Project Update: Woodinville

Finishes have started being installed at the Woodinville project.  I rarely post photos at this stage of construction because much of the fun stuff gets covered to protect it from damage, leaving me with photos of things wrapped in cardboard with blue tape. 

During design, I did some quick sketches to help the homeowners visualize the shape of the indoor pool area and also to coordinate locations of the air registers with the mechanical engineer. 

Here's one of those sketches: 

The curved beam you see overhead will support a track for transferring wheelchair users from a changing area in the bathroom to the pool.

Now that drywall is up, you can see the shape of the space in real life (although a different angle).  There is currently scaffolding being stored in the pool pit for putting the curved beam up when it arrives. 

The waterproofing and tile installation are underway.  Here is a sneak peek of the tile pattern in the bathroom area.  The large mosaic area slopes to a long, linear drain against the wall.  There will be an adjustable height tub on the left side and a showering area on the right side.  The whole room is designed as a "wet zone."  The green color you see is the waterproofing coating on the waterproof substrate, before the tile goes up.

In the master bathroom, cabinetry is being installed.  You can see the unique pattern of bamboo plywood on the face of the cabinet sides.

Although the pretty things that will be seen and touched every day are being installed and everything is moving along nicely, this phase of construction always SEEMS slow because of all the detail work that goes into the final stretch.  That, and the fact that things get covered up and protected as quickly as they can!  The first day that the homeowner will really get to see everything all at once will be the "punchlist" meeting, which is when the team gets together to create a final list of minor items that need to be completed before the contractor's final pay application is approved.

I can't wait to show you this project when it is finished!

Sneak Peek: Madison Park Before & After

Remember this house that I posted about a while back on Facebook?  The one that tons of realtors had shown to prospective buyers without selling it?  Just look at that stack of realtors' cards that was on top of the flyer on the kitchen counter... (and that wasn't even all of them!)

We finished remodeling all three floors a couple of months ago. In order to make better use of the square footage, we made significant changes to the floor plan on both the first and second floors while completely renovating the kitchen, laundry, and all the bathrooms.

My client just sent me these before and after photos she took of the kitchen from the same angle, and I wanted to share this little piece of the transformation with you! 

Remembering Elizabeth Wright Ingraham

REMEMBERING ELIZABETH WRIGHT INGRAHAM

This morning while driving to get coffee, I was listening to the usual pre-election ridiculousness on National Public Radio. I have only to wonder for a flash of a second what Liz would have thought of things (or of a certain candidate) in order to hear her voice and ROARING laugh — clear as a bell.  

Sidebar:  I would share what I can hear her say about that candidate, but this is not a political post. (And, now I can hear her say, “But, Carol… why NOT a political post?!  We all must SPEAK UP and DO something!”)

MY INTRODUCTION (a.k.a. ’THE INITIATION')

I had just moved to Colorado Springs and was working as an architectural intern in a small office.  Our office was right in the center of downtown, in the same building as a movie theater, a French bistro, a chocolate shop, and Liz’s two-story office, accessed through a narrow pedestrian alley.  Her office was next to a Thai restaurant, which always smelled like fried rice.

Liz loved hanging out will all types of creatives, of all ages. About once a month, several young professionals including several architectural interns, an architectural illustrator, and a landscape architect would pack their lunches and head over to Liz’s office to gather around her conference room table.  

I had no idea that attending the first time was a kind of initiation. When I got there, I noticed that the guys who invited me were unusually quiet. They had taken their seats, ready to observe the show. You see, Liz examined everyone who came through her office doors closely. If you weren’t up to snuff, you quickly became the target of an interrogation. If you did measure up, the energy shifted to banter. The interrogations were especially fun to watch (as long as they didn't shift over to you!)

For Liz and myself, it was banter.  Always banter.

Years later, I brought two summer interns from our office to lunch with Liz. It was my turn to sit back and enjoy the show. These girls were quite young, the kind of young that thinks nothing of wearing spaghetti-strapped sundresses and flip-flops to the office. Liz leaned in:  “What are the branches of the government?…You mean you don’t know?!...Who did you vote for?…What do you think of this legislation being proposed?…Do you read the paper...AT ALL? Watch the news?”  

One of them passed the test (barely, she was let off the hook after she correctly listed the branches of the government). The other did not.  

COLLEAGUESHIP

She was old enough to be my grandmother, yet we were peers. She introduced me to clients and her own children as “a colleague of mine.” This meant the world to me.  Back then, the only thing you could call yourself when you didn’t yet have your architect’s license was 'intern'… and this was when White House intern Monica Lewinsky was in the press, so it was a job title that opened itself up to some embarrassing comments. Not to mention the fact that everyone assumed that ‘intern' was synonymous with 'unpaid student'. (It’s not. You have to work for a minimum of 3 years under the direct supervision of a licensed architect as an intern before you can complete the examination process and actually call yourself an architect. Unlike doctors, who get to use the term doctor when they are still completing their residency.)

Over the years, I returned many, many times to Liz’s office.  With the group, without the group. It didn’t matter. I would drop into the office and shout up the stairs, “Hi, it’s me!” She’d answer with a enthusiastic, “Oh, CAROL! How ARE you? Come on UP!” And, when I’d leave, she’d send me off with, “Force on, Carol. FORCE. ON."