Erik Ost Building Designer

Land and lot prices are falling

2008-08-04T00:03:00.000-07:00

Real estate prices are readjusting to 2006 levels. This a good time to pick up lots and land at falling prices. The old addage is buy low sell high. Speculators are trying to unload lots and land to weather the market. Expect more discounts if the economy continues to fall.

Top Ten 10 Reasons to buy a New home vs Old Homes

2008-06-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

Here are the Building Industry Association of Southern California's Top Ten 10 reasons to buy a new home.

If you’re in the market for a new home, have you considered buying a brand new home? Not only do you get a home that’s as close to custom-built as possible, you also get energy efficiency, modern floor plans and excellent value!

1. Compeditive Pricing
Compare prices of existing homes to those of comparably-sized new homes. Southern California is home to hundreds of homebuilders, both big and small, who are competing for your business. When builders compete, you benefit. And most home owners looking to sell their homes cannot offer the incentives or attractive financing options builders can to move their inventory.

It is like buying a car. Would you rather buy one used or brand new. Keep in mind it costs you the same for the old one as the new one.

2. Choices
When shopping among existing homes, buyers have to take the previous owners’ style into consideration. Do you pay even more to redecorate or do you make do with someone else’s choices? A new home, however, provides you with numerous design, color and material options. Having the luxury to tailor a home to your tastes can be one of the greatest features of buying a new home.

A hamburger is the mediphor for this item. Would you like a stale hamburger you can not choose your toppings for or a fresh burger you can select your favovite toppings.

3. New Home Warrenty
New home buyers are assured at least a one-year warranty on the home itself and, in many cases, five years on major appliances. And in California, homebuilders are required to guarantee the structure of a home for a full 10 years! That means new home buyers are assured quality constructionin their new homes! There’s no second-guessing the work a previous owner might have done (or not done!).

Would you like free insurance?

4. Home Location
Location, location, location. Not only do new home buyers get to choose which beautiful new home community they want to live in, they also get to select their individual unit or home site within that community. Would you prefer your bedroom get morning sun or afternoon sun? Would you prefer to live near the park or on a cul-de-sac?

You can not just flip an old house around like a rug. I new house is a blank slate to conform to your wishes.

5. Convienent Financing
In today’s market, securing financing for home ownership can be tedious and stressful. Many builders have simplified this process in order to provide you the best deal possible that gets you into your new quickly and easily. And in a buyer’s market, some builders are willing to pay additional closing costs.

Having someone who wants to help you get into your own new house even paying closing costs. This can make the whole difference between renting and being a homeowner.

6. Low Maintenance
Why worry about upgrading or constantly maintaining your home if you don’t have to? New homebuilders use the latest and greatest materials that technology can offer. The result? New homes are virtually maintenance-free for many years.

Make your life easier and have time to do what you really want to do.

7. Floor Plans
Never thought about the convenience of modern floor plans? Take a tour of many existing homes and you’ll find bad layouts and wasted or unusable space. New home buyers, however, have a variety of modern layouts and styles to choose from that are suitable to any family. Many builders allow a variety of custom option, allowing you to alter the layout and turn a living room into an office or a media nook into another bedroom.

Open floor plans are much more livable than older plans that are divided in to small spaces.

8. Energy Efficiency
New homebuilders are required by law to meet stricter energy codes than in the past, which benefits YOU, the consumer. This is an enormous cost saving benefit when considering the costs of fuel and energy today. Many existing homes were built when energy codes were either more lenient
or nonexistent.

This is even more important in our northern climates. A 2x4 without any insulation can not compare to today's super insulated homes.

9. Modern Appliances
Appliance manufacturers introduce new models every year and homebuilders are able to offer the latest state-of-the-art equipment at the time of completing a new home. And, because the homebuilder buys for the entire production of new home, the purchasing power often reduces the buyers’ costs.

Old home often come with run down appliances that need replacing. New homes often have new energy star appliances.

10. Appreciation
The typical home needs remodeling after 25-30 years. Since new homes have an assured longer life, appraisals are generally higher than on comparable existing homes. That means new homes will likely sell for a higher value in the future.

Old homes have built in age. A roof is often nearing its time for replacement. Newer homes often come with 30 year+ roofs. What is the sense in buying a home that you are going to have to replace bit by bit over the course you live in it. Why not enjoy the benefits of your new home.

To select a semi-custom or have a custom plan designed just for you go to PlansandPrints.com.

More Stanley!!!

2008-05-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

Tigerman wins the AIA Topaz award for his long term contribution to architectural education. It may be a Chicago enigma that I was also in doctrinated in, "Form folows function." Sullivan and Wright did alot to in grain that into the Chicago culture. Stanley's podium is social responsibilty. How good architecture does good not just looks good. The following quotes are from:

Tigerman Sees Red (and Topaz)
Topaz Medallion winner Stanley Tigerman calls it like he sees it.
By Eva Hagberg
Metropolis, May 16, 2008

Hadberg:
I think it’s important that architects translate what they’re doing into visual cues people can understand. What do you think they are supposed to be doing?

Tigerman:
Taking the high road! And showing a better way! Not formalistically, but paradigmatically. They’re supposed to be working with the homeless and the poor. Not all the time, but not just when accidents of life happen that a client walks in the door.

Architects should be championing making society better. I see alot of worker housing is rentals. Much of the traditional starter houses have been converted to rentals or improved beyond starter housing reach. The lack of true starter homes is having profound impact on our society. Home ownership has been the key to our economy. We are slowly erroding our middle class away. Who is going to be our next move uppers or luxuary home buyers. Someone needs to champion the needs of the working class. Why not Architects. Why not developers? Why not lenders? Why not local, state and federal government.

Our world offers sufficient resources for meeting everyone basic needs. Scarcity is a lack of imagination, lack of skills or systemic limitations.

Citation unknown

Just as the soldier returning from WWII deserved homes our soldiers from Iraq deserve a good start for the rest of their life. Returning soldiers from WWII were a major driving force in their boom. I believe that returning soldiers from Iraq with alot of hard work can have their own boom.

Commercially this needs to happen too. Who is going to make the jump from garage to incubator to HP, Microsoft or Apple. This drives the economic growth.

Hadberg:
I think there’s space for the formalists, and rich people need houses.too.

Tigerman:
Absolutely. There ought to be space. But the entire space? I don’t think so. Students in architecture school are impressionable, gullible, and a new “interesting form” is attractive to all of us. I’m from Chicago. I was born here. I’m still here. Mies van der Rohe said, “I’d rather be good than interesting.” I think that’s a pretty powerful statement. Sure there ought to be space to explore forms, but you’d think that’s all there is.

Everyone deserves to have their space designed by an architect. Not just the outside. Is good architecture to design from the inside out or from the outside in. Every designer has had the experience of trying to find a spot for a broom closet. In designing from the outside in it is a whole project being compromised by chasing space and limited by the constrants of a rigid rationalized facade that does not relate to the purpose and desires of the inside. Beauty comes from within. Outer beauty fades with the styles and trends. Inner beauty transends fad or fashion. That is the good in good architecture. The marriage of the outer environment with inner function.

Hadberg:
That’s what we get taught, though. Things didn’t make any sense to me in architecture school. We were shown images, then told, “You won’t understand this for five years but that’s ok.” I thought then when I didn’t get it that it just meant I was stupid. I think now that was an unfortunate way to teach. Why is architectural education so incomprehensible?

Tigerman:
It’s to perpetuate a myth. In the same way that people talk in an arcane language. It’s not so that you can understand them, but so they can retain the myth. And architects are no different. You present it as part of a mystique.

Responsible architecture is understandable. The mystique is how do we support the funtion of the building. Often the inside out design telegraphs the important elements even to the outside. The entry experience, the dominate spaces and even the secondary spaces are referenced to the user even before they go inside the building.

Tigerman can be crass and abrassive. One of his students confirmed this to me shortly after her graduation. But it is with reason, to draw attention to our own crassness and abrassiveness of our societies neglect of what ought not be neglected.

Green primer

2008-05-19T02:28:00.000-07:00

This article from the Chicago Tribune H & G to do list
— Beth Botts introduces many green building practices.

The Smart Home is ready for visitors at the Museum of Science and Industry, 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive, in all its sustainable and technological glory. See the green roofs (all three)! See the recycled wood staircase and the bathroom tiles made from Chardonnay bottles! Tour the organic potager, with its compost-enriched lettuces and sweet alyssum and its rainwater-collecting cistern! Gawk at the combined garage and movie theater! Marvel at the elegant furniture designed from recycled materials and the whiz-bang home-automation technology that controls skylights, sound system and LED lighting! There's a point to it all: The fully-functioning 2,500-square-foot house, built in modules, was designed by architect Michelle Kaufmann Designs to be as environmentally friendly as possible, with reclaimed or sustainable materials, a design that encourages energy conservation through natural ventilation and lighting, ample outdoor living space and careful control of all power-using devices. It's co-sponsored by Wired Magazine with an outdoor landscape by Jacobs/Ryan Associates tucked between century-old oaks. Go on a Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 9: 30 to 3 p.m. and University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener volunteers will explain composting and organic gardening techniques. Through Jan. 4.

Compact plans are moneysavers

2008-05-19T01:57:00.000-07:00

Compact plans are moneysavers. Not only do you save on the intial building costs but, you save on heating, cooling, maintence, and even taxes.

You can live well in a small house as long as you plan storage, flow, sequence and create outdoor space. A open plan frees the closterphobia of the older housing stock. Sight lines from one room to another increase the spacious feeling of the home. Outdoor space closely linked to the indoor spaces offer an easy way to add usable space to your living area. Duo Dixson says it functions as if it is one half the space of a indoor room.

All this at a quarter of the cost of the indoor room. A well planned house removes unused space such as hallways, rarely used formal dining rooms, excessively large bedrooom, On the storage front, bookcases, plate racks, pantry and other built ins increases function of smaller spaces.

This makes a right sized house one of the most effective and affordable green design options.

Change to a Programmable Thermostat

2008-05-19T01:40:00.000-07:00

A change to a programmable thermostat pay back in one heating or cooling season. It is an easy change to make. Customize the thermostat to your schedule. Wake up as your furnace warms up from a money saving overnight slumber. Walk into a cool house on hot day after work.

70 Degrees-It's Building Season

2008-04-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

Building season has officially started with todays 70 degree day. Time to get your plans together, submit for your permits and build, build, build. This year is a little differnt from the last few years. Contractors are available, you don't have to get in long lines for a designer and a then the building and planning departments. You can take your time to refine your design. Actually give the interior some thought. Which brings up a point, what else did we not have time for in the last few years?

How about the low hanging fruit? Conservation construction, solar orientation, miroclimate analysis, landscaping and neighborhood design. How about incorperating new technologies? Tankless water heaters, Photovotaic (PV) shingles, metal roofs and PV drapes. For this and more, talk to you above average designer.

I am getting away from stock plans. Semi-custom plans or full custom plans are the best way to live better in you new home, addition or remodel.

Color-Secrets of Inspiration

2008-04-23T17:30:00.000-07:00

I layed out the basic of color theory in previous posts. Here are the real secrets of color. Inspiration comes from all around us. A favorite painting, postcard, flower, concert poster, restuarant, team logo, brochure, clothes, fabric, a nature walk, historic place and magazine layout. A chef even spends time dishing up food that is pleasing to the eye. Eggplant, spicy mustard, roasted pepper, citris and latte are all part of a rich pallette to draw from. Themes are a way to bring harmony to a room or a whole house. Start collecting your favorite color schemes in a scrapbook or take pictures with a digital camera.

I have some more Heroes

2008-04-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

Architecture for Humanity are my new heroes. Architects working across the world to promote social change. From disaster relief in New Orleans to humanitarian aid in South America, Asia and Africa. It is inspiring me to be a better person. Think of the change a clinic can make in an impoverished comunity or even the difference a house makes in New Orleans to a family. You don't need to be an architect to make a difference. Anyone can bring about social change with the gifting they have. Can you make a diffence in someones life. That is social change. It can be that easy.

Humanizing the Homeless

2008-03-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

Pacific Garden Mission, in Chicago has a new green mission, designed by noted architect Stanley Tigerman. Mr. Tigerman has taken on social architecture projects in needy inner city preschools and the Humane Society. The Mission humanizes the homeless men, women and children it serves. No one is turned away and the occupants are respectfully called "overnight guests." Some take the opportunity join the program and become "staff" working in the kitchen, greenhouse, laundry and taking care of the mission. Later on they transition to finding employment. See the mission at Pacific Garden Missions.

Homelessness and inadequet housing needs an answer. Pacific Garden Mission is the first in a line of humanitarian efforts that have to be addressed. More churches and para-church organizations need to follow Pacific Gardens example. For 24 million dollars PGM has a fantastic facility serving a major metropolitian city. What can be done in your city. Are you an activist, architect, builder, social worker, preacher or business owner then you have a opportunity. Government at the federal, state and local need to eliminate the road blocks to the funds that stand in the way of caring for the homeless men, women and children.

The next priority is to make pathways to home ownership. Cottages in a planned unit develoment is one path to explore. The PUD's keeps the land costs down. Separate cottages allow owners to expand into attic spaces and do maintenance on the owners own schedule. Ownership is the key to giving a leg up and long lasting stablity.

The leap frog over the apartments is intentional. This is one area that the government section 8 housing has focused on. Home ownership will also challenge landlords to compete by making upgrades and keeping rents low.

Home ownership is my passion. I offer several plans on my web site geared to to first time owners. See Erik Ost, Building Designer

Color Theory Scheming

2008-03-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

Working color in to an exterior or interior space requires a systematic approach.

Monochromatic- Shades of the same color.
Achromatic- White, greys and black.
Complementary- Contrasting colors on the opposite side of the color wheel.
Analogic- Base and neighboring colors.
Analogic+- Base, neighboring and complementary colors.
Split Complementary- Two neighboring colors across from the compelementary.
Triadic- Three colors evenly spaced apart forming a triangle on the color wheel.
Double Contrast- Neighboring pairs of contrasting colors.

To experiment with color schemes go to Color Schemes

Passive Solar and Conservation First

2008-03-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

If you want a carbon neutral or zero energy home, follow these rules of thumb. Going from the simple to the complex. Plant a garden and compost. If you think about it plants are the most efficient solar energy collectors and saves you money and trips to the store.

Passive Solar Design-solar gain, thermal mass and shading are the very first things to address in designing a home.

Do the two step of conservation- Step One, Design a "Not So Big House." Putting in flexiablity and custom design and taking out space you don't use. Step Two, insulate and seal the envelope.

Your heating and cooling system should be the most efficient as possible. Here in the NW a good woodstove can heat the entire home with wood. Use your electric wall heater only for back up. Remember the more efficient the woodstove the cleaner burn it is. Swamp coolers provide execellent proformance in dry regions.

Use Energy Star appliances-front load washers are great. Consider a tankless water heater or a solar hot water heater.

PV solar panels this is what most people think being green is. But if you have and efficient home to start off with the less you will demand from your array.

Some of this seems backwards to conventional thinking. So go ahead be un-conventional.

Have a sunny day.

Wood is good.

2008-03-07T12:43:00.000-08:00

The lumber industry has received a black eye. People are afraid that we are running out of forests and habit. People fear clear cutting of forests and having to wait for the forest to grow back if it ever will. Between cement fiber and vinyl siding and trim wood has been portrayed as dimensionaly unstable, prone to rot and mold, expensive to install and maintain... Much of this is lack of understanding and fear. I think more wood should be used on houses not less. It should be certified so we are not using more than we are producing in our forests. Old grow forest should be protected and we need to set aside new areas for the next generation of old growth forests. See the Forest Stewardship Council's web site for more information at Forest Stewardship Council.

Trees are the largest solar collectors. Trees are renewable sources that provide shelter and energy. Using high-quality wood stove that put off less CO2 than the decaying tree is the way to go.

Mainting a strong demand for wood will provide incentives for the lumber industry to actually plant more forests. This greens America without the tax payer paying for it. Cement Fiber although more stable than wood is mined. Mining has created many of the Super Fund sites. I think most cement is mined in a much different method but still can be disruptive and an eye sore. I still think cement is an irreplacable building material. My Dad produced a very-high early strength cement used in USG's durarock and designed concrete mixes with 20,000 psi + compresive strength for Portland Cement and CTL. So I do value cement and concrete. Each material has its place.

Wood is good, use more wood siding, dimensional and engineered lumber, wood floor, wood paneling, wood millwork and celulose insulation...all the while promoting best forestry practices. Lumber is a crop and we should use it and enjoy it while it is growing.

Subdivisions without a soul

2008-03-04T01:10:00.000-08:00

New Traditional Neighborhoods and New Urbanism where you can walk to work and the store are responses to what is wrong with the suburbs. The premise for the suburb is the reliance on the car for almost ever basic need. Frank Lloyd Wright promoted this vision with the Broadacre City. I don't think he would have endoresed the souless production in todays subdivisions. Wright connected to the land and inignited the imagination.

The "as much house as I get" mentality needs to be dealt with. Homes that are "right-sized" instead of "super-sized." The biggest is not always the best. Blindly looking at the square footage on the appraisal sheet to determine value is just wrong headed. Artistic merit and harmony with the environment don't show up in the cash column. Art is a good analogy. Do we want a big barn for our money? OR a New Regionalism-sublime interpetation of an agricultural shed. Modernism-you can have your barn as long as it has a flat roof is white and large pieces of glass to blur the sense of the outside with the inside, the cow likes that. Which brings us to Post-modern-a witty application of exaggerated classical orders. In other words a house with a point of view has soul it gets from being created. It becomes alive when every part of the house is lived in.

Architectural Salvage Yard-Spokane

2008-02-29T20:13:00.000-08:00

Overhauser's Outlet-Doors, Windows, Stuff and also a links to the antiques and cast iron stoves. Windows and Doors new and old from many of the prominant manufactures.

Spokane Green Store

2008-02-29T19:46:00.000-08:00

Checkout Eco Depot Inc. for earth friendly products. I like the denatured alcohol fireplaces.

PV Solar Panels

2008-02-29T15:44:00.000-08:00

Start using clean green solar power without the huge intial investment and maintenance. Ed Begley, Jr., Actor and Green Advocate explains, the Citizenre solution. Citizenre pays for, installs and maintains the PV Solar system. You use the clean solar energy and pay only for the power you use at the rate you pay for electricity now for twenty years. Find a Citizenre Associate and reserve your system now. Go to Citizenre Website

The emotional life of colors

2008-02-20T03:07:00.000-08:00

Blue is peaceful. More people like the color blue than any other. No wonder, we all enjoy watching waves and clouds in the sky. Time seems to pass more quickly. Blue is also a good color for bedrooms. Too much blue could give you the blues.

Green signifies life. We enjoy green trees and grassy meadows. Growth, renewal, health, and freshness are associated with green. Greens dark side is envy. Green is a restful like blue. Time moves faster in a green room too.

Red is hot. We blush or get red whether it is love or war. Red is stimulanting and heightens enjoyment. It increases the heart rate and blood pressure. Red is also thought to have developmental benefits in babies. Black and white for 0-3 month to develop rational thinking. Then, red to stimulate raw brain power for 3-9 months. Primary colors are good in the preschool years.

Yellow is full of energy and cheerful. It is a warm color signifing happiness, hope and joy. Yellow is the most intense color and graps attention.

Orange is vibrant. It shares yellow and red's energy and warmth. The redish-orange is associated with change, like autumn leaves. Yellowish-orange is the freshness of citrus fruit. Use it to get people thinking or to get them talking.

Purple is color of royalty or spirituality. Purple is a mix of the coolest cool and the warmest warm. A purple room can boost imagination or creativity. Too much purple could result in moodiness.

Click here for more on the emotion of color

Heart of Traditional Neighborhood

2008-02-20T00:15:00.000-08:00

Like many of you, I grew up in a neighborhood with a corner store. My memory is of the "Little Store in Forest Lake." It had groceries and a lunch counter. That means trips for ice cream, pop and baseball cards, errands for milk and even Mom's cigerettes. A little note, some cash a phone number was all it took. Try that now. I think we lost an opportunity to grow up as a trustworthy individuals in our neighborhood.

All good things must come to an end. The "Little Store" burned to the ground not to be rebuilt. It was rumured a 7-Eleven would take its place it never did. I am sure 7-Eleven would oriented the front of the store to the busy road, not the park and local tavern across the street. Our community lost an important piece of ourselves when the "Little Store" burned.

The "Tavern" carried on. We learned to slip in to the small arcade room unnoticed. A mechanical road rolled towards you on the race game. No fancy video screen. As I grew up I remember getting Tombstone pizza and polish dogs in the main room of the "Tavern." The bar across the room was still off limits. The "Tavern" as good as it was and 7-Eleven never could replace the "Little Store."

Carl Nolte's article below struck a cord with me.

Beloved Telegraph Hill market seeks new owners
Carl Nolte, Chronicle Staff Writer

Monday, February 18, 2008

Time is running out for Speedy's New Union Market, the little corner store that is an institution on San Francisco's fabled Telegraph Hill.

Brian Leonard, one of the store owners, is seriously ill. Pierre Houle, his partner who mans the counter nearly every day, loves the place but is tired of the long hours.

As a result, there is a discreet sign in the window: "Grocery Store For Sale. Inquire Within."

The lease is up March 31, and unless somebody steps in, April Fool's Day will be the end of Speedy's, which has been doing business at the corner of Union and Montgomery streets for almost 93 years.

Speedy's is more than a store: It's an anachronism.

It still offers home delivery to old customers, allows others to run up tabs, lends books for free, offers wine, beer, milk and cookies, cereal and soap, all the usual stuff of life. There is also a tiny delicatessen, with sandwiches made to order and assorted dinner dishes, like pork chops with Dijon sauce, and gourmet salads.

Speedy's maintains a community bulletin board said to be the only place to find Telegraph Hill apartments for rent. In the old days, say 30 years ago, Speedy's was famous for listing the rarest of San Francisco treasures: a Telegraph Hill apartment with a view, low rent, and a kindly landlady who liked starving artists.

If a neighborhood resident is not home to accept a package delivery, FedEx and UPS drivers know to leave it at Speedy's. People used to leave a spare set of house keys there in case they forgot them. The neighborhood dogs get a free drink at a dish outside. And if an old and valued customer dies, Speedy's puts up a picture in memoriam.

"It's the hub of the neighborhood," said Jon Engdahl, an artist who is showing his paintings of the famous wild parrots of Telegraph Hill at Speedy's.

"It's the best place in the whole city," said Dan Songer, a mortgage broker and regular customer.

"It's a great traditional corner store," said Ed Joy, an attorney. "It's like shopping with your friends."

The clerks always find time to talk to customers, and neighbors meet at Speedy's to share talk of the hill.

"It's a gossip exchange post," said Ken Maley, a consultant who lives nearby. "An institution."

This is what a "New Traditional Neighborhood" tries to recreate. A walkable community that is connected by interaction between neighbors. I am not writting this to say everyone needs to go design a "New Traditional Neighborhood." Maybe there are some that will be inspired to become the fabric of the community and open a "Little Store."

Ask the expert a home design question

2008-02-11T03:17:00.000-08:00

Erik has experience in home design, building inspection and construction. So this is your chance to ask that question you are struggling with. Whether is is about building codes, kitchen layout or stampcrete Erik can come up with an answer. All free answers may or may not be right. Right answers a little bit more. I don't know is from my point of view a right answer. ;)

Color Theory

2008-02-09T22:35:00.000-08:00

The color wheel is the begining of understand of how to use color. The first element of color is hue. Primary colors of red, yellow and blue are the purest colors. As a kid in art you mix red and yellow to get orange. Orange, green and purple are the secondary colors. Mixing secondary colors with primary yields tertiary color. Mixing colors can create any pure hues in the color spectrum.

Colors hues have emotional temperatures-warm and cool. The next post is the emotional life of colors..

Added Features to Home Ideas Blog

2008-01-31T20:01:00.000-08:00

New features added to Erik's Home Idea Blog: 1. Home Gallery of some fun projects. 2. EOBD Home Design News scaning for news articles on Green Design, New Regional, New Traditional Neighborhood, New Urbanism, Pattern Language... 3. EOBD House Videos

More to Come on Color Theory

Welcome to Erik Ost, Building Designer's Blog

2008-01-31T14:45:00.000-08:00

Erik Ost, Building Designer's is a blog to talk about home design tips, trends and ideas. More on this later. You may also visit Erik's Website to see my custom and stock home and garage plans. For Sports News and entertainment go to Spokane Sports Talk. Happy Building.