stem walls

Here they are pouring the foundation stem walls.  You can see the arm of the pump truck coming down in the upper right corner.

We will eventually be pouring a concrete slab for the entire first floor.  After having the geotech out to the site as well as our structural engineer, we now need to remove more of the organic material (dirt  with tree roots) from the center and bring in structural fill.

The man in the blue on the left is controlling the pump and the man holding the pump is directing the concrete into the forms. 

Below is a corner of the form with rebar in place.

5/8" diameter anchor bolts are then set into the wet concrete.  You can see them sticking up out of the concrete in the pictures below.  They are typically placed every 48" with a few locations closer together where there is a shear wall.  The anchor bolts will tie the wood framed walls to the foundation.  This enables the house to be more resistant in an earthquake and will keep the framed house from moving off its foundation.

introducing CHAPUCAS

This is probably the most daunting design project I have ever worked on…the design of our own home. Having my husband and myself as clients is a lot harder than one would think. How do I get all those cool ideas I have been wanting in a house into a cohesive design and within budget? All of our decisions are based on balancing our, at times, conflicting priorities.

PRIORITIES

• A home we will love - cool, beautiful and comfortable
• Lots of natural light
• Stay within our budget
• Energy Efficient
• Healthy, Low Maintenance & Environmentally Responsible interiors and exteriors
• A house that fits into the neighborhood

 

DESIGN PARAMETERS

• The lot size is 40’x120’ with alley access, 20’ front yard set back and 16’ rear yard with 5’ side yard setbacks. 
• Open up to the southern exposure along the long side of the lot.
• Attached ADU (accessory dwelling unit, aka mother-in-law unit)
• Main living space on the second floor with separate bedroom
• Connection to the outside on the second floor
• Garage big enough for the Mini Cooper, motorcycle and all of Neil’s tools and work materials. 
• Home offices for both of us

DESIGN CHALLENGES

• Display my extensive book collection without overwhelming Neil’s minimalistic sensibilities.
• A large enough home to entertain in, but small enough to be intimate for just the 2 of us.  The right size home.
• Maintaining privacy within a city environment while bringing in lots of natural light
• Create 2 dwelling units that are separate, but have an indoor connection

The main space is really what the whole house is designed around. I wanted lots of natural light and ventilation. A room that is both intimate and spacious. A room where the bookshelves and cabinets are built in and become the walls and the TV can be hidden with moveable panels. The house is designed around how we live and want to live.

FOR CURRENT CONSTRUCTION

 PHOTOS CLICK HERE

staking, tree removal, excavation & footings

 We have finally started construction.  Above is a photo of Neil and I figuring out what the first floor height would be and staking out the house.  The site is relatively flat, but there is a slight slope across the site that we had to take into account.  2' from front to back and 2' from side to side.  Below was the start of excavation and removal of 3 trees.  2 holly trees and a camellia tree.  We kept an Aralia elata out front which has a beautiful red color in the fall that goes well with the Karina house color.

And this week footings were formed and poured. Stem walls will be formed in a couple days and hopefully poured on Tuesday.  The entire first floor will be slab on grade.  Look for a post soon on the design and floor plans.

tools of the trade

I'm back!  I know it's been awhile.  Life has been moving on and we had put off building our next house till (hopefully) now.  Sketching and dreaming about it for 2 years, I finally started to draw it up in Cad over the winter.  Using ArchiCad on a MacBook Pro, I've been able to design the house in 3D.  Starting with our program requirements, lists of desires and site opportunites, I worked out a preliminary plan and then experimented with different forms and roof types.  Going back and forth between sections, plan and model and lots of sketching on trace paper, a "Schematic Design" was reached and now we are in "Design Development". The basic house shape has been determined, but now comes the flushing out of details, materials and refinement of windows and structure.  So stay tuned and I will begin to share our process all over again!

Brixton Builders is a general construction company with a specialization in residential projects. Established in 1997 by Neil Chapman, Brixton Builders past projects include new custom homes, entire house remodels and additions, extensive kitchen and bath remodels and small commercial tenant improvements.  With over 20 years of experience in construction, Neil brings a thorough knowledge of building and materials to every job.

In 2010 Brixton Builders completed the Karina house which is featured extensively on this blog as well as some photos of past kitchens and the Genesee house.

fences and gates

Here is a collection of gates within fences. We had put a fence in next to the Karina. Nothing fancy. Some of these shots and those I'll post later this week, were taken as inspiration, but cost ended up dictating that design.

happy new year!

I woke up this morning dreaming about our next house. We are not sure when we will actually build it, but I have started to design it. Some of my first thoughts are how I want the space to feel. Open, airy, spacious yet cozy, warm, light filled, efficient, comfortable, inspiring, beautiful. How to make a home feel like your favorite old sweater while at the same time the feeling when you put on that new outfit you look fabulous in. To wake up everyday smiling. I actually do have that in our place now, when I wake up with the sun and not the alarm.

So through the gate I go and I'm looking forward to sharing my process again...much in the beginning is drawing inspiration from the world around me.