The Lichtenstein - John residence is nearing completion... This project was a complete renovation and addition to a classic farmhouse in Ballard. Care was taken to preserve the character of the home while adding much needed space, updating the layout to provide better flow and connecting spaces for a more contemporary lifestyle.

A glimpse of the covered veranda off of the kitchen and dining room is visible from the south facing street front. 

The front entryway is ready for tile

A new bathroom on the main floor finds a snug but workable home in what used to be a hallway.

The renovated entryway opens up the original front porch that had been walled in.

A new bathroom on the second story features a skylight and deep soaking tub.

The renovation opened up the living room to connect it to the dining room and kitchen addition.

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In a city where the land use policy discussions are centered around density, the lack of new housing units, affordability even rent control and sustainability, why aren't Backyard Cottages more popular and more prevalent?  

On Thursday, I'll be on a panel discussing the state of Seattle's Backyard Cottages with City Council from 12-1 pm.   The premise of the 'Lunch and Learn' is one, to assess the status of current planning efforts and two, look at some alternative strategies from Portland.  

--Matt

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If you've been dreaming of a project but aren't sure where to start, Matt will be giving an interactive seminar on March 24th about the design and construction process, with tips about budgets and contractors, and what an architect can do to make your project a success.  Plus, there will be snacks!  

The seminar is put together by the American Institute of Architects, and you can sign up here .  

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For the third year running, CAST architecture was named as one of the best architects on Houzz.com.  Now that the website has a database of more than 3 million photographs representing thousands of firms, it is more of an achievement than ever before.  Thanks to all our great clients for continuing to bring fresh challenges!  We're looking forward to a great 2015! 

Spring seems to have arrived early to the Northwest this year. The lack of snow and sunny skies have been a boon for builder Dave Arnold and his crew at Mt. Si Construction. They are currently taking advantage of the sunshine as they finish up the exterior envelope. The interiors are closing in as well, cabinets are in, trim is up and tile is on the way.

Here are a few shots of the progress:

View of the Southwest corner of the home

View of the greatroom from the kitchen

The kitchen is located at the west end of the greatroom

A covered outdoor room off the master suite and east end of the greatroom 

View of the south elevation

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We recently had a client deliberating what to choose for their electrical switch and outlet trim. They had an aversion to contemporary paddle style light switches feeling that the look was stuck in the '80s. We put together these thoughts and sketches to help them understand the choices available and some of the logic behind layout choices when multiple switches pile up in one location.

Which Style? When considering switch styles (contemporary -vs- classic) it is helpful to think of the choice as less of a style and appearance selection and more of a functional choice.

Contemporary - Architects and designers like contemporary style switch plates (Decora and similar) not because we love the look, but because they allow the highest level of design flexibility and the largest selection for trim styles and functions - there are literally thousands of switch, trim, function and layout options available.

Classic - Classic style switches and outlets require use-specific switch plate covers and are more limiting when it comes to switch, trim, function and layout options. As a consequence they are less common in new construction. We typically only use classic style switches and outlets in remodels and renovations when we want to blend in with existing conditions.

SWITCH-STYLE

Switch and outlet groupings: Typically, when I have a situation where more than 3 functions or switches pile up in one area, I try to break the functions into sensible groupings and locations. I also tend to want to make them as compact as possible.

For example, let's say that we have a Master bath vanity area with multiple switches and an outlet. We have 4 controls for a Fan/Light/Heat/Night-light combo unit, an outlet, and a switch for a light fixture over the tub. If we were to gang them all up in one box the cover plate would become quite large and what switch goes to which function would be less clear.

If we divide up the functions into separate boxes and use switch size and groupings to create a hierarchy of controls we give the user a better shot at guessing (and remembering) which switch does what.

Here's a sketch of a few layouts to provide an example:

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CAST crew celebrating Summer!

The siren's call of Seattle's summer has brought everyone back to town.  Last night, we celebrated our the solstice (a little late), the return of Holly from Sonoma and Forrest from Madrid, and had a little send off for Gunnar who is heading back to Norway's midnight sun.

CAST has a few other reasons to celebrate:

We're starting a two projects in Mazama (schematic design images upcoming).

Kenny's house is nearing completion:

ho-almost-done

Our first modular home on Bainbridge Island for Michel and Chas just went on the market this morning:

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And the Mazama Ranchero is going to be published in a few magazines this fall, as well as the Lichtenstein cottage in a feature about Small Spaces:

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Plus, Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands is in permit, ready for construction this fall:

RBUFW-14-0105-entry-path-looking-south

Happy summer, everyone!

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For the second year in a row, CAST has been named as one of the best architects on Houzz.com, an excellent resource for anyone looking for design inspiration, with over 2 million searchable photos of residential architecture.  Here is a link to our portfolio over there. Enjoy!

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