EVEN GREENER

post by Catarina Ferreira, AIA

Our Annapolis House Renovation project got off to a great start, then it hit a roadblock: given the extent of the renovation, Anne Arundel County requested that both the the septic system and well be replaced. As a result, the issuing of the building permit and the official start of construction were delayed by about a month.

The good new is that, in addition to geothermal heating, cement board siding, LED lighting, energy efficient windows and equipment, and sustainable finishes, the completed house will also have a BAT (Best Available Technology) septic system. The stringent requirements for septic systems came into effect in 2013, as part of  the state’s response to the regional Chesapeake Bay restoration program. Although this project is a renovation and not new construction, a modest increase in the square footage of the house triggered the need to replace the existing septic system.The new septic and well have been installed, the building permit has been issued, and the project is now officially in construction.

Another important sustainability effort being employed is the deconstructing of the existing elements of the house which will not be reused, through carefully removal and salvaging. These items will be recycled through Baltimore's '2nd Chance' and sold for reuse in other projects. They include: hardwood flooring, cedar siding, cedar ceiling panels, windows and doors, lighting fixtures, appliances, plumbing fixtures, hardware, etc.

 

 

Here are some photos of the deconstruction process. Click HERE for images of what the house will look like after completion.

Here are some photos of the deconstruction process. Click HERE for images of what the house will look like after completion.

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CUBIC HOUSE REVITALIZATION

Our newest project: CUBIC HOUSE

We are renovating a 1940s house in Northwest DC. Check out these existing vs. proposed images!

This project illustrates what can be done with a modest budget to transform the average DC house. For more images, click HERE.

5 UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Here at archi-TEXTUAL we are grateful to have five house renovation projects under construction! We stopped by each one today to take a look at their various stages of completion.

Project 1: Brookland DC

full gut renovation + rear addition

Project 2: Petworth Rowhouse

full gut renovation + new basement apartment

Project 3: Takoma Park Bungalow

full gut renovation, construction by owner

Project 4: Petworth Townhouse

full gut renovation + new basement apartment

Project 5: Petworth Semi-Detached

full gut renovation + carriage house addition

In addition to these five, we have two more projects entering demolition phase, and will soon be under construction!

CLEARING THE WAY

post by Catarina Ferreira, AIA

Site clearing work has started at our Annapolis Renovation project. Four months into the design process, we are preparing to issue the project for construction permit approval!
The efficiency of the design process in this project is due in part to our use of BIM software, our amazingly decisive clients, and an integrated project delivery method.

In the majority of our projects the contractor (and pertinent consultants) join the project team early on in the process. Instead of until bid documents are ready to obtain pricing, we often recommend to our clients that they start interviewing contractors during the schematic design phase, we issue preliminary budget development drawings sometime during design development, and by the time we issue the drawings for permit a contractor is already under contract, the budget for construction has been validated, and the path to a successful partnership has been cleared. Major design issues are discussed with the contractor early on, he provides feedback regarding the relative cost of the various options, we move forward efficiently with that validation.
In the interest of time, we also separate the project into two main design phases: main building architecture, and finish/fixture selections. Often finish and fixture selections are finalized after the permit has been issued, as they are not pertinent to the permitting process and can take a significant amount of time to finalize. The same applies to custom elements and cabinet selections.

The key to making this work is to design at all scales simultaneous, keeping in mind what we may want the finished project to look like in the end all along so we can ‘plan’ accordingly, but allowing the fine details to be worked out after the complexities of the building have been addressed. Often the construction contract includes allowances for the finishes and fixtures, which are reconciled once final selections are made.

This process is sometimes called design/build, guaranteed maximum price, or as I prefer to call it, and integrated project delivery method (IPDM). Integrated Project Delivery is also the recommended method for projects in which sustainability is a concern, as it often leads to more sustainable, more efficient and better coordinated buildings in the end.

In this particularly project, sustainability is indeed a concern. The house will be heated/cooled by a geothermal system, the new siding will be fiber-reinforced cement board, LED lighting will be provided throughout, and the finishes will be from sustainable or recycled materials. The existing house is also being ‘recycled’ through a deconstruction process via Baltimore Based 2nd Chance. Existing finishes, fixtures, etc, will be carefully removed and donated for resale and reuse.

We will keep you updated on the latest developments, but wanted to share our excitement about how smoothly this project has progressed to date. Stay tuned!