New Designs Added to Stock Plans

I have added two new designs to our stock plan offerings. Both of these designs have been finished for quite a while, but I have just not made the time to get the web site updated. It takes quite a bit of time to create the graphics to put on the web site from the CAD program. If things get busy, the web site and this blog take a back seat. But, hopefully, I will have a few more stock plan designs to add in the very near future.

Here are images of the two new designs.One is a small 2 bedroom design with lots of open space and light plus a family room and bath on the lower level. The other design is larger and more elaborate with the main roof supported by 3 huge glulam beams over the living, dining and kitchen areas. There is a master suite and 2 additional bedrooms on the main floor. The lower level offers an additional bedroom and bath plus a laundry area, storage room and family room. Get more details of these new designs by visiting our Designs page: http://www.clemdesign.com/Designs.html.

JC-61

JC-87

Modern Utah Home

Here is an image of a design completed last spring for a young couple in Utah. They wanted a modern style home that would integrate with neighboring homes as well as be accepted by the local architectural committee. This design has the living, dining and kitchen areas on the main floor along with a master suite, bath, laundry and 2 additional bedrooms. The second floor offers an office/bedroom, full bath and a family room. There is a large roof deck over the living room that is accessed from the 2nd floor family room.

This home will be of frame construction with a stucco and stone exterior finish and a tile roof. Construction is planned to begin spring of 2013. You can learn more about this design on our projects page: http://www.clemdesign.com/projects-page/.

Modern ICF home nears completion

A client in Quebec is nearing completion of their home. This customer wanted a modernist design utilizing ICFs to be built on their wooded acreage. The basic design is a large rectangle covered a low pitched shed roof and attached garage.

The main requirements were: an open living, dining and kitchen on the south side of the home taking advantage of winter solar gain. An office, sitting area, bath and laundry balancing out the main floor. Two bedrooms, a master suite, bath and lounge make up the 2nd floor. There is also a 2 car garage. During the design process, I suggested that we make use of the area over the garage. A roof deck was added that is accessed from the 2nd floor lounge.

You can see from the picture below that the builder has created a finely crafted home with great details. It will probably be next spring before landscaping and everything will get finished as winter is fast closing in. We are expecting more pictures soon that will get posted here as well as on our projects page.

To see more pictures of this fantastic home, visit our projects page. http://www.clemdesign.com/projects-page/

Modernist Remodel??

While building a Modern style home from scratch may be the most direct option, an excellent alternative is to find an older home on a great lot or in the area you want to live.

One real advantage to remodeling an older home is location. Older homes are often located closer to metropolitan centers and may be on larger lots with mature trees. These things offer great appeal. Add to them a good remodel and you can have a fantastic home.

When it comes to remodeling, there are several options: you can just do all or part of the interior, or you can do the interior and do some exterior improvements, or you can do a major remodel inside and out. If you have ever watched the HGTV show, Property Brothers, you have a good idea what you can do to the interior of a home with $30K to $50K. It can be amazing! Other great examples can be found in the magazine, Atomic Ranch.

The interior of almost any home can be converted into a modernist marvel with some money and some work. How much depends on what you want, what you can spend and how much you can do yourself. Paint and updated furnishings can make a big difference. Want more? Change or add new windows and doors. Now your older home can look very modern on the inside.

Want to go all the way? Rip off and change the roof line, changed the siding material, etc. This can still be much cheaper than building a new home. There is typically no limit to how much you can change the look and feel of a 50-70 year old house.

Regardless of what updates you do to an older home, be prepared for surprises. Whenever you rip open old walls, you are guaranteed to find some things you did not expect, most of which will cost you more money than you planned. But on the flip side, all of these surprises can be overcome. It is generally considered a good idea to have some money built into your renovation plan to cover contingencies.

You will also probably want to hire a residential designer, architect or interior designer to help you with your project if it is a total make-over. Their expertise will prove invaluable with such a large and complex project.

Just keep in mind that with a good plan, the right help and quality contractors, you can convert that run-down home on the great lot, into the modernist marvel you have always dreamed of for your family!

Design/Build Services

I am changing our business model from primarily Design to a Design/Build structure. It has been a few years since I owned a construction company, but I see several advantages to offering General Contracting services to my clients today as well as in the future. I will only be able to offer these services in the Lawrence/Kansas City area.

I feel that there is a great advantage in being able to work directly with my design clients during construction and to see the home progress through completion. I also feel that having direct control of construction will allow me to better guide the building process and achieve an improved result. Not that most contractors could not adequately complete a design, they just may not be quite as attuned to the aesthetic, sustainability and energy efficiency aspects that are the overall goal. We will be offering GC services for new construction of our designs and possibly for some modernist remodeling.

Being the general contractor will give me more control over the build quality and the sustainability aspects of the home. Some of this will come from oversight of critical issues such as framing and insulation while other advantages can be achieved through careful selection of building materials and suppliers. Simply watching what is discarded as waste and what is recycled can make a big difference.

I will be offering general contracting services on a cost-plus basis only. With a cost-plus model, the client can be more involved in selecting materials and finishes while at the same time have a complete understanding of their costs. I feel this method offers the client the best of both worlds and should save them on the total cost of their home. More details may be available on our service page:  www.clemdesign.com/Services.html.

So, hopefully in the near future, we will be able to provide information about a local Design/Build project.