building sight

For Sale

2009-04-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

Based on recent interest I am putting the house on the market.

Serious enquires only

Inspiration

2009-01-06T06:58:00.000-08:00

Television broadcast of Renovation Nation (Discovery channel) featuring the renovation of a traditional LA bungalow into a environmentally sensitive and sustainable home for and by Jeremy Levine Design

episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 4b

bathroom fixtures

2008-08-29T21:02:00.001-07:00

bathroom fixtures, originally uploaded by architechnophilia.

fixtures for master bathroom

bathroom fixtures

2008-08-29T20:59:00.001-07:00

bathroom fixtures, originally uploaded by architechnophilia.

fixtures for the guest bathroom

villa horizon

2008-07-24T15:49:00.001-07:00

villa horizon, originally uploaded by architechnophilia.

a snapshot of the detailed design - July 2008

skylight

2008-07-24T15:16:00.001-07:00

skylight, originally uploaded by architechnophilia.

the view from the existing bathroom with the roof removed. There is an aesthetic about this that I only wish I could keep.

no roof? No Problem!!

2008-07-24T15:14:00.001-07:00

no roof? No Problem!!, originally uploaded by architechnophilia.

the entire roof was taken off earlier in the month to make way for the new one which will be higher, steeper and of a high quality finish

Hibiscus Point

2008-07-09T13:48:00.001-07:00

Hibiscus Point, originally uploaded by architechnophilia.

View from the driveway at purchase

2008-06-26T17:48:00.000-07:00

I have found the toilets I want to use in the house whilst on a random visit to True Value. Its a low consumption multi-flush toilet by Falali that allows you to switch from 1 to 1.5 litre flushes. Also the style is very fitting for the decor of the bathrooms

Fingers crossed if I can have them shipped directly from the manufacturer to me in Montserrat.

flambouyant bloom

2008-06-09T08:44:00.001-07:00

flambouyant bloom, originally uploaded by architechnophilia.

it's spring time!!

view from inside

2008-06-09T08:35:00.001-07:00

view from inside, originally uploaded by architechnophilia.

I've been considering changing the name of the project to Villa Horizon. This has arisen because the horizon is at eye level when you look out from the house.

thoughts?

plumbing: diy

2008-06-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

I had to do a little plumbing (see previous post)

before...as the demo sub-contractor left it

cleaning

taping to ensure it remains water tight

the finished product

detail at completion

2008-06-02T13:29:00.000-07:00

with great gusto we gutted the interior, especially anything made of wood due to the termite infestation. Good! But the plumber went and re-connected the main, forgetting that works had begun inside. So I met a train of water (stagnant & smelly) inside last weekend when I went in. It had touched some of the things we had stored, so they spent the afternoon in the warm Caribbean sunshine.

2008-05-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

Its official...I'm no longer renting. I have officially moved out of my rental and can input the $1500 cost into my mortgage (roughly 50%)

I will be moving into my girlfriend's place whilst she's away, and until completion.

design-build

2008-05-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

Architect as Client, as Builder, as Realtor....

An article in the San Diego CityBeat about the changing roles of architects

in lay tables

2008-05-17T07:06:00.001-07:00

in lay tables, originally uploaded by architechnophilia.

we've decided to use the broken tiles to make a mosaic in lay table. We got these tables made last week by a great joiner named Carlton. We haven't made up our minds about the design of the mosaic - conflicting views about the "doable"

found tiles

2008-05-08T12:45:00.001-07:00

found tiles, originally uploaded by architechnophilia.

we found many discarded tiles at a house renovation adjacent to a friend's house. The tiles are about 1"x 1" were part of 12" mosaic maps.

The plan:
1. to create a patterned mosaic inlay for a stacking table using the broken pieces

2. using the whole pieces create an accent for back splash in the kitchen or bathroom.

3. suggestions welcome

packing

2008-04-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

The plants all packed up and ready to go to their temporary home. I have one truck load and then I'll be finished clearing out from my rental - 6 years. I'll miss that place.

can I get some water please

2008-03-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

I went to connect my water, only to find out that it wasn't turned off. Sweet! It means I get to save $100 (for now, at least)

catch 22.

I get the place to inspect the meter connection, and turn on the main only to see the galvanize pipe has rusted through. I stepped on it and the pipe turned to red shards.

Being as this is Montserrat, I saw the plumber on the road - stopped him and asked him to fix it ASAP. This is most convenient because he's been begging me for work.

rescued artifact

2008-03-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

When I (finally) opened the garage I found the following - a tiny car and a barbeque. Whilst I haven't tried to get the car started (yet) the barbi is firing up nicely, and has made several steaks, burgers and most recently roasted fish when we had friends over for St Patrick's Day weekend.

2008-03-07T16:38:00.000-08:00

This post is a formal response to Carmen who posted a comment in regards to construction methods used on the island and typical in the Caribbean.

The house like many in the region is structured using reinforced concrete block work. This is typically made of 8" external blocks reinforced by 1/4" to 1/2" steel bars placed in every other pocket that are then filled with a mixture of cement, sand and aggregate. A grid work of columns are also utilised at a spacing of 12' to 15' to create a rigid structure. The structural basis of most buildings (residential or commercial) is laid out in the Caribbean Uniform Building Code (CUBiC), notwithstanding Montserrat does not have a ratified building code.

sea side elevation

2008-03-06T21:31:00.001-08:00

CIMG1966, originally uploaded by architechnophilia.

house and garden at date of purchase

elevation

2008-03-06T21:30:00.001-08:00

elevation, originally uploaded by architechnophilia.

initial sketches for the sea facing elevation

measured survey

2008-03-06T21:21:00.001-08:00

measured survey, originally uploaded by architechnophilia.

this was the house as I purchased it. The kitchen and bathroom cabinets have been removed since, as well as most of the internal wood work

my view

2008-02-20T05:45:00.001-08:00

my view, originally uploaded by architechnophilia.

This is the view from the terrace.
This is the reason I bought this house

Pest Extermination

2008-02-16T13:23:00.000-08:00

So I have been prepping for the exterminators since transfer of the house. There was significant termite damage inside of the house. The damaged areas included the kitchen counters, skirting in the living areas, articles of furniture - some had collapse from the damage, door stops, shelving and the closets in the master bedroom. The latter had to be removed regardless to make way for a new bathroom (possibly master ensuite)

Bobby called on Saturday and came over. He was amazed at the size of the termite nest on the balcony....he referred to it as a "powerful" nest. He prescribed a mixture called Demon, that although more expensive would guarantee success.

Before and After - bathroom

2008-02-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

Before
After

Demolition 101

2008-02-12T13:49:00.000-08:00

Carlton aka Yellow, came through today to start the demolition. I didn't plan on him calling me at 6.30 in the morning for assistance to get there. But we did a walk-through confirming what I wanted removed.

Around 12.30 he called asking if I could take a look at his progress. He had the kitchen, skirting, infested furniture from the master bedroom all removed and a smouldering heap out front. I help he take the couch out to the fire, the frame was rotted out and there were trails left from us lifting it.

He left with further instructions to demolish the closet in the master bedroom.

Pictures to come

demo & clean-up

2008-02-09T19:27:00.000-08:00

demo & clean-up, originally uploaded by architechnophilia.

Mum and I after a day's work on the house, see Saturday's post for what we really got up to.

2008-02-09T14:43:00.000-08:00

okay its almost 5pm, we've been cleaning since 9am - the garden/driveway looks wonderful. We are making a mean fish and vegatable soup for lunch so that we can go back and finish up. But its looking photo worthy now. Puppy is walking about, scratching herself at the moment.

So today my 60 yo mum and I did the following;

cleared the driveway of overgrowth
turned the soil
transplanted about a dozen plants on either side of the verges
cleared the cupboards of all wares
cleaned and moved all furniture to centre of living room
cleaned doors
removed ferns growing on verandah transplanted to driveway
packed wares into boxes and relocated to garage
demo'd vinyl tiles from the floor in the kitchen and dining
demo'd wall tiles in the kitchen

and then I opened the door to the guest bedroom and came apart in my hands...rotten to the core. Funny