Welcome to my blog on Home Remodels and New House Design. You can look at home remodels I have done in the Seattle area, and ask your questions about your own house. I look forward to hearing from you.
-Alan Ness (zenArchitect)
www.TenDirectionsDesign.com
PS: I teach meditation in Ballard on Tuesday nights. More information is at www.soma-yoga.com or www.seattle.shambhala.org. And feel free to ask about meditation as well. -AN
Home Remodels and New Houses
March 3, 2009 at 10:19 pm (Home Remodel)
Tags: architect, Design, Home, House, Meditation, Remodel, remodeling, Seattle
Phinney Home Show
February 9, 2009 at 1:40 am (Home Remodel)
Tags: architect, designer, Home, House, remodeling
At our booth (Alan on left)
I am just back from the Phinney Home Show today. It was a great success with a lot of homeowners who are serious about remodeling this year, despite the economic backdrop. My raffle for 4-hours of design services had 35 people signing in. And the Winner is…..Jeff J. in zipcode 98125. I look forward to consulting with Jeff about his kitchen remodel.
Raffle Drawing by impartial administrator
-Alan Ness,
Ten Directions Design
alan@tddseattle.com
Remodels: Garage conversions
January 29, 2009 at 11:44 pm (Home Remodel)
Tags: Design, Home, House, Meditation, Remodel
NOTE: The NW Eco-Building Guild meeting last night on weatherization was a huge succcess. Over 120 people attended, and the expert presentation by Scott Finley of Atmosphere and David Vollan of Home Performance Inc was very informative. I learned a lot about the latest insulation technology (celloluse applications) and good old insulation and air sealing (it is not all about doors and windows!).
GARAGE CONVERSIONS
Before: uninsulated garage
New Den/Office
Like a basement conversion, changing a garage into a living space will become even more popular in 2009. Anytime that a homeowner can upgrade an existing space, they will save money over adding new square footage or expanding the structure of their house.
Photos above show a West Seattle project where we carefully finshed out a small garage into a comfortable den/office for a family. Issues included insulation placement, new doorways, and finding a legal parking space on the property. [Design: Ten Directions; Construction: Jim Alexander and Company; Interior Color Selection: Betty Brown].
Below are “before and after” shots of a carport that was enclosed to become a dining room for a small house. The dining room has a new floor installed that is level with the exisitng house. The rest of the carport became a laundry and utility area.
Existing carport
Dining Room in enclosed carport
POEM
New legislation
Can this world be made better?
Which way will it turn out?
HOT ITEMS
Meditation Class: I am teaching meditation for beginners in Ballard (Seattle) at 1423 NW 70th Street. The class is every Tuesday at 7:30 – 8:30 PM. I will be teaching on a book, Turning the MInd into an Ally, during February 2009. See: www.Seattle.Shambhala.org
PNA Home Remodel Fair: I will be exhibiting at the Phinney Fair on Sunday Feb. 8 from 10 AM to 4 PM. See: www.phinneycenter.org
Free Design Services: There will be a raffle for free design services for your home at the Phinney Fair. All you need to do is sign in.
Alan Ness (aka ZenArchitect)
Ten Directions Design
(206) 323-6677
Bathroom Remodels
January 23, 2009 at 7:31 pm (Home Remodel)
Tags: Design, Home, House, Meditation, Remodel, Seattle
HOME REMODELS: Bathrooms
-
- Renovated Master Bath: walk-in shower with river-rock floor
-
- Renovated bathroom in West Seattle. Features glass mosaic tile backsplash at sink.
Bathroom renovations are a classic remodel that has been consistently popular. Many renovations simple remove all fixtures and finishes and replace them. But sometimes a small design touch can make a world of difference.
The “Japanese” bath (above: double-click to enlarge) dramatically moved the location of the toilet and shower for great results. A former powder room (above) becomes a family bathroom by breaking through into an adjoining closet and place a shower in it.
Finally, the bathroom is a great place to be bold with color. Push yourself and think about a dynamic color scheme that you might be shy about using in a larger room in your house.
MEDITATION
In my class in Ballard, we started with the theme of “making friends with yourself” as a metaphor for meditation. I went on to discuss the bravery of acturally sitting down with yourself without distraction. But I want to go back to the theme of “not judging.” This is the essence of the meditation technique. We practice it over and over again while sitting. This is valuable, because it starts to make a dent in our daily life. It is amazing how we are subtly judging everything and everyone around us. Relaxing our ‘judging” is a good first step in accepting ourselves and opur world. And this loosens us up to accept reality, and maybe even get a little happier.
POEM
Even our computer
Could be a bit dignified
And let us breath out
HOT ITEMS
Weatherization Class:Come to the NW Eco-Building Guild class on Weatherization, featuring two great presenters with lots of practical advice. January 28 from 7 – 9 PM at the Phinney Center, 6532 Phinney Avenue N. See: www.ecobuildng.org
Meditation Class: I am teaching meditation for beginners in Ballard (Seattle) at 1423 NW 70th Street. The class is every Tuesday at 7:30 – 8:30 PM. See: www.Seattle.Shambhala.org
PNA Home Remodel Fair: I will be exhibiting at the Phinney Fair on Sunday Feb. 8 from 10 AM to 4 PM. See: www.phinneycenter.org
Free Design Services: There will be a raffle for free design services for your home at the Phinney Fair. All you need to do is sign in.
Remodeling for Accessibility: Bathrooms
January 20, 2009 at 2:00 am (Home Remodel)
Tags: architect, Design, Home, House, Meditation, Remodel
REMODELING for ACESSIBILITY: BATHROOMS
Hospital-style private bathroom
As I like to say, a home remodel is not a medical emergency. Because that is true, a lot of remodels are “on hold” as people watch the economy and look for signs of recovery. But it turns out that some remodels do have an urgency to them, sometimes medical.
I recently reviewed some work I have done on accessibility: ramps, accessible bathrooms, wheelchair lifts, and door widening. These have all had some urgency, because they were done for residents returning to their homes, or preparing a house for an older parent to move in.
Accessible bathroom
I have received 2 inquiries lately along these lines. One was a problem-solving session for a couple, where the man has developed greater disability to mount the stairs to his house. We concluded that a ramp from sidewalk to front door would be the best solution. The other call was for an addition to a house for a parent who is getting seriously unable to walk. The addition would include both a bedroom and accessible bathroom.
MEDITATION
I am teaching meditation in the Ballard (Seattle) neighborhood every week (see www.Seattle.Shambhala.com). We started with the theme of ‘making friends with yourself.” This is a great summary of the purpose of meditation. There is something about us that craves entertainment and escape. But the greatest satisfaction seems to be looking at and accepting ourselves. There is something about constantly judging that comes in to play, creating a lot of dissatisfaction.
The second theme is “bravery.” This is the counterpart to craving escape. It takes real bravery to sit down with ourselves, even for 10 minutes a day. I salute the class for making this effort. It is curious how it seems easier to sit for 30 minutes with the group than for a few minutes by oneself. The class offers this kind of support.
Poem
Brilliant sunshine today
They say mind is luminous
But can I find it?
Looking forward to your comments, -Alan
HOT ITEMS
Weatherization Class:Come to the NW Eco-Building Guild class on Weatherization, featuring two great presenters with lots of practical advice. January 28 from 7 – 9 PM at the Phinney Center, 6532 Phinney Avenue N. See: www.ecobuildng.org
Meditation Class: I am teaching meditation for beginners in Ballard (Seattle) at 1423 NW 70th Street. The class is every Tuesday at 7:30 – 8:30 PM. See: www.Seattle.Shambhala.org
PNA Home Remodel Fair: I will be exhibiting at the Phinney Fair on Sunday Feb. 8 from 10 AM to 4 PM. See: www.phinneycenter.org
Free Design Services: There will be a raffle for free design services for your home at the Phinney Fair. All you need to do is sign in.
Remodel Predictions for 2009
January 14, 2009 at 1:03 am (Home Remodel)
Tags: basement, Design, Home, House, Remodel
- Newly renovated basement
Homeowners are facing tremendous economic pressure here in Seattle. Remodeling projects will mostly be smaller projects that cannot be put off any longer. Projects will tend to be the most economical ones with the largest return for the smallest budget. Here is my list of the top remodels for 2009:
Basement Upgrades. Converting a basement from a storage area to a nice living space will be one of the most popular remodels this year. People will take advantage of existing space rather than adding on. Basement projects focus on well-designed room layouts and then finishing out those new spaces. Issues to watch out for include:
-
Legal fire escape exiting for each bedroom you create.
-
Plumbing difficulties if you want a bathroom.
-
Insulating the exterior walls.
-
Preventing water intrusion (which seems like a yearly winter ritual buy now).
-
Ceiling height, which leads to the next item:
Surprise! House raising can be affordable. Your basement can gain not only added ceiling height, but the opportunity to install good size windows and let in lots of light. However, you need to be able to justify the expense by solving more than one problem: poor footings, no earthquake proofing, etc. And it probably is not economically justifiable for very small houses. Issues include:
House raising in Columbia City, Seattle
House raising.
-
Redo of interior and exterior stairs
-
Reconnection of outside utilizes lines
-
Reconnection of interior wiring and piping
-
Possible cracking of interior finishes.
More popular remodels ideas next time.
Hot Items:
· Meditation Class: I am teaching meditation for beginners in Ballard at 1423 NW 70th. The class is every Tuesday at7: 30 PM for one hour. See information on Shambhala website: www.seattle.shambhala.org
· Weatherization Class: Come to the NW Eco-Building class on Weatherization featuring two great presenters with lots of practical advice. January 28 from 7 – 9 PM at the Phinney Center 6532 Phinney Avenue N. See: www.phinneycenter.org
· PNA Home Remodel Fair: I will be exhibiting at the Phinney Fair, and sharing my table with one of my favorite contractors, Ashton Construction. Save the date: Sunday, February 8 from 10 AM – 4:00 PM. See: www.phinneycenter.org
· Free Design Services: I will be giving away design services for free to one lucky winner at my PNA Fair contest. All you need to do in sign in.
· Sales: Rejuvenation is having their annual Factory Sale for you old house fans: www.rejuvenation.com/factorysale. Ecohaus has some good deals on higher end items like Yolo paint, including a free color consultation: www.ecohaus.com
Poem
Clouds blanket the sky
But today the rain has stopped
Remember the snow?
I look forward to your comments and questions. -Alan
Alan Ness
(206) 323-6677
Ten Directions Design
Designing your home environment
Portfolio at:
http://www.TenDirectionsDesign.com/
Please Note: All content may be copied, as long as the following credit is listed at the top of the new post: By Alan Ness, http://www.TenDirectionsDesign.com
Ten Direction Design 