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

We love the challenge of doing something outside the box. 

Regards,

Brian Kashas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Regards,

Brian Kashas