Architecture, Engineering & Planning EVstudio | Denver & Evergreen Architect | Colorado & Central Texas | Blog » Residential

Don’t Forget to Check your Sump Pit and Pump

Jim Houlette — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:00:51 +0000

Your home may or may not have a sump pit. If you have one be sure to check it every few months, especially when you may have heavy rain. Most people forget about the sump pit leaving them open to a good chance of major problems.

When checking your sump pit check for the following items:

Standing water more than 4"
Properly working sump pump, it should turn on when the float is raised
Discharge pipe properly attached with no leaks
Discharge pipe exists the dwelling and extends at least 5ft away from the foundation
Water entering sump pit, is it dripping or pouring in?

Around the Denver area many houses are built with an elevated structural floor. When you are checking the sump pit be sure to check the conditions in the crawlspace. Feel the soil to see if it feels soft below the vapor barrier. Soft or muddy soil is a sign of high water content. Also, check the floor joists for signs of rotation or buckling. If the foundation wall is exposed look for cracks larger than 1/8" wide.

If you allow water to collect in the sump pit it will eventually rise to a level where the water then collects in the perimeter drain. Once water collects in the perimeter drain the foundation is at great risk to move if swelling soil is present. Also, you are exposing your house to potentially flooding during a heavy rain.

Originally posted 2009-12-20 22:44:14.

Stair Construction Tolerance and Dimensional Uniformity

Sean O'Hara — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:00:50 +0000

The 2006 International Building Code calls out the tolerance for how consistent each stair tread and riser needs to be in a set of stairs. The code refers to it as dimensional uniformity. What the IBC states on stair tolerance is that the difference between the largest and smallest riser height and the largest and smallest tread depth can't be greater than 3/8" within a flight of stairs.

With spiral stairs the 3/8" is measured at the 12" walk line.

Originally posted 2011-05-24 00:36:39.

Common Egress Window Sizes and Operation

Sean O'Hara — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:00:41 +0000

I recently posted an article on the rules behind egress windows. I realize that knowing the rules doesn't necessarily mean that you know the most common window sizes for each different window operation. So here are the basics and some links to the Anderson Window catalog as a guide:

Casement windows are minimally 2'-4" wide by 3'-4" high. For many casement windows you'll need to order egress hardware which allows the window to not only swing open, but also swing away. Also remember that the sill can't be more than 44" above the floor so you may end up with a taller window for a head height over 6'-8". Anderson's Casement Sizes

Single or double hung windows are minimally 3'-0" wide by 4'-8" high or 2'-8" wide and 5'-6" high. I've seen a 2'-6" wide by 5'-0" high egress window but not all manufacturers make this window size. Anderson's Double Hung Sizes

Slider windows are minimally 4'-0" by 4'-0". Again, watch the maximum sill height. Anderson's Glider Sizes

I've included the links to the Anderson catalogs because they are very clear which of their windows allow for egress. Many manufacturers will call this out in their size charts. I'd suggest checking the specific sizes with the manufacturer that you intend to use and always specify which windows are intended for egress.

Originally posted 2008-11-08 00:01:41.

You Want to Remove a Load Bearing Wall?

Jim Houlette — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:00:35 +0000

One of the most common phone calls we receive is "We want to remove a wall, we're not sure if it's load bearing. Can you help?"

We are happy to help!

The first thing that is needed is an observation. Our structural engineers can determine the structural layout, identify load bearing walls and discuss options with you and a contractor. Our goal is to help you achieve the finished look you want while maintaining the structural integrity of your home. Safety and performance are our top priorities. During the project we are always happy to explain all options you have, cost differences and any performance concerns we might have. We enjoy educating homeowners about the structure so they have an understanding about their home and why we may recommend one option over another.

Identifying load bearing walls is fairly simple. Look for interruptions or lapped joints in the floor or ceiling joists, large spans, braces in the attic and beams below the wall in question. In addition, a wall might not be load bearing but it may be needed to brace the structure from lateral forces such as wind or earthquake loads. These walls are called shear or brace walls. Only a structural engineer can determine if a wall is load bearing or is a shear wall. Don't let contractors convince you they know what they are doing. Many do, but you won't know until it's too late.

Every house is slightly different and has it's own unique situation. To remove a bearing wall you will need to support the framing above with a dropped, flush or raised beam. The dropped header is the easiest and cheapest way. However, many people like the look of a flat ceiling with no soffit. Then a flush or raised beam is needed. A flush beam would have to be used if there is living spaced above the wall to be removed. A raised beam is a great option when there is an attic space above.

Flush wood beam incorrectly used without straps as tension ties

I don't like to use a flush beam for single story houses with a rafter/ceiling joist roof system. Many people don't realize that the ceiling joists are in tension holding the exterior walls in place due to an outward force from the rafters. If the ceiling joists are cut to allow for a flush beam that tension can pull the ceiling joists away from the beam. This typically causes a large crack to form in the ceiling and even worse could lead to the exterior wall bowing out. To prevent the separation, light gauge straps are used to connect the cut ceiling joists. The image above is a flush beam supporting ceiling joists. The ceiling joists were cut to allow the flush beam but were not attached with straps. We discovered this situation when we were requested to determine the cause of a large ceiling crack in an old home.

If you are looking to remove a wall please let us know. You can contact Jim Houlette at jim@evstudio.com or call the main line.

Originally posted 2011-08-07 14:45:03.

Architecture School on Sundance

Sean O'Hara — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:00:33 +0000

The Sundance Channel has a show called Architecture School. It follows the work of a studio at Tulane focused on designing and building a house in some of the more difficult neighborhoods in New Orleans.

Chris and Elicia and I have been watching it and I think it is well done. The project involves real clients and real construction so it is a more interesting show that it might be if it focused more on the traditional studio project. Of course my perspective favors the architecture school experience.

Originally posted 2008-09-12 20:35:47.

Caribbean School of Architecture

Easy Method for Generating Area Take-offs Using Autodesk Design Review

Kacy Landsittel — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:00:28 +0000

During the design process clients and builders need area take-offs for estimating pricing on materials for managing an appropriate budget for their project. At EVstudio we utilize Autodesk's Design Review program as a means for clients to review our drawings throughout the design process. Builders also use it for calculating or gathering area take-offs.

Here, I have created an example of calculating areas for siding materials on this garage elevation using Design Review. There is other software out there for the specific purpose of generating area take-offs, but this method is an easy way for an owner or someone not in the building industry to get an estimate on their own.

In Design Review, I simply used the "area" tool for generating the square footage of three different siding materials, a stone veneer in green, horizontal wood siding in red, and a corrugated metal siding in yellow. The "area" tool is coupled with the “measure” tool, which looks like a ruler, under it's drop down menu. I simply picked corners or vertices that define the areas needed. As each point is picked the area value keeps updating within the geographical center of that space. When all the points have been selected, I hit the esc. key to complete that particular defined area. For clarity and as a possible method to generate a siding area schedule to compile the data, I chose to apply a color for each material type. For instances where there are windows within an area another area box is needed around them and can then be subtracted from the gross wall area to get the net area of the siding. This same method could also be used in floor plans to generate areas for floor finish materials or a hardscape patio for example.

Originally posted 2010-08-22 00:01:37.

Open House Plan for a Small 20′ Wide House

Sean O'Hara — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:00:26 +0000

One of my favorite repeat clients called a few days ago and needed a plan for a small house to go on a 25' wide lot in Denver. The house itself could not be more than 20' wide. The client wanted a plan that would fit and would have 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, all on the main level.

We've done some other small affordable rental house designs for him in the past so I wanted to give him a plan that showed the minimum and keep it in a ranch house without a basement. I drew this quick sketch to show that you don't have to put the bedrooms side by side in a 2 bedroom.I also wanted to give access to the backyard that would be more than 30" wide.

As it turns out, the lot is actually wider than the 25' so we have even more options for the actual plan.

Originally posted 2010-10-14 18:09:22.

De Bruin Virtual Tour

evstudio — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:00:24 +0000

There is a Virtual Tour of the De Bruin Duplex on Homestore.com.

This half of the duplex is currently for sale through EV Real Estate.

Originally posted 2008-10-06 16:17:58.

The Front Porch and What Makes it Functional?

John Olson — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:00:21 +0000

Front Porch: “an exterior appendage to a building, forming a covered approach or vestibule to a doorway.” (Definition from Dictionary.com)
Front porches are often installed on homes, but many are not used. Some porches are simply appendages of a home to give the traditional appearance to a home, but virtually unusable if a homeowner had the desire to use it. I have lived in multiple homes in my life and have always had the desire to use my porch. However every home I have lived in, aside from my current townhome, did not have a porch that was functional. I would like to discuss what components of a porch are key to make it functional.

Overhead Structure or Roof:
A porch without a roof is not considered a porch. The roof defines the porch and gives it the “covered approach” in the definition. Regardless of the size of the porch I have had, with every porch I had the desire to be on it when it was raining or when a storm was passing through. I do not think I am in the minority because in all neighborhoods I have lived, I would see others on the porch during storms. The roof provides the shelter and the depth of the shelter is critical in a rain storm. If a porch is too shallow, the rain can easily make contact with you.

The porches on these townhomes appear nice along the sidewalk, but the depth is limiting to the function.

Porch Depth:
To this day, I have not lived in a home with enough depth to the porch to utilize its full potential. I feel that a minimum of 6-feet is necessary for optimum use of a porch. I currently have a porch in a neo-traditional neighborhood and the depth of it is generous in comparison with CSD (conventional suburban developments) porches, but still inadequate for optimum use. The depth of my current porch is about 5-feet, on which I have a porch swing turned perpendicular to the street (though towards Pikes Peak). With an extra foot, I calculated that I could have comfortably positioned chairs and a small table between them and still leave room for leg room and passage by. With three extra feet, I could have turned the porch swing toward the street without risking rocking into the house.

Porch is sited for privacy and interaction.

Porch Height:
Another important consideration of the porch is the height of the foundation and its proximity to the sidewalk. Height is important for the feeling of privacy and use of the porch. Aside from ADA exceptions, a porch should be no less than 18” above the sidewalk height. Steve Mouzon, of the New Urban Guild, put together a great chart which can be seen in his book, A Living Tradition: Architecture of the Bahamas and also New Urbanism: Best Practices Guide which illustrates a ratio of height to setback from the sidewalk to allow for optimum privacy, yet interaction with passersby.

Adaptability and Flexibility:
A porch should not be considered any differently than anything designed. It should be adaptable and flexible for several uses. Some may wish to have their porch be purely decorative, with nice yet uncomfortable furniture. Some may desire a place to rest and read a book. Others may desire a place to drink their morning coffee or evening glass of wine. My porch is used most often for kids playing and sidewalk chalk but the point is that it must be flexible for all of these uses. In a home, we must adapt and change the functions of a lot of the rooms, bedrooms to offices, to playrooms, etc. The same is true for the porch, after all with the frequency of changing residences that our country has grown accustomed to, we can not anticipate remaining in the same house our entire lives like our ancestors once did.

The details of this porch provide the authenticity of a porch in South Main.

Architectural Details and Vernacular:
I have listed the details and vernacular last because they have the least to do with the function of the porch (at least with today’s technology), yet they have the most to do with the appearance of the porch. Have you ever looked at a house and thought “Something is just not right with it?” As a non-architect, I felt this way about houses and structures for a long time and could not peg what the problem was. This was true until I discovered new urbanism and its many facets including traditional architectural detail. The reason that we (as non-architects) have this sensation is because we have seen enough beautiful architecture to know what is right and what is not.
I am always reminded of a professor of mine at Kansas State who explained to us that when designing a raised deck, or similar raised structure, that we could structurally support a large mass with very little. He was referencing utilizing very small lumber and very little lumber for support. However, if we did use something so small, it would not appear or feel safe (modern architecture or modernism is notorious for this factor). Therefore many will not use it. Much of today’s home building provides a good illustration of this. Homes are built with the minimum amount of supports or columns that take the authenticity away. On a porch as an example, columns are spaced to a maximum. This maximum is not equal to the maximum that homes used to have because we did not have the technology. For a home with a porch frontage of 30-feet, historically we may have had six columns, whereas today there are typically no greater than three. There are many other details not mentioned that should be carefully analyzed when designing your porch.

Originally posted 2010-04-29 02:50:42.

Avoid Costly Future Alterations: Free Fair Housing and Accessibility Presentation

evstudio — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:00:18 +0000

This week the Department of Local Affairs (DORA) Civil Rights Division offered one of four free lectures on Fair Housing, Accessibility and Reasonable Accommodations. The lecture is given by DORA's fair housing expert, Jennifer McPherson, she covers the local, state and federal fair housing regulations.

This is a must see for architects, real estate agents, housing property managers, and owners of rental housing. In addition to the free lecture DORA provides stacks of detailed brochures and other materials you can take and hand out at your office to build awareness.

The material covered in this presentation includes an overview of the many levels of fair housing regulations, how they overlap and how to be sure you comply. Fair Housing regulations cover a broad range of classes and vary at the Federal, State and Local level.

Federal Law requires that one can not discriminate based on:

Race
Color
Religion
Sex
Handicap (disabilities)
Familial Status
National Origin

Colorado State Law adds:

Marital Status
Creed
Ancestry
Sexual Orientation

Local Ordinances (City and County of Denver) add yet again:

Age
Military Status
Gender Variance

Keeping in mind that fair housing covers many different protected classes the most common issue for architects is disability. Many of the discussions I have had with clients that must provide accessibility in their buildings revolve around the loss of square footage in a living room or bedroom due to more space required in bathrooms and kitchens. Of course, if these requirements are carried out within the building it could result in very costly alterations in the future in order to comply. During this lecture you are given clear ideas of how to communicate why these requirements are necessary.

Educating architects, real estate agents, developers and owners on this topic is one way to ensure we are preventing future noncompliance. This key for the DORA Civil Rights Division because currently the division is a reactionary or complaint-driven agency. Meaning, the division needs to improve its education and outreach to transform into a more preventative department.

The more we can educate our clients the more we can provide fair housing! The next FREE lecture is June 1st 9:30 am-11:30 am offered at 1560 Broadway, Conference Room 110 B (first floor), Denver. The following two lectures are offered September 7, 2010, 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. and November 2, 2010, 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. at the same location.

Another helpful organization to check out is Fair Housing Accessibility First. This site gives you a detailed look at design and construction requirements with regard to accessibility.

Originally posted 2010-04-13 00:01:57.