Spiritual & Inspirational Sunday December 13, 2009

Welcome to my Spiritual & Inspirational Sunday post. For over twenty-five years I have collected various spiritual and inspirational quotes and messages. My hope is that when you read these, you will pause and reflect. Perhaps you will share this post with a friend who just so happens to be in need of reading what I am sharing today.

Memo From God

…I already gave you the Ten Commandments. Keep them. But follow these guidelines, also. 

1. Quit Worrying          Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?

2. Put It On The List            Something needs to be done or taken care of, put it on the list. No, not your list. Pit it on MY to-do-list. Let me be the one to take care of the problem. I can’t help you until you turn it over to me. And although my –to-do-list is long, I am after all, God. I can take care of anything you put into my hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realized.

3. Trust Me          Once you’ve given your burdens to me, quit trying to take them back. Trust in me. Have the faith that I will take care of all your needs, your problems and your trials. Problems with the kids? Put them on my list. Problem with finances? Put it on my list. Problems with your emotional roller coaster? For my sake, put it on my list. I want to help you. All you have to do is ask.

4. Leave It Alone          Don’t wake up one morning and say, “Well, I’m feeling much stronger now, I think I can handle it from here.” Why do you think you are feeling stronger now? It’s simple. You gave me your burdens and I’m taking care of them. I also renew your strength and cover you in my peace. Don’t you know that if I give you these problems back, you will be right back where you started. Leave them with me and forget about them. Just let me do my job.

5. Talk To Me          I want you to forget a lot of things. Forget what was making you crazy. Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I’, in control. But there’s one thing I pray you never forget. Please don’t forget to talk to me- Often! I love you. I want to hear your voice. I want you to include me in on the things going on in your life. I want to hear you talk about your friends and family. Prayer is simply you having a conversation with me. I want to be your dearest friend.

6. Have Faith           I see a lot of things from up here that you can’t see from where you are. Have faith in me that I know what I’m doing.  Trust me, you wouldn’t want the view from my eyes. I will continue to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust me. Although I have a much bigger task than you, it seems as if you have so much trouble just doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?

7. Share          You were taught to share when you were only two years old. When did you forget? The rule still applies. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy with those who need encouragement. Share your laughter with those who haven’t heard any in such a long time. Share your tears with those who have forgotten how to cry. Share your faith with those who have none.

8. Be Patient          I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime you could have so many diverse experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so much. How can you be so impatient then when it takes me a little longer than you expect to handle something on my to-do-list? Trust in my timing, for my timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire universe in only six days everyone thinks I should always rush, rush, rush.

9. Be Kind           Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for my sake. I crated each of you different in some way. It would be too boring if you were all identical. Please know I love each of your differences.

10. Love Yourself          As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only—to be lvoed, and to love in return. I am a God of Love. Love me. Love your neighbors. But also love yourself. It makes my heart ache when I see you so angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious to me. Don’t ever forget that! With all my heart, I love you.  GOD

This was an email forward I received December 28, 2003. I don’t know who sent it to me nor who wrote this.  I just like it!  Blessings.  …susan

Bathroom Towel Storage Options Series Part Five-Miscellaneous

Continuing my series on bathroom towel storage options- in this post I will share scanned photos showing a miscellaneous assortment of options. One option my daughter-in-law used in her previous home, sorry I do not have a photo, was to hang a metal decorative wine bottle rack on her bathroom wall. This rack had three or four U-shaped hooks. Instead of wine bottles she put rolled up towels. Blessings.  …susan

 

Source: Great Baths Collection

^Can’t you imagine sitting on the cushioned bench in your robe drinking coffee and reading a book in front of the fireplace? 

 

^I did not run across this photo of a short chest with a drawer until after I had published the second post on storage in furniture, so, I am adding it here.

^Source Unknown-if you know the source and contact me I will note it.

Above and below are two examples of storing towels on a “ladder”. Both become a piece of “art” for the bathroom.

 

Source: Bathrooms by House Beautiful

Source: Bathrooms by House Beautiful

In the photo above are some interesting wall mounted bins for storing towels which are in keeping with the contemporary design of this bathroom.

^Source Unknown-if you know the source and contact me I will note it.

If you are short on storage space, you can always use a basket to store your towels.

^Source Unknown-if you know the source and contact me I will note it.

Attractive wall mounted towel hooks are another way to store towels and at the same time create a nice visual as shown above.

 

Source Unknown-if you know the source and contact me I will note it.

There is nothing more luxurious than a warm fluffy bath towel to wrap yourself in when stepping out of the shower or bath tub. Not only does this warming drawer serve to warm the towels but it is also a great place to store towels.

^Source Unknown-if you know the source and contact me I will note it.

^I have never been a fan of a pedestal sink in any bathroom except the powder room because there is no place to put the items used on a daily basis. However, the long counter with shelves below solves that problem. I like the rod that protrudes out of the front of the counter which is a perfect place to hang hand towels or a bath towel as shown. Note the lighted wall mounted magnifying mirror.

Source Unknown-if you know the source and contact me I will note it.

^If you run into a situation where there is no place to put a towel ring or towel bar for towels, here is a possible solution.

I plan for my next post to be my Spiritual & Inspirational Sunday post and then I will do one on mistakes to avoid with towel storage.

Spiritual & Inspirational Sunday December 6, 2009

Welcome to my Spiritual & Inspirational Sunday post. For over twenty-five years I have collected various spiritual and inspirational quotes and messages. My hope is that when you read these, you will pause and reflect. Perhaps you will share this post with a friend who just so happens to be in need of reading what I am sharing today. With all of the publicity surrounding Tiger Woods, I thought it would be appropriate to share quotes about telling the truth. Blessings.  …susan

“…if you tell the truth, your problem becomes a part of your past. If you lie, it becomes a part of your future.”  Coach Rick Pitino as he responded to his own scandal.

“If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.” Marcus Aurelius

“A half truth is a whole lie.”  Yiddish proverb

“When you stretch the truth, watch out for the snapback.”  Bill Copeland

“Who lies for you will lie against you.”  Bosnian proverb

“If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.”  Mark Twain

No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.” Abraham Lincoln

“Truth is generally the best vindication against slander.”  Abraham Lincoln

“The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off.”  Gloria Steinem

“Humility is nothing but truth; pride is nothing but lying.” Vincent de Paul

“The ability to lie is a liability.”  Unknown

Home Maintenance & Improvement

A home is many things: shelter, a place to create family memories, a comfort zone, an investment. Regardless of the reasons for owning a home, it makes sense to maintain its value so that it can be enjoyed for years.

Day-to-day living causes an inevitable aging process for any home. But an active maintenance regimen, focusing on a few key systems and finishes, can stem or slow that process. And for products, systems and finishes that no longer benefit from maintenance, investing in replacements and upgrades can refresh a room or curb appeal, provide greater convenience and comfort, and perhaps even lower future maintenance costs.

The thought of staying on top of everything in a home, however, can seem daunting. But actually, it comes down to common sense, a bit of diligence, and a short list of critical products and systems, including:

• Heating and cooling. It's a simple thing, but changing the furnace filter every three months goes a long way to maintaining the proper operation of a home's entire air distribution system. A clean filter keeps dust, moisture, and other allergens out of the ductwork to keep the indoor air fresh and healthy. In addition, professionally clean the ducts and carpets every 2-3 years. A properly maintained heating, cooling, and air distribution system can last 15 years or more. Within that time, new technologies will have been established to improve energy efficiency and comfort at a level that likely justifies replacing the equipment.

• Drainage. Rainwater runoff, among other sources of water, must be directed away from the structure to avoid potentially serious problems. Maintaining a home's drainage and runoff system, however, will mitigate that potential. For instance, gutters should be cleaned out and repaired, as necessary, once the leaves have all dropped in the fall and again in the early spring; downspouts should be fitted with extensions or splash blocks to direct or disperse runoff away from the house. In addition, make sure dirt against the house (called "backfill") is kept sloping away from the structure and that plantings do not grow or root closer than 18 inches from the foundation. A common replacement for aging and leaky gutters and downspouts are seamless systems and those that are designed to keep debris out of the trough.

• Roofing and siding. A new home's exterior finishes, mainly its roofing and siding materials, are designed to last for at least 20 years. That being said, any cracks, voids, or other damage to these finishes during their design life can lead to leaks and related moisture problems.

Visually inspect the roof and sidewalls of the house at least annually for the first five years, and then every six months after that. And, of course, make any repairs immediately. Replacement roofing and siding is a common upgrade, creating a fresh look for the home's exterior and providing an improved barrier against the elements.

There are other maintenance tasks that can further help protect the investment of owning a home and, perhaps more important, sustain or upgrade its comforts and conveniences of a house. The key is to properly maintain a home's materials and systems until they reach the end of their usable life, at which time they should be replaced to not only restore (and usually improve) the performance of the original, but also refresh the look and feel of an existing home.

Seattle Architect helps Choose House Colors

We often get calls from clients needing help choosing paint colors. This can be very challenging for people who have never done this before. On most of our architectural projects we help the client choose paint colors, so we have a lot of experience with this. If you need help choosing paint colors, contact Seattle Architects.

Seattle Architecture Services

Architecture services offered by design firms can be confusing and hard to compare from one firm to the next. I recently spoke with a potential client who was comparing our pricing to another firm. We were higher, but when I looked at their services, it was for a basic permit set of drawings, which is not enough information for the typical homeowner to construct a project. Our proposal was for full services. When we compared apples to apples, we were almost the same cost. So, when comparing architecture services, it's important to understand what you are getting. For more information visit Seattle Architects and read more.

Hiring an architect

Need help hiring an architect? Here are some tips.

Green Design

Green design is not just something you do because it's hip or the 'in thing to do'. It's something we do because it's the right thing to do. All good architects have always incorporated certain green design principals into design, like using materials efficiently, siting the home correctly, and providing appropriate shading and day lighting. Today there are many more things to be concerned about like the embedded energy in a product. It's much more complicated today because there is a lot more information to sort through. And there is a lot more hype too, so it's important to wade through the hype to get to the facts. To learn more about green design visit seattle architects.

Lumen ID Custom Wood Switchplates

We've been in contact with Rand Soellner Architects in North Carolina who wants to offer custom wood engraved switchplates to his clients. He designs beautiful rustic wood homes usually in the mountains or other rural areas. We produced this sample for his clients to consider using in their homes (see image on right). We tried a variety of the fonts, but settled on Papyrus, which coincidentally is Rand's font on his letterhead. It just seems to feel right with the casual and natural quality of the wood. For more information visit Lumen ID.

Seattle Basement Remodel

So many homes in Seattle need their basements remodeled. Often remodeling the basement will double the living space of a home. And the space already exists! We're finding in this down economy that smaller projects like basement remodels become more popular since they are more affordable to complete, and it's a quick way to add usable space to a home.

One challenge we find is what to do with all the stuff people have accumulated in the basement. One couple wanted to turn their garage into a room to use as a crafts room and storage. Be careful with this, because in Seattle you usually have to have one legal parking space on you property for a single family residence (2 spaces if you have an ADU - mother-in-law apartment). The legal parking space cannot be in the street or in your front yard setback. Of course you can keep your garage and just fill it with all your stuff! You just can't take away that garage door and make it interior living space.

For more information about Seattle basement remodels visit Seattle Architects.

Remodeling your entire house?

Completing a whole house remodel is a challenging project! We've added an article to our website about remodeling the entire house that walks you through the steps and introduces some ideas to think about as you plan your project. For more information visit Seattle Architects Motionspace Architecture + Design PLLC.

Adding a Second Story Addition to your Home

We've added a new article to our website that helps describe the process of adding a second story addition to your home. We're getting a lot of calls for second story additions in Seattle probably because of the lack of land. Often homes are already built to the setbacks, so going up is the only place to add space to an existing home. It can be expensive, though. Usually we budget at least $200/sf (that's a minimum) for construction cost. For more information visit Seattle Architects Motionspace Architecture + Design PLLC.

Handrail Code Items

Handrail codes have relaxed over the years to allow for a variety of shapes and sizes. Here are some of the relevant code items for the 2006 Seattle Residential Building Code:

• Must be positioned 34"-38" when measured vertically above the front of each tread.
• If installed against a wall, the space between the handrail and the wall may not be less than 1 1/2"
  
• Must extend at least from a point directly above the lowest riser to a point directly above the upper riser (it can extend beyond these points). See next bullet point for exception.
  
• At the bottom tread, a 'starting newel' is allowed over the lowest tread (meaning the handrail may end a little earlier than above the lowest riser).
  
• Handrails must return to wall or to newel post.
• For the actual handrail you have two choices:
  
  Type 1: Handrails with a circular cross section must have a diameter between 1 1/4" - 2". If the handrail is not circular, the perimeter dimension must be at least 4" and not greater than 6 1/4" with a maximum cross section dimension of 2 1/4".
  
  Type 2: Handrails with a perimeter greater than 6 1/4" shall provide a graspable finger recess area on both sides of the profile. The finger recess shall begin within a distance of 3/4" measured vertically from the tallest portion of the profile and achieve a depth of at least 5/16" within 7/8" below the widest portion of the profile. This required depth shall continue for at least 3/8" to a level that is not less than 1 3/4" below the tallest portion of the profile. The minimum width of the handrail above the recess shall be 1 1/4" to a maximum of 2 3/4". Edges shall have a minimum radius of .01".

Railing Code Items

Many people ask about common items like what are the code requirements for a stair railing. Here are some relevant code items from the 2006 Seattle Residential Code.

• The top of the railing needs to be a minimum of 34" measured vertically above the nosing of the stair tread.
  
• The triangular opening formed by a stair tread, riser, and the bottom railing of the guard rail cannot let a 6" sphere pass through.
• The railing should not let a 4" sphere pass through any opening (except as noted above).
  
• The 'pickets' in the railing can be vertical or horizontal, or follow the slope of the stairs (or every which direction as long as the 4" rule is maintained.)
  
• Connections of the railing to the structure should resist 200lb/sf load.
  
• A handrail is required too.

To Bid or Not to Bid

I am often asked the question of whether a time and material contract is better than a fixed price bid (and using a fixed price contract). The decision is different for every client, but for one recent client, putting his project out to bid resulted in big savings. The beauty of the bid is that it introduces competition into the equation. This works especially well when the economy is down since contractors are looking for work. You may even find a contractor who is bidding the job at cost to keep a team that he or she has spent many years assembling intact.

The results of a job put out to bid to several contractors can often be startling. It is not uncommon to find bids varying by thousands and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars. Sometimes it makes me wonder if they are looking at the same drawings! Many times contractors will say a bid is a waste of time because everyone is using similar subcontractors, and everyone has similar overhead, so everyone should be about the same price. This probably holds more true in a good economy, but my experience on projects put out to bid is that prices vary greatly. A recent project had bids from $270K to around $410K. Another project bid from $325K to $575K. And recently I had a basement remodel bid from $25K to $125K.

It's important to be sure to qualify each contractor. In some situations you'll want to throw out the lowest bid. But if the lowest bidder is qualified to do the job, there may not be any reason NOT to take the lowest bid and benefit from these savings.

Eight Things to Consider when Looking for an Architect

If you’re looking for an architect you’ve probably read the 20 things to ask an architect article published by the AIA by now. While this is a good list, we wanted to add a few more questions and suggestions to add to the selection process. Some of these suggestions are from our insight gained from working in actual offices and interviewing with hundreds of potential clients. Other issues arise from knowing how a good office functions and technology is used by the best firms. So here’s our list:

1. Visit the architect’s office.

An architect’s office can say a lot about their design aesthetic and creativity. Unfortunately many first meetings with a client will be at their project site, so you may not have an opportunity to see the architect’s office. Consider scheduling a visit at the architect’s office within a few days of the initial meeting.

2. A disorganized architect’s office might be a red flag.

An architect has to organize hundreds, if not thousands of pieces of information, and a disorganized office might be a big red flag. However, don’t confuse artist creativity with disorganization. Models or model building supplies, trace paper and sketches can be a sign of real creativity, but project information is normally stored in binders and filing cabinets. Large piles of paper are probably not a good thing.

3. Ask your architect if they are using 3D software (the answer should be ‘yes’ – then ask them if they are using BIM).

The latest architectural software is called BIM (building information model) and the more sophisticated architects are using this. A house or project designed in BIM is completely or almost completely designed in 3D. In addition, in many cases the software can help eliminate errors in coordination of drawings since the 2 dimensional drawings are all ‘extracted’ from the 3D model. The software also keeps track of things like sizes of each door and window, and when a size is changed in one drawing, it is automatically updated in another. This can be a real help in reducing errors.

4. Education is the foundation of an architect’s experience.

While attending a good school can help assure your architect has a good foundation to build upon, usually a better indicator is how an architect did in the school they attended. From my experience in school and teaching, only 10%-20% of students are really talented designers and very few students got significantly better as they went through school. To get a sense of how someone did in school, ask about design awards they may have won or exhibitions they may have participated in.

5. Know who you are going to work with.

If you are hiring a multi-person firm, find out who you will actually be working with. Many times the person you are interviewing with won’t actually be doing much work on your project. If the person you are going to be working with isn’t in the interview, ask to visit the architect’s office (see #1) and meet the person or people who will be on your team. Ask to see the credentials of those team members as well.

6. Architects communicate with drawings as well as words.

Look at the architects drawings and ask questions about them. It may be challenging to read or understand drawings if you haven’t done that before, but if you can’t understand them after an architect explains them, then either the drawings are not very good, or the architect has a hard time communicating – both might be red flags.

7. A complete set of construction drawings includes specifications.

Not all information is communicated within drawings. Plumbing fixtures, electrical fixtures, finishes, expected quality levels, and other information that is easier said in words than in drawings are communicated in written specifications. If your architect doesn’t prepare specifications, then you’ll likely be answering many questions during construction and may be hit with change orders.

8. Look at the architect’s website.

A well designed, well organized website can communicate that an architect is organized and can assemble information in a clear format. If their website is out of date or they don’t have one, this might be a hint that they are behind the times.

For more information, visit http://www.motion-space.com/.

Welcome to our blog - first post

Welcome to our blog: the (un)common house by Seattle Architects Motionspace Architecture + Design

I'm excited to start this new venture where we can post information in a more informal manner than our main website, and cover a wider variety of topics without having to worry about it's organization (architects tend to worry about things like that!). I am hopeful that in the coming months and years that we can turn this site into a place where others can come and see what it's like to work with an architect, or what it's like to work in the design profession in general. I have to confess that I'm a bit of a design junky (it is my drug of choice!) and I follow automotive design, furniture, industrial design, graphic, and web design pretty closely. All of those things influence me in some way or another, and help me to look at things with a new or different perspective.

I'd also like for this not to become a 'one way' conversation. Soon we'll be introducing a new page on our website where anyone can submit a question for us to consider answering in this blog. Of course, you'll have a better chance of getting your question answered if it has to do with architecture or design rather than bioengineering or aeronautics! We'll have a posting when that feature is up and running.

Queen Elizabeth Woven Cotton Bedspread for Your Interior Design

This Queen Elizabeth Woven Cotton Bedspread is incredibly luxurious bedding for your home's interior design, yet completely easy care. Wonderfully thick, and deeply textured with a center medallion and knotted fringed trim for a classic finish. Available Colors: (01) Beige (shown), (00) White, (72) Silver Green, (60) Sky Blue, (52) Lilac, (77) Woodland Green, (65) Colonial Blueor (47) Brick 100% cotton Machine wash and dry Imported. You can get it easily in this shop.

You can get easy the Queen Elizabeth Woven Cotton Bedspread in this shop, not only that special edition of interior design, in this shop, you can find about 94,788 matches of many bedding, waw...and its really easy, because you can shop online from your home directly.

When you shopping the bedding for your home interior design in this shop, you'll find great deals on all the products they're famous for and thousands of items available for in-store pickup. It's easy to shop at this shop.

With shopping the the bedding for your home interior design which online in this shop that offers lots of benefits that you won't find shopping in a store or by mail. The Internet is always open — seven days a week, 24 hours a day — and bargains can be numerous online. With a click of a mouse, you can buy anything to satisfy your hobby and your needs.You can buy anything to make your home more beautiful and luxurious, Its all available here, and it's really easy and fast. Wont waste your time.

In this shop you can buy not only bedding for your home interior design, because shop.com offer products like clothing too ( women's, men's, boy's, girl's, and accessories ), shoes, electronic, home, beauty, and many more products, you will enjoy your time for shopping in shop.com. Trust me, its really satisfying.
And, in this chance, I will share about the precious information from shop.com,...Guess, whats that?! Yess, there is a big sale, especially in Home Interior Products...WOW

Shopping Decorative Accents for Your Home's Interior Design

In this time, I will introduce you the Wall Pops for your Home Interior Design. Its really easy, new way to wake up your walls! These colorful, peel-and-stick graphic elements are totally repositionable and removable, and won't leave sticky residue on the wall. Choose from a 5-pack of circles, a 5-pack of squares or a wall border to mix or match. Pssst, you can get it easily in shop.com.

About Wall Pops, you can easily cut them to the desired size and shape with scissors to fit the space or express your creativity. Its really perfect idea to make your interior design more modern and up to date!

• Vinyl on paper with adhesive backing.
• Available color/pattern: (35) Totally Orange, (52) Purple Perk, (73) Stylin' Green,
  (69) Rainy Day Navy, (42) Bubble Gum Pink, (04) Lots of Dots Pink, (06) Lots of Dots Blue,
  (05) Ribbon Candy Purple, (03) Go Retro Pink or (13) Go Retro Orange
• Wipe-clean
• USA

You can get easy the Wall Pops in this shop, not only that special edition of interior design, in shop.com, you can find about 272,490 matches of many decorative accents, waw...and its really easy, because you can shop online from your home directly.

When you shopping the decorative accents for your home interior design in shop.com, you'll find great deals on all the products they're famous for and thousands of items available for in-store pickup. It's easy to shop at shop.com.

With shopping the the decorative accents for your home interior design which online in this shop that offers lots of benefits that you won't find shopping in a store or by mail. The Internet is always open — seven days a week, 24 hours a day — and bargains can be numerous online. With a click of a mouse, you can buy anything to satisfy your hobby and your needs.You can buy anything to make your home more beautiful and luxurious, Its all available here, and it's really easy and fast. Wont waste your time.

In this shop you can buy not only Wall Pops for your home interior design, because shop.com offer products like clothing too ( women's, men's, boy's, girl's, and accessories ), shoes, electronic, home, beauty, and many more products, you will enjoy your time for shopping in shop.com. Trust me, its really satisfying.
And, in this chance, I will share about the precious information from shop.com,...Guess, whats that?! Yess, there is a big sale, especially in Home Interior Products...WOW