Billable Work / October 1, 2021 by Josh Brincko

Like many professionals, architects charge hourly for the services they provide. I bill this way also. It is a fair way of billing since people pay for the time spend working for them and don’t pay for a guess I made on how long I thought it might take before I even started the project... even though I’ve become a pretty good guesser from doing this so long.

There is no loser… both parties win since they both get exactly what needed to be done.

This makes some people uncomfortable sometimes because they assume it means they are giving the professional an open checkbook, and they assume the professional will be dishonest and bill for too many hours. In reality, this is not possible since I give my clients an estimate of what I expect something to take. I also give them a commentary on each step of the work as the project moves along, so they are apprised of the work I am about to do before I do it. I am also so busy that I don’t have time to do unnecessary work on any projects and over-bill them. I work for about 100 clients a year, and for the 15 years I’ve been in business, I can only think of about 4 or 5 people that have ever been unhappy with my billing. In those situations, it was apparent that I was working with dishonest, unethical clients since I use the same process and protocols with every client. These people were of poor character to put it politely.

All that said, the hourly billing protects both the client and the professional. In bidding situations, the bidder will obviously over-estimate to protect themselves, and this means the client will inevitably be the loser. I do not think this is fair.

Most days, I work from 6am to 6pm and also many nights and weekends although I only bill about 2 to 4 hours per day. I wish my clients could see how much work I put into their projects that they end up not paying for. Why do I do it, and what am I actually doing the rest of the time? My wife has asked me, “what are you doing all day if you only bill for a couple hours?”… and here’s what I have said:

“Well, she told us to put the project on hold because she lost her job, but builders are still calling me with questions to provide their bids… so I want to keep the project moving for her to get it ready for when she is employed and ready again.”

“The building department is being so unreasonable and acting out of line, and I feel bad charging someone for the extra time I’m spending to deal with the stupidity of these $#@%ing bureaucrats.”

“This builder $#&@ed up and ordered the wrong material, so I am trying to figure out a way to make the wrong material still work, so my client can still get what they want, so it doesn’t mess up the schedule, and so the builder won’t have to buy new materials. I’m trying to make it a win-win-win for everyone.”

“My client told me they don’t want this, but I know they actually do want this… so I just need to do it and show them why it’s the best solution because it’s the right thing to do, and they don’t know better, yet. But they will.”

“The building department changed the code, so I’m reading it to see if it impacts any of my projects.”

“The building department is supposed to call later about a particular issue, so I’m reading the code to memorize the parts they will likely discuss to be ready to rebuke everything they say. I already know the stuff, but I want to spit it out verbatim better than they can.”

These are things that I guess he could bill for, but in some instances it is work that will not directly be used for a specific project. In all instances, it just makes him a better architect. I’ve seen clients argue over an hour of work he billed here and there, and I wish they could see the dozens or even hundreds of hours he spent that they didn’t pay for.

If you’d like to learn more about our design process, visit www.josharch.com/process, and if you’d like to get us started on your project with a feasibility report, please visit www.josharch.com/help

I’m an Architect. Here’s 6 Things I love: / September 1, 2021 by S. Joshua Brincko

Architects Love: Building exactly what is on the drawings. Of course there’s different ways of building something, but changing what has been designed/approved is terrible. It undermines years worth of thought, research, approvals, etc that the client and architect solidified together. The thing we designed corresponds with codes, budgets, views, waterproofing, aesthetics, client goals, etc. Changing it is like stealing years worth of time from a client. It is essentially taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from a client and giving them something they did not pay for. It is so rewarding when the builder builds it the way it was actually intended.
Architects Love: Non-coplanar surfaces. What does this mean? Coplanar means two surfaces (planes) that align with each other. They are flush with each other. We commonly design different objects that intentionally look different from one another, so we intentionally offset them from one another to accentuate the contrast. All too often, we see builders “flattening” buildings. They take two different siding materials that were supposed to “bump-out” from one another, and they dumb it down and make it flat. Imagine cutting a hole in your button-down shirt and sewing a necktie in its place as a patch of sorts. The tie is flush with the shirt. This is not good, but we see it in buildings ALL the time. It looks so much better when different materials stack on one another rather than to be flat and flush with each other. That would be funny to sew a tie flush with a shirt though! Less funny for a building.
Architects Love: Hatin’ on building departments. To become an architect, you are inevitably highly trained. Building departments commonly will use stall tactics to prevent the issuance of permits for their own benefit to achieve two goals: 1. Generate higher permit fees, and 2. Prevent themselves from doing their job. Of course nobody will admit these things. Building plans reviewers will cite irrelevant codes or policies to stop the process of reviewing drawings (like claiming drywall is a dominant structural component), and this causes the architect to need to intervene to “clarify” and put them back on track (with a lot of arguing to get there). They don’t have interest in making good buildings. They often rely on irrelevant codes to make their own job easier. When people get into a rant about challenges they have had with building departments, architects LOVE to jump in and commiserate with them:)
Architects Love: Clients who trust our judgment. Sometimes clients hire us, and tell us what to do every step of the way because they “know what’s best.” They must have magically maintained a solid GPA through 6 years of architecture school, interned with an architect for several years, passed all the state board exams with the state architectural review board, maintained an architect’s license with continued education, and racked up years of professional experience to be able to advise on every unique construction and design decision on their building. Right… more like they watched a few YouTube videos and HGTV and are now “experts.” This completely undermines the value an architect can add, and it causes clients to lose out on the creativity an architect could provide. Imagine getting a surgery and telling the surgeon how to sanitize their hands, which scalpel to use, how to make the cut, and how to stitch it up. That wouldn’t work. It doesn’t work with the design of buildings either. There’s more specialized knowledge than can be explained (without going through the entire learning experience that an architect goes through). It is so rewarding, and projects succeed immensely when clients instill their trust in the architect.
Architects Love: HGTV. Just kidding. We despise HGTV. This is not real at all. Nothing about it happens in the architecture profession. There’s design time. There’s permitting. Construction costs $300 per square foot or more. The clients don’t leave for a few days and come back to a finished project. The designer doesn’t build the project - real, talented builders do. I got asked to be on HGTV Design Star, but the contract was a joke. No real architect would agree to that. When someone references something they saw on HGTV, I tune out and think of something more productive that will help their project.
Architects Love: Including the architect during construction. The easiest way to guarantee a disaster on your project is to put the decisions of saving time, saving money, specifying the best way to build something, structural safety calculations, and determining code requirements all in the hands of a builder. The architect knows everything about your project and actually has substantial training on all of these factors. It makes a lot of sense to keep the architect on board during the construction to ensure you get the best project for the best price. The architect is the best asset to the builder and client during construction.

My Biggest Regret in Design / August 2, 2021 by Josh Brincko

What is my biggest design regret? Since I’ve now designed several 100’s or likely in the 1000’s of projects, I’ve got a pretty good sense of what works well and what does not. And, I’m not talking about things that are a matter of preference or opinion, but rather, things that are universally better in all applications - things that I know work better. Are you ready for it? What do I regret in past projects I’ve designed? OVERHANGS. Yes, that’s right, overhangs. I regret projects where we did not account for more roof overhangs. I wish I had made them extend out further - bigger IS better.

Overhangs allow for so many benefits:

Rain protection: obviously, with a longer overhang, you can shield the walls, windows, and doors from the rainy weather. With enough wind, the smaller overhangs don’t offer any protection. A large overhang provides adequate protection for the walls, and better yet, it keeps more rain away from your foundation. When water goes underground, it makes the soil wet, and this can cause settling of the foundation if the underground drainage is not adequate. Also, underground water can leak through basement walls.
Sun protection: as I’m writing this in the middle of the summer, I’m noticing how the 8’ long overhangs in my home help to shield the high, summer sun long into the afternoon, and this helps to keep my home cool. Once the early evening comes around, the sun does get low enough that it makes its way under the overhang, and that direct sunlight makes the house really hot (so we shut the shades). Imagine if the overhangs were not there, the sun would bake the house the entire day. In the winter, the sun stays quite low in the sky - even at noon. So, the big overhangs don’t block the sunlight in the time of year when we need it most.
They look freaking awesome: overhangs give a building depth which make them look more interesting. Flat facades are boring. The contrast between a very noticeable horizontal overhang and vertical wall makes a delightful impact on the aesthetic.
They provide a usable “outdoor room”: with a big enough overhang, you can arrange some outdoor furniture below it and enjoy the outdoor environment with just enough protection from the climate to make it comfortable. Below the 8’ overhangs at my house, we have some outdoor couches on our porch. I really enjoy sitting under these overhangs in the rain and even sleeping under them in the warmer months.

Let’s (over)hang out sometime and talk about overhangs :)

NR3 (SF5000) Zoning In Seattle For Residential Architecture and Construction / July 1, 2021 by S. Joshua Brincko

If you’re confused and not sure where to start for planning a small remodel, or even a large addition, or a totally new construction for your house in Seattle and other areas, you are not a stupid, total idiot:) Even for a seasoned veteran architect in Seattle who specializes in residential architecture, the codes, rules, regulations, policies, etc are very confusing to say the least. If anyone is a stupid idiot, it’s the ones who wrote the codes in such difficult language:) I am here to help, and this post is your guide to help you navigate the thick bureaucracy. (It is also worth noting there is a major difference between the “building code” and “land use code”. This post only dives into the “land use code” to help you understand WHAT/WHERE you are allowed to build on your property and not the “building code” which gets into HOW to build something.)

The land use code classification that is applicable to most single family homes in Seattle is known as NR3 (formerly named SF5000, SF7200 renamed to NR2,and SF9600 renamed to NR1 for larger lots). The “SF” meant: Single Family. The 5000 meant the property is more or less 5000 square feet. The rules are pretty much the same for all these zones except for the bigger lot sizes. The new naming convention of “NR” means “Neighborhood Residential.”

OVERVIEW

The most basic, common concepts in NR zoning are yard setbacks, maximum percentage of lot coverage, floor area ratio, and height limit. Some of the other nuances in the codes are the exceptions to all these rules, tree requirements, and parking requirements. Some projects may also involve various other codes for garages, ADU’s (accessory dwelling units), DADU’s (detached accessory dwelling units), existing nonconforming uses (projects with non-compliant stuff that is “grandfathered in” since it was built before the codes existed), allowable uses (like using your house as a hotel), and ECA’s (properties within environmental critical areas such as steep slopes, shorelines, etc).

In Seattle, I have dealt with zero properties that are straightforward. There is always something weird about each lot such as a part of the existing house that was built too close to the property line, a part of the lot that is considered an ECA because it is too steep, difficulty in determining which side is technically considered the “front,” or a tree the city won’t allow you to remove (which causes the lot to be less than ideal to build on). Because of these anomalies that always seem to pop up, no two projects have ever been the same (and I do about 100 of them each year). The rest of this blog post will dig into each topic separately to attempt to give you some insight into each of the major codes for SF zoning. Although this will give you a basic understanding, please reach out for confirmation since this stuff gets really complicated and must be vetted (we are not liable for your use of the information herein). Also, just because the code says something in “black and white,” the building department may actually interpret it to mean something completely different. And, they are not always correct in what they tell you. I commonly argue with them to show them what the rules actually mean (and not let them bestow their “opinions” on me). There’s usually some compromise, but I’ve never lost an argument with the building department.

HEIGHT LIMIT

Let’s start with the height limit since it’s one of the easiest to understand. The maximum height of a house is permitted to be 30’, and this is measured from the “average ground height” to the top of the highest wall. A sloped roof of a certain angle (4:12) can extend an additional 5’ higher. The average ground height is determined by measuring the height of the ground at the middle of each exterior wall and taking the average of those. For example, if the ground sloped down so the front was 2 feet higher than the ground at the back of the house, and the sides were each 1’ higher than the back of the house, then (2’+1’+1’+0’)/4 = 1’. So in other words, the average ground level is 1’ higher than the back, and 1’ lower than the front. If you measure 30’ up from this imaginary line called “average grade,” the house could be 29’ tall in the front and 31’ tall in the back. The sloped roof can go another 5’ higher, and you’re also allowed to have chimneys, vents, skylights, and dormers of limited sizes within this 5’ bonus area. There’s also exceptions for green roofs and certain features of roof decks. As you can see, it’s not as simple as just saying: you’re house can be 30’ tall.

SETBACKS

Next, let’s review setbacks. A setback is the distance from a property line where you are not allowed to build (certain things). To be able to determine setbacks from each property line, you first need to know where the property lines are. No, your fence, sidewalk, curb, rockery, driveway, or that thing the old guy showed you once is likely NOT THE PROPERTY LINE. Sorry. It’s probably not. A property line must be determined by a licensed surveyor by taking precise measurements with very technical instruments. Then, they put a surveyor’s pin to mark the location of the property corner (and sometimes these are intentionally not actually on the corner of the property as you may expect).

Once you know WHERE the property lines are, THEN you can determine which is considered the front, side, and rear property lines. This may seem straightforward, but sometimes it is not. This is too complicated to blog about, so let’s talk about this topic on a case-by-case basis. Feel free to reach out since your front door, address location, your actual street address, or your driveway do not technically determine which property line is the front.

LOT DEPTH

When you determine which side is the front and rear property line, you can determine the “lot depth.” This is the distance from the front property line to the rear property line. If you have an alley, the centerline of the alley is treated as the rear property line for this purpose. The rear setback (for a single family residence) is the lesser of 20% of the lot depth or 25’. This rear setback is measured from the center of the alley if you have one. Certain structures like garages, DADU’s, and other items are allowed within the rear setback areas (within certain limitations).

The front setback may be more straightforward and just simply be 20’. If your two adjacent neighbors are closer than 20’ to their front property line, then you can take the average of them. If the neighbor on the left is 16’, and the neighbor on the right is 18’, then your house’s front setback can be 17’. If your neighbor on the left is 16’ and your neighbor on the right is 22’, then you treat the neighbor on the right as 20’, and the 20’ and 16’ average out to 18’. The side setback is pretty simple since it is just 5’ unless it is a corner lot. In that case, the “street side” setback is 10’. Be careful to ensure you properly classify the front property line and street side property line on corner lots. In some cases, these are interchangeable, and in others they are not. It is not easy to clearly see which is the front and which is the street side (and again… no, your front door, or driveway, or address number, or your actual address do not decide which is considered your front property line).

With all of these setbacks, there are so many exceptions to the rules. Certain parts of your home can project into some setbacks like roof overhangs, bay windows, porches, decks, chimneys and some other features. There are limitations for the sizes and heights of these features, so please reach out for help in determining how to take advantage of these “loopholes.”

LOT COVERAGE

The next topic is lot coverage. In SF zoning, you are allowed to cover 35% of your lot with structures. If the lot is less than 5000SF, then you are allowed to cover 15% of the lot plus 1000SF. If your lot abuts an alley, you are allowed to factor 1/2 of the area of the alley into your calculation. Lot coverage is pretty easy to calculate, but the exceptions to the rule do get tricky. For example, decks lower than 36”, solar panels, fences, and the first 36” of roof overhangs do not count against lot coverage, and there are some additional nuances to what counts and what does not.

FLOOR AREA RATIO

Floor Area Ratio (known as FAR) is the last topic we will discuss here. This is a measure of the usable floor space inside a building. So, if you have a 1000sf first floor and 1000sf second floor, then you have 2000sf of floor area used up…sort of. The stair doesn’t count twice, some basements don’t count, certain porches don’t count, and there’s also other exceptions that don’t count against you. In the SF zoning classification, you are allowed to have 50% of the property count against your floor area ratio. So, with a 5000sf property, you are allowed to have an FAR of 2500sf of usable floor area. If you have an alley, you do not get to factor half of the alley into your calculation. This is different than the calculation for lot coverage discussed earlier. This is my current understanding of this new code that was introduced in 2020, BUT I have been told conflicting information by the building department on this alley topic. It does seem that when it matters, the city of Seattle doesn’t let you factor the alley area into you favor for FAR calculations.

CONCLUSION

I hope this post was informative and gives you a basic understanding of the SF5000 zoning classification in Seattle to help you determine approximately what you’re allowed to do with your property. I recommend that you do not discuss specifics of your project with the building department unless you first run it by an architect that is VERY experienced in the zoning classification in your area since you may “shoot yourself in the foot” by saying the wrong thing and getting locked into adverse interpretations. We are here to help you figure out the specifics since the rules are tricky and there’s a lot of exceptions to the rule that can be used in your favor. As a disclaimer, the the topics covered here are generalizations that could easily get misinterpreted, and you should consult with an expert architect for specific interpretations.

The Housing Problem Explained / June 1, 2021 by S. Joshua Brincko

Housing prices have risen since a focus on home ownership with the baby boomers became more prevalent in the post war era, so a paradigm to own at any cost, triggered by political incentive to keep people feeling good by keeping interest rates too low, and lending too much money, caused people to buy more house than they could afford. This causes less spending elsewhere in the economy that leads to a downward spiral in overall growth.

Transportation technological developments have made it possible to live further away which diminishes the significance of the agricultural marketplace which was once the biggest industry in the country. Land further away from cities became more valuable, but without much planning or regulation of building, it lead to poorly envisioned suburban development. As people moved further out from economic centers in a time where agriculture diminished, time became a crucial factor in one’s life since transportation speeds did not keep up with urban sprawl. This caused a higher demand to live closer into cities which only drives prices up even higher in a housing market that is already historically and significantly higher than ever.

As time went on, building departments imposed more restriction on development which makes it more difficult to build residential units, and this only contributes to the lack of supply with higher demand than ever. This, paired with homeowners resistance to increased development and congestion in their own backyard, contributed to supporting further government restrictions on buildings that further decreases supply and increased demand. The number of residential units built today compared to the 1960s is merely a fraction of what it was. The government makes it quite difficult to build (unless you are a savvy developer).

Similar to the older trend of taking commerce jobs over agricultural ones, the current trend is to seek white collar jobs in an office over blue collar jobs as a construction worker, and this has further contributed to the lack of available craftsmen - which only increases the price for their limited services. This drives up the cost per square foot for construction, and this makes all homes cost more. With lower interest rates and the current state of ridiculously high housing prices, those who are wealthy enough to afford a house are still buying more house than they can afford, and landlords are also doing the same and passing on their costs to their tenants through higher rents. Again, this slows the economy in spending in other markets outside of housing.

If building departments would more flexible, they would be able to allow all types of development that meet certain criteria, and this would result in more housing and more stable long term housing prices. In markets like San Francisco and Seattle where restrictions are abundant, development is slowed and, consequently, housing prices rise. Developers move elsewhere to do business in areas with less barriers to development which further decreases supply in cities with extreme housing prices, and this only makes the problem worse.

After the Great Recession in 2008, mortgage lenders raised their restrictions on lending, and although it helped to put things in balance, it also made it more challenging or even impossible for new home buyers to get a loan. Without access to funding, many people are out of the market for home ownership, and only the wealthy and those willing to take a major financial risk are able to purchase homes. This leads to competition, bidding wars on home sales, and consequently, even higher home prices.

The system is broken, and I don’t think there’s anything we can do about it individually other than try not to overextend yourself, so you are not house rich and cash poor. We need money for other things. Analysts say that owning a home and renting one still results in the same financial outcome for an individual in the long term.

I think the onset of driverless cars will be the next transportation revolution that makes it possible to live even farther away from city centers and places of work. With telecommuting and work-from-home becoming more common, the idea of the city as we know it will change. Real estate for office spaces will be in lower demand which will open up space for more urban residential units. Vertical farming, GMO’s, farming mechanization, and shift away from agricultural jobs will open up even more space where farms are no longer needed since farming as we know it will become more efficient and automated. These changes being implemented with the ability to live virtually anywhere will enable the vast suburbia to grow more than ever which could balance out real estate prices between urban centers and suburban areas. Our personal interests and way of living will likely change too, so the future is is uncertain even though the direction it is moving is very certain. The changing interests in urban environments and suburbs will likely equalize at some point, and hopefully housing prices become equalized too.

How to Become a Great Architect / May 3, 2021 by S. Joshua Brincko

I’m writing this post under the assumption that I might be a “great architect” and can therefor explain how I got decent at what I do :) Is it fair for me to make that assumption? You tell me. Others already have, although in my own opinion, I just do what ANY decent architect SHOULD do. Although the last couple sentences seem braggy, this is not intended to be a brag … just advice for aspiring architects. I would certainly love to up my own game of course, so any advice or criticism is always welcome. I love to know what I suck at, so I can learn more and get better at it.

Get construction experience. No amount of schooling or on-the-job training can be a substitute for this. Building stuff helps you to understand obvious things like how to put things together, the properties of materials, the sequencing of construction, which materials perform well in certain situations, and where to buy them (and their cost). This also helps you to understand three dimensional relationships. Envisioning space is one thing, but the tangible aspect of building is a whole different level of understanding space. Many architects never really get.
Work your ass off. Do as much design related work as possible, so you become exposed to the maximum number of design related problems as possible. Build your repertoire of knowledge. Research new materials and understand their pros and cons. Then go buy them and build with them (with your own hands). Yes, spend your own money to buy construction materials and tools and learn how they work. Read every building code and land use code. Seriously. Read every single one. Over and over again and again until you know it. Watch videos of tradesmen explaining their craft, so you can learn their tips and tricks that took them a lifetime to master. Thoroughly read every contract and understand the language and how it affects you and other parties. Try every software system. Click on every icon and feature to see how they work, so you will have exposure to every tool available to you and be able to decide which ones are most appropriate. With a high level of scrutiny, thoroughly read other architects’ drawings. Understand how they communicate their ideas and compare it to your own. Combine their concepts with your own to make a better version of it. Read every article, blog, website, etc from other experts in the field. There is no shortcut for this hard work. Commit yourself to learning everything out there about your craft.
Vet EVERYTHING. Place zero importance on spoken words and all importance on actions. What people say and do is not always the same thing. It is tough to rely on other people for anything. Be diligent to ensure the result somebody claims to deliver is followed through. Be especially wary of building departments. Their interpretation of the rules is commonly not consistent with what the codes actually say. I cannot stress that enough. Hold them accountable for the written words since the spoken word has no enforceable value. Don’t let them enforce rules that don’t exist. Read and re-read every contract. Check and re-check and check again everything you draw.
Start early. Wake up early and just start your day. Don’t screw around with pointless tasks. You will accomplish more when other people are still sleeping and cannot interrupt you. Also start tasks as soon as they are assigned to you, and in some cases, start them before they are assigned to you.
Be available. By starting work early and getting things done in advance, you will ultimately make yourself more available to the people that need you. Builders and clients will have tons of questions at times when waiting is just not an option. By getting work done early, you will be able to promptly answer these questions when they ask (instead of needing to get back to somebody in a few days). Work can really pile up if you are not prepared, and people are really hiring an architect to solve their problems. If you have not yet solved the problem when someone calls on you (or prepared the info needed to be able to solve a problem), then you really are not giving them what they hired you to do. It is essential that you are available, and this is only possible by being extremely prepared.
Extreme focus. With several active projects, many clients, tons of builders, coworkers, building departments, engineers, and product suppliers all requesting information from you, it is easy to lose focus. (Also personal life obviously takes a lot of your time too). It is totally essential that you can focus on one task at a time, quickly solve the issue, and then move onto the next one. Social media, coffee breaks, office chit chat, etc all put your productivity to a grinding halt. Take a break when you actually need one, but make it worthwhile as a task intended to help you improve your focus. When you sit back down to work, prioritize the tasks, set an actual goal, achieve it, set another goal, achieve it, and keep going this way and don’t stop until you’re done. Don’t look up and get distracted. You will find that you can get so much done if you truly do not give in to the countless distractions around us.
Pounce on every opportunity. You can sit there and wish for something to happen, or you could just start doing it. Do you want some job, or some new client, or some promotion? Quit reading this right now, and go call that person or go knock on their door and don’t delay or let them delay. Insist that you want this opportunity now. (If you’re still reading this, you just wasted 5 seconds. Go seize that opportunity then come back and read the rest of this.) I’ve heard people say things like: “don’t take on jobs that are not your dream client.” You might be waiting a long time. Every project is an opportunity to get better in many facets of your job. Don’t take that advice unless you are so busy with new clients that the non-ideal work is taking away time from ideal work.
Meditate. Having a clear functioning mind is crucial for anything. Some people sit quietly and try to toss aside their thoughts to meditate. In architecture, I have the ability to sit quietly and think nearly all day long since the very art of doing architecture is envisioning a better place. This is similar to meditation. Or maybe it is meditation. After a long session of designing a space or a construction detail, I walk away from it feeling accomplished and refreshed since I’ve literally set all other thoughts aside while “being” in the conceptual world that I’m inventing. Also, get enough sleep, but not too much. Sleeping too much makes you groggy. Everyone is different. 4 hours works for me. 6 hours is my max. 8 is too much for me. Know your sweet spot.
Respect your builders. The guys building your projects work hard in crappy conditions to bring your ideas to life. Do everything possible to make their job easier. This will help your idea come to life more successfully. The craftsmen also have a lot to teach you. Be there to support them, and they will be there to support you. They will also keep you employed.
Be a good member of your community. As an architect, you are responsible for MAKING the built environment around you that your community lives in every day. Join the clubs and groups that help to shape the community. Offer your expertise every chance you get. Every house, store, office, and park in your neighborhood is designed by someone and used by people. Get to know these people and make sure they know you. Ensure they feel comfortable coming to you when there is a problem that needs solved. Everyone uses buildings and therefor benefits from design. Make sure you let people know that you want to help them.
Focus on the fun part of your job. Architects have to wear many hats, but some of those hats can be delegated to other experts. Focus on the parts you like doing, and you will enjoy your job much more.

Architects Don’t Do A Lot Of Math. (Surprise!) / April 1, 2021 by S. Joshua Brincko

When you tell someone you’re an architect, the often say, “wow, you must be good at math.” The truth is that architects don’t do much math.

There’s a bit of confusion between the difference between an architect and an engineer. Many people don’t realize the difference or may even think the words “architect” and “engineer” are synonyms. In reality, architects conceive the idea for a building - the big picture. This means coming up with a solution for the most creative balance between aesthetics, code compliance, safety, energy efficiency, comfort, privacy, lighting, integrating with the environment, and coordinating with engineers who are experts in structure, soil, drainage, and mechanical systems. In doing this work, there is very little math for the architect. The math is generally limited to the simple addition of adding up the square footage of rooms, adding up the height of each floor to see how tall buildings are, using multiplication to determine what percentage of the property is covered by buildings, and … well, that’s it. You likely do more math in your job or at the checkout stand at the grocery store. On occasion, architects might do more complicated calculations when trying to determine how many lumens of light hit the surface of a desk or in determining how much heat leaks through the insulation in a wall, but this is rarely needed, and consultants are usually used to do these calcs if a precise answer is warranted. Architects routinely do addition and multiplication. Occasionally, we get crazy and do some division.

So who IS doing all the math? It’s engineers. Structural engineers calculate the weight of the walls, floors, roofs, snow, soils, wind, and earthquakes that interact with the structure of a building. They implement complicated safety factors in their calculations to determine how big bolts need to be, how many nails are needed, how big a beam needs to be, how far a beam can span, how much a beam will bend when snow collects on the roof, how much rebar to put in a concrete foundation, and how thick the concrete in a foundation wall needs to be.

Geotechnical engineers dig a few holes in the proposed area of work and take some soil samples for testing in their lab. They determine how much weight the soil can support without compressing too much. The structural engineers use this info to calculate the size of the foundations needed (since they know how much the whole building will weigh).

Civil engineers calculate how much water will be collected by a roof and flow from the gutters and into a downspout. Then, they calculate how to collect that rainwater in gravel trenches or tanks to systematically disperse the water into the soil before it gets collected by sewers.

These engineers are the ones doing all the math. When I went to architecture school, we didn’t even take a full math class. In the entry level college math class that all college students were required to take, the architecture students were actually dismissed at midterms. So, architects actually took less math than everyone else! Surprised?

Here’s a sample of the sort of calculations that engineers do that architects are not qualified (or insured) to do … check the math if you’d like:

Here’s the sort of math an architect does:

2000 sq ft + 500 sq ft = 2500 sq ft.

That’s not a whole lot of math - contrary to what most people think.

Upper Floor Additions / March 1, 2021 by S. Joshua Brincko

The most difficult type of construction project you could ever do is to add another story to a house. Upper floor additions are challenging to construct and very expensive to build.

After you demo the existing roof, you typically need to tear apart the lower floor walls to access the plumbing, electrical, and the structural components which must be reinforced and updated. The walls in existing homes are commonly not compliant with the earthquake requirements since they do not have plywood on the exterior (which helps to brace the entire building when the earth shakes and also when wind blows against it). Plywood needs to be added to either the interior or exterior of walls, so this requires either removing the drywall or siding, respectively (and putting it back together when you’re done). You also commonly need to upgrade the insulation, plumbing, and electrical while the walls are opened up.

The foundation of an existing house was also originally built to hold up a one story house - not a two-story house. Additionally, the current code requirements are more stringent for foundations, so it is common that you would need to upgrade the existing foundations to comply with the current code requirements to support the extra weight.

Once you have spent all that money to address the structural items inside the existing parts of the building, then you can start spending money to build the upper floor addition. Once that is done, then you will also need to go back and spend some more money to repair all the stuff within the existing house that got torn apart or damaged in the process. In my experience of doing several upper floor additions every year, the construction cost of rebuilding the existing house is usually equal to (or more) than the cost of building the addition. This makes them the most expensive project type you could undertake.

Another thing to consider, adding a stair to provide access to the new upper floor is a major undertaking. Stairs are expensive to build, and they also take up a ton of space. A stair has a minimum 3’x3’ landing at the top and at the bottom. The stair is usually 14’ long (give or take). Add that all up, and you’ll need to find at least a 20’x3’ space within the existing home to fit the stair. This usually means sacrificing an existing bedroom to become a stairway. So, you need to re-gain that lost bedroom in the new addition to be back where you started in terms of bedroom count.

Although upper floor additions are challenging, we know how to do them. Our experience can help you make informed decisions and take as much pain out of the process as possible. You do need to plan to significantly disrupt your existing house though (and probably move out for awhile during the work).

Seattle Modern Architect & Artisan