Scale and Context

As the form of the house starts to appear, it will be apparent that there are only three basic blocks. There is a low roof section on the east and west sides and a higher roof section that is central. The two low roof portions essentially run the full depth of the house, and the central (high) section runs from the south wall – but only as far back as the steel framed (buried) area on the north side. The high roof area will hopefully help define the main living space and add a bit of drama and interest overall. It will also provide an opportunity for three clerestory windows that will bring natural light into the core of the home.

The framing is progressing based on erecting the two low areas first. This will allow for a secure and logical platform to frame the upper section (walls that extend from the low roofs to enclose the sides of the high roof area). Therefore, the aim here is to have all the necessary interior and exterior wall framing completed to facilitate the installation of the roof trusses over the low areas.

Construction is a lot like stand-up comedy. So much depends on timing.

Continue reading “The Sustainable House, Part VII: Roof (and more Wall) Framing”

For many of you readers who have been bored to tears with concrete and steel, this post might be where the project gets a bit more interesting and relatable. That certainly was the case with my wife who asked every day (for months): “When are we going to see walls?”

And truly, that is the mark of progress that many people look for. Getting beyond what essentially looks like a plan on the ground – the orthogonal suddenly being realized in three dimensions.

This post should also drive home the first of the three key items that I feel are the holy trinity of redefining new home construction:

• Insulation
• Air Barrier
• Ventilation.

Continue reading “The Sustainable House, Part VI: Exterior Wall Framing”

This post is going to seem a bit odd because most people associate steel erection with commercial buildings – not with residential construction. But that’s okay, I have been an architect for most of my working life, and I can assure you that most architects are a bit odd. It totally comes with the territory.

I hinted at this in earlier posts. (The steel bit – not the odd bit.)

Continue reading “The Sustainable House, Part V: Steel Erection”

I am under considerable pressure to keep this dry, civil engineering topic positively riveting. I shall do my best.

And if we’re lucky, you will come away with not only a deep appreciation for the lowly concrete frostwall, but also a grasp of how important it is to keep such walls snug and warm.

So let’s first have a peek of what has been accomplished to date.

Continue reading “The Sustainable House, Part IV: Foundations”

We have a massive hole in the ground. I use the term “ground” loosely.

The footprint is checked using a theodolite and stakes are driven to mark the footing layout, otherwise a spot of surveyor’s paint is sprayed onto the bald rock. For the uninitiated, footings are used to help spread the dead load of the entire house (together with live loads – people, furniture, snow) over a wider area of earth. We actually have portions of the footprint that are not on rock, so we will abide by construction norms and locate footings beneath all the exterior walls.

Continue reading “The Sustainable House, Part III: Footings”

One of the guys on site said: “There’s only two things you’ll ever find when you dig in Newfoundland – rock or bog.”

Well, that’s not quite true, as I have witnessed perhaps a hundred excavations, particularly on the west coast and Great Northern Peninsula, that had copious amounts of both. This usually sends the owner into a complete tizzy, especially if the geotechnical test pits showed good ground, which, as if by magic, they almost always do. A massive change order (a nice round figure) from which the owner never truly recovers, is typical.

Continue reading “The Sustainable House, Part II: Excavation”

Being retired, and having a lot more time on your hands, can lead you to try out all sorts of things that you might not otherwise attempt. For instance, I wrote a novel. It was published. It got great reviews. It sold reasonably well.

I got the T-shirt.

But this is not about me the author. This is me designing and building a house.

Continue reading “The Sustainable House, Part I: The Site”

The abandonment of my alma mater is something that I have wanted to explore and reflect upon for quite some time. I kept putting it off because I was unable to come to grips with my feelings. I am hoping that writing about it will somehow be therapeutic, if not cathartic. Please allow me to explain…

Continue reading “My Alma Mater Dilemma”

Let’s start with a quick look to the future:

1. The cruise ship industry is in very serious trouble. Would you be eager to go on a cruise? Have a read of what The Guardian has to say: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/14/cruise-ships-coronavirus-passengers-future
2. The oil and gas industry is shrinking. Hopefuls in the Newfoundland offshore optimistically argue otherwise, but the writing is on the wall.
3. Oceanex have scaled back their operations and may continue to do so as they were unable to use the pandemic to leverage millions of dollars in subsidies out of the federal government.

The items cited above will have an impact on the St. John’s waterfront. It will be less busy in the future – perhaps the near future. So forward-thinking should tell us not to bemoan this, but to adopt an approach that will restart the local economy, especially in the downtown.

Continue reading “Harbour Fence Post Covid-19”

So glad I retired when I did. Packed in the drafting table. Started using the T-Square only to cut drywall. Donated my triangles to the carpentry shed. Rolled up the vinyl.

That is because in forty years of practice I spent the last twenty worrying about whether or not the receivables would be sufficient to cover payroll. Lying in bed, worried for the families that depended on my (our) success to put bread on the table. It was always draining. My exhaustion sometimes overwhelming. I did not tire of design. I did not tire of contractors. I did not even (completely) tire of clients (even though most wanted a Cadillac while offering a budget insufficient to acquire a Lada). These were met as daily challenges. Why, even the unbridled arrogance of our Department of Works and Transportation only gave me cause to chuckle.

No. It was always the money to pay those who worked for me. And to continually inspire them.

So I cannot begin to imagine the agony of trying to hold an architectural firm together right now, and I am so fortunate, so very fortunate, that I don’t have to.

Continue reading “Post Pandemic Architecture”