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Curb Appeal – Before & After

Thanks to Frank & Carol for allowing us to share the exterior transformation of their home.  

BEFORE

We took a fairly typical ‘builder’ type house and transformed it into something that the Homeowner would be excited to come home to:

AFTER

They called us in after working with their architect Scott Edwards Architecture in Portland who I have to plug for doing a wonderful job on the design and the plans.  The plans included a computer generated perspective including the actual colors to be used.  The details were spot on- much better than the typical plans that we’re provided.

One of my favorite details is this cool Barn Light over the garage door. 

Kudos to our fine subcontractors who really shined on this project: Rob, your carpentry work is impeccable.  Miguel and Tony with the painting and Pat with the outstanding stone work- you guys all made this job a success.

It’s truly a pleasure working for folks who appreciate quality work and a job done right.  Thank you Frank and Carol- enjoy your home!

Regards,

Brian Kashas

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A Geologist’s Lavatory

We did this project a couple years ago but I think it’s worth sharing.  Our client is a geologist and loves to incorporate natural stone in his projects.  The bath features two types of granite slab- one on the counter which is a honed Marron Brown (I think) and one on the ledge above the counter which is honed Absolute Black, heated travertine floor and shower and if you look real close- you can see that supporting the vanity on the left end is a rock from a local quarry hand selected by our intrepid design team. 

We love the challenge of doing something outside the box. 

Regards,

Brian Kashas

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The next generation

As my family and close friends know, I’ve discovered a passion for vegetable gardening and re-discovered the enjoyment of tinkering with projects around the house and garden.  Much of this is my desire to connect with my young sons.  I have found that by taking extra time while engaged in my various projects to allow them to participate I get to spend quality time with them while teaching them valuable skills.  It’s a joy to see them discover how things work.  

Kids are very curious and have all kinds of interesting things to say.  While working on our latest project- the Red Garden Shed- my youngest son Luke told me how he would have his kids help with projects when he’s a Dad (funny to think about your little guy pondering his fathering style at age 7).  As I was framing the roof rafters from an aluminum plank he begged me to let him join me (about 8′ up).  I eventually relented.  Once up there, he suggested that his brother Andy join him.  Andy really thought he’d rather stay on the ground.  Luke’s response, ‘how are you going to become a man if you won’t climb up here?’.  Now, where did that come from?

Luke ‘the man’

Dad

Andy- sticking close to sea level.

In fairness, Andy got over his fear of heights pretty quickly.  While we were roofing, he spent a good chunk of a couple afternoons climbing up and down a step ladder to hand up roof shingles to me. 

Great job boys- thanks for all the help and keeping me entertained all the while.

Regards,

Brian Kashas

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Adding a gas fireplace- before and after

What do you do with a plain Jane wall in a place where the cold east winds blow?  Add a high efficiency gas fireplace (and a surround sound system while you’re at it!) that’s what.

Here’s the wall before we started -

The objective was to add the fireplace without it projecting into the family room space and to keep it at floor level so as to have the new wall mount TV above at a comfortable height.  Simple enough in theory- open up the wall and frame a little shed roof cantilevered bumpout.  As an added bonus, the crawlspace below has a nice high ceiling for easy access during framing.

Ahhh- just doesn’t get any nicer than this as crawlspaces go. 

Here’s where the plot thickens a bit.  There’s a sidewalk on the side of the house where we planned the bumpout.  Code requires 6′ 8″ clearance so non-NBA types don’t bash their heads in as they try to make their way to the backyard.  With the fireplace set at the floor level we would have had a little less than 4 and 1/2 feet of clearance.  This would mean raising the fireplace enough to allow for the proper clearance- roughly 20″.  Not exactly ideal when you’re setting a TV above the fireplace, but we felt that with some massaging we could still pull it off.

We decided to go with a smaller fireplace than originally planned to keep the mantle as low as we could.  We also felt we needed a vertical element to give the fireplace surround more height to offset the high hearth.  Here’s the finished product:

The two speakers in the hearth are sub-woofers and the slim speakers on either side of the TV are the left and right fronts.  There are two rear speakers placed in the ceiling above the seating area.  Our client contracted directly with the AV company.  I tried to talk them into placing the subs on the side of the hearth, but was vetoed.  Oh well- can’t win ‘em all!  The sound is pretty phenomenal so I must defer to the experts.

I’d also like to give kudos to Les Kashas, our intrepid project manager, who as always kept the job on schedule, kept it neat and made sure we have a happy client.  Look at the mockup he did on the fireplace wall (even coordinating with the AV guys to make sure we got the framing for the speaker layout just right)-

Thanks to our client Dawn for entrusting us with her project and allowing us to share it here.

Regards,

Brian Kashas

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Design Challenge Redux

In this post I gave a little background on designing a home to be built in Ghana.  After a couple of redline sessions with Father Gillette we came up with something that he liked.  It was unusual to design something to be built on spec half a world away, but fortunately Father Gillette had strong ideas about what he thought would work.  It’s always much easier to design for someone when they can communicate their goals and tell you in a straightforward way what does and does not work.

Here is the floor plan that was ultimately approved:

Click for a larger image

As we worked through the design process I was a bit surprised to end up with what is essentially a duplex that you could find in many places here in the US.  There are some differences; more covered porch area due to the intense heat and rains, a segmented bathroom that would allow a large family to utilize different fixtures at the same time without compromising privacy and the requirement to make sure that the refrigerator is very centrally located and not necessarily attached directly to the kitchen (though it’s pretty close).  There has to be an emphasis on cross ventilation due to the heat.  This is a bit challenging in a duplex since there is necessarily a common wall.  I might have liked to offset the units from one another, but that would add unneeded compexity to the structure which is a luxury that the Owners or Renters probably could not afford.

Ghana is a country the size of the Oregon with a population of around 23 million (Oregon has less than 4 million).  It has a wealth of natural resources and a growing middle class.   This house will have electricity, running water and will be hooked up to an onsite septic system (a very simple one).  It will have a TV and a fridge.  

Father Gillette heads back to Ghana this summer and has offered to send photos of the finished project.  Hopefully it will get built and I can do a final post with some finished photos.

Regards,

Brian Kashas

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A New Design Challenge

The other day I was asked by our parish priest, Father Gillette (who is a native of Ghana) to come up with some house plans for a project that a friend of his is undertaking back home.  Of course this sparked my curiosity right away and I said I’d love to give it a go. 

Here is the design program as I understand it so far:

• The builder has a lot that is approximately 80′x80′
• He wants to put multiple homes on the lot
• The layout is to accommodate 2 families with a shared kitchen/hall area
• The floor is to be concrete
• The walls are to be made of a masonry block of some sort
• The roof is to be a sheet metal of some sort
• There are no zoning or code ordinances to dictate number of house per lot or how the homes are built

Without a lot of time during our initial conversation to really think these requirements through, I have many questions which I hope to get answered when we have Father Gillette over for dinner tonight.  I have a sneaking suspicion that the average Ghanaian has a completely different idea of what their house is supposed to do than the average American does. 

I must say this could be one of the most interesting projects that’s ever come across my desk and I’m excited to learn more. 

Stay tuned,

Brian Kashas

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Tile Art

I’d like to give kudos to our fantastic tile guys for pulling off yet another amazing feat.  Not only are the folks at Syverson & Son’s Tile true craftsmen, but they are also a pleasure to work with.  In an era of cookie-cutter workmanship, they stand out as real professionals.

Here is a recent example of them doing something a bit outside the box. 

This wall feature consists of 8 large marble tiles- approximately 36″x36″.  Each tile is a layer of black marble laminated to a layer of white marble.  The design is made by cutting grooves into the top layer (done at the factory) in order to expose the white bottom layer.  This project had the added challenge of requiring each tile to be cut down in order to fit in the alcove.  Thanks to Steve and Jay, it turned out like a true work of art just as our client had hoped.  Great work guys!

Regards,

Brian Kashas

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Before & After – Jarvis Project

One of the most satisfying parts of remodeling a home is looking at the before & after pictures.  Deb & Dave Jarvis have graciously agreed to allow me to feature their project on the blog.  We started this job in early March (I should say we actually started planning the project in the early Fall of 2009, but started construction in March) and finished in May of this year.  The planning involved working up some different layouts and budgets before settling on the one that worked best for them.  The goal of the project was to open up the living area and make the rooms feel more integrated.  Due to different floor heights and flooring materials the floor plan felt disjointed and it lived smaller than the square footage should have allowed. 

Family Room Before – sunken floor made the room feel small. 

Family Room After – raised the floor to the same level as the kitchen and continued the hardwood from the kitchen to the Family Room (covered in the photo by a red area rug)

Dining Room Before – dead end room with no exterior access, inadequate storage and small table had to be set off center for hutch

Dining Room After – built in hutch recessed under stairs, patio door relocated from the kitchen nook for access to back patio, more comfortably sized space for larger gatherings

Kitchen before – The Jarvis’ wanted to reuse the existing cabinets as much as possible.  We did reconfigure them somewhat for new appliances and we replaced the island with a larger one.  

Kitchen after – relocated microwave, new glass tile backsplash

Kitchen island before (full disclosure- that’s my stuff on the countertop!)

Kitchen island after – larger island allows for more seating.  The built-in display cabinets near the entry replace the pantry and coat closets which visually shut off the entry and living room areas. 

Entry exterior before

Entry Exterior after – the pergola provides shade and a sense of welcoming to guests and visitors

We are very proud of the final result as are the Jarvis’.  Thanks again to Deb and Dave for allowing us to share their project.

Regards,

Brian Kashas

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Fine or Great?

A couple days ago I was painting our shed with my 10 year old son Andy. I had him painting the grooves in the siding- a job that takes some patience and attention to detail. Andy is a kid who tends to take his time with things. If we walk somewhere he is usually 20 feet behind me. If I try to slow down to his pace, he slows down even more. I figured this kind of painting would appeal to his natural pace.

As we were painting he was talking my ear off as usual and kept telling me how good of a job he was doing, and upon closer inspection I could tell that he really was. I told him that he is a ‘fine painter’. He said, ‘no Dad, I’m a great painter!’. I smiled at his confidence and thought about it for a second and replied to him, ‘no, I think you’re a fine painter and it’s better to be a fine painter than a great painter. Fine means you take your time and take pride in your work. Great means something different. It means being big and showy’. He smiled and said, ‘yes, I’m a fine painter’.

Regards,
Brian Kashas

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Welcome to the Craftsman Philosopher Blog

Here it is- the official blog of Kashas Construction.  

I hope you’ll check in from time to time and maybe leave a comment too. 

Regards,

Brian Kashas

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