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Just got my FHB November issue in the mail today. Some great stuff in it, except for the article about the artist’s copper clad studio. WHY WOULD FHB PUBLISH THIS ARTICLE? Just because the architect is writing a book (that Taunton is publishing?) doesn’t mean the guy is a great designer.
When reading the article, and viewing the pictures and drawings, one has to ask whether the architect did a “freebie” for this so-called “starving artist” (which would explain a lot) or was it rather a case of charging such a large fee for his design work that the artist was “starving;” and therfore had to rely on using building materials that according to individual tastes, could border on being anywhere between “eclectric” and downright dirt-cheap-looking ugly!
The article kept referring to “Price recommended…..or Price introduced….” Bottom line, someone got took on this job; and it looks to me like the owner was the victim!
Putting plexiglass at the bottom of the walls for better light infiltration could be argued that the same could have been accomplished by introducing a band of plexi near the top of the walls instead, or perhaps vertical glass lights inserted between various stud bays. Perhaps the same lighting could not have been accomplished any other way than designed?…I’ll concede that point, because I do not know EXACTLY what lighting the artist was trying to have emerge in her studio. However, the look was simply that of a wall that looked unfinished. I kept looking at the floor in the photos (which the architect mentioned one would do), not so much to bask in the warmth of the incoming rays of light, but rather to see if any critters were scurrying under the walls…which is the illusion most people would get when walking inside such a room.
And whats with bolting the 4x4s 1 inch off the floor? What, pray tell, does that accomplish? Not a damn thing! Was the purpose for air flow? Why? The 4×4 pole structure was located on the INSIDE of the building! You had a perfectly solid foundation (pier style and gluelams)on which to place your sole plate down and let your 4x4s sit down solidly upon….BUT NO… you gotta jeapordize the inherent structural strength of the 4x4s by having them thru bolted, rather than let the loads simply run to the floor. Instead of the loads being transferred throught the 4xs to the plates to the piers, the loads are carried by the bolts.
I’m not diputing that the bolts cannot safely carry these loads; of course they can…but why introduce such a farce to begin with? You added more time in labor costs and material fabrication costs than if you had simply let the 4x posts sit upon the floor.
As for the copper siding….its all a matter of taste….I would have perferred something else. As for the $2 per sq ft cost installed for such copper cladding, hardie-plank siding could have been done for just pennies more, and vinyl siding for a lot less! Even imitation shingle siding (which would have allowed the structure to blend in with the surrounding trees) would have been a less expensive alternative. Viewing a piece of green colored metal among a forrest of trees is not my idea of “harmony” with nature.
And since I’m thoroughly disgusted (can’t you tell) with this architect’s design, I guess I shouldn’t stop until I’ve discussed the roof details. Aluminum coil stock for roofing? This may not be a novel idea, but it certainly deserves mentioning. There was no mention as to the fastening method used to attach the coil stock to the roof deck. What was used? Nailing alone would not suffice…coil stock loves to bend and wrinkle with the more nails you throw into it….glueing? what does this do to the expansion contraction that will certainly go on ? I’d just like to know how this sysytem will protect against wind borne rain, or worse yet, accumulated snow.
Why not use a rubber membrane type roof? Please don’t use cost as a factor. Membranes lasting a minimum of 15 years ( black or white in color…no difference) could have been purchased(materials only) for less than $250, and installed ( I bet) for little or no more than the labor charge associated with the original roof.
What about site drainage? All the water run-off is simply going to run off the back side, and flow underneath the structure. Was this the REAL REASON you decided to build the studio on piers, so that the muddy mess underneath the structure would not penetrate inside?
How come the deck board sidewalk stops short of connecting house to studio? The drawings show the deck on the main house; which steps down onto a stone path, which ends just shy of where the new deck sidewalk leading to the studio begins. In the photo, all I saw was a pile of leaves between where the 2 “sidewalk” systems meet. Sooooo….let me get this straight….Rainy week….artist walks out of house onto house deck…feet stay dry…she steps down onto stone path way… feet still dry…. now she walks off stone path way, thru grass and leaves and mud to get onto her new studio walkway…are her feet still dry and unsoiled? I DON”T THINK SO!
I must apologize for being so negative about this article. I am not a designer/architect. Rather, I am a former City Planner, who later became a carpenter/ remodeler.
I have in past years worked with some outstanding architects/designers, and I know that what seperates them from “the common joe” (me) is their ability to see beyond what most people normally see. Their insights can lead to some outstanding and dramatic designs that I, nor others would have ever dreamed or imagined possible. Unfortunately, I personally feel that this is not the case concerning the studio article.
In all fairness to the architect in question concerning this article, I did try to log on to FHB video concerning his other projects, but simply could not get logged on properly…I’m not as computer literate as I would like to be….
Mr. Zimmerman sir,
You may be a fine, talented architect, with many distinguished designs to your credit. It’s really not fair or kind of me to “come down on you” in this fashion over one lil studio job….but IMHO, you should not be touting this studio in a magazine…you should be hiding the photos in your closet. The lady (artist) got short – changed. Whatever she paid, it was too much.
And FHB readers also got shortchanged….I’ve seen better designed garages in your mag than this. Quit trying to build up authors and their works just so you can sell their books you are publishing. You want to publish books showing expert work, make sure you have expert workmanship first. This article did not merit publishing!
Davo.
Replies
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Just got my FHB November issue in the mail today. Some great stuff in it, except for the article about the artist's copper clad studio. WHY WOULD FHB PUBLISH THIS ARTICLE? Just because the architect is writing a book (that Taunton is publishing?) doesn't mean the guy is a great designer.
When reading the article, and viewing the pictures and drawings, one has to ask whether the architect did a "freebie" for this so-called "starving artist" (which would explain a lot) or was it rather a case of charging such a large fee for his design work that the artist was "starving;" and therfore had to rely on using building materials that according to individual tastes, could border on being anywhere between "eclectric" and downright dirt-cheap-looking ugly!
The article kept referring to "Price recommended.....or Price introduced...." Bottom line, someone got took on this job; and it looks to me like the owner was the victim!
Putting plexiglass at the bottom of the walls for better light infiltration could be argued that the same could have been accomplished by introducing a band of plexi near the top of the walls instead, or perhaps vertical glass lights inserted between various stud bays. Perhaps the same lighting could not have been accomplished any other way than designed?...I'll concede that point, because I do not know EXACTLY what lighting the artist was trying to have emerge in her studio. However, the look was simply that of a wall that looked unfinished. I kept looking at the floor in the photos (which the architect mentioned one would do), not so much to bask in the warmth of the incoming rays of light, but rather to see if any critters were scurrying under the walls...which is the illusion most people would get when walking inside such a room.
And whats with bolting the 4x4s 1 inch off the floor? What, pray tell, does that accomplish? Not a damn thing! Was the purpose for air flow? Why? The 4x4 pole structure was located on the INSIDE of the building! You had a perfectly solid foundation (pier style and gluelams)on which to place your sole plate down and let your 4x4s sit down solidly upon....BUT NO... you gotta jeapordize the inherent structural strength of the 4x4s by having them thru bolted, rather than let the loads simply run to the floor. Instead of the loads being transferred throught the 4xs to the plates to the piers, the loads are carried by the bolts.
I'm not diputing that the bolts cannot safely carry these loads; of course they can...but why introduce such a farce to begin with? You added more time in labor costs and material fabrication costs than if you had simply let the 4x posts sit upon the floor.
As for the copper siding....its all a matter of taste....I would have perferred something else. As for the $2 per sq ft cost installed for such copper cladding, hardie-plank siding could have been done for just pennies more, and vinyl siding for a lot less! Even imitation shingle siding (which would have allowed the structure to blend in with the surrounding trees) would have been a less expensive alternative. Viewing a piece of green colored metal among a forrest of trees is not my idea of "harmony" with nature.
And since I'm thoroughly disgusted (can't you tell) with this architect's design, I guess I shouldn't stop until I've discussed the roof details. Aluminum coil stock for roofing? This may not be a novel idea, but it certainly deserves mentioning. There was no mention as to the fastening method used to attach the coil stock to the roof deck. What was used? Nailing alone would not suffice...coil stock loves to bend and wrinkle with the more nails you throw into it....glueing? what does this do to the expansion contraction that will certainly go on ? I'd just like to know how this sysytem will protect against wind borne rain, or worse yet, accumulated snow.
Why not use a rubber membrane type roof? Please don't use cost as a factor. Membranes lasting a minimum of 15 years ( black or white in color...no difference) could have been purchased(materials only) for less than $250, and installed ( I bet) for little or no more than the labor charge associated with the original roof.
What about site drainage? All the water run-off is simply going to run off the back side, and flow underneath the structure. Was this the REAL REASON you decided to build the studio on piers, so that the muddy mess underneath the structure would not penetrate inside?
How come the deck board sidewalk stops short of connecting house to studio? The drawings show the deck on the main house; which steps down onto a stone path, which ends just shy of where the new deck sidewalk leading to the studio begins. In the photo, all I saw was a pile of leaves between where the 2 "sidewalk" systems meet. Sooooo....let me get this straight....Rainy week....artist walks out of house onto house deck...feet stay dry...she steps down onto stone path way... feet still dry.... now she walks off stone path way, thru grass and leaves and mud to get onto her new studio walkway...are her feet still dry and unsoiled? I DON"T THINK SO!
I must apologize for being so negative about this article. I am not a designer/architect. Rather, I am a former City Planner, who later became a carpenter/ remodeler.
I have in past years worked with some outstanding architects/designers, and I know that what seperates them from "the common joe" (me) is their ability to see beyond what most people normally see. Their insights can lead to some outstanding and dramatic designs that I, nor others would have ever dreamed or imagined possible. Unfortunately, I personally feel that this is not the case concerning the studio article.
In all fairness to the architect in question concerning this article, I did try to log on to FHB video concerning his other projects, but simply could not get logged on properly...I'm not as computer literate as I would like to be....
Mr. Zimmerman sir,
You may be a fine, talented architect, with many distinguished designs to your credit. It's really not fair or kind of me to "come down on you" in this fashion over one lil studio job....but IMHO, you should not be touting this studio in a magazine...you should be hiding the photos in your closet. The lady (artist) got short - changed. Whatever she paid, it was too much.
And FHB readers also got shortchanged....I've seen better designed garages in your mag than this. Quit trying to build up authors and their works just so you can sell their books you are publishing. You want to publish books showing expert work, make sure you have expert workmanship first. This article did not merit publishing!
Davo.
So, let me get this straight. You don't like it????
Tom
Douglasville, GA
Sphere,
you really have to stop changing your name like this over the years and if you have something to say just make it plain instead of beating around the bush fer crying out loud.
be wot a revoltin' developement this is
A bird does not sing because it has an answer. A bird sings because it has a song.
I had no computer in 2001. Actually, I was in prison.(G)
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
What were you doing time for? Killing snakes?
"The thing that makes it great is the fact that any one of these guys could go off the deep end at any moment and start hacking at people with a deer antler right here on the subway."
Seeyou 06' When asked for his thoughts on going drinking with a bunch of guys that he met on the internet.
the serenenade of the blue danubeBe a space odyssey
You Dink!
I saw that and thought the guy was talking about the newest issue. I normaly get mine the first Saturday they come out. So I trekked all the way to the mail box to get my issue before I took my afternoon constitutional. It wasn't there. I thought it odd but not impossible. I've been mildly excited since then thinking that tomorrow will be the day. Now Sphere points out that it was from 2001.
Fool me once.
"The thing that makes it great is the fact that any one of these guys could go off the deep end at any moment and start hacking at people with a deer antler right here on the subway."
Seeyou 06' When asked for his thoughts on going drinking with a bunch of guys that he met on the internet.