Labor Day pictures October 2, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Construction, Design/Build, Explorations, Photography.add a comment
Seth sent me some cool pictures from last Labor Day weekend’s work in New Orleans. As I described before, Seth and Emilie’s house is…
A historic “camelback” shotgun house on Louisiana Avenue, it’s surprisingly spacious and will be divided into two units; the primary apartment in the front and a rental unit in the two-story portion in the rear. A complete renovation is a huge undertaking for two people, but it will be an amazing house once it is finished. Seth and I spent the afternoon pulling up floorboards and adding new floor joists in the upstairs bedroom to create a second-story cantilevered porch.
Here are some more pictures, all taken by Emilie:
Labor Day weekend September 8, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Construction, Design/Build, Explorations.Tags: new orleans, ultimate
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As it should be, Labor Day weekend was full of sun and adventure (and even a little bit of labor).
As part of our ongoing effort to meet new ultimate players around the coast, Doug, Jesse, Jon, the other Doug and I went to New Orleans on Sunday to play some pick-up ultimate frisbee. Meeting up with a local group, we played for several good hours on the lawn in front of Audubon Zoo. One of my goals is to spend more time in New Orleans, and a frisbee game every few weeks is a great reason to go over.
Staying over in the city, I joined my friends Seth and Emilie on Monday afternoon to help out at their house, which they are renovating and have just finished re-roofing. A historic “camelback” shotgun house on Louisiana Avenue, it’s surprisingly spacious and will be divided into two units; the primary apartment in the front and a rental unit in the two-story portion in the rear. A complete renovation is a huge undertaking for two people, but it will be an amazing house once it is finished. Seth and I spent the afternoon pulling up floorboards and adding new floor joists in the upstairs bedroom to create a second-story cantilevered porch. After a productive afternoon, we were joined by a bunch of their friends to celebrate Labor Day and the completion of the roof.
A House for John August 25, 2009
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John’s house is finally under way. Saturday, I helped notch the piles and build the rim joists along with a group of students from Keesler. Since then, Jeremy, Molly, Doug, and Colleen have been making progress on the floor.
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A House for Lorena August 13, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Construction, Residential Design.Tags: harris-house
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The rebuilding efforts of many Gulf Coast non-profits have been proceeding slowly lately as some funding sources have dwindled and others, such as funding from the Mississippi Development Authority, have been slow to materialize. Yet progress is still being made. One of my houses, in Long Beach, is being funded by its owner and is moving forward thanks to the efforts of International Relief and Development and Training U, a construction training program.
The house is for a lady named Lorena and features two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The compact design also includes a screened porch (see below). The plan for a concrete foundation was ditched when the soil was found to be too soupy to even dig holes, much less pour concrete. Instead, we switched to driven wood piles, which found load-bearing sand about 8-12 feet deep. This change got the project moving forward, and Training U has since been working on framing the floor and is now raising walls. Mike & Mike, the Training U instructors, bring to the project a great deal of construction experience and the patience necessary to build a house while teaching a large and inexperienced group. Thanks to them, Lorena will soon have a house and Long Beach will be one step closer to recovery.
Building Systems Guide June 17, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Architecture, Construction, Didactic.Tags: building systems
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Recently, the GCCDS has been researching a variety of building systems and their applications to architecture on the coast. We have looked at everything from whole-building systems (such as structural insulated panels or insulated concrete forms) to individual components (floor finishes, insulation types, etc). For each system, we attempt to analyze its advantages and disadvantages in many areas, including strength, thermal performance, ease of construction, environmental impact, and affordability.
Even when we are finished, our research will only partially cover the vast number of building systems and products that are available. With our guide, we hope to compare a variety of the most common and most promising systems in a way that is useful and easy to understand. If you have experience with any building technologies that we should include, or have ideas for useful ways to present and share this information, let me know.
Information about building systems is not always easily accessible. ToolBase is one site that does a great job collecting information about different systems, but if superior building technologies are to become more widespread, we need more tools for sharing that information. In particular, we need ways of sharing information on the regional level. Throughout the Gulf Coast and the deep South, there are major climate factors and other issues that affect buildings. These include long summers with high temperatures and humidity, seasonal threats from hurricanes, tornadoes, and flooding, mold and insects, expansive wetlands and other environmentally sensitive areas, high levels of poverty and inequality, and more. The GCCDS is committed to seeking regionally appropriate design solutions for the Gulf Coast. Keep an eye on our website or this blog for more!
A House for Carmen, 3 February 26, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Construction, Residential Design.Tags: davis-house
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Carmen’s house has made immense progress in the past week. Two groups are currently working on it; Christian Aid Ministries, the group that framed the house, is currently building the ramp and finishing the siding and exterior, while Hope Force is sheetrocking the interior at a rapid pace. They expect to be painting the interior and exterior by next week.
Christian Aid Ministries volunteers building the angled ramp. This landing is part of the combined ramp and front stair.
A Tale of Two Houses February 11, 2009
Posted by Vincent in Construction, Residential Design.Tags: davis-house, j-nguyen-house
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Here’s a look at my two active house projects, one under construction and the other in the early design phase. The first, Carmen’s house, has finally been started by a wonderful volunteer group called Christian Aid Ministries. Their construction team has made quick progress; since the piles were driven about two weeks ago, they have already framed the floor, walls, and most of the roof. Carmen and her husband are thrilled to see their house going up after many months of delays.
Front view of Carmen's new house.
