2020 W Master Street

 2020 W Master is a total shell.Leaking roof, minor fire damage to third floor, no plumbing , no electric, no gas. No utility service at all. There are some windows remaining that can be salvaged out of 17 windows about 6 are still intact with glass.
all of the interior wall framing is stable but with some walls having crumbling plaster. Ceilings are good in some rooms and needs to be pulled down in others. All 3 stories of stairs are still intack and just a few treads and spindles needing replacement.

12/12/2011

This week demo of interior plaster ceilings and plaster walls that need to come down begins.
Before that begins I first need to clean off the roof of much debris. center of roof is pooling water
because of no pitch to downspout. Combined with the trash of prior residents who must have been throwing it out the window onto the roof.
Also did a interior site survey measuring all rooms LxWxH. Window dimensions, locations and same for doors. Stair locations, tread, riser height and how many treads, risers.
Will transfer these drawings into archicad and also make sketches on drafting board.

12/16/2011
So far we have demo the third floor ceiling leaving half in place since it seems to be good.
Being careful to only demo where needed but not trying to save walls where I know the
plaster will eventually crumble. One can tell when the plaster wall is moving when pushed
thats it's gonna go soon.

12/31/2011
 Link to pictures

https://plus.google.com/photos/105939289035087909632/albums/5923579016650556065?banner=pwa

Continuing our demo work. Have assessed some structural problems that includes roof and
back wall. Back wall is heaving out because of 2 trees growing directly against foundation.
Because the roots damaged the load bearing wall that supports the 2nd floor there is danger of 2nd floor coming down.  Shoring up the joist supporting the room above with a temp 2x4 wall to take the load off the existing brick wall.

Roof is shot with multiple leaks. Roofer is coming next week to give an estimate. Time to
use my negotiating skills.

01/04/2011

Had 4 roofers out all with different estimates for the same type of roof a white rubber torch down roofing system. These roofing systems are based on a high-performance synthetic rubber compound that provides outstanding weathering characteristics in climates worldwide.
 White rubber and(EPDM) is the most popular material for both new and reroof low-slope roofing applications.

Before the roof goes on structural repairs need to done on 3 roof joist that are sagging causing pooling on the roof. The repair is done by by sistering floor joists alongside the weak joists. Using a hydraulic jack raise joist until bowing is gone. A level can be placed under joist to check if any bowing remains.     Dont jack beyond original shape or joist will crack. Jacking a floor exerts stress in both directions so make sure joist supporting floor are reinforced with 2x4's at joist below. If you have sagging, cracked or twisted joists, which can happen in older houses this will solve that  problem.




Removing snow from the roof before roofer installs new torch down rubber.

Treehouse in Paradise.

There is a contest for a treehouse design that is intriguing enough to inspire me

to create some hand-sketches.

I though about how it feels to be in this treehouse.
I wanted an organic form that is inspired by natural forms such as the ocean waves, the wisp of clouds
or the way sand is shaped and easily formed.
My vision was a treehouse that flowed from one tree to the next in a curvilinear form.

Space is divided into living, bathroom, and sleeping zones. The living space is low cushions designed for casual seating low tho the ground and flows with the shape of the perimeter. Bathroom is a freestanding
round silo shape with shower, toilet and sink. Sleeeping area is roll up futons.
Treehouse will be self supporting creating energy from solar panels. A rainwater harvesting system will be implemented for shower. Non-electric self-contained composting toilet that odorlessly converts human waste into safe fertilizing soil.


Unfortunately my current Archicad version does not support organic freeform shapes, and I can only meet the timeline using architects specific design software. Also, to support Archicad R15, I will  need to upgrade my operating system to Snow Leopard and that will take an additional 8 days before I receive the disk.

 Since the timeline is short I also sketched a rectilinear design that I will upload eventually to this blog and can be done in Archicad 13, not my first choice but it still wont be anything like little Johnny's back
yard treehouse.

http://www.treehousesinparadise.com/

Below are my sketches for Organic design for a Treehouse.

1734 Catharine st

 Completed in 2009 this substantial renovation of a 3 story rowhome was completely rebuilt from the basement to the roof. All new joist. Basement was dropped 20", foundation waterproofed, new slab with radiant heat tubing and R-30 insulation.
Exposed interior brick, power-washed,joints grinded, and repointed.
3 story addition added to existing story home, added a new bedroom, storage, and extended kitchen.

Radiant heat on all floors. R-20 walls, R 30 ceiling. Ultra high 96% efficiency boiler/hotwater heater that supplies heat for home and supplies potable water.
Restoration of front facade including powerwash, grinding of joints, brick pointing, and restoration of cornice overhang at roof.
Finished basement with storage. Two unique japanese influenced bathroom design that offers separate toilet room from bathing area.
Powder room on first floor.
This green design carries out the philosophy of Mancini Design that all our homes are healthy environments to live in and energy efficient.

Church in woods.

Inspired by The 'Anta Grande do Zambujeiro' a prehistoric passage-mound site that I visited while in Portugal, the church in woods project was created for a client seeking a space that was spiritual in feel and had an organic appeal that would meld with the existing nature environment.

Staggered and slanted poured concrete line the passageway and embrace and protect patrons as they enter the space. The white walls give the church purity and luminosity. Vertical slots in the concrete walls offer up views to world outside and allowing light to penetrate in narrow beams. The lighting and slotted view of tree's and nature outside and sky and tree canopy above combine to add to the feeling of spirituality for those inside. These are the first draft of sketches and model.