MARCH 2016 — Winter is coming to an end, and we're finally looking at shovel time! John's been hammering out the build schedule in Smartsheet, Mark got 90% of the construction plans done before his annual student Architecture Abroad trip, we've interviewed for the critical concrete contracting, and I am realizing that I'm not, totally not, an interior designer. We promised that we would make EVERY MISTAKE POSSIBLE on screen and paper before committing to material and labor, and that's what is happening. Who knew there were so many mistakes to make?
But it's all good. Being able to make mistakes on your own spare time (and your own computer) is great. And the more you make, the more you explore the options to get around them, and that leads to new insights and avenues. Mark and I threw only one kitchen layout back and forth (he's the AIA CAD architecture and engineering guy, I'm the Sketchup Pro dude,) but we nailed it. My happy-dance moment — busting through Mark's kitchen wall under the cabinets to make a tunnel to the laundry room, inside which will live two 5' deep, ball-bearing-castered, pull-out pantry cabinets. Would they be ADA-compliant with an auto-open feature? More importantly, would they work as advertised? As my engineering design daughter #2 would put it, "We'll see."
The interior is always a challenge, and starting with the kitchen raises the bar for the rest of the house. Every square and cubic foot gets analyzed for potential. Plumbing runs (the length of water pipes) are designed to be short as possible for energy management. Lighting (LED) is specified all the way from the kickspaces under counters to the under-cabinets to the highest (28' peak) ceilings, with their own controllers. ADA compliance for people with disabilities is designed in from the beginning, and suddenly ergonomics — the physical detail of how a space is used and interacts with people — becomes part of the process. How will that kitchen floor feel? Can you spin a wheelchair between the work areas? How does that kitchen cabinet move? Can I see what's in it without going in there? How do the dishes travel from dishwasher to storage? Suppose the oven door opened like a gate?
The kitchen is the heart of the house, and making it work well, happily and beautifully sets the tone for the rest of the interior. That's why we're doing it first. Like somebody must have said, if it works in the kitchen...
Good reads: The Rise of the Hybrid Home | What's a Real Smart House? | Location: Daylight | Process: Design