Notes from the Field: Online Forum for Gilday Renovations, Washington DC, Design Build

Hey! We moved.

2011-09-22T16:18:00.000-04:00

The continuing Gilday Renovations blog now has its own room on the new Gilday Renovations website.

But, no need to rush right over there. There's some pretty good stuff here, too. So take your time. And thanks for reading.

Kitchen Additions, Porches, Interiors and... People

2011-03-01T08:48:00.001-05:00

Custom Renovations that Transform Life at Home
This is Gilday Renovations at a glance. Five years of work represented in 95 seconds includes interiors, kitchen additions, bath additions, porches--transformational renovation projects and the people who make it happen.

Make the Most of Your Home
Gilday Renovations is a green certified, integrated design and construction firm specializing in high-end custom home renovation in the metropolitan Washington DC area.

From Bird House To One-of-A-Kind Kitchen & Bath

2011-02-20T15:57:00.005-05:00

A KITCHEN WITH WINGS
The story began with a one-of-a-kind kitchen transformation inspired by a birdhouse. It (the birdhouse) featured a roof line that mimics the graceful curve of a wingspan. See kitchen photos here and here.

The story continued fifteen years later with an ambitious open plan bath design that carries out curvature themes introduced in the kitchen renovation.

To view award winning bath photos in Chesapeake Home Magazine click here.

SEVEN DESIGN AWARDS

Pardon this one braggardly sentence, please. Both projects turned out to be design awards magnets. Gilday design work was recognized by NARI, MICA, MCBA, and Qualifed Remodeler Magazine (Chrysalis). There. Done. No more bragging for now.

The bird house with wings that launched thousands in
renovation project dollars.

NEXT ON THE LIST
What's next for the homeowners? It's for sale! Yes our friends Steve and Peggy Schaars are moving. They aren't quite sure where yet--but someplace good, they tell me.

They are listed with JD Callander of Weichert Realtors. The home set on a curvy, woodsy section of country road in McLean is available now. To view the listing click here.

Architectural Licensing Exam Number...... 9!

2011-02-11T16:13:00.001-05:00

Now that I've been admitted to the high priesthood of art and architecture I can look down on everyone--which is what I've really always wanted to do. Plus, my mom always wanted me to get my license, and now I have....

Not really.

Gilday architect Dan Morales has successfully completed the 9th and final session in a series of architectural licensing exams. He is now officially licensed by AIA, the American Institute of Architects. Congrats, Dan. It's been a haul.

Typically, a young architect will spend their entire first year out of school completing all of the tests to get them out of the way. Dan did two. Then he got busy working, designing, getting married, becoming a father, buying a house--and renovating that house. So, last year in his "spare time," he studied hard and aced the remaining seven.

During that year Dan was rising at 3:00am most days to study before the kids (two of them now) woke up at 5:30. Then to the office by 8. Dan thinks it was easier to succeed at the tests at this point in his life because he's learned so much working as an architectural designer. The hard part was getting up at 3am every day and working full time and supporting a family with young children. How does one do that? It's all math, he says, you to to bed at 8:30 every night.

The process of taking the exams has been valuable for his professional development. "There are real practical things in the exams that, without being forced to study them, would take a lifetime to get acquainted with". "Being licensed doesn't mean you are talented but it does mean you have command of a body of knowledge and that you are disciplined and professional enough to acquaint yourself with all aspects of the profession."

True enough, a license or certification or degree is no guarantee of talent and creativity. One either has it or not. Dan has it. He has contributed very fine work to the firm portfolio since he joined us. Click here to see the Home & Design Magazine article that features one his projects.

Remodeling Contractors for Hire Now at Bargain Prices All Over Washington DC!!

2011-02-10T09:00:00.032-05:00

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF RECESSION PRICING WHILE IT LASTS!!

Excuse me. What? WHAT?

Please, let's not confuse what's going on in the home remodeling business with what's been happening in the retail business (see GAP, Bloomies, et al for the 40% and 60% markdowns). You are familiar with the term "apples to apples," right? It doesn't apply here.

Prices have definitely dropped for commodities produced overseas for a pittance and marked up to an extravagance back in the old US of A. I need not point out (but will anyway) that REMODELING is neither an import nor a commodity. It is primarily a service. As Gilday practices it, it is a suite of professional services--advice, ideas, design and craftsmanship provided by smart, skillful people working together for the benefit of the client. And, yes, we are currently doing business (if you can call it that) in a "recession changed landscape."

Listen to me. The "landscape" may have "changed" due to the "recession." The cost of doing business (recession or no) has NOT changed. Once again: Landscape changed. Cost unchanged.

So okay. Times are tough. We've noticed that. We have tightened up wherever we can. For example, if the going price for some building products or certain sub-contracted affiliate services has become more "competitive" we pass that savings on to our clients. Hey. We're nice, but there is a limit.

Here's a new buzz word for you: Financial Viability.

Financial Viability. Consider this. If a contractor under bids or under charges for the scope of a given project, there are three possibilities. And they are:

the contractor is inexperienced and would rather please than make a profit
the contractor is desperate and is trying to postpone the inevitable (bankruptcy)
the contractor is taking a huge calculated risk in the hopes of making up the loss later in the year

Don't kid yourself. If the contractor under charges for his services he is on a fast track to bankruptcy. He won't be around to fulfill the warranty on your project--presuming the job gets finished before he is finished.

Here's the thing. Forget the bargains. They aren't real. Hire a company that is fiscally sound and charges an honest fee for the valuable services they provide you. Be smart. You won't regret it.

When the Price Is Right and the Choice is Wrong

2010-12-13T15:25:00.005-05:00

You can't always get what you want. You don't need me to tell you that. Sometimes you just can't get what you want for the price you are willing to pay.

Everyone knows someone who has had a BAD CONTRACTOR experience. You've heard the story. Nice guy. Grrrreat price. Off to a great start. And then. All quiet on the job site for days and days. And then. Phone calls stop being returned. And then. The job never got finished. Or it got finished badly.

I spoke with a person on the phone one time who wanted me to come have at a look a master bath renovation that had been abandoned by the contractor she hired. How much would it be to finish the job? Oh, and there was some fire damage. (I'm not kidding.) How much to repair that?

Well, that's easy, I said. It will cost whatever you paid the incompetent contractor plus the cost of a new bathroom at the price point of a competent contractor--pretty much. Anyway, cut to the end of our conversation. She thought the price I suggested was too much. (Too much?!) Poor soul, she paid too much to the first guy. But I understand. She was fixed on getting something done for what she had decided it was worth to her. And it wasn't worth all that much, I guess.

Let's face it. Competence is the bottom rung. It's the least you can expect. After that, the price goes up as the value delivered goes up. Up for great ideas. Up for fantastic communication and project supervision. Up for skill, efficiency, thoughtfulness, thoroughness and tender loving care. Up. Up. Up.

Because professional services are worth more, they cost more. That means that you on the receiving end can expect more and get more--which is precisely what you pay for. So, why isn't that worth paying for? Excuse me, I must have missed something.

The Leaning Tower of Tennyson Street

2010-10-21T10:30:00.003-04:00

It happens imperceptibly at first. In time, though, you will notice odd things: the disappearance of right angles in your home, the desk chair that rolls from one side of the room to other--when nobody is sitting in it, windows that won't open and doors that won't close. And finally, the jagged, step patterned cracks in the drywall near the corners of the room.

Unless you are living in the movie set for a remake of the "Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," your foundation is sinking!

That's when you have to call in a specialty company to underpin the foundation and raise it. And you must have a professional engineer to plan and supervise the project.

Restoring a house to its former position is a lot like lifting an injured patient onto a stretcher. You want to do it very slowly and gently so as not to cause more damage in the process.

How They Do It
Following the engineer's specs based on the load to be supported, pilings (helical piers) are driven at prescribed intervals and to a prescribed depth until stable subsoil is reached.

An L-shaped bracket at the top of each pile shaft is fitted under the foundation wall.

The piers drive down and the brackets lift up to restore the house to its former alignment.

The weight of the house is transferred to the pilings.

In tight situations like the Tennyson Street property, they use a hand operated hydraulic pump to raise the foundation--much like you would use to jack up your car to change a tire.

They raise the foundation a quarter to a half inch at a time, then let the structure rest in between.

While this is happening, everyone on the crew is listening (for bad sounds) and watching for cracks.

The foreman uses a wirelessly controlled laser level to measure the progress of the lift.

This isn't the type of project we typically get involved with. But a client phoned us because the addition to their house (not ours!) that they'd inherited from a previous owner had begun to submerge into the soft earth of Rock Creek Forest.

They wanted someone they could trust completely to supervise this simple (but not so simple) task. So we put together the team and came to their rescue.

What Makes It a Man Cave?

2010-10-15T14:35:00.092-04:00

First of all it's manly. It's manly because it's orderly--orderly but not fussy. It's his stuff organized exactly the way HE wants it. Don't mess with it.

Secondly, it isn't a cave really. It's a refuge. The male equivalent of a day spa. It is a place to indulge in solitude or revel with buddies.

Google 'man cave' and you will get 2-million hits. There are entire websites dedicated to all things cave

These special places for men bring together manly interests such as sports, alcoholic beverages, high octane vehicles, high octane sound systems as well as a defining collection of trophies, treasures, gadgets or souvenirs.

Our good friend Randy Freedman says he didn't know that what we'd designed for him was a man cave until one of his friends called it that.

His motivation to make his basement into something special was borne of dire necessity. His stuff was everywhere in boxes....

before renovation

....the pipe collection, the red wines, the pedigreed cigars, the autographed copy of Abbie Hoffman's "Steal This Book" and the vast LP collection (jazz, blues, acid rock).

exercise room

sauna & steam

Randy threw a deluxe sauna plus steam bath into the renovation. The wine room is, of course, climate controlled.

Now he has a place for everything. And every thing is in it's place exactly as Randy has prescribed.

Watching Paint Dry

2010-09-27T10:59:00.002-04:00

When you think of home renovation (if you are like most people) you think pretty pictures. You know, like in those block long stalls at Borders Books, the bright and shiny magazines packed with page after page of voluptuously, jaw-droppingly, stunningly unattainable visions of domestic perfection. And yet, an extremely important part of every beautiful renovation is unseen. It's behind the walls. Most people find this part about as interesting as (see title of this post).

So as not to bore you, I'll make this quick: Maintaining an even, comfortable climate inside your home depends on how well the home is insulated. The better the envelope, the more stable the indoor climate. For those readers who are information addicts, there is a remarkably painless explanation of your insulation choices in an article at GreenBuilding.com titled Insulation Choices & Strategies for Zero Energy Homes.

Fiberglass has been the standard for home insulation. Now polyurethane or cellulose foam spray is getting a lot of play--particularly when we renovate.

Oddly, foam has the same R-value (heat transfer resistance) as fiberglass. Also, it's significantly more expensive. So why are we recommending it? Because it works much, much better. It cuts your utility bills significantly.

Foam insulation expands on contact as it is installed and, because of that, creates a tight air seal inside wall cavities. It fills in all the joints, crevices and areas where pipes and wiring pass through. So the foam performs much higher than its R-value rating due this air sealing property. Heat can't sneak around the insulation barrier on air currents as the building "breathes".

Curious about what it looks like? If you've got 40 seconds to spare, here's a quick look at a typical residential installation.

Thought Bubbles on Green Building

2010-08-23T13:57:00.018-04:00

Let's lighten up a little, shall we? If only for a moment.

"Dilbert" cartoonist Scott Adams gives a personal account of his attempt to save the planet by building a green house. See the August 21 Wall Street Journal. It's a quick read with some genuine bits of wisdom chinked between the wise cracks.

I guess this is installment number 3 in a series of blog posts about individuals who try to do the right thing by navigating that poorly marked and bumpy path toward something called sustainability.

In case you missed installments one two, see Notes From the Field "The Power of Garbage"June 17 and "Green Is Baloney" May 14.

Design/Build or Architect/Bid?

2010-08-19T14:28:00.028-04:00

Which way should you go? Should you choose an architect to create the design and then seek out the right builder to make it happen? Or should you make a commitment to a design/build firm? A recent issue of NARI Remodeling Today offers an informative article on this very topic.

What is the difference between working with an architectural firm or a design/build firm? At the high end, the two approaches look quite alike. That is, you have a group of creative people dedicated to helping you develop a detailed design plan that meets your needs and is respectful to the architecture of your house and its surroundings.

The NARI article details, at length, the differences between the two approaches. Though, I feel tempted to critique some statements that in my view perpetuate certain stereotypical perceptions, I will refrain. For now.

And honestly, you needn't to bother yourself with the question posed in the title of this post if you work with us. We have all points covered.

Gilday practices an integrated architect + builder approach to residential renovation. Our design staff (three architects and three interior designers) brings their expertise to bear on complex multi-faceted projects. Our owner/estimators are fully capable of navigating tricky, difficult budgets. We can squeeze the most out of the process and show the client all their creative and budgetary options. Our process is thorough, studied and exact. We don't design ten steps and then budget one. So you won’t waste time paying for designs that you can’t afford to build. And, finally, when the designer is also the builder, the final project quote, impeccable craftsmanship and dedicated construction supervision are guaranteed. One company. One proven, trusted relationship. No bad surprises!

What's It Worth?

2010-08-06T12:15:00.031-04:00

Good question. Let's set that aside for a moment. First, I want to talk about "special-ness." You could name this quality "remarkable" or "exceptional" if you like. I'm going with special. However you define it, "special" is that intangible something that we all value and desire. In relationships, in places we love, in the work & play we pursue, in the objects we collect over time, we seek it out.

Even when it seems entirely unjustified, people will pay dearly for special. Example: Why would a person spend 700 bucks for a bar stool at Design Within Reach

when they can get one for $16 at IKEA?

What's the difference? Eye of the beholder, you could say. You could say there is no more than a superficial difference (aside from price). This is furniture--a place to park your butt while you skarf down a breakfast cup of yogurt on a workday morning. Both are stylish and will do the job nicely.

Ask again, what's the difference? One of them is special (in the eye of the beholder). A portion of people will notice and appreciate the difference. A smaller portion of those who appreciate the difference will feel moved by the creative vision embodied in the piece and will buy it.

"Is it worth it?" is a question each of us has internalized over time. It governs our choices. If it intrigues me, if it moves me--I value it. You may ask, what does all this have to do with home renovation? Surely, there is a connection somewhere.... What's it worth?

Updating the Classic American Ranch Home

2010-08-04T16:31:00.023-04:00

The Ranch went through many iterations during the 50's, 60's and 70's. Some inspired and some not.

Initially, this modern suburban home style expressed freedom from aspects of the traditional home that might be perceived as confining or strictly ornamental. It typically maintains a low profile at the street and an open floor plan on the interior. Today, we are most aware of the mass produced versions that are abundant in older suburbs.

In this project (nearing completion), our client asked us to come up with an alternative to the home's rather flat and dated look. Rather than take it further in the direction of contemporary, we returned to tradition to give the house a strong, distinctive character.

Here's what's been done so far.

The Power of Garbage

2010-06-17T14:02:00.022-04:00

"There's nothing coming into this house, no power lines, no gas lines. No sewage lines coming out, no water lines coming in, no energy being used ... We're sitting on 6,000 gallons of water, growing food, sewage internalized, 70 degrees year-round ... What these kind of houses are doing is taking every aspect of your life and putting it into your own hands..." -Michael Reynolds

You've never heard of architect Michael Reynolds. I'd never heard of him until SilverDocs a few years ago when I decided to take a chance on a documentary titled "The Garbage Warrior." Wow. Visionary? Courageous? Slightly kooky? All of the above.

Reynolds was kicked out of AIA for his experimental work which stood in defiance of building codes and zoning laws in New Mexico. (He was later re-instated). Reynolds insisted that homes should be built without infrastructure. That is, no water, sewer, electrical or gas lines. The homes would collect their own water from rain and snow, grow much of their own food, treat their own waste--they would function as closed life cycle systems in tune with their surroundings. And. They would be built mostly of trash--principally tires, glass, plastic bottles, beer cans. He called his approach "earthship biotecture". The original dwellings look..... odd. And yet, they are quite fitting for the landscape into which they are integrated.

What the film does best is to document an act of creative thinking. In this particular case, Reynolds saw abundance and grace where others saw nothing. And he went to work.

It may be that Reynolds' aggressively brilliant methods won't gain broad acceptance. But his biotecture vision, as it influences others, is likely to emerge in forms that are accessible.

Take the Enviro Center in Jessup, Maryland. This commercial office building and educational center was designed and built with sustainability as its defining purpose. Now a much more ambitious Phase II is poised to break ground. Architect Stan Sersen, the leader of this project, says the building will not merely conserve energy it will regenerate and give back. The building is designed to clean its own waste water and grow much of its own food for the occupants.

Solar Power - Is Now the Time?

2010-06-09T11:29:00.009-04:00

Now may not be a good time for you to invest in renewable energy systems for your home. But it isn't a bad time to think about it. It won't cost you anything to get information for future reference. So think about attending the free Solar Expo presented by Bethesda Green this Saturday, June 12 from 10am to 4pm.

Various topics will be covered in bite-sized 30-minute sessions. Highlights include a 12:30pm panel discussion with homeowners who've made the switch, a 2:30 discussion of how solar co-ops can increase your buying power, and a 3pm presentation of Federal, State and County tax incentives.

Federal assistance for this type of application is quite good. And Montgomery county has launched a forward thinking home energy loan program (HELP) which ties improvements to your property tax. See my February 11 blog post HELP! We Need Some Money for an overview of how the program is intended to work for county homeowners.

Why Does Renovation Cost So Much?

2010-05-24T14:58:00.006-04:00

Why does renovation cost so much?

Better to ask why it doesn't cost so much. Seriously.

A few moments ago my cousin Tom was hovering in my office doorway. "People just can't see what they're getting, " he says, doing some sort of tension-relieving isometric move on the door frame. Yup. So what else is new? He tells me he just lost a high end bath remodel to FRED. (That's not really the name of the company--but it's a company with a good reputation in DC). "They came in at 83-thousand and I was at 94" Well, maybe the client thought the extra ten-grand was for nothing. "Yeah, but I just talked to the homeowner and he told me, now that they're near the end of the job, FRED is hitting them up for more money." Apparently, some things the client thought were in the plan aren't in the plan. FRED is going to make it right of course. But, once FRED has done that, the cost of the project is going to be pretty close to where we priced it.

Could be there was a misunderstanding early in the process. Could be an honest mistake was made.

Either way, we weren't the more expensive company. We were the company with a thorough estimate that accurately represented the wishes of the client.

Why does renovation cost so much? Now you know.

Green Is Baloney

2010-05-14T10:42:00.014-04:00

Green is baloney? Sorry. I shouldn't have said that. But aren't you just slightly skeptical about the dizzying frequency with which the word 'green' is used to make branding claims--especially in our business? I am. Green. What's it supposed to mean?

Or this: "shades of green." Now that's just annoying. Reminds me of how the word "natural" came to be used to describe all sorts of artificially flavored, colored or scented mass produced products.

Sorry again about the title of this post. Let's take a moment here, safe from the deafening clamor of gibberish, to think about this green business as it relates to our dwellings. If 'green' is to mean renewable and sustainable, a key big picture concept to get hold of is that of "embodied" energy. Here is a witty, carefully researched, plain language description of of a tear down project in which the owner tries to do it right. It was posted recently on TED Talks .

Nutshell: It takes a lot of energy to manufacture and transport construction materials--and more energy after that to make buildings. And. Conventional buildings use too much energy and generate too much waste. And, speaking of waste, there's nowhere to throw away all that we produce because "away" has people living there--or downstream or downwind from there. "Throw away" no longer works. So now what? Green thinking says, create ingenious ways of using less to get more without waste.

Is Gilday Renovations a "green" company? Strictly speaking, no. We are in transition. As building science evolves, so do our practices. As smarter, better materials arrive in the mass market, and as better, smarter ways of doing things are invented, we embrace them. Think of it as a process of continuing education.

Obstacles That Spark the Imagination

2010-04-30T13:15:00.013-04:00

This is what we love about the design process...

It happens frequently in a renovation project that the architects and interior designers will turn a perceived limitation into a creative asset. An apparent obstacle to the fulfillment of our client's vision will spark a new approach that is actually better than what they came up with in the first round. Here's a recent example.

Project Architect Dan Morales described his approach to designing an addition for a Chevy Chase home as "a conservative rendering" of a Tudor revival.

Dan aims to make a design that belongs to the place it occupies. "I walk the neighborhood and spot similar houses to get a feel for how they fit in."

As shown in Dan's sketch, a traditional look would have the second floor of the addition slightly overhanging the main floor.

But studiously observing tradition in this situation would have put the corner of the house into conflict with property boundaries.

So Dan had to create an alternative. The result is the extraordinary two-story box bay window element shown here.

Here's a closer look at this architectural detail.

You can see how gracefully it solves the mundane but very real necessity of keeping the far corner of the house from encroaching on setbacks prescribed by Montgomery County.

As it turned out, the finished project became the subject of a feature article in the Spring 2010 issue of Home & Design Magazine. And it was selected for a 2009 Capital CotY Award from the Metro DC Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

Oh. And in case you are wondering. Here's what the back of the house looked like before we got involved.

Seeing What's Right There

2010-04-29T12:23:00.009-04:00

Seth Godin, the ubiquitous marketing guru and prolific blogger, recently said "art is what we are doing when we do our best work."

Banned But Not Gone

2010-04-21T16:02:00.013-04:00

It lies waiting beneath the surface in millions of homes, waiting for remodelers, painters or do-it-yourselfers to send it airborne and into their lungs: highly toxic lead.

Although the EPA banned use of lead-based paint over 30 years ago, it is present in many homes built before that 1978 law went into effect. And every time an older home is painted or renovated, owners and workers run the risk of exposure.

There was talk, in 1992, of requiring contractors to be trained and certified in the containment and removal of lead. It never happened. But it’s happening now.

This month, the EPA introduces rules that will significantly affect how we go about the business of making old homes new again. In short:

Contractors must be able to show proof that they have been certified in lead-safe containment practices.
Occupants, particularly children under six years of age and pregnant women should not enter the work area during the demolition or preparation phase of renovation or painting if work area has tested positive for lead.
Pets are also at risk.

Here’s the reason: Demolition of or sanding of surfaces to be painted produces dust. And dust is the most common way people are exposed to lead.

There is a plain language publication available online called Renovate Right at the EPA website.

If you’d care to be even better informed -or more frightened, as the case may be- take a look at the “worst in class” list published by Healthy Building Network. The article highlights substances used in the manufacture of building materials that probably should not be.

We Switched To Simple

2010-04-20T15:12:00.013-04:00

It's Earth Day 2010, and we're in our second year as a 100% wind powered business!

And that means exactly... what?

It means we purchase renewable energy credits through Clean Currents, a Rockville-based clean energy broker. The RECs contract stipulates that our share of electricity be wind generated and fed into the commercial grid on our behalf. Because of this purchase, we help reduce the demand for coal or nuclear generated power. And that helps encourage growth in the clean power economy.

The choice is in sync with a core value expressed in our design approach: simplicity. Think about it. The air moves, the rotor blades spin, and the turbines convert wind energy into electrical energy. That's a pretty simple way to keep our computer screens lit and iPhones charged up. It makes the pollution and landscape destruction associated with the mining, transport and burning of coal seem like way too much work for what we get.

Want to learn more about Clean Currents for your home or business? Click the logo.

Foam Art

2010-04-12T15:26:00.005-04:00

Spray foam insulation.

It keeps you warm.

Keeps you cool.

Lasts a long time.

Makes your attic look like a snow cave.

Or like some seriously bad skin.

Seals the house air tight as a thermos bottle.

Super energy efficient.

It expands rapidly as it sets. When we do attics and crawl spaces, we let the foam bloom and bulge as much as it wants to.

And that can look... kinda weird.

Like nuclear cauliflower.

Or something fresh from the oven.

But don't eat it.

Making A Favorite Place

2010-04-01T17:30:00.001-04:00

"The party always ends up out here" says Brian, a Bethesda home owner. "I have friends who come over just to sit on the porch" says his wife Barbara. She laughs. "They use me for my porch!"

It took a few years of on again off again discussions before Barb was able to convince Brian that it was time to start on the screened porch that she'd wanted for so long. He just wasn't excited about the idea. But once they decided this porch would include a wood-burning fireplace, he was on board.

As they talked with Tom Gilday about their wishes, Tom pointed out that what they really were describing was an "outdoor family room." And, as they worked through the design, the porch concept evolved into what has become a family gathering place.

The dining room opens to the porch through a set of French doors. So it functions beautifully as a place to hang out after dinner. "It's a part of the house that just draws you into it" says Brian. When there is a fire going, Barb and Brian say it feels like sitting around the campfire. "Something about it makes everyone relax and open up. The conversation just flows."

Surprisingly, they use the porch more frequently during the autumn and spring. What do they like most about it? Brian answers: "It's great to come home and see Barb sitting out here reading, enjoying her favorite place. It's satisfying."

Is One Inch Away From Perfect, Perfect Enough?

2010-03-22T09:20:00.009-04:00

Nope. Not for us.

And, yes. Most of us are mature enough to accept that nothing is perfect in this world of ours. Being in the residential renovation business, we are faced with that every day. Figuring out how to gracefully marry new to old gets you humble pretty quick.

And yet, we strive. After all, we are in the perfection business. We make big promises and we've got to deliver. Here is a small example of how that works:

See the double window set on the second floor? Lead carpenter, Mike Gindlesperger, noticed something wasn't quite right as he marked measurements for exterior trim on this Tudor style addition. His trim boards running from the first to second floors, weren't lining up exactly with the second floor windows.

It was off by an inch and a half.

Mike and project supervisor John Lowe decided to move the windows. An inch and a half. So the windows were taken out, the rough opening adjusted, and the windows reset. We could have fudged it by adjusting the trim and nobody would ever have known.

But we would know. We have promises to keep. So we made it right--so right that the project won an award from NARI and was featured in the March 2010 Home & Design Magazine.

NARI CotY Awards Redux

2010-03-05T13:10:00.023-05:00

Our February 16th post featured this photo of the six designers and two principals of our fair firm. We were celebrating our success at being selected for eight awards by the judges.

But wait a minute. Have you ever wondered why it's all about the designers?

And why is it that writers and editors always seek out the designers when they're mining for quotes for their magazine articles? "Ahh!" they say, "Brilliant! Who designed that?"

They never ask "who built that?" Oh. Gee. Let me think. Probably it was the guy with the facial hair.

Sure we love the designers and architects, but come on! Let's spread the love a little. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the Maestros!

In fact, it is the talent, physical grace, sound judgment, brilliant problem solving skills and awe-inspiring perfectionism of our carpentry staff that makes every one of our projects a winner. And it's the ongoing dialogue between craftsmen and designers that makes our firm capable of producing such high calibre work consistently.

Cabin Fever Cure

2010-03-01T08:19:00.011-05:00

I miss winter. You, dear reader, probably do not.

Ever since relocating from Minneapolis, I've missed knocking a hockey puck around an open pond with my daughter. Or skating Lake of the Isles on a moonlit night. Winter there was quite like the week of winter we just experienced here--only colder and many, many weeks longer.

And, because I love winter, I also understand cabin fever. Those last lingering weeks of cold when it just isn't fun anymore. When you are just about insane from lack of daylight and too much -way to much- comfort food.

So let's imagine that you step outdoors without the gigantic puffy overcoat. And you feel something different in the air. The soil has unlocked it's riches and begun to stir. You can just make out the beginnings of green in the gray branches.

Or simply watch this video of warm weather scenes from some of the many porches we've designed and built.

And, yes. This is the most shameless excuse for peddling our wares that I've come up with so far.

True Blue

2010-02-22T13:44:00.010-05:00

What do the L.A. Dodgers and a Toyota convertible have to do with home renovation? Color, that's what. And fulfilling client expectations.

When it came time to paint her condo, our client was very clear on what she wanted. This room would be Dodgers blue and that room would be exactly -exactly- the hi gloss red of her beloved Toyota Solara convertible.

So our project manager drove off to the mall to find a Dodgers cap and to a Toyota dealership to buy a paint touch up kit. He brought these to our painter who matched the colors precisely and put them on the walls.

She's happy. And we're happy to do whatever it takes.

Good News In Tough Times

2010-02-16T13:31:00.017-05:00

Has this has been a spectacularly tough year for a lot people? Or is it just me?

Anyway. Here's the silver lining: we managed to produce some work we felt very, very proud of. And we got recognized for it.

The Metro DC Chapter of National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) recognized our efforts with eight Contractor of the Year (CotY) awards. Our work was honored in six different categories of residential design.

We'll put the winning projects up on our website later in the year. Until then, you can have a sneak peak at the winning projects right here.

To all our wonderful clients: THANK YOU!! Thanks for entrusting your homes to us. And thanks again to those of you whose projects received Capital CotY (Contractor of the Year) awards.

Roughing It In Style: Temporary Kitchens

2010-02-12T09:14:00.016-05:00

Most houses have a couple of baths. But not so many have a kitchen to spare.

So, before starting a major kitchen renovation, it is important to ask yourself: how many weeks can I put up with: a) eating take out, or b) cooking on a hot plate and doing dishes in the tub?

We insist that you choose option (c), the only option we offer: a temporary kitchen.

What does a temporary kitchen look like? It looks a lot like your old kitchen. Because it is your old kitchen. Our crew builds a temporary partition wall in a neighboring room. Then they dismantle the old kitchen and re-install it on that wall. All the appliances work. Flexible hoses bring in water and take out waste.

The renovation survival plan and the design program are integrated. Is there a better way?

See what some temporary kitchens look like.

HELP! We Need Some Money!

2010-02-11T11:19:00.014-05:00

This "green" stuff is too expensive and the pay back time is forever!

If a developing Montgomery County loan program works as intended, this excuse will go permanently unplugged.

Property Assessed Clean Energy financing (PACE) has arrived in Maryland. And in April 2009, the Montgomery County Council began crafting its own version of the program. The Council started off by renaming it HELP -or- Home Energy Loan Program. Okay, so enough with the acronyms.

What is it?

It is a way for homeowners to finance renewable energy systems or energy efficiency retrofits.

How does it work?

You city or county gives you a loan. You pay it back as a property tax assessment amortized over a 15 or 20 year period.

Things you will like

no cash up front and no dipping into your home equity
when the home sells, the tax liability (and benefits of the improvements) convey to the new owner--so no worries about "pay back" on investment
the financing is backed by the city or county

Back Story

The original PACE concept was hatched in he golden state of California, source of many progressive ideas. Specifically, the "Berkeley First Program" brokered a public + private partnership using municipal bonds to finance home solar energy and energy efficiency upgrades. In the two years since then, the concept has been picked up by 14 other states.

Resources

HELP fact sheet

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/mem/berliner_r/pdfs/help_fact_sheet.pdf

PACE

http://www.pacenow.org/

Confounding Questions #1: Cost per Square Foot Modeling

2010-02-01T16:42:00.008-05:00

Among prospective clients, a commonly asked question is “what’s the cost per square foot?” for building an addition. The short answer would be: we will know when we are done. Not a very satisfying answer is it? Let’s explore a bit further.

First, let’s differentiate between custom renovation and production home building because per square foot costing applies to a commercial real estate model.

Production Homebuilding
In production homebuilding, the house is a commodity. The unit price is linked to volume. The product must contain a prescribed number of finished square feet to fulfill market expectations. So an appealing 3,300 square foot suburban home with four bedrooms and 2.5 baths may start at $500,000. That's about $165/sf. An almost identical home by the same builder sized at 2,220 square feet may list for $515,000. Now we're at $230 per square foot. So. Smaller house = less square footage = higher cost per square foot. Hmmm…..

Custom Renovation
Rarely will a custom renovation in Washington exceed 1,000 square feet. A two-story addition, designed to provide room enough for a master suite, family room and open kitchen, will usually require a minimum 700 square feet of new space plus refurbishment of 300 square feet of existing space. That could easily start at $350,000. That’s right. Start at… Then you need to add costs for custom kitchens, baths, flooring, lighting, windows, doors and trim sets.

Big Difference

Custom renovation is design intensive and content rich. A lot of quality is packed into a relatively small footprint. This involves building new space, reconstructing old space and getting the two to fit together beautifully as a whole.
Production home building is based on volume and repetition. One design and set of materials -with variations- is reproduced over and over.
In renovation, the product is developed collaboratively by the customer and the design/build team. And. You live where you want to live.
In homebuilding the product is delivered to the customer. And. You have to live where the builder put the house.

Final thought: The new home model is a prix fixe menu. The renovation model is ala carte.

Lego: Not Just A Toy

2010-01-27T14:29:00.003-05:00

Stak Blocks use interlocking bumps and dimples to snap together. They work exactly like those colorful plastic blocks that you pick up off the kitchen floor every evening after the kids have been put to bed. But, instead of plastic, they are made almost entirely of straw. Though still in development, the product holds much promise as a structural insulating wall system according to BuildingGreen.com

You might expect that straw and structure are not going to make a good marriage. Not so, says the product developer. Oryzatech claims its stak block walls outperformed 2x4 stud walls in shear and lateral strength tests. Oryzatech, by the way, is taken from the Greek word 'oryza' which means 'rice'.

Anticipated benefits of the building system are:

Renewable Resource. The blocks are made from 96% rice straw (a plentiful agricultural waste product) and formaldehyde-free glue.

Energy efficiency. Preliminary tests assigned an insulating value of R-48 for the 12-inch thick, 30 pound blocks. This is roughly 3x the R-value of a typical 2x6 wood-frame wall filled with fiberglass.

Health & Safety. The high level of silica in rice straw (up to 14%) is said to give it a high rating for fire resistance.

Will the product fulfill it's promise? That, of course, depends on questions that have yet to be asked and service conditions yet to be applied.

Home Improvement? Or, Home Renovation?

2010-01-14T18:14:00.001-05:00

Home improvement is what you do to keep your house intact. That would include maintenance and repairs or replacement of worn materials or appliances.

Home renovation is what you do to enhance the architectural integrity of your home, to make it function better for the way you want to live. It’s a slow artful process that involves a lot of thought and planning.

Home improvement is pretty easy. You shop for the building materials you need and hire a contractor to do the installation. It’s basically a retail transaction.

When your roof has a leak, you have to fix it. When your kids or pets are determined to go dashing out of the yard and into your street, you fence the yard. You don’t have a choice. You fix it. That’s home improvement.

When the layout of your home no longer works for your growing family, or when you are tired of the old crappy look of your dingy 60’s bathroom--you don’t have to fix it. It works. You just don’t like the way it works. But you can make do. You can live with it.

You have choices.

But what if you can’t ‘live with it’ and you don’t want to move? Then you choose renovation. Because you love the neighborhood or the setting, you decide to love the house a little bit more.

Renovation is a commitment to place. It’s also an exciting exercise of imagination to design into a house the features that could have been there/should have been there but were left out of the original plan 30, 60, 90 years ago.

So you decide to take that journey because it’s worth it to you to wake up everyday in a place that you’ve made truly your own.

The Positive Energy of Change

2010-01-05T12:23:00.002-05:00

As is often the case, when one stands at the brink of change, the thrill of possibility is tempered by a measure of uncertainty in regards to the path that lies ahead. At Gilday, we are charged with the positive energy of change sweeping our nation. We are particularly pleased to see a strong emerging interest in energy conservation and a smart approach to building design.
Principals, Tom and Kevin Gilday, have been busy refining and updating our systems to maintain our position at the cutting edge of design and building science. This is an exciting time in the life our firm.