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

Wind or Fallen Tree Damage Report by a Structural Engineer

Jim Houlette — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:20:34 +0000

From 9News

Unfortunately, we are experiencing some high winds as the year ends. Although structures built in the last 20 years should have been designed to withstand a 90mph wind gust or higher in some areas along the front range it doesn't protect the structures from falling trees or other forms of wind damage. There are of course many structures built prior to the building codes that may not be able to withstand the high winds.

If your structure is damaged from these high winds or anything else (fire, snow, water, soil movement) you may need a structural engineer to inspect the structure to determine if it's safe and what repairs are needed.

EVstudio can help you get through this. Our structural engineers are based in Denver and Evergreen and live throughout the Denver area.

In an emergency please call or email Jim Houlette, PE at 720-975-5368 or jim@evstudio.com for help. Anytime.

Modern Mountain Home in Evergreen Colorado Nearing Completion

Dean Dalvit — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 06:33:25 +0000

We're very excited to be seeing the completion of a modern mountain home we designed in Evergreen Colorado near completion. The Certificate of Occupancy was recently released and the owners are moving in. EVstudio provided all of the Architecture, Structural and Civil Engineering on this project and the seamless integration of each discipline within the others resulted in a true transcendence of form and function.

Modern Mountain Colorado Home

The home nestles naturally into the site and steps with the site. The excavator remarked how simple the excavation was and how perfectly the cut and fill balanced so no costs were incurred in hauling material. Expressing the structural frame was also a strong element in this design. We needed moment frames to handle the lateral loads, but didn't want the huge thermal bridge in the wall that they ultimately create. So instead, we expressed them on the surface of the wall with steel C channel and used the structural element as an architectural trim detail. In fact, all of the headers were handled in this way and the thermal envelope of the walls is significantly better. Note the square head bolts used as an additional touch...

Exposed Steel C Channel Moment Frame

Not only are the forms on this home distinctive offering a fresh interpretation of modern in an organic mountain setting, but the materials are also very rich in both texture and their very nature. Reclaimed weathered barnwood siding, rusting steel and natural stone are prominent elements, respecting the relationship between a home and its climate.

Mountain materials of stone, reclaimed barnwood and steel

The proportions of the steel siding were based on Fibonacci's golden section. We studied not only the proportions of the home, but also of the aspect ratios of the elements themselves to arrive at the sizes, then the contractor had them manufactured to our exacting specifications.

Metal Siding With Proportions of Golden Section

Attention to detail was a hallmark of this home both inside and out. We'll post the interior shots after the owners get settled in, but the exteriors received as much attention as the inside. For our canted steel I-Beam posts, we inserted a reclaimed wood timber with square head bolts.

Seamless Structural and Architectural Detailing

With everything having come together in such a harmonious way, The owners are thrilled with the outcome, as is the neighborhood, not to mention the EVstudio team. We were fortunate to have clients who were so great to work with and open minded to new ideas for their home!

Soda Creek Antique Barn Style Home in Colorado

Beth Concha — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 06:16:18 +0000

We just completed plans for a 4,000 square foot home in Soda Creek. The design intent was a house that resembles an old barn that has been restored and added onto over the years. The main house and garage represent the ‘original’ structures, with the eastern bump-out and back hall connector being the later ‘additions’. The entire home will have a variety of reclaimed wood siding, weathered stone, asphalt shingle and rusted corrugated metal roof for an antique aesthetic.

The home has 4 bedrooms and 5 baths with a large bonus room over the garage. We also provided the option for storage in the attic trusses above the main house. With sustainability playing an important role, we oriented the house on the east-west axis across the site, and incorporated radiant heat flooring system, low-e windows, PV roof panels, high-efficiency heating system, reclaimed exterior materials, and even reclaimed structural elements wherever possible. Construction should be underway over the next few months.

EVstudio Adds Rich Muller to Evergreen Architecture Team

Dean Dalvit — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:11:12 +0000

Evstudio is proud to bring on board Rich Muller, AIA, LEED AP as a Project Architect in our Evergreen Colorado studio. Rich moved to Evergreen from Texas with his family to enjoy the higher altitude and the cooler climate.

Rich Muller, AIA, LEED AP

Licensed as an architect in Texas, Rich has worked with his previous firms on notable international projects including the University of Saskatchewan Student Center and Student Dormitories, the Chipolbrok American Headquarters Office Building, as well as numerous multifamily projects from Texas to California, and even one multifamily project in China.

Rich has also worked on a number of single family residential projects in Texas and New Mexico, culminating in development of a LEED silver home in Houston that helped to trigger a sustainable movement in the neighborhood in which it was built.

We are excited to have Rich on the EVstudio team and look forward to a long and successful future with him!

Next week: Elicia Ratajczyk will speak at the Conifer Historical Society

evstudio — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 06:36:38 +0000

The Conifer Historical Society and Museum (CHSM) is hosting members of the Ken Caryl Historical Society at this months Summer Lecture Series for the first of two talks highlighting the history of the Bradford Toll Road. Elicia Ratajcyzk, Associate at EVstudio, will talk about Bradford Junction (Yellow Barn Property) as the terminus of the western end of the Bradford Toll Road. The second talk will take place in August or September and will be hosted by the Ken Caryl Historical Society.

The Conifer Historical Society and Museum

CHSM Summer Lectures 2011

The History of the Bradford Toll Road and Bradford Junction

Wednesday, July 20

7:00 to 8:30

Aspen Park Community Center

26215 Sutton Road, Conifer

Free to CHSM members ~ Guests $5

This slide presentation will focus on the history of the Bradford Toll Road,

the route and stage stops, and the history of the "Yellow Barn" property

at Barkley Road and Highway 73.

Presented by Lucy Bambrey and Elicia Ratajczyk

Lucy is an archaeologist and historian. She is an active member of the Jefferson County Historical Commission, the Conifer Historical Society and Museum, and the Conifer Area Council Historic Preservation Committee. She also represents historic and archaeological interests on the Bureau of Land Management’s Front Range Resource Advisory Council.

Elicia is an Accredited Professional in Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED-AP) and holds a Master's Degree in Architecture and a Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation from the University of Colorado.

For more information about this event and other lectures and events, visit our website at www.coniferhistoricalsociety.org or call 720.333.0233

The Yellow Barn at Conifer: Early American Pre-fab in the Mountains

Elicia Ratajczyk — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 07:51:20 +0000

The historic "Yellow Barn" (well, it used to be more yellow than it is today) at the corner of Highway 73 and Barkley Road in Conifer has long been a well known and beloved landmark and icon of the mountain community. What many may not know, however, is that it and it's two accompanying historic houses, are also icon's of the pre-fab, mail-order construction that was popular across the United States in early 20th Century architecture.

The idea of pre-fabricated and modular architecture has long been of interest to architects world-wide because it not only offers the potential for cost savings based solely on the idea of mass production & common, repeatable elements but also carries the potential ability to offer high-design and quality craftsmanship at an affordable price to the general public. This is exactly the concept used by the Sear's, Roebuck and Co. in the "Book of Modern Homes" that was freely distributed throughout the country along with their other catalog's of goods.

"This special Book of Modern Homes which we will send to you free, shows you how much better and how much bigger a house you can build for your money ..." ~excerpt from the 1910 Sears, Roebuck & Co. Catalog No. 117

Sears & Roebuck was not, however, the only manufacturer of these "mail-order" homes. In fact, according to national expert and architectural historian Rebecca L. Hunter, Sears was but one of seven major companies supplying pre-cut homes in the United States and Canada in the early 20th Century. The Sears homes, in fact, were often supplied by one of the other companies, such as the Gordon Van-Tine Company from which the three buildings at Bradford Junction were ordered in 1918 by John J. Mullen (nephew of famous Colorado philanthropist J.K. Mullen). All three buildings are still standing to this day, and are a rare collection of multiple early pre-fabricated mail order buildings ordered and built together in a rural location.

EV Studio was hired earlier this year to do a historic investigation of the Bradford Junction property where all three of these pre-fabricated buildings are located. We discovered, through these investigations, that all three buildings were ordered together (a "Ranch Kit", if you will) from the 1917 Gordon Van-Tine Catalog in the early spring of 1918 (see the related catalog pages below). They were delivered by train from Illinois to Denver, where they were then most likely loaded onto the C&S Narrow Guage Platte Canyon line and delivered to Dawson's Switch near the bottom of present day Foxton Road. From there, they would have taken a bumpy trip up the narrow canyon road on wagons pulled by livestock and were eventually delivered to the site where they still stand today at the ripe old age of 93!

Conifer Area Spring Fling-It Recycling Festival

Elicia Ratajczyk — Fri, 13 May 2011 06:35:21 +0000

Time to get that Spring Cleaning done, but don't forget to recycle as much as possible! This Saturday, May 14, 2011 will be the date for the Conifer area Spring Fling-It Recycling Festival sponsored by the Conifer Area Council and the Conifer Rotary Club. The event will take place at Conifer High School and Big O Tires (for tires only) in Conifer from 9am to 3pm. Recycling of co-mingled recyclables, styrofoam blocks, scrap metal, old mobility devices, bicycles, clothing, shoes, some computer accessories, phones, answering machines and other items are free along with free document shredding. Other hard to recycle items such as tires & electronics will be accepted for a fee.

New Large Scale Detached Garage Complete in Evergreen

Adam Denton — Mon, 02 May 2011 03:12:21 +0000

Construction has been completed on the Kern garage on Buffalo Park Road in Evergreen. This custom designed and constructed garage is composed of approximately 2200 square feet of heavy timber and conventional framing. Adding to the robustness of the structure was the pinning of the foundation to solid granite bedrock.

Special design considerations were taken regarding the interaction of the heavy timber and conventional framing elements. Special consideration was also given to the interior partition walls of the structure, which were specifically designed to translate the sizeable lateral loads (due to wind loading and large distances between bracing lines) into the foundation.

Construction was completed by John Orlando Construction. If you have a detached garage construction project in mind where cost and quality are top priority, please consider the EVstudio design team. We can be reached at 303-670-7242. John Orlando may be reached at 303-913-4029.

Installation Complete for Solar Panels on Arvada Annex Building

Adam Denton — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 06:01:30 +0000

EVstudio recently had the opportunity to observe the installation of the forty photo-voltaic panels atop the City of Arvada Annex Building. To maximize the potential for solar collection the use of an existing steel framed sight wall originally designed to screen the Annex’s roof top heating and cooling mechanical units from being viewed from street level. Fortunately the existing sight wall was fairly stout in construction, being composed of a corrugated metal deck screen and steel angle bracing. The steel angles were discovered to be attached directly to the roof’s steel I-beam and open web joist sub-structure. Many sight walls of this nature are not fastened as well as the one on the Annex. If it had not been, it may have been necessary to provide penetrations in the roof’s waterproofing membrane to resist uplift forces from the wind. Such penetrations are costly because they are very labor intensive and require an outside specialty contractor to re-seal the waterproofing membrane so that the membrane’s warranty is not voided.

This project is one of many that EVstudio has worked on with Sunspot Solar, LLC. Sunspot Solar is a full service renewable energy provider based in Golden, Colorado. Sunspot Solar specialized in the design and installation of solar (hot water and photo-voltaic), geo-thermal and wind systems. Prior to the City of Arvada Annex building, Sunspot Solar was contracted to provide the massive solar array for the City of Arvada City Hall Building. A short promotional video from the City of Arvada regarding the City Hall project can be found here.

If you have a solar or other renewable energy project in mind and don’t exactly know where to start, a good idea would be to contact EVstudio at 303-670-7242 or Sunspot Solar, LLC at 303-526-0100.

Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity Hard Hats & High Heels Gala 2011

Beth Concha — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 06:01:36 +0000

Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity will be hosting the 4th Annual Hard Hats and High Heels Gala on Saturday, June 11th. This ‘Zero Waste’ event will be held at a sustainably remodeled home in Soda Creek, Evergreen. All consumables at the event will be recyclable, compostable or reusable. Proceeds from the event will help to build a home this summer for a local family in need. The Gala will feature appetizers from local restaurants, silent auction, live paddle auction, door prizes, wine pull, complimentary photos and live music.