From Concept to Completion: Understanding Architectural Regulations and Permits
Several layers of red tape stand between you and your vision for your dream home. Securing building permits and regulatory approvals can overwhelm even the most prepared homeowner. In Nashville, permit reviews alone often take more than two months, and missing documents or unclear details can push that timeline even further. The path becomes far […]
Principal Stories: Real Construction Costs
Guys and Gals, Over the past month, my wife and I finally made a decision we’ve been putting off for years. We’re tearing down our rear porch and rebuilding it with a new porch and a one-car garage. This wasn’t a quick or easy call. We saved, we planned, we set up a HELOC, and […]
The Architect’s Construction Drawing Guide
Construction drawing can be complex, often consisting of hundreds of pages of drawings and specifications. A construction drawing is a detailed visual document that communicates how a project should be built, including dimensions, materials, assemblies, systems, and coordination requirements. I have found over the years in my practice that there are a lot of folks […]
Pros and Cons of Flat Roofs & Roof Decks
At our firm, we focus on creating high-end modern homes often pushing the boundaries of form and material. One of the signature forms found in many modern projects is the flat roof. In today’s blog, we look at how flat roofs work and what you should know when considering one for your next […]
Why Spray Foam?
Many of us know that insulation is a major component for keeping your building cool during the summer and warm during the winter. There are many different types of insulation but why is spray foam the preferred? Batt Insulation – is probably the most common and most familiar to most people. Batt insulation is […]
Using Floor Trusses in Modern Design
Most buildings built in the United States these days are built from wood. Wood is in fact a renewable resource, affordable, easy to work with, and provides enough strength for most projects. Wood products range from commodity lumber (2x4s, 2x6s, etc.), engineered lumber, (LVLs, Plywood, etc.), and pre-fab trusses. In today’s blog, we discuss floor […]
Best Approaches to Basement Waterproofing
The dreaded flooding basement is a real pain. Basements, as we all know, are notorious for being damp and having water issues. This is primarily because water moves in all directions underground, sometimes even straight up. Not to mention soil weights a lot more when wet placing lots of stress on basement walls leading to […]
Construction Costs During Design
As we discussed in previous posts, construction costs can be difficult to identify during the pre-design and design process. With the many moving parts and constant state of change, cost evaluations must be performed in stages. A deeper dive under the hood reveals that there are key pieces of information needed to perform these cost evaluations. […]
Construction Drawings and Contracts
Construction drawings and specifications are considered contracts between you and your builder. The more detailed the contract, the more precise the scope of work for the builder and their sub-contractors. Let’s discuss what makes your contract work better and why you want to have a detailed set of drawings to communicate your intent. Drawing Types […]
Design Phase 4: Bidding and Contracts
The smallest phase of the architect’s scope is all about distributing information and helping find a great contractor. The bidding phase is set up for the more traditional “design, bid, build” approach to construction and design, in which the main purpose is to provide consistent information to all contractors bidding on the project. The Traditional […]