Quickbit - Bathroom Ventilation Fans

Me to Contractor: "I want the sleekest looking bathroom vent fan possible. Make sure it is really quiet too."

Contractor: "Why would you want a quiet vent fan?"

Think about it...

Turns out, ours are too quiet. Not just from the standpoint of masking "noise" but also we forget they are on all the time! I think we are going to put these on cheap little timers very soon.

Female Architect's New Role

My mom said something the other day that sparked my husband to say the following:  

“And THAT is what is holding women back from advancing in the workplace.”

I was shocked. He is not really someone that says things like that in support of women or anything really. He just doesn’t get that involved generally or whole-heartedly unless it is in regards to fantasy football or our Frenchie. It sort of makes it seem like he doesn’t truly care (and thus notice) much around him, when the truth is that he is the most aware person I have ever met. This response to what my mom said was so fast, it was like he was thinking about it at that very moment.

I was shocked in a good way though. He had a point. (He is so smart.) By my mother saying that she is “not afraid to act stupid around people to get what she needs,” she was inadvertently holding back women everywhere because she was just acting like another dumb girl.

Which begs the point, how many other women are also doing this? And another one, I have to admit, I do it too.

I HATE telling guys and girls alike that I am an architect. For one, it sounds kind of haughty. I usually tell them I am a designer instead. A female being an interior designer makes sense. People are comfortable with that. They know what I do and they know what to expect. Saying I am an architect makes things so much harder on me. I feel like I have to explain myself.

When you announce to the room (OK, that’s dramatic) that you are an architect, the expectation is elevated. Who do I think I am, coming in here and having fun and not knowing about politics? What exactly did I do anyways… and could I be trusted? What kind of architect can make a lewd joke and throw back a few cocktails? Surely there must be some mistake. What does this mystical creature, this female architect, do?

More often than not, I get this question, “So, like a REAL architect?” Or even this gem of a statement of, “You’re not an ACTUAL architect.” Most recently, this gentleman at a marketing event told me when we started chatting that he couldn’t help me with his services because he didn’t do residential contracting. He ASSUMED I designed houses and my response to him was, neither do I but it doesn’t sound like we would be a good fit anyways. Zing!

Before my husband was my husband, he would pick up girls in the bar with the most ridiculous of lines (so he tells me). Girls would actually believe that he was a matador or even dolphin trainer while he made these screechy noises (demonstrating to them of course)… and they believed him! Bless their hearts. He can be a matador, but I can’t be an architect?

So to your question, yes, I am an effing real architect. Mike Brady, George Costanza, Ted Mosby. I get it, these are the architects in which you are most familiar. TV architects are male. The 90s  movie One Fine Day in which Michelle Pfeiffer plays a female architect who is a single parent while living in NYC, is about the closest thing to a female architect role that I have seen, and 99% of men have not seen that movie.

I need to stop doing this. Would I tell people that I was a nurse if I was actually a doctor? I wonder if females deal with this all over the globe regardless of their title. Right now it just becomes blatantly clear to me that I need to help set a precedent for women all over. I think this is more a story about being comfortable as yourself than anything else.

So, hello, my name is Joellen and I am an architect. I design both large and small commercial buildings with a little bit of residential design experience as well. Nice to meet you.

House Update - December

Paint Colors
Body - siding - Dorian Gray - SW 7017
Body - board and batten - Gauntlet Gray - SW 7019
Body - base - Tricorn Black - SW 6258
Trim - White Sherwin Williams Superpaint

House Update - November

House Update - October

House Update - September

Insulation...

Let me start this disclaimer out by saying that insulation is a TOUGH topic to wrap your mind around... and I don't want you to take any of this as architectural advice, but more of a general conversation about insulation as a whole, and the many challenges and questions that you should ask yourself and your professional when you are thinking about insulating (or re-insulating) your home.

Here are some examples below:

1. What is my climate? Do I use air conditioning or heat more? Is it humid or dry where I live? 
2. What direction does my home face in regards to the sun exposure? Is it mostly shady or does my home receive direct sun most of the day?
3. How much can I afford when it comes to insulation?
4. Are there any pre-existing conditions which would determine the type of insulation I should use?
5. How is the condition or presence of a vapor barrier on my home?
6. Will the insulation be exposed to any of the elements? Air, rain, animals, etc.
7. Do I want to decrease my energy bill as much as possible, or is my home already quite efficient?
8. Where are my HVAC units located?
9. Do I have a hot damp crawl space or a hot damp attic?
10. Is this an older home or new construction? 

Basically, the main idea is to figure out your problem areas and the best way to fix them within your budget. I think insulation is has good, better, and best categories, and personally we went for the "better" for our home build.

Below I will share with you the choices that we made and why we made them:

Spray Foam:
The single most important number one place that needs to be insulated well is at your roof deck, and the best insulation out there is spray foam. We chose closed cell spray foam because it also adds some vapor protection and we are housing our HVAC units in the attic... this will put them underneath the insulation and within our thermal barrier, thus making them more efficient. We did pay about twice as much for it as we would have if we had gone with regular insulation, but a few thousand dollars now will save much more in the future.

Exterior Walls | R-19 batt insulation:
There are studies out there that have been conducted and there is also conflicting information about sealing a house too "tight" and that it "needs to breathe." This is one of the reasons that we went with batt insulation at the exterior walls. We want to keep out MOST of the water and humidity and heat down here in the south, but if some water happens to get in our walls via a window, etc. it will be able to get back out.

Crawl Space | R-30 batt insulation
This would have been the area in which I would have chosen to add spray foam if we could have afforded it. Even upgrading to R-30 in lieu of R-19 only cost about a quarter of the price of spraying foam underneath our house. We saved several thousand dollars and if we decide to add it in the future, it is much easier to add here than at the roof deck or within the envelope of the house.

Sound Batt Insulation
Any area that you can add sound insulation, especially between floors and including bathrooms, media rooms, and bedrooms at least, do it! I would say to just insulate at every interior wall for simplicity, but this may not be feasible. It cost us about $1,000 to have a much quieter house, but I have a feeling that after they install, we will be buying additional rolls from a hardware store and sticking it where we can!

I hope this helps! Any areas that I can share our home building experience with you, I will try to do it!

Note: Compressing batt insulation decreases the value of it... never force extra into a large space - leave it soft and lofty for maximum insulation-ability.

Tile, tile, and more tile...

Tile selection, by far, has been one of the most difficult parts of the interior design process that I am working through for our personal house. Not only are there a bajillion choices in color, size, and thickness, but there are also varying degrees of price ranges and that makes it incredibly hard.

I really had to start narrowing down.

For me, that process meant finding an inspiration room and I have looked at probably 1,000 or more bathroom pics online and came up with this one as the inspiration for our master bath.

Because I have been searching for tile and perusing types online, I feel like I am now surrounded by it. Every ad, article, and targeting marketing strategy is now aimed at getting me to buy their tile... nice try. I cannot be coerced, it has to be perfect!

The trick with tile is to have a few pattens and colors for visual interest, varying degrees of sizes for the type of application (floor, wall, shower, etc.), and just a little bit of the really expensive stuff for that wow factor. And don't forget that it all needs to coordinate!

I have an appointment with my favorite tile person in a few days... we shall see what I come up with! 

House Update

Here we are! Windows, doors, and roof that you can see, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing that you can't... It is moving along quite well! :)

Home Building - 30% there!

Our home is about 30% done! What I am finding out now is that it really is all in the details and never truly gets “easier.” I’ve found it takes me SO much longer to figure this stuff out for my own house than it does for my clients' houses! Yes, outlets in the medicine cabinets are important to me, as well as having power in the right spot for Christmas lights, and making sure my appliances fit in their proper place, etc. It all takes time, but thankfully I have three day weekends and weeknights to accomplish all of these unexpected extras!

Truth is, it's all important to me.

In response to those wondering how one even begins to organize a design, I will share my process here. Beginning with Houzz was the best way for me, it is mobile on your phone and iPad and also on a computer. Seeing an idea (or similar) that I have that is already built is a start. If I can’t find my idea online, that is when I start sketching. I also set up a secret Pinterest board for EACH room. I am constantly adding and subtracting from these boards. I think I will make them all public one day, but I am one of those types that likes to have a finished product before I spill the beans.

And here are the reasoning and tips I can give you following the madness of designing your own home, in my opinion, and at 30% into the process.

1. Value is absolutely #1 in my book. It has to be built well enough, look cool enough, and cost the right amount for it to work for me. There are a few splurges here and there, but mostly I have compromised myself right out of the super fancy items and opted for things that make sense in our space and for our budget.
2. Detailing the crap out of the drawings ensures that you will be able to get what you want, and it will actually fit. I have a brother in law with an extra freezer in his garage because it wouldn’t fit with his cabinet layout. I am happy to say that this would be impossible for me and the meticulous way I have combed through each piece of our project. Because I can’t afford everything super high end (or to buy it twice), I want every piece to function as if it were custom made for us, even though it may be from IKEA.
3. Design continuity is also on my mind. I know what I like, and sometimes that is easier said than done. I can get fixated on wanting something exactly how I’ve pictured it, and the hunt will continue until I’ve conquered my own request. Pinterest really has helped me organize my jumbled brain and has also been the place I’ve found ideas to make things that I could not buy off the shelf.
4. Keep calm… that is what I keep telling myself. When I’ve searched over and over and thought about it and slept on it and combined all the parts from above, and when I bring said idea to husband and he disagrees, I cannot, I repeat, cannot explode. It takes hours for me to come to a decision, and one second for him to disagree. I do have to admit, that sometimes he has been right and/or I have agreed with him, but when that doesn’t happen, I get my way. There has to be some benefit to all this extra work, right? haha Just don't tell him that.
5. Sometimes you have to trust people, and move on. Other times it is worth the extra dollar to make it right. A light switch is 6" too far to the right? Breathe in, breathe out, it will be fine. The sight of your stairs brings you to tears? Rip it out. I figure we are paying about $1,000 per day in labor. That adds up (thank you for 4 day work weeks!), but it was worth it to have them rip out the start of what I considered to be a very flawed staircase. A couple sketches here, a quick mockup there, and voila, my front foyer stairs work soooo much better now... considering you can see them from EVERY angle of the main floor, it was money well spent.

And here we are...

Construction Has Started!

We broke ground on our new house! I hope to update with more pictures as we go... but here is where we started. We sure are counting our blessing right now and are so happy! :)

 before

ground officially broken!

1980s Condo Transformed

The before (black and white) and the after of a condo I did at Folly Beach, SC. The closed stairway, carpeted floor, and dark kitchen were transformed into a bright and airy unit to be used by the owner and renters alike.

The owner originally called us to fix some items that had been neglected over time, such as a drainage issue at the porch, but the renovation grew in size and scope as our client realized the potential of his unit.

Opening up the stairway and removing a large pantry were two of the most instrumental parts of making the space feel larger. Durable finishes, paneled wainscoting, and updated color palette gave the space a fresher and more updated feel. Add a master bath renovation to that, and you have yourself an amazing rental!

Tips:

• Adding the wainscoting gives the unit some dimension and character.
• Running the flooring the width of the unit can make it appear wider (actual width only 13' wide!)
• Adding new lighting fixtures (even off the shelf from a big box store) is a quick and easy way to update any space - and can be relatively cheap! The dining fixture was only $85.00
• When painting a smaller space, avoid accent walls or multiple colors. Painting the room one cohesive color and having the same flooring throughout will make the space seem larger.

Project Specifications:

Paint: SW 6176 - Liveable Green
Flooring - Solid Hickory
Cabinets - White Bead Board
Countertop - Wilsonart 4588K-07 Kalahari Topaz

Children's Discovery Center | Final Photos

Not too long ago, I wrote a post about the Grand Opening of my favorite project, The Children's Discovery Center, here in Mt. Pleasant, SC. Well, here are the completed professional pictures we just got back! I am excited to share these with you.

Front Left View

Front Right View

Discovery Room

Nursery Room

 

 For more information, check out www.ChildrensDiscoveryCenterSC.com

What to Wear | Construction Site

One of the biggest challenges I have of going to a dirty jobsite as a female architect is knowing what to wear. Oftentimes these meetings are on site with the contractor, before or after this meeting is with the client, and you may have additional meetings off site that you want to be prepared for as well.

The above picture is my opinion of what you need for a successful jobsite visit:

• Jeans, plain and simple. - A darker color in a boot cut fit is preferred, but anything else will get dirty or get you made fun of by contractors, no skirts!
• A collared button up Shirt. - I am showing a white one with some accessories for a pop of color, but these extras would work best for wintertime. If it is summertime, I would suggest a collared shirt with a pattern, maybe a vertical stripe, and perhaps a belt. You want to be taken seriously, and there is something about a collar that can do that for you.
• Boots. - No, they don't need to be that rugged for a regular basis, but I would suggest keeping a pair similar to that in your car, if nothing else. The weather is unpredictable and on a muddy jobsite, you are likely to need them once in a while. Boots are not only useful, but sometimes required on certain jobsites. No heels or flip flops for sure and no flats until the site is paved and dried in!
• The right Tools. - Make sure you have everything you need including the drawings, measure tape, pen and paper, etc. Although I don't normally prefer a shoulder bag for my day to day use, I do prefer a shoulder strap while on the job site. You need to be hands free to carry the drawings, take pictures, and write notes; too much stuff in your hands can hinder that.
•  Protection. - Anyone who will be on a job site from time to time in their lifetime should have their own hardhat. But did you think about your eyewear? This is a great place to add a statement piece as well. Boots also falls under this category.

Although I believe that the best thing you can bring to a meeting is mental preparedness, having all the right tools and clothing can be a part of it - for your safety if nothing else. I keep most of these things in a small tub in my trunk since you can't always plan your site visits. Just remember to change before you get there!

Irish Spring Architect

This made me laugh :)



Buuuuut, if I am being critical (the answer is: always), then I would tell you that architects don't handle dimensional lumber on site with dirt on their face. Just sayin'.

Murray Barn

Here is one of the first projects I completed at my new position. The 'before' picture is on the bottom right, an old unused garage.

Some new siding on the interior, new siding on the exterior, new lighting, doors, plumbing, landscaping, tire swing, weather-vane, OK, new everything... and the horses have a place to call home!

They are both named Dakota, btw. They came named like that from different places. I distinguish them by calling one North and one South, and I think they like it. Their home I mean, not their nicknames.

For the record, this is the biggest [literally] client that I've had. Unless I get into designing zoo habitats, it will probably remain my biggest client!

My Office | Design

In case you wondered where I work every day. :) Here are pictures from my office! I started with a few boxes of papers and ended up with all of this thanks to Ikea, countless reps with their samples, Staples, Humanscale, and our color plotter. I did do a few custom pieces and splurges here and there, but I focused mainly on how I work and the tools I need to do my job.

  

When you first walk in, this is what you will see. My desk is on the left so I can see out of the window during my work day. Notice my chic deer head on the wall, most of the employees out here all hunt together and have REAL heads on their wall... I didn't want to feel left out! :)

This is my desk complete with Humanscale Diffrient Chair and monitor arm, Ikea table tops and legs, Ikea guest chairs, and several other decorative items from various stores.  My favorite things in this shot are my wall clock, my little air plants on my window sill, and definitely my monitor arm - my favorite tool in this office besides my laptop. The only thing missing is my curtain panel that I want to sew as a valance on my window!

Architects and designers need a ton of storage. This is the wall that I can see while sitting at my desk. Ikea shelves organize all of my product binders and brochures as well as samples and supplies. I then strung metal wire rope across my wall and use clips to hang up design renderings for critiques and display.

I made this fabric covered board to hang my diplomas on for one of my walls. The wall was big and blank, but not big enough to hang a piece of art AND my diplomas and licenses, so I decided to incorporate them into their own little piece of art. This was a way for me to tie in color without going too bright for an office environment. Plus, I love aqua!

Children's Discovery Center | Grand Opening!

I am beyond excited to share the grand opening of what has been the best project of my solo career as an architect so far!

I have been a licensed architect for about a year and a half now, and I have completed many projects before, but none quite like this...

Everyday I get approached to do projects because they "require" an architect. This may pay the bills, but it doesn't do much to get my creative juices flowing. The opening of my latest project was unlike any other project I have ever designed on my own, The Children's Discovery Center.

My brother in law, a builder here in SC, and I won this client over during a lunch one day. We get leads like this all the time, but sometimes they don't come to fruition. This particular day seemed like the stars all aligned and that we all not only came together for business, but we became friends.

Many people were at the ribbon cutting including the mayor. Even Arthur Ravenel came out to sign our bridge which was designed to look like the real Cooper River Bridge in Charleston, named after Ravenel. There was great food and great company, but the best was when the kids got there and were so excited to play in the space! It made my heart so happy.

I will share more finished photos with you as they become available!

If I Were a Tile...

If I were a tile that wanted to look like a river in a child's playschool discovery room... what would I look like? Would I be sleek and modern (and maybe slippery?!?) like the glass mosaic at the left? Or would I be complex and cool like the glass circles and stone mix at the center? Or simple and practical yet still pretty amazing like the tile at the right?

The plan is to have a 'river' running through a "discovery room" at a preschool I am designing and I cannot wait to see how it all turns out... but we have to design, plan, budget, re-design, and build these things before they can come to life and right now we are somewhere between budget and re-design and partially done building.

This has been one of my favorite projects so far and I cannot wait to post photos of the finished spaces! Do you like any of these tiles in particular?

Architect Seal!

and

THIS

happened today.

I'm all like official and crap. ;)