Home Builders often complain about subcontractors.
Our Dream Team!
They report experiences of arguing, lateness, inefficiency, sticker shock and miscommunication. All of these are costly in terms of money and relationships.
Knowing the potential hazards, at the beginning of this project, we decided to head off possible problems by calling a meeting with the whole group of subcontractors. Continue reading
“Next to love, balance is the most important thing”~ John Wooden
When you design and build a home, whether you are working with a designer or on your own, it’s helpful to think about two important aspects of home living. I found it helpful to frame these elements using the two ancient Chinese principles of Yin and Yang. Continue reading
“Form equals function and function informs the form.”
After the concrete cures in a couple of days, it’s time to remove the bracing and supports. Now it’s time to lay out the floor joists.
Our friend, the arborist, was willing to climb up the Ponderosa and snap a photo of the pattern of the floor joists from way up high in the tree. It’s not very often that you get this particular view of a home, so we’re tickled to see it. Continue reading
“It takes more than one brain to brainstorm.”
Lars and I have a sense of the size and basic shape of our Mandala. I like the Yin/Yang , privacy/connection balance of the basic Cypress design; a Mandala with an open center ‘great room’ with wings radiating out from the circle. From a passive solar perspective , it’s clear that we want the large panoramic window views and the “open face” of the home to be south-facing. It also makes sense Continue reading