Gravitas Blog

We recently had the pleasure of visiting one of our smaller structures as it is going through its final steps before completion.  Derek Hurd of Gravitas worked with a couple from Texas that were permanently relocating to Boise, Idaho.  They asked Derek to design for them a small accessory dwelling unit (ADU), behind the home they had owned for a few years, but rented out.  They had decided to move permanently to Boise, and the small building would serve as a writing loft for the couple.  They gave Derek a little direction to go by asking him to be inspired by Japanese Tea houses.  The couple referred to the ADU as the “Writing Shed”.  At Gravitas, we called it a “Zen-in-Law”.  Either way, it got the point across, a small out-building, dedicated to the more contemplative things.

The owners came across our company through a mutual friend.  We’re always appreciative when past clients, and future friends can pass along our name to those in need of thoughtful design.  After the owners diligently investigated us, and our web presence, they called, and discussed their needs with Derek.  What ensued was the typical package of sketches being sent, and descriptions of likes, and dislikes.  Derek then integrated all of the ideas, and came up with a  contemporary little writing studio.

We are only a few days away from the final punch list, and we hope to get photographs of the finished work in a few weeks.  Good timing to enjoy the cool Boise evenings.  I’ll be sure to include them in a future post.

Here we can see the little house in all of its glory.  One of Derek’s soft spots is for the faithful ‘butterfly roof’.  It’s simplicity in design ins contrasted with its complexity of construction.  We were treated to some interesting stories of its construction by the crew from Green Remodeling, who did a terrific job helping to realize the owner’s dreams, and Derek’s vision.  One of the wonderful things about this sort of roof, is the fact that all of the wall studs, and all of the roof rafters are unique in length.  This, in addition to the compound angle makes a standard out of the box approach to construction unsuccessful.  Thankfully, Kenji Wright, John King, and Josh Bogle were able to accommodate the design, and deal with the mathematics of the framing.

As with any remodel, or addition, staging the construction of the project can present some challenges.  The site is located at the back of the lot, perched 30 feet above the road.  Luckily there was a vacant lot behind the building (behind the fencing we see to the right).  Through this lot, they were able to bring in the concrete for the foundation, and the floor, as well as the other building materials.  Utilities had to be trenched out to the front of the house.

Siding is T-111 no groove panel, with 1×2” cedar battens at 16” on center.  All earth tones on the finishes help to reinforce the timber feeling, and blend in with the surrounding landscape.  One of the not so surprising ramifications of a ‘butterfly roof’ is the tremendous water collection that it affords.  In this case, the runoff is channeled to a small spillway, that deflects the force of the water as it hits the ground.  The rain is then allowed to gently seep into the soil.  That’s the theory at least.  I’ll check in next spring, and see how things are going.

A fish-eye perspective of Kenji finishing taping before the final finish is put on the loft floor.  The open loft looks down into the common area, with a kitchenette, and writing bench below the window.

Family friend “Woody” stands at the ready to greet any new arrivals.   The owners’ other pooch, a Corgi, is behind the scenes, making sure that everything is built according to plan.  The deck makes a nice perch to view the rest of the yard, and the use of canted beams eliminates the columns breaking up the natural flow, and the site lines.

The landscape walls are made of lava rock, and they turned an aggressively sloping back yard into a series of terraces.  This created much more usable space for the family to enjoy the Boise summers on, and it helps mitigate the runoff, allowing it to soak into the soil, and not run unhindered towards the house, and deck below.  Again, this will be interesting to revisit, after the owner has had an opportunity to enjoy the home for a season or two.

The Laramie

We could tell that this was a special little home from the beginning.  We’ve adopted it into our “Plan of the Month” series that we offer.  We have renamed it to protect the innocent to the “Laramie”.  We haven’t updated our plans list on the site yet, but if you are interested, here is a link to the plan information. We are currently working on the animation for the building, so check back with us next week, and it should be wrapped up.

–Click on the image to download additional content–

I think Derek did an outstanding job on this little home.  It provides the owners with a little get-away retreat, as well as a working office to write from.  It has a sleeping loft, kitchen, full bath, and an area to stretch out in.  There is not much more you can ask for.

Mark Wagner<>Gravitas

One of the many benefits of working with a 3D modeling program such as ArchiCAD, is the ability to see what the final product is going to look like.

All too often, the owner/contractor/Architect, doesn’t know exactly how something will look, until it is built in the field.  By that time, any modifications become expensive, or impossible.  Not only is the ability to communicate heightened through the use of 3D modeling, but the design is often better.  The computer is a wonderful tool for the designer.  The ease with which you can experiment, spin around the building or attachment, and explore the environment is worlds above what you can do on a flat piece of paper.

Since our founding in 2001, Gravitas has made it a commitment to use as many aspects of 3D computer aided design as possible.  Our clients not only see what they will be moving into, not only can the builder better understand the scope of the work ahead, and the log/timber supplier completely outline their materials that they will be providing, but everyone can point to the same image, and be on the same page throughout the entire process.  When all parts of the machine are working together, and have a common vision, it can only increase the quality of the end product, the enjoyment (if I can use that word) of the process, decrease the timelines and the costs, and result in a successful heirloom home.

The example below shows a timber frame that was supplied by Arrow-Wood Homes.  This residence was located outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and is based upon our “Sages” plan. We’ve previously highlighted this particular home in our Blog. Visualization like this is one of the many services that we offer at Gravitas.

Enjoy,

>Mark

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A couple years ago we designed and provided the Construction Drawings for a home for a client of Beaver Creek Log Homes . We worked directly with the owner of Beaver Creek Log Homes,  Robbin Obomsawin. Robbin combines twenty years of log-joinery experience with her knowledge of conventional construction which made for a smooth process and abbreviated timelines.   We touched base with Robbin Obomsawin recently and she gave us permission to put an excerpt from one of her many books on our blog. This is valuable information for everyone in the log industry from experienced log home builders to log home owner builders. Enjoy.

Top Ten Biggest Mistakes Made in Log Building

1. Designing too much home for the budget — When custom building, it is very easy for things to spin out of control for the owner before he/she even has a clue that it is happening. “Live now and pay later” and “Well, I didn’t know”, doesn’t exempt you from the choices made. Overspending or insisting on having it all does not support your dream when you are suffocated by the stress of repaying the debt. Be prepared and informed of your project’s cost. Building a home is a big investment and it takes time to learn and absorb all the information.
2. Not enough thought and planning before building starts — Any of you that have actually been through the process of building know that planning takes a lot of self evaluation, research and a focus. Detailed thought and planning about each phase of construction, including good construction plans, are critical to a successful project and the realization of your dream home.
3. Installing the log shell or other natural framing members too close to the ground even when there is no snowfall — You must also consider the splash-back area created by the rain’s run-off from the roofline as it hits the ground and splashes back onto the house’s siding materials or log work. An exception can be made for a covered porch which has no walls, and therefore can be ground level. Just remember to have proper porch post installations.
4. Building too short of a roof overhang — Oversized roof systems are more than ornamentation; they are a very important design feature of quality home construction. If your contractor does not have this information clearly marked on the construction plans or tries to build shorter roof overhangs to save cost, you will pay many times over in the long run. Log homes can withstand getting wet and actually thrive with humidity, but constant and repeated water saturation shortens the life of any home.
5. The use of cheap quality materials – Low grade materials can stand out like a sore thumb in a quality log home, and devalues the appearance of the home overall.
6. Choosing an inexperienced general contractor or log builder – Look for a contractor that appreciates or understands log homes with a solid background and experienced in general construction as well as loves his job.
7. Purchasing the log shell or overall home’s bid solely based on price — Take time to understand the different quality and styles of log joinery. The least expensive bid is not always the best choice, whether in log work or general construction. It is often hard to know how to evaluate an overall bid, but with a good contractor, experience becomes very important. Many homeowners base their decisions solely on the bid amount and not on the content and supporting documents of the bid. I also often see homeowners who turn down well prepared, professional contracts because they are very long (and intimidating), often not understanding much of the content or do not agree with just a small part of the contract, opting for the inexperienced contractor with the one or two page contract that seems less threatening. In reality the short, loose ended contracts leaves the homeowner with an open translation of materials, content, construction methods, and builder vs. homeowners’ responsibilities. Also note that a one-sided contract or a contract you do not fully understand is also a hazard. Be sure to go over the contract with the builder in detail as well as having your attorney review the contract proposal before signing.
8. Not allowing enough room for shrinkage in the wall systems — Never underestimate the power of shrinkage! Shrinkage and settlement is a natural process that occurs with time and is created as the content of the moisture in the logs drop. The design detail of shrinkage is not hard or complicated for an experienced carpenter to understand with proper detailed drawings. It only becomes difficult when ignored!
9. Taking on a building project beyond your experience in construction — Without a good understanding of or experience in construction, the project can end in disaster and often cost much more than hiring out to a professional builder. Construction is much more complicated than it may appear. I understand the urge to build without practical experience, and with great embarrassment I can tell you that with our first log home built for ourselves over twenty years ago, we made every “green-horn” mistake that could be made. Even though I was dedicated to watching each and every Bob Vila’s program and read every book I could get my hands on about construction, it simply does not compare to hands-on, practical experience learned over time. I am not saying that you cannot take on a portion of the project, but unless you have a lot of time on hand in combination with experience, your home could end up like a circus in a blender.
10. Drinking too much coffee and overworking on job sites. Stuff happens.

Some valuable advice from Robbin Obomsawin of Beaver Creek Log Homes.

Thanks for reading.