Category: Your Custom Home

The Three Phases of Your Design Process

Design and construction documents for permit are created through a three phase drawing program. Each phase is independent of each other in both scope and in cost. An designer may be responsible for one, two or all three phases, with other architects being used to draw what remains. All three need to be completed to form a final construction document’s package that will illustrate your desires and dream. A complete set provides you total control of the construction process and mitigates the possibility of missing decision points that then are made by sub-contractors and contractors possibly without proper notice. Complete sets alleviate concerns by building departments, planning departments, fire departments and ARC committees that details in the drawings have been thought through.


When some items are not drawn or specified in the final phase drawing set, a change-order requisition could be made by the contractor. Any change order will raise the final cost of your home, and delay the move-in date. Care should always be taken to ensure that all elements of your dream are covered and detailed thoroughly. The three phases of preparing drawings is listed here describing what each is to accomplish in the process:

Phase One – Preliminary Design Phase

  • Helps to coordinate overall design between yourself and those that have jurisdiction over development of the site.
  • Helps determine, at sketch level, a broad viewpoint of your dream on paper.
  • Your other design team members give broad advise with little detail at this point
  • Develops the overall dream.
  • Determines the style of your home.
  • Determines minimum room sizes and their needs.
  • Determines if any special needs exist such as handicap issues.
  • Determines your wants verses dislikes.
  • Coordinates all issues regarding the lot with your dream.
  • Lot is surveyed by licensed surveyor and prepared for a site plan.
  • Geotechnical Soil report made by licensed soil engineer for the next phase.

Phase Two – Schematic or Permit Design Phase

  • Creates drawings that are used for submitting to Architectural Control Committees, building and planning departments.
  • Your design team develops construction details for your permit package.
  • Your decisions about exterior details, aesthetics and finishes are finalized.
  • You will be meeting with all the other design team members to develop selections that will be shown in the phase three set. You should meet with the following design team members at length to determine major finish items;
    1. Cabinetry designers to determine final cabinet layouts and design.
    2. Interior decorators to determine flooring, wall and ceiling finishes.
    3. Landscape designers to determine landscape arrangements and irrigation needs.
    4. Hardware suppliers to determine door, cabinet, bath, fireplace hardware.
    5. Plumbing suppliers to determine tubs, sinks, stools, faucets, gas piping and meter needs.
    6. HVAC installers to determine heating and cooling items, duct needs, gas meter, and other environmental issues.
    7. Electrical installer to determine electrical needs, wiring, low voltage, electrical meter and transformer issues.
    8. Lighting suppliers to determine interior and exterior lighting, and compliance to exterior ARC requirements. Also to receive “cut sheets” for all lighting items.
    9. Structural engineer to determine the upper structural and foundation design.
    10. Window and door suppliers to determine those items and their rough opening dimensions. And also to determine compliance to codes and ARC requirements.
    11. Exterior finish suppliers to determine compliance to code and ARC requirements through acceptable details. And to acquire samples of all finishes for ARC and building department reviews.
    12. Finish carpenters to determine all exterior and interior millwork and moldings.
    13. Fireplace and wood stove suppliers to determine fireplaces, resolve any code issues, and ARC compliance.
    14. Appliance suppliers to determine needs and space requirements of all installed appliances.
  • Structural drawings and engineering are incorporated into details and drawings. Includes mitigation designs for ground movement, ground swelling, sub-surface ground water issues, and issues regarding surface water penetrations.
  • Architectural Review Committee changes incorporated for final approval.
  • Structural engineer to review final phase 2 drawings and “wet stamp” appropriate pages for permit and construction.
  • State and health department approval documents secured for plumbing items such as septic fields and water wells.

Phase Three – Final Construction Documents

  • Designer or architect prepares final CAD based drawings for construction.
  • Integrates information developed from all your phase two meetings.
  • All drawings from the phase two schematic set included.
  • Creates final construction drawings for the general contractor to use.
  • Helps to create a hard cost determination and establishes who will be the contractor.

Gary Miller
Principal and Designer,
Timbertree and Stonecastle Designs, LLC

Habitat

Look for What Already Lives on the Land !

When you are purchasing a piece of property to build your home, remember, even though there may not be a house on it, it is probably home to many species of plants and animals. It is easy to dismiss this on a piece of property we want to build our homes on. But reality is that it is home to other things. And should those other plants and animals be a protected species as declared by a jurisdiction, you may find some restrictions placed on you for what you can do.

This is not necessarily as obvious as an eagle’s nest in a tree on the property. It may look more like a moist or wet spot on the property. It may be a stream, pond or lake that serves not only as home to one species, but may be a source of drinking water for others.

Paths on the ground may be how something moves from one location to another maybe only once a year, or maybe daily. Holes in the ground may be evidence of burrowed animals.

The point is that the more the property is located in the wild so that a home can be a secluded place of refuge, the more that property may be home to other things that are protected by a jurisdiction. I have known new land owners who became frustrated because right after they purchased a piece of property, they preceded to remove vegetation or drain swampy pools of water that were stagnate. Then someone in a government agency took notice and suddenly they found themselves defending their actions and incurring fines and orders to undo what they did. And jurisdictions may require replacement of habitat to be done by licensed firms, not by the land owner. Which in turn creates a lot of cost that could have been avoided.

Some properties lie within the boundaries of habitats of animals who are hunters themselves. Bears, mountain lions, bobcats, eagles and hawks are carnivorous hunters. New land owners should understand that once they develop a piece of property, these animals and birds of prey will probably visit and could target pets, other domesticated animals and birds or in some cases the owners themselves. Landowners will have limited means afforded to them for protection. Government agencies tend to side with protecting these animals and their need for food, water and shelter. Land owners are expected to develop a property and use the property in a way that does not invite trouble. If they don’t, government agencies generally will fine or even imprison those that are negligent.

So, when you get ready to purchase a piece of ground in order to build your dream. Get out and walk it from end to end looking for any signs of habitat. Go in and talk with those bureaucrats that may have some say on what you can do with the property. And then review how that impacts the use of the property for your dream home. It is so disappointing when new potential owners have not taken the time to do this. They see the great views the property offers. They see the price as a great deal. And they can envision their own dream on the land. But they forgot that other things were there first and that those things could be protected in some way.

Gary Miller
Principal and Designer,
Timbertree and Stonecastle Designs, LLC

Know How the Land Drains

Water Drainage and Your Home Design

I can remember when it would rain and sometimes water would show up on our basement floor and my parents would try their best to mop it up. Water is one of the most intrusive elements we live with in a home. One of the very basic functions of a home is to put a “roof over our head”. What does that mean ? Well, it means that a home provides us a safe hideaway from the elements of weather. And one of those is water. Water can damage a home’s structure and its finishes. Water if allowed to gather inside a home can promote decay and disease even. So keeping water out of a home is one of the most important things an Architect or architectural designer has to design around.

One of the ways water can enter our homes is from the parcel of land we purchased. Designers, engineers, architects and building officials refer this issue to the topic of site drainage. Does the site have a natural way of allowing rain and snow melt to run off and away from the building? Or does it gather the water into pools and slowly removes the water by soaking it into the ground itself? Or is it a combination of the two?

When you want a custom home built, you want that home to be safe from the destructive effects of water. And so one of the crucial pieces of designing a home is how water on the ground is kept from damaging it. I am amazed at how this one item can effect the home’s design. It effects how high the home is built relative to the existing ground. Which if there is a “height restriction” on the home relative to the existing ground, then the design required height of the floors do to site drainage could result in a home with limits on roof pitch and the total area the home takes on the ground. And those in turn can limit design styles that work. And so site drainage is an important part of how the land effects the home.

In order to keep surface water from entering a home, there are three basic areas of design that need to be addressed. First is the basic need to keep surface water from moving up to the home. Good home designs address this through a use of roof gutters and down spouts that route water from the roof of a home and release it on the ground at least five feet or more away from the exterior walls. That water is prevented from flowing back to the home by having the “grade” or the finished surface of the ground shaped in a way that water that gets on it flows away from the home. Planning and Building Safety departments may as they have along the Front Range of Colorado require a perimeter system of surface membrane and rock extending out on the ground for the first five feet from a home. This buffer area is sometimes limited in its use for plants, bushes and trees. Many jurisdictions with this required buffer do not allow plants of any sort in this area in order to prevent owners from needing to irrigate any portion of this buffer.

The second area of design is not so visibly evident. It is what is called waterproofing or dampproofing of the exterior side of the foundation wall that is covered by soil. Water that gets under the surface of the ground by soaking into it can flow back to the foundation. A foundation is by itself not able to keep water out of a home. Concrete and concrete block systems are permeable to an extent. Water can penetrate the surface and it soaks into the concrete or block. Once the foundation is saturated, the water will start to weep out of it into the inside of the home. And any cracks or fissures in a foundation will become pathways for water to get into a home. A preventive measure for this intrusion is a system of dampproofing and or waterproofing. This is basically a membrane coating that is applied to the exterior face of the foundation wall below the ground that is less permeable to water. Water gathers on its surface and can flow down to the third area of design, which is the perimeter foundation drain system.

Once water that gets to the exterior of a foundation is diverted downward, it still needs to be removed before it gets under the foundation wall and flows up the other side into the home. And we call this system a “foundation drain”. It is a system of pipes that is at the level of the bottom of the foundation that has holes in it to allow water to gather inside. The pipe is surrounded by rock which is covered by a water permeable membrane that allows water to get to this drain pipe without allowing the dirt to move in and plug things up. This drain is then usually tied to a plastic pit called a “sump pit” that the water can flow into.

Once the sump pit has water in it, a submersible water pump then activates to send the water back up an ejection pipe that is then routed to a point of discharge safely away from the home.

When these three systems (A system to divert surface and roof water from flowing up to the home, a system of waterproofing or dampproofing a foundation, and the perimeter drain system) are designed well, most water can be prevented from entering a home and causing damage.

Can water still invade by overwhelming these systems or finding other ways to get in? Absolutely. These systems are not a guaranteed cure all. And should never be thought of as such. This is only basic to getting some protection from water. Some sources of water, such as a rising water table in the ground, or an underground stream to name but a couple can be nearly impossible to control. Even with more extensive systems such as concrete “admixtures”, and membranes under foundations and concrete floors, and water stops that are cast into the concrete can be very expensive additional items. They may or may not work. Remember water will flow into an area of least resistance. And the very best beginning point to keep water out is through the three main design areas of water control.

Keeping water from flowing up to a home in the first place is paramount to preventing this intrusive element from doing damage. Note how the land handles water in the first place, and then raise the home up out of the ground and slope the grade so that water does not have a chance to get up to the foundation and you will be more apt to keep water out.

Gary Miller
Principal and Architectural Designer,
Timbertree and Stonecastle Designs, LLC

Next Week’s Blog Subject: Your Land and its Natural Habitat Issues

Utilities

What role do utilities have on your property ?

As a youngster, I recall traveling with my parents through the countryside. There were these white colored cylinders that resembled submarines. And in fact as I grew up as a kid, I used to go visit friends and family and play around the tank imagining it to be a submarine. Nowhere in my mind was what this object was really used for.

Utilities transform a blank piece of dirt into something that can be developed. They serve to create opportunity to use the land other then to grow local common vegetation. They add value to what you purchase.

Utilities come in two broad formats. One is those which the owner of the property develops on their own. And the second type are those developed by outside sources and are brought onto the property by easement. Last week, I wrote about easements. They create areas of land that can not be built upon because of something like a utility passes under or over it. Easements create a dedicated space for maintenance of the utility without disturbing the home or building on the parcel. We call those utilities “stubbed in”. Easements are not established from the point on the utility the property owner assumes responsibility for maintenance to a home or building.

Within each of those two broad formats, there are several different utilities that can come that way. Those include electricity, gas, water, sewer, phone, Internet and cable television. Electricity, gas and water services from outside sources usually flow through a metering device before they can be used so that the cost of those utilities becomes proportionate to the amount used.

Electricity which powers almost everything in our homes can come from a local utility company and can either be stubbed into the property by underground cable or overhead wires. Water, sewer and gas services from outside sources are typically brought in by underground means. Cable television, Internet and phone can either be overhead wires, or underground.

People refer to developing their own sources of utilities as “being off the grid”. For a variety of reasons, one or more utility may need to be created by the land owner. Typically when this occurs, permits will need to be taken out from the Department of Building Safety or other agencies to establish those. Electricity can be created from solar panels, windmills, or hydroelectric means. Sources of water usually come from wells dug deep into the earth. Owner provided sewer services come in the form of underground leaching fields and tanks. Gas services can be seen as above ground bottled gas containers like those I played around as a kid. And television, Internet and phone services can come from handheld devices or satellite dishes.

In order for parcels to have their own sources of water and sewer, those lots usually are not located within a city or town and have a sizable area. This is because local governing bodies have rules and regulations on how much distance these two items must be minimally separated by. There can also be rules on how far away they must be from property boundaries since being to close can altar what the neighbor can do on their property. More and more I have seen governments only approve of domestic use water wells if they are fitted with a meter. If the property owner exceeds the amount of water approved, then a fee is assessed. So, if you purchase a piece of ground that does not have utilities on or into it, research what the local governing body has to say about these items. Utilities have a significant cost to put them in place, whether they are stubbed in from outside sources or developed right on the property. But those costs usually add value to the property that exceeds the costs involved. I have known individuals who’s whole motivation to purchasing property was to develop utilities into or on the property and then sell it for a profit.

Purchasing property that already has utilities developed makes that property easier to use. And if your dream is to have a new custom home, then that dream is faster to see happen.

Gary Miller
Principal and Architectural Designer,
Timbertree and Stonecastle Designs, LLC

*Next week the subject will be about drainage and its importance.

Setbacks and Easements

What are Building Setbacks and Easements ?

We all know of homes that feel to close to one another. I have heard individuals joke about how they could possibly touch each home that sit next to each other at the same time. It is interesting how they speak about new homes being to close. But the closest homes I have encountered are the ones built back in the early 1900s in Denver. I have literally had to walk slightly sideways to move between them. Neighbors joked how the cats of the area were able to jump from roof to roof because the older homes were so close to each other in Denver. I have been around properties where buildings were constructed right on the property line, making the side of the building the property line and the roof extended over into the neighbors land. I have met neighbors who disagreed about where their common boundary was and what to do about things built intruding onto the other property. There were instances when I witnessed how not enough room was allowed between buildings to allow a utility to be repaired underground and had to be hand dug out, and filled back in.

The use of setbacks and easements has allowed present day construction to not create these problems.

Most new parcels of land have established setbacks and easements that limit the location where the home and accessory buildings can be built. Easements are areas of land whereby access is given to agencies or companies to maintain what the easement is created for. Easements can be established for drainage or any utility above and below the ground. They are commonly made wide enough to allow repair vehicles access to the entire length of the utility or drainage swale. Easements can also include prohibitions against planting trees and bushes that would need to be destroyed if a repair was to be made.

Setbacks are a set distance from property lines that buildings can not encroach upon. Sometimes roof overhangs can be limited too by easements and setbacks. Overhangs may be allowed in those areas by a short distance. However, even rare, zero lot line construction allows buildings to be built to the property line. Duplex and other townhomes may actually use a zero lot line as a centerline through the common wall between units. When this happens and in homes allowed under 5 feet from a property line, the “Building Code” will limit what materials can be used within a determined distance from that line. This is for the suppression of fire spread from one unit to another property.

The combination of setbacks and easements limit the overall footprint of the home. You can not build onto either setbacks or easements. Materials and number of openings such as doors and windows change depending upon how close the home is built to a property line. You should acquaint yourself with each of these before you commission a design.

Gary Miller

Principal and Architectural Designer,

Timbertree and Stonecastle Designs, LLC

Do I Need A Soils Test?

What is a Soils Test ?

As you stand on the ground you are thinking about building a home on, the dirt feels solid, unmovable and full of life. Surely a home can be built here with no problems you feel. And then someone mentions a need for a soils test. What is that?

A soils test, or by the more technical name “Geotechnical Test”, analyzes the composition of the soil below the surface for its ability to support a foundation of a building. In the Denver area, and Front Range of Colorado, a soils test is required to be done in order for a foundation to be correctly designed and you need to turn in a copy of it to the Building Department there if you want a building permit for a home there. Since the test determines how much weight the soil can take on without sinking or sometimes expanding, it is done by a separate geotechnical engineering firm and is compiled into a report that the structural engineer uses for their design

Along the Front Range of Colorado and throughout Denver, the soils contain a significant amount of clay and bentonite. Both substances have beneficial uses in cosmetics, and in gardening and in making things like bricks and clay fired dishes. But under a home or building, they are responsible for the shifting and lifting of homes and concrete floors and movement in streets and sidewalks. That simple lifting or called “heaving” creates cracks in foundations and floors and also show up as drywall cracks inside and cracks in bricks outside.

The test determines the amount of these substances and other soil constituents to determine the possible amount of movement they can create. Parcels of ground with significant amounts of these problem items can change a foundation design from a simple spread footing to one that requires expensive drilled reinforced concrete piers to hold the home in place. Basements can go from having a concrete floor to a wood floor framed over a crawl space under the basement. Walls in basements are usually hung from the floor above and left floating above a basement floor to prevent the transfer of upward lift into the house above. All these things of mitigation add significant costs to a home.

In Twin Falls, Idaho, the Building Department there has a presumption that the bearing capacity of the soil inside the city limits is 1500 psf. So for every square foot of soil, that the spread footer of the foundation sits on, it can uphold 1500 pounds of weight. Therefore a footing that is 18 inches wide at its bottom can transfer up to 2250 pounds of weight from the home for every foot of length of its foundation walls. Add up the lengths in feet of all of the home’s foundation walls and multiply that number by 2250 and you will have the maximum weight the home can be before it possibly settles or sinks. This of course is a very simplified example to give an idea of what a bearing capacity number can mean to a home design. One of the purposes of the soils test is to determine that bearing capacity number.

Other items a geotechnical test can provide is at what depth within the depth of the hole drilled for the test, is water present. It always amazed my inner child need to drop a stone into the test hole and weight to hear either that thud of a dry hole or the splash of it hitting a surface of water. A tape measure is then used to determine how close to the surface is this water table. Water that is discovered higher then the planned depth of a basement can mean possible trouble with water entering a basement in the future and added expenses in a basement design to try to keep that water out. Sometimes though, the water level is too invasive and a basement idea may need to be abandoned all together. Knowing this thru the use of this test saves a lot of headache in changing plans for a basement.

Another item discovered is a point called the “Point of Refusal”. This is simply where the rock under the ground is hard enough and close enough to the surface that the drill device that takes samples for the test comes to a point where it can not proceed. If the “Point of Refusal” is to high, then the excavation for the foundation could become more expensive, especially if blasting is needed. Or again, a decision for a basement is abandoned.

Typically the test is performed by a company drilling a 6 inch diameter hole going down nearly 25 feet into the ground. Samples of the soil are brought up at different depths in the hole and collected. Those samples are taken to a laboratory where they undergo analysis of composition as well as swell and shrink potential tests. Usually I would see in Denver two holes drilled in the area of the proposed basement could be and one hole made in the area of any garage may be.

After seeing the extent of how underground soil can effect the home above and how easily a home can develop cracks or become flooded by water, I encourage this test as it helps to ensure a better and more sound foundation for the dream you have.

Gary Miller

Principal and Architectural Designer,

Timbertree and Stonecastle Design, LLC

Things That Must be Considered First

Do Not Forget These When Buying Land

The purchase of raw land with the desire to build a custom home is the first step towards having your custom home built. Go and stand on your new property. It is more than plain dirt under your feet. In fact it has many things about it that you should be aware of. Sure the land possibly has a great view. There are other things, more hidden, that can impact your dream. They act as boundaries. They are essentially rules that you and the home designer must comply with if you are to see your dream become reality.

The following are some of the items you will need to consider before hiring your architect or designer to create a floor plan. So, lets take a look at what you need to know about your land before that dream can be placed on paper.

The Soils Test
Lot Utilities
Wells and Septic Fields
Drainage
Existing Natural Habitats
Underground Hazards
Covenants and Agreements
Building and Planning Department Issues
Building Codes Enforced
Fire Suppression Issues
Soil Erosion Regulations
Import and Removal of Fill Dirt
Sun and Shade Restrictions
Setbacks and Easements
Building Height Restrictions
Limits on Use by Right
Architectural Review Committee Restrictions

Gary Miller

Principal and Architectural Designer

Timbertree and Stonecastle Designs, LLC

Know Your Land – See Your Dream

What Do You Want Exactly ?

You found that perfect piece of land. It is the beginning of a dream. Every process has a beginning. Knowing your very first step towards having a custom home can seem daunting. What do you do first? Do you first choose an architect, choose a contractor without drawings or go visit the local building department?

You purchased a parcel of ground. You have many choices to choose from. The very first step is to decide whether you want a custom home, a pre-designed home from a plan service, or a home directly from a builder who has a design in hand. You may even choose to hold onto the property, later selling to someone else at a profit. However, should you want a custom home, this ongoing blog will answer your questions about how to proceed.

Should you want a custom home, now is the time to visualize your dream. You will need to gather many examples of things that appeal to you. Do you want a three bedroom, Victorian style, two story home? Is your dream about a four bedroom rambling ranch with a craftsman style exterior? Could it be something else totally different? Collect clippings from magazines. Print pictures from the Internet. Go visit homes already built and note what appeals to you. You need these to help you describe to an architectural designer or architect what your dream is. I have seen many individuals who knew they wanted a custom home but were conflicted inside about what that would be. It is the role of architectural designers like myself, to take all the puzzle pieces you find and pull them together to form that picture perfect place you want to call home.

The Dream

The lights dim and a conductor takes to the stage. Before him sits several individuals poised at the ready to play. He lifts his hand, and with a flick of a wand, the orchestra plays and music fills the air. Those who have come to hear a concert are pleasantly rewarded.

When a person has a dream, and that of a new custom home, they seek out an architect or designer. And like an orchestra, the design team under its conductor, the architectural designer rewards the future homeowner. The designer uses their creative mind like that of the conductor to bring out within a group of professionals and engineers their very best. The music played is the design coming to life for the audience member, you the future homeowner.

I have been and continue to be that architectural designer for over thirty years. In that time, homeowners have asked many questions about how to best go from buying a blank piece of ground to getting a building permit for their dream. I want to put within this blog my thoughts for those wanting to take that leap, purchase a parcel of land, and seek out a designer to place their dreams and longings onto paper.

There are many steps in this process, and this blog will cover those from the initial meeting with a designer, to achieving a permit that will allow that owner the valued special moment of sticking that shovel for the first time into the dirt they own.

May all of you who read this have great success in this process,

Gary Miller
Principal and Architectural Designer
Timbertree and Stonecastle Designs, LLC