John and Matthew answer a question from Mike in Toronto about the development of his basement.

“Hi John and Matthew,

I’m currently in the process of developing my basement, but I am having some issues and am hoping you can provide some direction. I am having trouble with the layout as I am not sure how to deal with bulkheads for heat supply and cold air returns. Any bulkheads would be along the North wall. I hope to have about 7ft high finished height to the ceiling,(and of course less under the bulkheads).

I would like to incorporate a 3pce bath, laundry, utility/furnace room and rec room (and only if possible a second kitchen). The door at the front North side leads into the cold storage room.

I am getting good light at the front of the house, but a friend suggested putting all laundry and bath at the front (or near bottom of stairs) so guests can use the bath rather than walking all the way to the back and laundry would be close by also. But having a rec room at the back would be dark.

I am having a hard time deciding whether to put the rec room at the front or back of the house. As well how to fit in a shower, toilet and sink without getting into a low head room situation. I understand that leaving the back open would allow for any future addition.

I have a flush mounted steel beam running down the center of the house so any duct work at the front or back of the house has to drop under the beam. the joists run north and south.

I would also like to freshen up the front entrance, stairs and front porch roof, since the porch roof needs to be replaced anyway.

I followed the segment on stairs with no railings but I can’t seem to come up with a decent design. I also like the modern flat roof ideas but am not sure if it is feasible here.

Thanks,
Mike”

John and Matthew answer a question from Roger and Zora in Georgia who asked the following:


“Hi there,


We love your website & your philosophy of design. We purchased our dream property last year, a 16 acre farm in the Blue Ridge mountains. The log cabin, unfortunately, leaves a lot to be desired. After considering adding on a master bedroom with an outdoor kitchen & cold storage located closer to the garden below, as well as enclosing part of the screened porch as a passive solar room, we decided that the kitchen was the priority. kitchen, living, dining are all in one great room. We added a mud room for more storage & as a buffer to the weather. The kitchen dates back to the construction of the house in the mid-80s. The pine cabinets have glass fronts & the doors are poorly constructed. We were thinking of painting the cabinets & getting new fronts to help brighten the interior which is so dominated by dark wood walls! Any suggestions would be so appreciated!” – Roger & Zora


Today’s Slides:

John and Matthew reveal their redesign ideas for Rob in Calgary’s home.














Today’s Slides:

This week’s design dilemma comes to us from Rob in Calgary, who wrote:


“Hi John and Matthew,


I recently developed my basement and added a TV room and kids play area downstairs, and would like to make the main floor more of an adult space, but would still like to have a TV and some storage for a few toys etc. Any ideas on how I can make this happen?



Our home is the middle unit of a triplex so we only have natural light entering from the front (east) and back (west) walls of the main floor. The front of the home has a covered porch while an attached garage takes up 60% of the back wall. Subsequently the kitchen is quite dark and natural light is at a premium.


We really like the feeling of the open living space, but have struggled to find a way to define the entrance, living and dining areas. We have installed dimmers on all the main floor pot lights and have added pendant lights in the kitchen. The biggest obstacle seems to be the support post in the middle of the room. It is very close to the kitchen bar stools and if we add a small wall to hide the post it may block too much natural light, or make the kitchen feel cramped. How can we transform our main floor into a functional living space without sacrificing too much natural light and what can we do about the support post?” – Rob in Calgary


Today’s Slides:

John and Matthew reveal their redesign ideas for Mike in Pennsylvania’s kitchen.


Here’s Mike’s original message to us:


“Hi there!


I bought my first home about 2 years ago. I got a really good deal on it, and I adore the neighborhood. Its a very small home on a very long/narrow lot. Unfortunately, it lacks a kitchen. The room labeled as a kitchen contains only a refrigerator and an oven. There are no cabinets (upper or lower). The kitchen sink is awkwardly located in an adjacent space. I am mentally and financially prepared for a full gut to this space and look forward to a redesigned, bright, and modern kitchen area. Luckily, none of the interior walls are load bearing. There is a brick chimney buried in one wall that will need to remain (hopefully expose).


There is a home tight to the left/north side of the house, and a home who’s rear end is near my right (south) side of the home, just outside the kitchen window. The backyard is very nice and bright. I would like to open up the rear (east) end of the home with windows and possibly skylights (the bump-out off the rear is only a single story)


What I struggle with is a decent layout that makes a good useful kitchen. The closet and sink room can go, as can the wall to the dining room. Other amenities can include a small powder room and a coat closet. As you can see, space is tight, and even though I am trained in design- I really struggle with making the best use of this awkward space.


Thanks for your help!


-Mike”










Today’s Slides:

Mike from Pennsylvania messaged us on Facebook recently with the following:


“Hi there!


I bought my first home about 2 years ago. I got a really good deal on it, and I adore the neighborhood. Its a very small home on a very long/narrow lot. Unfortunately, it lacks a kitchen. The room labeled as a kitchen contains only a refrigerator and an oven. There are no cabinets (upper or lower). The kitchen sink is awkwardly located in an adjacent space. I am mentally and financially prepared for a full gut to this space and look forward to a redesigned, bright, and modern kitchen area. Luckily, none of the interior walls are load bearing. There is a brick chimney buried in one wall that will need to remain (hopefully expose).


There is a home tight to the left/north side of the house, and a home who’s rear end is near my right (south) side of the home, just outside the kitchen window. The backyard is very nice and bright. I would like to open up the rear (east) end of the home with windows and possibly skylights (the bump-out off the rear is only a single story)


What I struggle with is a decent layout that makes a good useful kitchen. The closet and sink room can go, as can the wall to the dining room. Other amenities can include a small powder room and a coat closet. As you can see, space is tight, and even though I am trained in design- I really struggle with making the best use of this awkward space.


Thanks for your help!


-Mike”


In today’s video, John and Matthew look at where Mike could possibly relocate his kitchen to.








Today’s Slides:

Natalie from Calgary wrote us recently with the following question:


“Hi John and Matthew,


My house is a 1950′s bungalow and is approximately 1000 square feet. I would like to remodel the kitchen and would also like to remove the wall that divides the kitchen from the living room and dining room (basically, it would open up the
whole area). A structural engineer told us that we could remove any wall on the main floor without adding a support system. How would you renovate my home?” – Natalie








Today’s Slides:

John and Matthew present the second half of their redesign ideas for Margaret’s home in Ontario.

DESIGN PROBLEMS WANTED – Do you have a design problem with your home that you think would make a good demonstration project for Slow Home Studio? Visit our FACEBOOK PAGE to get started!

John and Matthew present the first half of their redesign ideas for Margaret’s home in Ontario.

DESIGN PROBLEMS WANTED – Do you have a design problem with your home that you think would make a good demonstration project for Slow Home Studio? Visit our FACEBOOK PAGE to get started!

Margaret from Hamilton, Ontario messaged us recently asking us the following:

“Hello John,

I have discovered your wonderful Slow Home Studio site and am amazed at the wealth of good ideas there.

My husband and I live in Ancaster, a suburban area of Hamilton, Ontario and are in the planning stage of a major renovation to our small 1950s era bungalow.

We decided on a floor plan after going over a number of options and want to start work this spring but now I am questioning our choice because of concerns about the number and location of entries. Would you be able to look at the two options we have and provide input on which would work best?”

Here’s what John and Matthew think of Margaret’s two redesigns!

DESIGN PROBLEMS WANTED – Do you have a design problem with your home that you think would make a good demonstration project for Slow Home Studio? Visit our FACEBOOK PAGE to get started!

We’ve seen what John and Matthew would do to improve the layout of Linda’s potential townhouse, but how feasible is it to actually approach a developer and request these changes?


To view the rest of this floorplan along with the townhouse’s site-plan and renderings, visit our FACEBOOK PAGE!

As we continue our look at Linda’s potential townhouse, John and Matthew discuss the design opportunities available in this home’s lower level.


To view the rest of this floorplan along with the townhouse’s site-plan and renderings, visit our FACEBOOK PAGE!

In part 2 of this 4 part series, John and Matthew show Linda what could be done to the kitchen space of a townhouse she is looking to buy.


To view the rest of this floorplan along with the townhouse’s site-plan and renderings, visit our FACEBOOK PAGE!

Linda from Calgary wrote us recently asking the following:


“I’m looking at buying a new townhouse, and as construction has yet to begin, I’m just wondering what minor changes could be made to this floorplan that would make it that much bet…ter? Also, as it’s a developer – ‘cookie cutter’ house, do I have any say if I want any of these changes made?” – Linda


Thanks for your question Linda. We’ve taken a look at your plan, and have shot a couple of videos that’ll hopefully answer your question!


To view the rest of this floorplan along with the townhouse’s site-plan and renderings, visit our FACEBOOK PAGE!

In response to a viewer question, we are zooming in one more level with fireplace design and looking at the best way to layout the finishing tile and position the grout lines. This is more critical with larger format tiles as the grout line locations can have a major impact on the completed visual effect of the fireplace detailing.


The basic rule of thumb is you want to maximize the use of full tiles. If your tile size is 12 X 24 inches, then you want to use as many full tiles as possible, keeping the number of cuts and grout lines to a minimum. If possible, try to avoid having a “sliver” or short-cut row of tile anywhere in your layout. If you do have a short-cut row, try shifting the entire tile layout up or down to distribute the difference between the top and bottom of the composition. And finally, you may need to center the tile layout on the fire box as opposed to lining the tiles up with the outside edge of the unit as this sometimes makes a narrower row of tile in the center, which can look like a mistake.


Today’s Slides:

San Francisco based design firm Terry & Terry Architecture have included some very innovative small bathroom design details in a recently completed remodel of a mid-century ranch house.


The first idea worth noting is the use of a frosted glass partition panel as the diving wall between the toilet and the shower stall. This increases the amount of room in the shower because the glass wall is much thinner than a framed or tiled partition wall.


The second detail to look at is the teak decked floor in the shower. This removable grate fits over the entire shower base and seamlessly blends the shower stall with the hardwood in the rest of the bathroom.


The third detail is the use of an operable window in the shower stall. By using a metal clad frame and then installing a powder coated metal sill, the entire window installation becomes suitable for a wet environment while also providing light, a storage shelf and ventilation.


And finally, the floating vanity and mirror allows for the wall tile to extend wall to wall and floor to ceiling. This makes the bathroom appear larger and the surfaces more integrated. The off-set sink placement also allows for a very functional bank of drawers for storage.


Today’s Slides:

Today we look at design strategies used to transition between flooring types.


























Today’s Slides:

In response to a viewer question, John and Matthew look at alternatives to the standard corner pantry.


























Today’s Slides:

A towel bar or toilet roll holder placed in the wrong location can significantly reduce the functionality of a bathroom as well as drive a home owner crazy. Placements for towel bars, toilet roll holders and robe hooks need to be considered during the concept design stage of a bathroom project and should not be installed as after thoughts.


Towel bars should be mounted 42 inches above the floor and should be sized to maximize the available space. They should not be installed behind door swings. A “hotel style” towel bar with a rack for storage can be installed above the toilet – it just needs to be mounted a little higher at 48 inches above the floor so the towels do not hit the toilet tank.


Robe hooks should be mounted at 70 inches above the floor and if there are two, they should be spaced at least 9 inches apart. Robe hooks are also great for towel storage if a towel bar is not possible due to space limitations.


Finally, toilet roll holders should be placed away from view, preferably on the inside edge of the vanity or on the back side of a drywall return. They should be mounted 8 inches below the height of the vanity top parallel to the edge of the toilet bowl to make sure they are easily accessible.


Today’s Slides:

Shower niches are a great way to slip in some extra storage for shampoo bottles and bath products without taking up the precious little space inside the shower stall. Built into the depth of the wall, they require some skilled attention to detail in order to make them look sharp and well finished.


The real trick is to create a neat tile edge all around the outside corners of the niche. To make things easier on the tile setter, a good idea is to create a durable frame, either in stainless steel or maybe a solid surface counter product like quartz, and line the edges of the niche with this material. If this edge is extended about half an inch past the face of the tiled wall, then the tile setter will have a nice easy joint to butt the wall tile up against. This will prevent the tile installation at the niche corners from looking sloppy and crooked.


Today’s Slides:

Induction cooktops are currently the hot trend in kitchen appliances. They have been hailed as “magical devices” because of their safety, energy efficiency, and relative ease of cleaning.


Wisegeek.com has a great description of this type of product:


“An induction cooktop has series of burners or “induction coils” which generate magnetic fields that induct a warming reaction in steel-based pots or pans; it is the cooking vessels themselves that heat the food, not the stove elements. Because of this form of heat generation, the cooktops may feel slightly warm to the touch after they are turned off, but they remain relatively cool – and thus much safer.”


Because of the reduced cooking time, the energy savings can be substantial. Induction cooktops are 85-90% more energy efficient compared to electricity powered stoves and ovens, and they use approximately half the energy of gas-sourced models.”


There are however a couple of technical points to be aware of. First, you need to make sure that you have enough power supply in your home to support the electrical requirements of an induction cooktop, which is higher than a regular electric stove. You will need to read the electrical specifications carefully. Second, you need to take care when you choose the brand of your induction cooktop as there are installation differences between models – some are able to be installed flush with the counter top, while others have a raised profile.


Slow Home Studio will return with new Design Minutes on March 9, 2012.


Today’s Slides:

In our final “On Location” episode in our recently completed case study house, we are looking at the sunken courtyard located on the basement level. This courtyard allows floor to ceiling windows at the basement level and allows lots of natural light into what would otherwise be a subterranean space.


A key design consideration with any sunken courtyard is drainage. In this location we have three primary drainage details. The first is a large trench drain located in the center of the courtyard connected to an oversized sump pump to collect and discharge any rain water. The second detail is a twelve inch gravel perimeter all around the courtyard base to allow any rainwater to percolate into the ground rather than pool against the house. The third detail is the use of landscape pavers as opposed to a poured concrete surface because pavers. Pavers allow some water to pass through them at the joints, as opposed to a poured slab which will deflect all of runoff.


Today’s Slides:

In our recently completed case study house, there are two interesting accent lighting details that we would like to share with everyone. The first is a new, low profile LED light designed specifically for millwork applications. In this house, we have used this LED light in a display niche and a shelving unit to light the objects that will be placed there. The nice thing about this LED light is that it is extremely low profile, it fits within a 1″ shelf depth and it does not emit any heat so there is no concern about ventilation requirements or heat damage that can be issues with halogen puck lights.


The second accent lighting element is a rope lighting detail in a cove ceiling that we created in the kitchen. We made a shallow depth drywall return on two sides of the kitchen ceiling and installed a long section of rope lighting. Rope lighting has been around for a very long time and is an excellent and inexpensive way to create a soft mood light along a linear plane like a ceiling cove, under a wall shelf or along a millwork edge.


Today’s Slides:

In the lower level of our recently completed case study house, we had to compose a wall to house a see through fireplace, a large TV and the media components. One side of this wall faces our media room and the other side faces the guest room.


We decided to create a composition on the media wall side using a limestone tile and drywall. We set the see-through fireplace down and to left of the TV. The TV has been placed so it is centered in the media room, but off set in the overall composition. We tucked the media components into a tall, thin cabinet around the corner from the TV and fireplace to minimize the detailing on the face of the wall. Around the corner in the guest room, the see through fireplace is more simply detailed with a drywall return making the limestone tile look set into the thickness of the wall.


Today’s Slides:

For the exterior guards off the front deck of our recently completed case study house, we have used frameless glass panels secured by a row bottom mounted stand-off posts. This detail maximizes the view because there are no intermediate posts nor are there any top rails that will obscure the sight lines.


The panels are made out of laminated glass, which simply means that there are two thinner pieces of glass with a clear plastic film in between them to give them added strength. They have been detailed to extend past the edge of the deck and are mounted to the deck structure at the bottom using a series of round fasteners. These fasteners are installed into structural blocking which has been put into place behind the cedar finish of the deck edge.


There is an intentional gap of space left between the glass panels as well as space between the fasteners, the glass and the edge of the deck. This makes cleaning easier because it allows any rain, snow or debris to pass and not get trapped between the panels and the edge of the deck.


Today’s Slides:

In our recently completed case study house, we had to come up with an innovative way to detail the floor and wall tile in the en-suite shower because we had a lot of surface area to cover within a limited budget. What we decided to do is use two types of tile, a more expensive limestone tile on the floor and one wall of the shower and more cost effective subway tile on the the other surfaces. The subway tile covers the majority of the surfaces and therefore helps with the overall cost of the tile.


We also paid careful attention to how we ended the wall tile outside of the shower itself. By extending the framing on both sides of the shower door, we were able to create a drywall return that provided a natural place for the wall tile to end. It is always ideal to have wall tile end on an inside corner, and by creating these stopping points in the drywall, we are able to limit the amount of wall surface that needs to be tile – therefore reducing the overall cost.


Today’s Slides:

Today we are looking at how the HRV unit is installed in our newly completed case study house. The HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilator) is a piece of mechanical equipment that is mounted to the ceiling of the mechanical room. It’s functions as an air exchanger where the warm the exhaust air from the furnace is passed by the cool incoming air from the outside and thus pre-heats the outside air – this reduces the amount of heating demand placed on the furnace. It is also connected to the furnace and to vents located in each of the bathrooms in this house. This type of installation is known as an active HRV which serves to circulate fresh air through out the house and air exchange in the bathrooms.


In each of the bathrooms there is a round, six inch duct located high on the wall that serves to circulate the air from the HRV. There is also a fan control in each bathroom which sets the speed of the air flow in each space. Not to be confused with an electrical bathroom fan, which simply exhausts the air in the bathroom directly to the outside, the HRV actually provides incoming air.


Today’s Slides:



















From the Archives: How HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilators) Work

In our recently completed case study house, we have used a see through fireplace as the spatial division between the living and dining rooms. We wanted it to read as a monolithic object and therefore we have clad the entire floor to ceiling volume in a 12 inch by 24 inch limestone tile. To maximize the sizes of the tiles used and minimize the grout lines, we have had to set the height and location of the fireplace unit itself based on the dimension and proportion of the tile.


The first critical decision was to set the height of the unit so the top of the unit lined up with a tile joint. Then we made the surround itself the width of two full tiles and carried these up to the ceiling. The hearth and mantle details had to be consistent around the corners, so we increased the number of tile joints on these small pieces so all of the joints lined up properly on all the sides.




Today’s Slides:

Our case study house has two islands in the kitchen – each one has been detailed slightly differently. Today, we are looking specifically at how the legs of the island have been put together.


The first island has a raised leg detail. The intention is to make the island look more like a table. The legs are on the corners of this island and are 3 inches by 3 inches square and sit proud of the adjacent drawers and gable ends by about one inch. The leg detail is further emphasized by the toe kick, which is recessed and has been detailed in a different finish from the island itself.




The second island includes an overhang for counter stools. On this island, the leg is wider to accommodate a bank of electrical switches and it is only raised off the adjacent cabinet fronts by half an inch. It is connected to a three inch deep “stretcher” rail which acts as a structural support for the overhang of the stone top. Without this stretcher, the stone would not have the strength it needs to support the weight of the overhang required for the stools.


Today’s Slides:

A kitchen island is a great feature to have in your home, but for some people, there is a concern that the inevitable mess around the kitchen sink will be visible from other rooms in the house. In our recently completed case study house, the open plan kitchen is located adjacent to both the living and dining rooms and the clients were concerned about views towards the kitchen sink.


To deal with this issue, we decided to design a millwork storage unit that was part book shelf for the living room and part buffet storage for the dining room. We positioned the unit six inches off the floor to make it look like it is attached to the back of the island. We detailed the top of it to be about 12 inches higher than the kitchen counter. This millwork unit conceals any direct sight line from the living or dining spaces towards the sink while still maintaining an open concept feeling. On the kitchen side, the back of the unit houses the counter receptacles and a space to tuck in some small kitchen accessories or utensils.


Today’s Slides:

Our wet bar is located just to the side of the kitchen in our case study house. There is a large side yard window located above the wet bar that we wanted to incorporate into the overall design of the wet bar cabinetry. To do this, we created an upper cabinet for glass and bottle storage that also becomes the trim of this side yard window. We thickened and extended the gables of the upper cabinet to surround the window above on three sides. The top of the cabinet then becomes a place for display and the header of the window houses an LED accent light. We carried our ceiling to cabinet reveal detail along the top of the window header to minimize the appearance of any uneven ceiling drywall.


For the backsplash, we simply used another piece of our quartz countertop to make it appear like the counter folds up and wraps up to the upper cabinet. This minimizes the number of materials used in this relatively small area and keeps everything looking clean and simple.


Today’s Slides:

We like to detail our front entry closets like pieces of millwork as opposed to just passage doors with standard trim. In our case study house, we have created a millwork composition with the front entry closet that merges the trim and closet doors and includes an off-set display niche.


The closet opening is drywalled in a standard way, but to make it look like millwork, we have used 3/4 inch lacquered cabinet door material – the same that we would use for millwork – and have installed the doors using standard cabinet hinges. It is important to use a lot of cabinet hinges to support the weight of the doors and mount the them forward in the frame so when closed, the doors are flush with the exterior trim. We have also used millwork bar pull handles instead of a more normative door handle.


The final details involve the trim. In this case we have extended the trim around the corner to make the front closet appear to be a millwork unit that is slid into the drywall. We have also extended the trim to the left of the door to encase a vertical display niche in a contrasting wood material.


Today’s Slides:

The open riser stair in our newly completed Housebrand house has a carpet inlay on each tread as well as a carpeted landing which requires some specific attention to all the connection details.


First, at the top of the stairs, a custom wood nosing has been installed across the entire top of the last riser. This provides a clean edge for the upper floor carpet to terminate against without having to have the carpet wrap over the nosing. The nosing extends about an inch past a solid wood trim board which has been installed to cover what would normally be left as exposed drywall – which is not a very durable surface for a stair riser.


Second, the carpet inlay itself is detailed like an upside down wood tray, with the carpet set flush into the tread and bound on all four sides by a 1.5 inch wood trim. This allows the visual continuity of the wood finish on the under side of each step when looking at the open riser stair from the side or from below.


Finally, the landing is detailed similarly to the tile inlay at the front entry with a hardwood picture frame edge providing a clean way to transition to carpet on all four sides.


Today’s Slides:

For durability reasons, it is a good idea to detail a resilient flooring at your front door. One elegant solution is to create a tile inlay because it visually allows the hardwood to flow through to the entry while simultaneously providing the durability of a floor mat.


An inlay simply means that the tile surface is set into the hardwood as opposed to having tile laid wall to wall. There are three critical details to take into account if you are considering a tile inlay in your home: the first is to “picture frame” the hardwood around the tile inlay, the second is to reinforce the joint between the hardwood and the tile using a metal edge and not rely on the strength of the tile grout and the third is to extend the tile all the way to the sill of the front door so to avoid any chance of direct foot to floor contact with the hardwood at the threshold.


Today’s Slides:

In today’s episode, we are reviewing the floor plans of our recently completed Housebrand house that will be featured throughout the month of February for our “on location” segments.


This three storey, 3,000 square foot home features a sunken courtyard on the lower level and a main floor terrace off the living and dining rooms taking advantage of expansive views to the west.


The plans are organized around a central service block that runs up all three floors. The service block houses the laundry and mechanical on the lower level, the kitchen pantry and guest bathroom on the main floor, and the master en-suite on the upper floor. The stairwell is unusual in that it forms an “L” shape around the outside of the service block. The living spaces on the main floor are organized around the kitchen which is located in the center of the plan and on the lower floor, a family entertainment space and guest bedroom suite face towards the west facing sunken courtyard.


Today’s Slides:

We are very excited to announce that for the month of February, Slow Home will be on location in one of our most recently completed Housebrand homes. The house, designed and built by John and Matthew, is a 3,000 square foot infill house in one of Calgary’s established inner city neighborhoods.


This house is located on a standard 50 by 125 foot lot with a rear detached double garage and has been designed to optimize its front facing west orientation. The main floor has a raised exterior terrace that faces towards the mountain views to the west. The lower level, about a half a storey below grade, has an exterior sunken courtyard to take advantage of the west afternoon light. The east facing rear yard has a large deck off the main floor family room as well as a garden.


Over the course of the month, John and Matthew will be taking you on a tour of the interior and exterior of the home looking at the overall design concept as well as zooming in on some of the most interesting technical and construction details.


Today’s Slides:

John and Matthew look at how a project by Battersby Howat effectively combines a staircase with millwork storage.


























Today’s Slides:

Today John and Matthew profile a staircase design by Cary Bernstein Architect in San Francisco.


























Today’s Slides:

John and Matthew look at successful examples of millwork storage solutions implemented into staircase designs.



Slow Home Studio will be back with a brand new episode on January 27th!
















Designers showcased in today’s episode:


splyce design build
Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects
YH2 Architecture
Battersby Howat
Nimmrichter CDA

Today we profile the variety of ways in which a glass guard can be detailed.


























Today’s Slides:

Today we look at how homeowners can design stairs for decks.


























Today’s Slides:

John and Matthew look at how “Step-Ups” can be used as architectural details in a home.
























Today’s Slides:

As “Stair Month” rolls on, John and Matthew discuss ideas on how to design front entry stairs.




























Today’s Slides:

In the conclusion to our case study we reveal the solution that we came up with to create a functional staircase to the third floor loft space in this remodeled 1920′s inner city house. The trick with the redesign was to relocate the stair to the center of the plan to take advantage of the headroom clearance in the center of the upper loft attic space. Because of the pitch of the roof, if the stair was located along the edge of the house (or on top of the existing stair to the main floor) it would require a complicated landing, turn condition or dormer detail to make the head room clearance work properly.


In addition, due to the narrowness of the house and the need to fit three bedrooms and two full baths on the second floor, the design had to be worked out to the inch, meaning that we had to design a very slim drywall guard and minimize the overall width of the stair itself.




Today’s Slides: