Architect's Journal

Foundations and Floor preparation

Aug 23, 2010 - David R Lopes

The perimeter of the addition is outlined by the grey concrete foundation wall.  In the approximate center of the foundation is an interior foundation wall that marks the transition between the play room (front) and the garage (beyond) with a twelve inch step down into the garage.  There is no basement in this type of system and for this reason it is often referred to as a "slab on grade" construction.

The existing mudroom will be about double in size, and is the narrow connection to the existing mudroom on the right. 

We intend to use infloor heat, as a result a minimum of 2" styrofoam insulation (white) is required.  The purpose of the styrofoam insulation is to limit the transfer of heat into the ground and allow for better control of the infloor heating system. The insulation is placed on a poly vapour barrier on a layer of gravel.  The vapour barrier prevents moisture from the earth being wicked up into the concrete floor.

Unfortunately, in the photo, the infloor heating pipes are white, so they are difficult to see on the white insulation. They  snake back and forth over the entire floors and are divided into 3 zones; garage, playroom, and playroom to allow for individual heat control for each of these spaces.

Floor Plans

Aug 2, 2010 - David Lopes

Above you will see the two floor plans for the addition, on the left is the first floor, and the second floor on the right. 

Looking at the first floor plan at the lower left is where the addition attaches to the house, it is an extension of the mudroom approximately doubling the size.  Top left is the family room, and on the right side is a single car garage.  The dashed line is the outline of the original garage that was demolished.

On the second floor plan, starting clockwise from the lower left are the stairs, above this is the bedroom with a walk-in closet, bathroom/laundry room, kitchen and living/dining room. 

 Overall area of the in-law suite is approximately 900sf.

New Addition

Jul 27, 2010 - David Lopes

Let me  describe our thought process with the addition and describe how it turned from simply rebuilding the garage to constructing a two storey addition as shown in the concept above.

We started thinking about simply replacing the garage on the same footprint with something maybe a little bit bigger to accomodate the car, lawn mower and some bikes. 

After some discussion, the thought of connecting the garage to the house started to have merit. I had always thought it would be nice to have a few more square feet in the mudroom.  After all we now have a dog, and it would be a great spot for him and his dishes.

If we had a connection to the garage, how about adding a room for the kids and their friends next to the garage? They could access the space without having to run all through the house to the second floor. 

How much more money and effort would it be to make the space over the garage and playroom useable?  Maybe a design studio of some sort, I was running out of space for my books and I always thought it might be nice to have a desk of my own? 

Whoa says my wife Nancy, why do you need a studio, don't you like working on the kitchen table? If the space above the garage is going to be usable why don't we make it an in-law suite! 

See how quickly you can get into trouble.  More next week.

What to do with an old garage?

Jul 19, 2010 - David Lopes

For our next project I thought that I would give a quick overview of a garage addition to our house. 

It all started one day when I was out in the yard and noticed that the little garage was definitely leaning a little to one side!  The garage was actually more like a large shed, where we couldn't store much more than lawn equipment and bikes.

I thought this would be a great opportunity to build a new garage, a place where we could finally park a car in  the winter.  I  also thought it would be a great way to deal with the neighborhoood skunks that always made the space under the wood floor boards their home. 

This photo shows the garage just before the back hoe starts the  demolition.  At the time, I thought I was rebuilding a garage, watch what happens next.

Catch Up - Walkway Completed

Jul 6, 2010 - David Lopes

I was looking through this journal and I realized that I have yet to show a photo of the completed walkway.  Originally, the sidewalk led directly to the street, however we found that most people would park in the driveway and walk over the lawn and come up the front door.  So having the walk come off of the driveway made sense.  ( I think that we will eventually add a piece to connect to this walk to the street.)

The large stones of the single step are wallace sandstone blocks that have been re-purposed from planters.  The existing concrete steps were refaced with slate tile, and the sides parges with mortar.  Our next project around the house will be the addition of an in-law suite and garage. Stay tuned.

Cottage Industry

Jun 22, 2010 - David Lopes

Just wanted to announce the completion of the renovations to our offices here on Grafton St.  The building was due for a facelift and a general renovation. The building was built in the 60's and had a bit of a modern touch to it, so we decided to emphasize the contemporary aspects of the design.  Our large office window upstairs faces directly south, and to shade us from the sun we added a slatted cedar sun visor that works amazingly well.  We also wrapped the existing canopy in cedar boards.  Above and below the canopy  to add a industrial feel , galvanized metal siding was used.

Downstairs we are happy to announce the opening of a new concept store for Charlottetown - Cottage Industry Modern Furniture and Decor . Cottage Industry carries modern furniture, accessories, art, lights  and much more.  More about them on our next posting.

For a before and after look, see what we looked like before on Cottage Industry Google Maps

Drop in and say hello.