It's been a very busy summer here at Zeitgeist!  We have had projects ranging from small to complex and everything in between.  Jessica has just completed two new kitchen's with more under way.  She is also heading up two large renovations, while finishing up several smaller projects.

 

...classical with a pinch of modern or...

...eichler interpreted

We at Zeitgeist are always thinking about ways to improve the service we render our clients.  Since Jessica has been working on several kitchens lately, we talked about how we could get more control over the end-product, especially when it comes to cabinetry.   One of the main decisions is whether to go with a custom or standard system.  Each has its advantages and disadvantages.  Obviously, a custom system has more options, however, the actual product, and particularly its finish, are not 100% known until it’s – well – finished…  A standard system, on the other hand, might require unattractive fillers and other ways to mitigate a less than perfect fit and the details and craftsmanship are often not up to our standard.  There is, however, a third option, in a new partnership with a long established manufacturer; each piece is made to our specifications, down to the 1/8th of an inch!  We in house produce the shop-drawings, all the details on the drawings, before anything is ordered.   No more back and forth between the manufacturer and the designer!   Clearly another cost savings in the overall process.  With amazing selections in both wood species and paint, factory hard finishes (not available in California!), they meet the best green building guidelines. This furnishes you with all the bells and whistles of a custom product, with the consistency and price point of a standard one.

 Petaluma Residence:

I am getting started with a new addition, am working on two renovations, while assisting with construction administration on one of Jessica's renovations.  Some of my larger projects are finally on the home stretch.  You might remember the modern house with a separate granny unit and garage.   Floor finishes have been installed, finished electrical is under way.  Unfortunately the protective plastic wrap on the windows takes a bit away from the photos...  



Sonoma Residence:   Hard to say what I like more - the amazing views or the beautiful railings and deck system we have just completed. To be able to see San Francisco from Sonoma......

 

 

sonoma inspirations

This project’s clients are a young couple immersed in the local ‘culture du vin’, and the fresh parents of a now one-year old.  They had purchased this home just prior to engaging us.   We were asked to update the living room and master suite, along with other bathrooms, furnishings, lighting, colors etc. This home featured some grand spaces and some very ordinary ones.   As with all of our projects, we started by asking ourselves: How can we infuse this fairly ordinarily built and finished house with inspiration of the Sonoma County life-style combined with the calm but engaging spirit of the family. 

We started by thinking of natural materials, their tactile qualities, their temperature. We also thought of the quality of light specific to this area, and how to use it best to articulate the design, the spaces, the materials.

The master bedroom (below) with its ( see link below)8’ ceiling and its small and poorly placed windows presented us with one of the trickier challenges.  

It worked great as a pool table room, but for a inviting and restful master suite?  How one wakes up can set the tone for the day!  The ceiling felt oppressively low, so we took out the existing roof trusses and replaced them with conventional framing  (without touching the existing roof).  

http://zeitgeistsonoma.com/portfolio/beforeandafter.html  - for before photos

We created a fake ridge along the center of the space, and added a small window centered on the south wall, sending a small square of sunlight (and moonlight too) wandering across the room, while framing foliage from adjacent trees. We also added new large windows that come down low to meet a built in window seat and open the room up to the beautiful back-yard. A new gas fireplace adds to the ambiance on cold or rainy days.

We feel that the renovation has transformed the residence to fit our clients’ life-styles and greatly upgraded it, without feeling pretentious. Additionally, the design allows the re-designed spaces to co-exist with existing spaces, creating a elegant and appropriate fusion bringing back an integrity to the architecture that was sorely missing.

The living room (right) featured, front and center, a very large and quite heinous white brick fireplace. and some seriously gothic chandeliers.   Again we thought of what materials would lend themselves to turning this into a Sonoma County space. We decided on Travertine and re-purposed, re-milled wood to bring a sophisticated but earthy and organic quality to this space.   We kept the design minimalist, asymmetrical, and uncompromised. The result is sleek, modern, but warm and quite tactile.

The Master bathroom (left):  We came across a gorgeous slab of blue marble with heavy diagonal veining. That slab became the design inspirations for the entire master bath. We ended using it on several walls, in the shower and around the tub. The new large windows were carefully placed to light  the stone, making it radiate like the edge of a glacier, turning the walls into natural modern art. The coolness of the stone is offset by warm blue walls and radiant custom colored walnut cabinetry, also adding warmth.

Children's Jack and Jill bathroom (below):  Correlating with more traditional styling at this location, we have octagonal tile flooring and antique reproduction brushed nickel faucets. 

This overall aesthetic is given a playful, contemporary edge with gorgeous stacking glass tiles.  The custom cabinetry was designed to work around the lower sill height of this window, providing a lovely stoop and viewing spot for a young child.

Please see our website for many more photos and information on this and other projects.  Thank you!

http://zeitgeistsonoma.com/

Mexican Inspirations

A family event recently prompted us to take a short trip to Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita, Mexico. The simplicity, innovation and expressiveness of the architecture there very much inspired us.

There is so much beauty here! We especially loved the rich colors (including the reddest red…), the simplicity of shape, the richness of textures.  It seemed much more art than just architecture. More expressionism than space-engineering. More poetry than technical writing. Just reinforced with me the point that American architecture has been reduced to an (almost) Germanic Funktionsarchitektur, a sort of utilitarian engineering, lacking the pure flame of inspiration, or simply cohones...

Less is more? That certainly seems to be the case with Mexican architecture:  You can tell a lot of it has been built with a tight budget in mind. Nonetheless much is beautiful. Stairs are narrow and steep, made out of concrete, the bamboo railings are sturdy and about 2 feet above the top of the treads. You’ll find sliding doors on the second floor without a railing. Sort of a built-in Darwinian filter system…

I also loved some of the playful detailing of the buildings.  Bands of stone meander across sidewalks, surround pools, outline parking lots.  And these or not just flat stones, no, they are beautiful, matching river pebbles, set on end in concrete, creating a wonderful texture under your bare feet.  It was also evident in the exterior painting of buildings, for which the walls were often used like a canvas, making small windows pop out, or framing a door like a portrait of a loved one. No effort was spared to create palappas over windows, so they could stay open when it rains.  Balconies are decorated with brick tile patterns, allowing air to pass through, while conserving privacy.

The use of form and color and the way in which natural materials are combined with very modern elements were captivating and reminiscent of some of Corbusier’s work we’ve seen in Chandigar, India.  It took us both back to our roots in design school, and you might notice some of these elements surface in future Zeitgeist projects…

I could go and on...                                      

I hope to weave these inspirations into my work from here on out.  I also hope to incorporate some of the Mexican savoir vivre in my life and work. To work hard, yet to enjoy life as if took place on the beach in Sayulita… Anyone thinking about building a concrete house?  It’s way greener than a lot of these allegedly green materials!

WHAT’S UP WITH ZEITGEIST?

Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Mountain Road renovation / addition:

The original architects of this house (who shall remain nameless) are not known for individualizing designs, but rather using a kit of parts and assembling them per the client’s wishes. While a great business model, this really compromises the overall integrity of the design and the site is rarely taken into consideration.  Built on a sloped site, this means expansive (read: unusable) crawlspaces and a dwelling that looks misplaced.  Perched up in the hills, this residence suffers from the cantilever effect.While we love our views, what is one to do with these derrières of our home, 20 feet off the ground?  We’re addressing that by designing a wall that will close off the space underneath the new expansive deck. That wall will be featuring Parasoleil’s  decorative metal panels interspersed with wood columns and will be resting on stone-clad foundation walls. 

 They will ground the whole assembly by connecting it with the earth in a beautiful and committed way, but ohh, will we miss acres of the ever lovely lattice-work... This renovation will orient itself around the new beautiful deck space, really creating the indoor outdoor living space the client desires.  By changing out poorly placed and economy doors and windows, we are able to refocus on the beautiful views of Sonoma Valley. We are also adding guest quarters room in the expansive crawlspace below the house.

By adding stucco over the existing siding, a metal roof and most significantly the live able deck space around grandpa Oak, the overall character and level of sophistication of the residence will change considerably.  These changes will transform what is now pretty much a run-of-the-mill ranch-style (one design fits all!) home into a substantial Sonoma-style residence with expansive, multi-tiered decks, sweeping views and almost transparent (as in don’t block the view) cable-rails. This project is slated to start construction in early summer.

Los Angles Hills, addition:

We are also designing an addition for a residence in Los Angeles.  This project is challenging because of its site constrictions. We are adding a master-suite with a master bedroom, a master bath and a walk-in closet. Especially challenging was making the addition feel spacious and fun while working with a very narrow layout dictated by the site.  We added jogs, windows at the end of hallway, some extra space and large pocket-doors to be able to keep the space flowing when privacy is not needed, while being able to spaces up when it is needed.  It is fun to have project down there, and thanks to the direct connection from our Sonoma airport it’s a breeze to zip down there and back up and still be home for dinner, all in one day!

Healdsburg, renovation / rebuild:

While it is always a joy to reconnect with our old clients, and a wonderful confirmation on the work we do… we so wish this project were under different circumstances.  Their home recently suffered a 60% loss due to a house fire. This Healdsburg site, is on a beautiful hill-side overlooking a large pond, and surrounded by lots of large old trees. We are placing lots of glass to frame the best views and take advantage of the sun angles. We have also incorporated a two sided fireplace to help articulate the now larger living room and dining room.  The original space’s usefulness was compromised by several angular walls and their proximities. We are enjoying tweaking that space to transform it from an auxiliary space into what will be a main living (and dining) room, taking full advantage of the best attributes of the site. Jessica had helped these clients with some interior design a couple of years ago.  We hope to get them back into their home really soon with it feeling more beautiful and functional than ever.

Is this a good time to realize your construction project?

Is this a good time to realize a construction project?  Clients have asked us that question frequently, especially over the last 3 years.  We thought it might be helpful to provide some information pertaining to that question.  Instead of referencing abstract indexes and financial analysis, we’ll draw from our own experience and that of our contractors.  We’ll take a look at construction costs, the cost of living, how to choose a contractor and why this is indeed a good time for a construction project, provided that you are prepared for what’s out there! 

Are construction costs really down? While there is always some flux within the costs of building materials, stemming from the supply / demand relationship, we do not see construction costs to be much lower than they were in the summer of 2008.  Several factors might play a part in this, but we believe the cost of living here in Sonoma County is a large factor, as well as the Californian workman’s comp. requirements, which add heavily to a contractor’s overhead.
The cost of living in Sonoma County has gone up, not down.  Inflation is most likely a major factor, distorting the true balance of goods and services versus their financial value.  One only has to reference gas and food prices to realize that the cost of living has not gone down. If the cost of living is not down, but has actually has gone up, and you’re using a local workforce to get your project executed, it won’t take rocket-science to figure out that those bids can’t be lower now than they were when the cost of living was lower. 

While there still is fierce competition between builders, the contractors we have talked to, agree that at least some large variations in bids are simply a matter of “pay now or pay later”. Some bidders will heavily underbid projects to get a foot in the door. Beware of a deal that seems too good to be true – it usually is.  Sometimes that’s out of despair to keep themselves and their sub-contractors busy, sometimes it will simply mean cutting corners during construction and / or a parade of change-orders. They won’t however, make an appearance, until your house is torn wide open and then rains are on their way… 

What we do see, however, across the industry is that profit margins are way down, due to the aforementioned competition in the field.  What does that mean for you?  It means you’re getting a better deal. But remember that your contractor’s leeway is also much less than it used to be. Which is only one of the reasons why we encourage our clients to get multiple preliminary bids after the conclusion of schematic design.  At this point in the design process the scope can still be changed easily (=inexpensively!)  without getting into the complexities of the re-drawing of construction documents.  This is also the time when you as a client get a chance to meet several contractors. You get to review their bid, see how professionally it is put together, how detailed, and how complete. We also recommend you to take a look at some of their projects and talk to previous as well as current clients.  Another, important thing to remember is to not make changes after the construction drawings have been issued to the contractors. Less profit also means less ability to absorb any cost derived from changes. 

Permit fees also play a big role in the costs of projects. This pertains mostly to new construction, although there are increased requirements on renovations as well. Permit fees as structured by the County of Sonoma are a hefty 5% of a new single-family dwelling to be constructed! These fees include, among others, the plan-check fees, affordable housing fee, school fees and a host of smaller permits required and their associated fees.  The County’s overarching goal here seems to be to stifle single-family development.  In our opinion that sort of attitude is commendable when the economy is going at a furious pace. When, however, the building industry is already on its knees, it seems rather questionable to further curb single-family housing growth.   

Lastly, with the adoption of the new Residential Building Code (effective since January 2011), there are extensive requirements for new residential construction. They range from catch-basins to catch all storm-water run-off on site to extensive energy and water-flow calculations and a plethora of items in between.  The feasibility of a projects requires more up-front investigation, and a thorough investigation of what the financial ramifications are. Civil engineers should be consulted early on to evaluate the site-work, which can have a great impact on design and budget. 

Should all of these factors deter you from pursuing the project(s) you have been planning?  We don’t think so.  If you can qualify for a loan, interest rates are still incredibly low. But we do think that you need to be prepared for what’s out there right now.  Your budget needs to accommodate realistic construction cost, plus at least 10% overage.  You might want to hire an architect or designer for them to talk to the building department, talk to their consultants, to find out what’s really at stake with your project, and what the implications are. This is especially true for new construction. Keep in mind that there are no shortcuts in terms of budget or getting plans approved.  Building departments are understaffed and their employees are worried about their job-security, - for good reason. This means they will do an extra good job scrutinizing the projects they’ve got to review. 

In summation, I would say that as long as you’re prepared to meet the market’s financial demands, are willing to do some footwork prior to getting started and you’re not trying to pull a fast one on your contractor or building department, this is a great time to realize a residential project. Why?  Because if  got a realistic budget, do the initial investigation, choose your contractor carefully, you can benefit from getting a good value, a comitted contractor and a beautiful end-result.  Now all you need is a creative architect and designer. Feel free to give us a call for some recommendations…

Please feel free to comment.  Don't be shy to disagree either, as we would love to have some discussion started on this blog!

Thank you

Zeitgeist Update

Finishing touches are put on the boutique office building in Arizona.  A walkway connecting an existing building with the one we designed is being built, providing a not only a protected commute between the two, but also symbolizing a bridge between the two very different designs.  The frame-less interior doors have been installed.  Now floor and wall finishes are being installed as we speak. 

The foundation work for a sleek 3-story addition / renovation in the hills above the town of Sonoma has been laid, or rather poured. This project consist of a new workroom on the basement level, the re-building of a sun-room on the main level, and a sun-deck on the second floor, off the existing master-bedroom.  It also includes a kitchen and master-bath renovation, and the replacement of existing decks. Liberal use of cable-rails, a gang-way – style stairway connecting the main deck with the ground-level and a super modern master bath with sensor-activated LED lights, amongst many other features, has us pretty excited to see this project come to fruition.

A second renovation is about to go into construction in Santa Rosa.  We have redesigned a master bedroom, master bath, two other bathrooms. Also, the living room fireplace has been re-designed to be in sync with the modern touch we're adding to this spacious home.  Jessica has been engaged to go through the house room by room, choosing colors, furniture and to design window treatments.  The master bathroom will be utilizing marble slab for the double-headed shower enclosure and radiant heat under the new 12x24 floor tiles. A new walk-in closet will be constructed, as well as a bench in the master bath and a window-seat in the master bedroom.  We are also changing the 8’ flat ceiling to a peaked one and changing the window layout to let more light and air in and make the house feel more light and airy.

  

La piece de resistance is a two-story, very modern single family residence in Petaluma.  This house will be built on the foundation of a non-descript 1970s ranch-style house and will feature a roof-deck, a staircase (dissecting the house in its center and being lit and vented by 4 large operable skylights), two guest-suites and a separate garage / studio building.  The 9’-6” ceiling height on both floors permits for 8’ doors and 1’-6” hopper windows above them,  enabling passive cooling.  To top it all off, a swimming-pool is planned for those hot summer days.  Covered walkways, designed to support green roofs, will assure shaded and dry travel between the building and also serve as a visual connection.

Europa

The German word Zeitraum literally means time-space or Era, period of time. But I prefer the direct translation. The space of time. What a cool concept.

Time I finally had on our trip to Amsterdam, Germany, France and the Czech Republic.  Time to think about life, work and what it all means.  Did I have any breakthroughs?  Only time will tell.  When I look back and notice a shift in my way of living.  I guess the word 'when' proves a certain optimism...

My kids got to see their grandparents. Zeitraum. Emotions.  Life is precious. How did we all fare?  Surprisingly well.   And what does all of that have to do with design? I haven't the foggiest idea, to paraphrase our British brethren...

Amsterdam. A much too long flight. A tram ride into town. A brisk, sunny spring morning. A cigar. A beer in a cafe. And a lot of walking...   Adena tries to combine two menu-items (American-style). Not in Europe I thought. She gives the stout waitress a devastated look. The waitress caves and serves the 'Unikat'. Cullinary imperialism by a seven-year old. 

Nadav and Jessica go to see Anne Frank's house.  While Adena and I built sand-castles in a verboten construction zone. A canal barge battles the gusty wind in her effort of docking next to us.

A deck-hand in a snug uniform and captain's hat handles the docking lines with military precision. These Central-Europeans are just too tightly wound. We watch the passengers drink their Amstels while they stare back at us...

Deutschland.  My brother is getting married. We are close. Despite the distance. I meet his wife at the wedding.  She is lovely and they are in love. I'm honored to be his best man.

We show the kids Tuebingen, an old University town close to where I grew up.  They love the castle and are amazed by the old houses and the mazes of 'Gassen' (lanes).  My dad loves being a grandparent. Zeitraum. It starts raining.

I lived in Tuebingen for two years. It's old and liberal, funky artsy.  In a German way.
We spend time at my cousins's house, my aunts' and my sister's.  We are fed almost to the point of platzing.  It's wonderful to see all of the children together.  Nadav shoots a bb-gun, sets off fireworks, climbs on top of roofss, falls in the creek I fell in when I was a kid. Adena catches over two dozen newts. All without any adults being nearby.  Life the way it used to be. Nadav already wants to go to Europe by himself and stay with his cousin Louis. In a few years for sure.

 
Back to design!  My parents took us to the Mercedes Benz Museum.  An interesting building.  Not beautiful. A bit heavy-handed. Sleek gone clumsy. Like the cars. Except for the 'Silberpfeil' (silver-arrow) on the left. I secretly hope that this generation of cars gets revived at some point.  The simplicity. The raw and throaty sound. The vibration. The air in your face. Sort of like a four-wheeled Ducati...
It was interesting to see what insane variety of vehicles MB has manufactured.  And what indelible spirit it must have taken to build such an empire.  I was in awe just looking at space after space filled with one engineering marvel after another.  I still think though, MB should have spent the money on hiring some Italian designers to help make their aesthetics more palatable!

Next stop: PRAHA!

Ahhh the pure joy of relentless speeding on the Autobahn. I tried hard, with the whole family egging me on, to reach 200 km/h (125 mph!) on our side-trip to Prague. Our little Volkswagen Polo however, could not reach that speed on the flat, and the downhill portions were either too short or crowded with Audis and BMWs going much faster, to get enought momentum going.  But we got close, and that's what counts.
Nadav in particular LOVED going fast.  Although, after going around 100 mph for an hour or so, the novelty wore off...

Prague is unbelievably beautiful. 
Honestly. Block after block of beautiful old buildings.  Architectural eye-candy.  Our hotel was centrally located and we spent 2 days walking all over the old city.
Hitler apparently loved Prague and therefore did not bomb it in WWII. Therefore it has a vast treasure of intact old buildings and a surprising wealth of jewish artifacts beautifully preserved.
And some newer ones:

Jessica and I were underwhelmed with Gehry's Nationale-Nederlanden building, also known as the dancing house and also  known as the drunken house...
While neat at a first look, it seems a bit contrived. However, I still prefer a building that conjures up an emotional response, be it positive or negative, over a building that causes none at all.
I loved the gothic and baroque architecture. My former self would have been appalled by such a statemen, the purist modernist I was in school. But while I still love modern architecture, I am able to appreciate other styles.

Sunlight falls through the stainglass window on the left and lights up the mosaic on the right. Seriously, the window alone would have been enough! This is in the St. Vitus Cathedral, which stands inside the castle complex. I could easily spend several weeks in Pague, just exploring this magnificient city.  We drove south from Prague to see some of the country-side and also to visit the city of Strakonice, which has a connection to our community here.  Finally it was time to head back Germany. As we left the Czech Republic, we passed some young women working the street just before the German border. They were much too lightly dressed for the cold temperatures.  It filled me with deep sadness to see them on this freezing, lonely stretch of road.

From Germany we took a side-trip to Colmar, which is on the French side of the Alsace region, famous for its wines and picturesque villages.  We didn't get to sample the wines, but found some wonderful crepes and other foods.  Another interesting side-note of this trip was a brief introduction to German pre-fab houses, but that will have to wait for another post...  In reflection of this trip, several things struck me. Most of all, I loved sharing my heritage, my family and the wonderment of traveling with my children.  I was also very impressed with Prague's architecture.  I honestly did not expect all that much and was blown away. I was fascinated by the German building technologies, which are so advanced, and the whole system of pre-fab building was way cool. Also all the ways of retrofitting existing building that are centuries old. Altogether it was a great trip. I wish it had been in the summer, so the kids could have spent more time outside and in the pool. And, of course, I wish I could have gotten some sailing in.  But then again, maybe next time...

(Photos by Jessica Wichmann)