Everyone loves charming old homes in charming established neighborhoods.  Count us among that group.  Long before we remodel a home or build a new infill custom home, we sit with our clients, often many times, and discuss the pros and cons of remodeling vs. building new.  We do both for a living, so we have no agenda either way. There is a time and a place for both renovating old homes and replacing them with new ones and each situation is different.  Our current project in the Harris Park neighborhood is a hybrid of both – renovating the existing structure and adding additional space – which is a popular solution for growing families that currently own homes close to the city center.

Invariably the question of “why does it cost so much to remodel” comes up.  Followed closely by “why does it take so long?”.  Well, we will attempt to shine some light on those questions with the next few blog posts.  Maybe not answer it entirely, but give you a little insight into some of the challenges we run into when renovating older homes in Central Austin.

If the famed Roman architect Vitruvius was right, a structure must be solid, useful and beautiful.  I don’t think he tossed those three qualities out in any random order – there is a logic to it.  What good is a beautiful and useful home if it does not sit on a solid foundation (or solid piers in this case)?  One week into this project, after we got into the heart of our demolition, some problems began to show themselves.  The summary?  Some serious rot in the floor system and the wall framing, due to both moisture and more likely termite damage.  The bigger problem (in remodeling, when we say bigger we mean more expensive and longer to remedy) was that this home was in serious need of some piers.  If our fancy new addition was going to be tied into this existing home, everyone – owners, architect, engineer and us – wanted to be sure that the existing structure was up to the task.

Not all decision of this magnitude are easy to make, but our owners clearly understand that this was a case of fixing it now and fixing it correctly, or having it cause more problems down the road.  They have a “do it right” attitude and they see the bigger picture, and luckily have a very long term view as they intend to live in this home for quite some time.

In future blog posts we try to explain how to solve some of these problems – by adding piers, a new floor system, leveling the home, and improving drainage. Stay tuned.

Demolition on our Harris Park project went quicker than we anticipated.  The entire garage apartment structure was torn down and hauled off in just three days.  The rain came at just the wrong time, however, and digging out the old garage foundation was pushed as we waited for site to dry.  We moved our focus indoors to stay on schedule, and proceeded to demo most of the kitchen and the interior walls that needed to be removed. 

The toughest part?  The old range.  It took five guys and a lift truck!  The owners had a wonderful vintage range and they were able to find a new home for it.

You can’t see it from these photos, but part of the demo involved removing an old chimney flue that ran up the center of the home.  Our demo team was able to save many of the chimney bricks, at the request of our owners, and they intend to use them in the landscaping once the project is finished.

The rear of the house currently consists of a kitchen, breakfast room and a sun room.  It may not be clear from these photos, but you can tell after a little investigating that there was an addition done to this home at some point.  The existing sun room is clad in the exterior siding material and there is an obvious change in the floor surface, from the beautiful old pine floors to some poured in placed (and painted) concrete.

The existing kitchen and breakfast area have some great bead board details – on the walls, ceilings and even the cabinet doors.  Some of the upper cabinets along the sink wall will remain, as we are making every attempt to preserve what we have – for reasons of cost but more importantly to respect the materials we have and minimize trips to the landfill.  As you will see in future blog posts, this will prove to be a challenge as we start to (literally) unearth some problems with the structure of this home.

The goals for this space are to modernize and improve the functionality of this kitchen – because this growing family is going to have plenty of meals to prepare in here.  The architect and owners also need this space to open up and flow into the new addition, and that will involved taking down some of the walls you see and obviously cutting a hole into the rear wall of the house leading into the addition.

An important part of any journey is properly documenting the starting point, and in the world of renovation that means the classic “before” photos.  So let’s take a look at what we are starting with. 

Most of the action is taking place at the rear of the home, which is currently an existing early 1900s home of approximately 1000 square feet and a fully detached garage apartment structure, built most likely in the 1970s. We have alley access to the rear of the property which will really help us when staging workers and materials – often a challenge when building in Central Austin.

We will start by demolishing and hauling out the old garage apartment which will make way for a new addition of approximately 1200 sf that will be attached directly to the rear of the existing home. This new addition will house three bedrooms and two bathrooms as well as a family/gameroom.

We’ll be opening up the rear of the existing home to improve the traffic flow into the new space, and while we are in there we’ll essentially be gutting the existing kitchen.  The existing home is very charming, both the exterior and the interior, and we’ll be continuing many of those elements into the new space to preserve the character of the home and integrate the two spaces into one.

We just wrapped up a great kitchen remodel in Westlake, so it’s time for the classic before/during/after photo spread.  We are going to include one other round of photos – our “renderings” from the 3D architecture software we use called Chief Architect.  It’s a great tool that is helping our customers visualize their end product before we ever start construction. Clients always ask us – how long will this take?  It’s different for every project, but this kitchen (plus additional work we did in the family room, utility, and powder) took approximately one month, from start to finish.

BERFORE RENDERINGS:

 

BEFORE PHOTOS:

AFTER RENDERINGS:

 

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS:

AFTER PHOTOS:

Over the coming weeks and months, you’ll be seeing a series of blog posts about an exciting project we started at the beginning of July. This home, built in the early 1900s just north of The University of Texas campus, is owned by a wonderful couple that currently has two young boys with two more on the way.  The owners and their architect have an incredible appreciation for the charm and character of their home, and we are going to do our best to blend the old and the new with as much respect and care as possible.  Although we have a number of great projects underway, we’ll be focusing our blog on this project because it has so many interesting elements and challenges all rolled into one.  A little background:

• The existing home was built in the early 20th century and is approx. 1200 sf
• The existing structure, as with many homes built in this era, has some problems that must be addressed – rot due to water and termites, drainage issues, foundation/pier issues, and plenty of lead paint
• We’ll be adding 1200 sf to this property, effectively doubling the size of the home.  But before we can do that, we must demo an existing garage apartment structure (built in the 1970s and not part of the original home), shore up the existing home (before we attached the new), deal with the lead paint (in the face of new EPA regulations)
• We’ll be installing several very “green” products – some we are very familiar with, some which we’ll be using for the first time
• The exciting part of this project is going to be the blending of new and old – the existing home is charming and very period authentic, and we’ll be attempting to make the new space consistent with that by using old #117 pine siding in lieu of the ever popular Hardi-siding, reclaimed hardwood floors, wood windows from Andersen, bead board, open rafter tail framing, and many other touches that we hope will make the new space blend with the original
• As with all renovation projects, there is a daily battle between price, schedule, wants, needs, and limitations.  There are trade offs that must be considered and tough decisions must be made.

Our hope in documenting this journey is that anyone considering taking on a project of this scope and complexity can look behind the scenes, see what really happens, and hopefully learn from it. 

We recently completed a remodeling job that involved removing and replacing a front entry door unit (including sidelights and transom) for a client in Westlake.  This beautiful Colonial style home had a fiberglass door set in an older wood jamb unit that was getting serious exposure to the elements.  Some decay on the lower section of the jamb, the threshold and the surrounding siding and trim was evident.  As with any remodeling project, this is where the discussion of cost vs. longevity kicks in, and often times  we are put in a position of recommending one product versus another.

For entry doors, that often comes down to Wood vs. Steel vs. Fiberglass. 

Wood Entry Doors – a timeless classic, wood doors are very popular among customers, and can be a great choice when installed in a very protected area.  Constant beating from wind, rain and sun can wear on a wood door, and the maintenance and re-staining issues can be daunting for some customers. For green building customers, its worth noting that on average wood doors are five times less energy efficient than other options. Typical warranties for these doors are one year.

Steel Entry Doors – these doors tend to perform well year round, as they do not expand or contract with changes in humidity. Their low initial cost and easy maintenance (painting) make steel doors a viable option, however denting can and does become an issue.  These dents can be “popped” in some cases, or filled and sanded in others.  If customers are looking to splurge on their front entry door, often they opt for metal doors for their garage access doors or rear patio doors, where they viewed less often by visitors to the home.

Fiberglass Entry Doors – these doors have a large range of price and function, from smooth paintable doors all the way up to stainable doors that are nearly indistinguishable from traditional wood doors. You can get them with a factory applied finish, or finish them yourselves on the jobsite. Rust and dent proof, these doors are popular for their energy efficiency and their very long warranties (often  25 years to life). 

For our Austin remodeling clients, we often install fiberglass entry doors from ThermaTru.  We feel these doors offer superior energy efficiency, operation, weather resistance, long warranties and easy maintenance.  A combination of factors that makes them a popular choice for our discriminating clients.

Often times we are asked to consult with a potential remodeling client before they close on their new home.  Lately we’ve seen a trend in Austin where 3rd Party inspectors are suggesting to clients that they install a Thermal Expansion Tank on their existing hot water heater(s).  Because we are getting this request often enough, we felt it was time to do some research on why and how effective these devices are.

Some quick facts – as most people know, when water is heated, it expands.  For example, when you take a 50 gal hot water heater and warm the water up from 40 degrees F to 140 degrees F you could create almost an entire gallon of thermal expansion. A properly sized and installed thermal expansion tank can be installed to accommodate this increase in volume as the water is heated.  Why is this important?

By giving this expanded volume of water some place to go, you can lower the pressure on your existing system, thereby reducing wear and tear on your home’s piping systems, equipment and fixtures.  The goal is to expand their lifespan and save you money down the road.  And the good news is the installation of these expansion tanks is relatively easy and low cost, even after the fact in a remodeling situation. So by our estimation, they often pretty good bang for the buck.

If you are buying a home, even of recent vintage, that has standard tanked water heater(s), look into the purchase and installation of thermal expansion tanks – they can be a wise investment.

We all love to say, “I’m going out to get a breath of fresh air”. With the vast majority of our day spent indoors (90%), and the high level of pollutants found inside our home or office, it is no wonder it feels great to get outside. Pollutants come from all different sources - cooking, carpets, products containing formaldehyde, cleaning supplies, garbage and food waste, clothes dryers, natural occurring radon, fireplaces, pets, and many more. This problem is only exasperated by the tighter homes we are building today. The indoor air we breathe becomes polluted and stale, deteriorating our health and quality of life. In order to improve the indoor air quality, builders and homeowners need to design every component of the home thinking about how it will affect the indoor air quality.

The first step is to keep pollutants out of the house. Limiting the amount of air infiltrating the house is job one. Use a good housewrap, window and door tape, as well as high quality, air tight doors and windows. Watch your installation – a great product installed the wrong way does you no good. If your budget allows, foam insulation is a superior insulation and air infiltration limiter. You also need to make sure there are no sources of moisture coming into the home such as improper drainage, leaking pipes, or cracked slabs.

Inside, you need to make sure you have properly sized and placed ventilation units in your bathrooms, kitchen, and laundry room. It is critical that the ductwork from these ventilation units are sealed tightly, ensuring they do not leak until they exit the envelope of the building.

Air filtration inside the home is a critical component to air quality. Changing your filters monthly will go a long way to improving your air quality as well as extending the life of your HVAC systems. Whole house filtration systems, although an expensive solution, provides superior indoor air quality.

Since our goal is to prevent pollutants from entering the home, and then removing the pollutants as soon as we generate them inside, we have to be concerned about introducing fresh air into the home. A super insulated tight home is not necessarily healthy. Imagine living inside of a cooler; if you don’t take the lid off every once in a while, it is going to get a little stuffy. With very little air leaking into the home and a ventilation system that is removing large amounts of air from inside, its important that we introduce fresh air into the home in a controlled fashion. We have to bring fresh air in from the outside, condition it, and purify it. Enter the energy recovery ventilator (ERV) . The ERV will bring air from the outside into the home, clean it, and then exchange the energy from the conditioned air inside the home. In other words, it will take the hot air from outside and mix it with the cool exhaust air the system is sending outside, and in turn, makes the intake air cooler. The pollutants are not exchanged, but the energy is, and this will produce cleaner air with less energy use. During the winter heating months, the ERV will work in reverse, heating the cool air coming into the home with the warm exhaust air.

Every decision you make during the custom building or renovation process has a direct impact on the indoor air your family breaths. Having a builder and HVAC contractor that understands your home and how it operates will be critical in ensuring that every decision and component are working together to ensure a well functioning system. As with many systems in the home, one decision can have a direct impact on other choices you have made that might not appear to be related. A builder who sees the big picture and can give you the best information for your decisions making process is critical to achieve high levels of indoor air quality.

Foam insulation provides superior performance over many other insulation options, but how does it affect your HVAC options? If a home is completely insulated with foam insulation, your home is almost completely air tight. A good thing, right? Not always. First, interior mechanical systems need to be compatible with a foamed house. Because your house is drawing very limited amounts of air from the outside, the gas powered furnace and water heater inside your home will attempt to suck every bit of combustible air out of your house. Since you need this air to breath, that can cause a problem.

A high efficiency, sealed direct vent furnace, which costs more, or a heat pump, which does not perform as well in extreme cold, will be required. You will also need either a direct vent water heater, which costs more, or an electric hot water heater, which is not as efficient.

You also need to consider air quality. In a very tight home (i.e. a foamed home), the inside air can become “stale”. Because air is not exchanging with the outside, indoor pollutants can build up and make you or your children sick. A make up source of air from the outside needs to be installed; either a direct vent to the outside or preferably an energy recovery ventilator will be needed.

A foamed house will also affect your ability to have a properly functioning fireplace. You will need to either use a direct vent fireplace, which is not always the most aesthetically pleasing look or again a direct vent to the outside that is very close to the fireplace. If you do not provide adequate combustible air, your fireplace can smoke, not light at all, or worst case back draft into the home. Large commercial style vent hoods will also need a fresh air vent. If not, a large hood vent can literally suck every bit of conditioned air out of a house in 15 minutes.

Foam insulation provides superior insulation qualities, and it’s an excellent product to consider when planning your green remodel or custom home, but make sure you plan wisely so that you do not have any unanticipated adverse affects.

We’ve had a love/hate relationship with CFL bulbs since their introduction. One of our major concerns is their performance in dimming applications. I’ve been testing dimmable CFLs in my home for a couple months, and the results have not been great. Major problems? Flicker, and a very small dimmable range – its either full gas or barely any light – the dimmable range in between is almost non-existent.

Enter Leviton with their new Decora CFL Slide Dimmer, launched at this year’s International Builder Show. In their press release they claim “In auto mode, the dimmer detects whether the bulb is an incandescent or a dimmable CFL, determines high- and low-end dimming capabilities and adjusts the dimming range accordingly. This is an important feature, as dimming varies by bulb manufacturer, type and rating.”

They became available at Home Depot last month, so we are going to install a couple and test them. We’ll report back soon.  If you are doing a green remodel on your home, and are planning to install CFLs, you might want to consider these dimmers.

Is wood an appropriate material for countertops? Absolutely, but you have to consider many things before taking the leap. Where is the countertop going to be located? Is it going to be exposed to water? Are you going to prepare food on it? If so, are you going to cut directly on top of it? How close is the nearest heat source? None of these considerations prohibit the use of wood, you just have to plan accordingly and understand that not every wood species or finish is appropriate for your condition.

Wood species, cut, and finish are the three critical elements to consider when choosing wood countertops. Hardwoods are the most durable- they take a beating and keep on going. Maple, walnut, oak, and cherry are all great choices. Softer woods, such as pine, are going to wear and move much more than a quality hardwood.

If you are interested in maximum durability, an end grain configuration is a must. This is the way butcher blocks are built, and they must be maintained with an occasional application of mineral oil. You do not see the grain of the wood, but the checker board appearance is very interesting. These tops look best as an accent, such as an island, and are a great material choice for kitchen remodeling.

Edge grain is another configuration that gives your countertops good durability, but again, you do not see the beauty of the grain (imagine boards turned on their side). This also provides a more consistent looking countertop, without the busy appearance of the butcher block.

The last choice, which is the most popular for large countertop surfaces, is face grain configuration. This is when the countertop is built using the flat side of the board and thus the beauty of the wood grain is revealed. This is by far the most beautiful way of constructing the countertop, but is most prone to damage. Making sure not to cut directly on the tops will help to dramatically improve their beauty and longevity.

With any top configuration, the protective finish is key to long term durability. With end grain countertops, mineral oil is all you need to protect them. The wood will actually self heal itself, but will definitely take on a warn patina over the years. Any other configuration is going to require a good hard protective finish, such as Waterlox Original made from Tung oil and hardeners. Its important to note that this finish must be applied on all six sides of the countertop. If you are considering wood for a bathroom remodeling project, protecting the tops are a prime consideration.

Of course, this is an overly simple explanation of wood countertops. Many other factors need to be considered before installing wood countertops. Although we discussed very critical components that must be considered before choosing wood, the fabricator and installer is the most critical component that must be chosen correctly. Construction technique, wood quality, wood moisture, joining techniques, wood thickness, edge profiles, integrated features such as sinks and drain pans, and finishing techniques are just a few details that will have to be agreed upon to ensure a countertop that gives you the performance you expect.

If you are looking at this website, then you are seeing the fine work of Austin, Texas based boutique branding firm LookThinkMake. Headed by Sean Thompson and Patricia Buchholtz, this visionary team took us from logo to business card to web presence in a few short months, all the while helping us shape our message and our business. Chris and I would like to extend a heartfelt Thank You to the LTM team for their long hours and dedication, and we’d both encourage you to seek them out for your local branding and marketing needs. If you operate a business in the real estate or home building field, you’ll see they have deep knowledge on that topic (and many others), and many satisfied clients – us among them. 

You can contact Patricia for any business requests at patricia@lookthinkmake.com or find them at:

lookthinkmake, llc 1502 West Ave, Ste. C Austin, TX 78701

512.740.4156

Ventilation fans in bathrooms have long been part of the building code. Often times they are loud, unattractive, and rarely used. In today’s ultra-tight homes, ventilation is becoming more and more important. A tight home traps moisture, and in a bathroom this is a significant problem. This moisture needs to be removed before it leads to problems in the air quality. Enter the Broan Recessed Fan/Light with Humidity sensor. It solves several problems at once.

Can lighting is a popular solution in bathrooms, and this fan looks just like a can light – you wouldn’t even know it’s a fan until it turns on. This 70 cfm fan only produces 1.5 sones of noise, so there is a good chance you won’t even hear it turn on.

Bath ventilation fans are only effective if you remember to turn them on and run them for a significant amount of time. Broan makes this a no brainer – integrated into this unit is their SensAire technology that automatically turns on the fan when it senses a rapid rise in humidity. It also turns the fan off automatically, based on a user-adjustable timer.

We’ve used these units in the past for our customers’ homes, and we’ve been very happy with their appearance and their performance. If you are building a Rapid Bath or Custom Bath with us, ask us about adding these Broan fans to your project.

http://www.broan.com/display/router.asp?ProductID=100749