architecture. Every building, no matter what it is made of, uses glass to draw in natural light. Light brings heat, and too many windows will bring too much heat.
Windows provide a view from the interior to the exterior world. They provide connection without being a true portal. You can look, but are still separate.
In these cases, glass is used as an invisible element. It provides protection and separation from the exterior world, while bringing in light and views. From an exterior perspective, they provide breaks in the walls. This adds interest, meaning, and organization to the structure. Similar to water, glass can also change color in different lights, reflecting dark or light spots from among the uniformity of the walls.
Glass can also be used to suspend an element. It is supported, but since you can see through the support, it gives a visual effect of floating.
On a smaller scale, glass can be used directly as a design element. Backed by a painted color, there is an added depth and subtle gloss that direct paint or lacquer doesn't provide. Glass that isn't smooth and straight will reflect and refract light to form interesting patterns.
Lighting glass directly can show off the designs in it, or just provide an even glow across a large area. Glass can be used to color, partially dim or obscure, or otherwise change the nature of light that is emitted from a source.
Glass is often used in modern design as technology has improved to allow larger and more fanciful constructions. Glazing technology has also allowed more light transfer with less heat. Modern designs have quickly incorporated large, rectangular panes of glass that fit well with the simple rectilinear lines of the building. Although glass can be overused, the beauty and openness of the material make it an integral part of any home.
Images from:
Glass is often used in modern design as technology has improved to allow larger and more fanciful constructions. Glazing technology has also allowed more light transfer with less heat. Modern designs have quickly incorporated large, rectangular panes of glass that fit well with the simple rectilinear lines of the building. Although glass can be overused, the beauty and openness of the material make it an integral part of any home.
Images from:
Monday, May 16, 2011
Kitchen Design
After the main layout was finished, we designed the kitchen. Kitchen design isn't required for permitting, but the lead time on the cabinets is long enough that we need to order them around the time construction starts. We are using the Pedini Magika system for all the drawers and cabinets. The kitchen design was done by Pedini Seattle.
The main layout followed what we had decided while designing the floor plan: a counter and cabinets along the back (north) wall, a long island parallel to that, and then a full side (east) wall with appliances and cabinets. We wanted the cooktop on the island, since that is where we spend the most time when we want to interact with others. That put the main sink on the back counter, with the dishwasher next to it. The side wall then had the double ovens and refrigerator.
The cooktop is offset to the west of the island so that it isn't back-to-back with the sink. That also gives a nice large prep area on the island. The wall with the ovens and fridge has a tall, skinny cabinet for things such as brooms, mops, vacuums, and aprons. It also has some open shelving for cookbooks and a larger open surface for open cookbooks, mail, or other non-food items.
We considered putting a small prep sink on the north-east corner of the island. I want a chopping station where I can rinse vegetables and cut them up without fighting with Erika for the faucet. I also want a slightly taller section of the counter for chopping so that I don't have to lean over. Raising the main island wouldn't work very well, though, and the prep sink would add extra cost. Instead, we raised the back counter by two inches and added a second faucet on the right corner of the sink. We also removed the upper cabinets in that section. This gives me a nice section of counter to use for cutting up ingredients, without cabinets getting in the way and with access to water that doesn't interfere too much with Erika. She might not be able to wash lots of dishes, but if she needs to fill pots with water, or rinse and peel potatoes, or other smaller tasks, we can easily share the sink and not interrupt each other.
The original plan showed the south-east corner of the island as a bar counter. We decided not to bother with this, because we will have a large dining table just a few feet away; we replaced it with more cabinets.
We considered adding some smaller amenities, but decided they weren't worth the cost. We looked at having a pull-out trash and recycling under the island, but decided, given the $600 additional cost, that having just a plain cabinet there would work fine. We also had a tambour (roll-up door) over the open shelving on the side wall in the original design. However, we didn't want to add a bunch of extra metal next to the stainless steel appliances or to pay the additional $700, so decided to go with open shelves.
The upstairs bathrooms also feature designs from Pedini Seattle. The layouts are very simple, with two cabinets and one set of drawers in each bathroom. We did debate on the heights for a bit. Standard kitchen counters are 36" high, while bathroom counters are usually around 30". Since we are using kitchen cabinets for the bathrooms, they are only available at around 36" high. For adults, especially tall ones, 36" is a nice height. For young children, the taller height can be a bit more difficult. We decided that we wanted consistency with the cabinets, so we are going to use Pedini for both bathrooms, and add a temporary step for when our children are young. This also allows us to adjust the height more easily as they grow.
Compared to other parts of the design process, the kitchen and bath were pretty easy. After the first round of design, we were only tweaking details. Still, getting those more or less in place feels like real progress.
The main layout followed what we had decided while designing the floor plan: a counter and cabinets along the back (north) wall, a long island parallel to that, and then a full side (east) wall with appliances and cabinets. We wanted the cooktop on the island, since that is where we spend the most time when we want to interact with others. That put the main sink on the back counter, with the dishwasher next to it. The side wall then had the double ovens and refrigerator.
The cooktop is offset to the west of the island so that it isn't back-to-back with the sink. That also gives a nice large prep area on the island. The wall with the ovens and fridge has a tall, skinny cabinet for things such as brooms, mops, vacuums, and aprons. It also has some open shelving for cookbooks and a larger open surface for open cookbooks, mail, or other non-food items.
We considered putting a small prep sink on the north-east corner of the island. I want a chopping station where I can rinse vegetables and cut them up without fighting with Erika for the faucet. I also want a slightly taller section of the counter for chopping so that I don't have to lean over. Raising the main island wouldn't work very well, though, and the prep sink would add extra cost. Instead, we raised the back counter by two inches and added a second faucet on the right corner of the sink. We also removed the upper cabinets in that section. This gives me a nice section of counter to use for cutting up ingredients, without cabinets getting in the way and with access to water that doesn't interfere too much with Erika. She might not be able to wash lots of dishes, but if she needs to fill pots with water, or rinse and peel potatoes, or other smaller tasks, we can easily share the sink and not interrupt each other.
The original plan showed the south-east corner of the island as a bar counter. We decided not to bother with this, because we will have a large dining table just a few feet away; we replaced it with more cabinets.
We considered adding some smaller amenities, but decided they weren't worth the cost. We looked at having a pull-out trash and recycling under the island, but decided, given the $600 additional cost, that having just a plain cabinet there would work fine. We also had a tambour (roll-up door) over the open shelving on the side wall in the original design. However, we didn't want to add a bunch of extra metal next to the stainless steel appliances or to pay the additional $700, so decided to go with open shelves.
The upstairs bathrooms also feature designs from Pedini Seattle. The layouts are very simple, with two cabinets and one set of drawers in each bathroom. We did debate on the heights for a bit. Standard kitchen counters are 36" high, while bathroom counters are usually around 30". Since we are using kitchen cabinets for the bathrooms, they are only available at around 36" high. For adults, especially tall ones, 36" is a nice height. For young children, the taller height can be a bit more difficult. We decided that we wanted consistency with the cabinets, so we are going to use Pedini for both bathrooms, and add a temporary step for when our children are young. This also allows us to adjust the height more easily as they grow.
Compared to other parts of the design process, the kitchen and bath were pretty easy. After the first round of design, we were only tweaking details. Still, getting those more or less in place feels like real progress.
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