Tutor04-Feature List
The feature list identifies special items such as storage systems, closets, built-ins, window seats and fixtures or all items we need to plan in your project. This exercise teaches me about your fit and finish preferences. read more →
Tutor03-AAA Matrix
The Area-Activity-Adjacency Matrix is the space list plus furniture inventory and building function. This exercise helps me understand how much space you need and how you live. read more →
Tutor02-Space List
The space list is a wish list. You list every interior and exterior space for every activity you want in your project to help me understand what’s in your project. read more →
Tutor01-Initial Interview
The initial interview is our first meeting. We interview each other as potential architect-owner partners and I visit your site so I can prepare a service proposal. read more →
Tutor00-Dzine Expedition
Dzine (dee-zīn’) — The a-ha factor in architectural design. It’s the spontaneous moment when inspiration and idea reveal the immaculate solution, but it might be luck. read more →
Design-Build: The Super Star or Super Team
Do you like sports? Do full-contact team sports like football, basketball and soccer motivate you or do you prefer the indivdual sports like tennis, golf and gymnastics? I’m a team sport fan and enjoyed playing football, basketball and soccer because I like the interdepence of players working together, exploiting their strengths, to win championships. Of course, the satisfaction of cultivating an individual talent to earn the #1 ranking in the world is remarkably fulfilling too. Did you know designing and building your home can be like a team or individual sport? It’s true! You can develop your design-build project in countless ways, but regardless what the industry calls it, you are “working together” or “working in parts” and both methods have advantages, but how do you know whether to be a super star or super team? read more →
How to Pick Your Architect
How hard can it be to pick an architect? Gee, they are a dime-a-dozen with similar education, internship and licensing credentials so you open a phone book or search engine and browse for names you’ve heard or that appeal to you. Then you call the list, set appointments and pick the one who has the best pedigree, is most attractive or is the cheapest. If it’s a tie, you can draw names from a hat. You can’t go wrong. That sounds simple enough, but the problem is architecture is a creative service and you need a partner who can get to know you and bring your idea to life, but how do you find that person? read more →
Crazy Inquiry — Questions Architects Ask
What do a reporter, therapist and architect have in common? It’s not salary because reporters get paid by the word, therapists by the hour and architects by the grace of God. It’s not approach because reporters put you on the spot, therapists put you on the clock and architects put you on a pedestal. It’s not vocabulary because reporters write at fifth grade level, therapist dialog with $50 words and architects draw diagrams. It’s not curiosity because reporters want to know where you were and who you talked to, therapists want to know about your family and architects want to know it all. read more →