The Newest In Design Technology

In previous posts we’ve written about our fascinating new software, Autodesk® Revit® Architecture, but this is a home we recently designed using this latest in CAD technology. All of the photos shown here are of the same home, as seen from different angles. This home is now under construction in The Reserve at Lake Travis.

This 8,000+ square foot project has beautiful lake views and plenty of real estate but is located almost entirely in the flood plain. Our solution was to re-use fill from the front of the project in the back and raise the home as shown. A reflecting pool in the front of the home has been designed to draw guests in and then appears to flow into a creek in the back yard.

One of the most amazing features of this home, and there are many, is the “man room”. It is a wild game trophy room complete with wet bar, dedicated bathroom, pool table, and covered balcony, located away from the main house. Another amazing feature in the planning stages is the Plexiglas hallway that looks down onto the water feature below. The “piece de resistance”, though, is the fantastic views from the glass main living area.

Here we used Revit Architecture to do the heavy lifting of the design work. Revit, which is simply the 3D, colorized version of CAD, produced by the makers of CAD software to be the next generation of CAD, allowed our design team to show these homeowners the architecture of their home in 3D, both on our plasma screen in our office in real time, and in still photo-realistic shots. We produced the drawing shown on this page with Revit; however, what is more impressive is the virtual tour, shown below.

Belvedere Kitchen Event

On September 12, Shan and Bethany Jenkins – owners of Jenkins Custom Homes – hosted a kitchen event at the Belvedere Community on Hamilton Pool Road. The event was well-attended and the response, overwhelming! Several of the attendees requested a copy of the seminar notes so here is an overview of what was discussed.

Good Kitchen Design

There are many facets to good kitchen design. At Jenkins, we have a copyrighted “Lifestyle Analysis” process for designing your home that starts by asking questions about how you plan to live in the spaces of your home and ends with a home designed around your personal lifestyle. Here is a modification of that system of design, brought to the scale of just the kitchen.

What Type Of Cook Are You?

No matter who is doing the cooking in the family, they definitely have a cooking style. Is it typically either the “quick and easy cook” or the “serious chef”. If you find yourself constantly trying out new recipes from the Food Network, you are probably the “serious chef”. The “serious chef” needs more appliances, solid-surface counters, and plenty of workspace; whereas, the “quick and easy cook” needs a kitchen that is functional but also easy to clean.

“Kitchen Behind The Kitchen”

The “kitchen behind the kitchen” – or the “back kitchen” as it is also known – is a popular trend right now. The “back kitchen” can be used for food preparation and can contain the mixer and blender, a refrigerator, a microwave, and even an oven so that even the most “serious chef” – or even those who prefer to “grab it and go” – can make a mess without worrying about the company seeing it. For those who prefer to have events catered, this is a great location for the caterers to set up their service.

Entertaining

Entertaining is multifaceted. First, ask yourself “How often do I entertain”? If it’s twice a year for your relatives, then you really only need to consider the re-sale value of the home when designing your space and not focus too much on the entertaining aspect. If you entertain once a month or so, you may want to give it a little more thought. For instance, when you entertain, is your cooking part of the evening’s entertainment or does the cooking take place before everyone arrives? Also, do you typically entertain indoors or outdoors – or both? The answers to these questions will help determine the size and shape of the island, the proximity to the outdoor kitchen, as well as the amount of space needed between the sink, refrigerator, and primary work space. It also may dictate that you really need two sinks and possibly two dishwashers. Ask yourself “How many guests will I have at once and what ages will they be?”. Think about where you might put a bartender if you have a really large party.

Livability

Another important question to ask yourself is “How many cooks are typically in our kitchen at once?”. Will you need one workspace or two? More and more families are cooking together, and that means you need more space, both in terms of workspace and work flow within the kitchen. Other questions you need to consider are “How many people would you like to seat at the bar or island?” and “Do you plan to have a separate breakfast table?”. Each situation is different, and only you know yours.

Vision

When planning your kitchen, you need to establish a style that leads you toward a particular end product. Zig Ziglar has said, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” So ask yourself “What one keyword describes your vision for this space?”. Is it “inviting” or is it “clean” or maybe “Tuscan” or “commercial”? What type of sink and plumbing fixtures fit into your vision? Do you imagine a copper sink with copper plumbing fixtures? Or is does your vision include an undermount sink with sleek clean lines and stainless steel fixtures? Only you know how you want the kitchen to look, and defining that vision will help you determine the materials you will use, the stain or paint colors, and any “wow factors” that you may want to add. It all depends on that vision.

Appliances

We always recommend Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances to our clients. They were recently chosen #1 by J.D. Power and Associates, plus we have found them to have the absolute best performance and look for the kitchens we design. However, choosing a cook top or range and refrigerator is just the beginning. Think through all the possibilities for kitchen appliances. For instance, the microwave – do you want a microwave drawer, or do you prefer the more traditional unit? Or consider the refrigerator – are you a Sam’s or Costco fanatic? Then, you may need the 48″ Sub-Zero. You can never have enough refrigerator space! Then there is the oven and cook top – do you want a double wall oven with a stand-alone cook top, or an all-in-one range unit? This decision is really just about your personal preference and not so much a performance issue, but it is a decision you must make nonetheless. Even something as minor as the ice maker deserves consideration. How much ice will you need for your parties? Is the ice maker in your Sub-Zero enough, or do you need more than that? Do you require wine refrigerator, and if so, is under-counter enough or will you need a full sized unit? Do you need one dishwasher or two? What about a warming drawer or pizza oven or perhaps a trash compactor? For even more options, see your local Kiva Kitchen & Bath representative.

Access And Flow

Do you want the kitchen to be the hub of your home? Do you want it to be open to the great room? Some people don’t want anyone walking in the front door to be able to see into the kitchen. Think about whether that is important to you. Others want the kitchen to be open to the great room and like people to feel invited to come into the kitchen right away. These are just a few of the things to consider in terms of access and flow.

Making It Yours

The bottom line is that when you design your kitchen, you will never regret the time and effort you spend making it yours. Your kitchen should reflect your family, your lifestyle and your vision. When it does, you will be living your dream.

How It Works

“People think that it’s this veneer – that the designers are handed this box and told, ‘Make this look good!’. That’s not what we think design is.  It’s not just what it looks like and feels like.   Design is how it works.”

- Steve Jobs

Although volumes have been written in the pursuit of defining “good design”, the above quote, taken from page 10 of the book Design Is How It Works by Jay Greene, may be the best summary of that elusive definition that I’ve found.  Makes sense – considering the source.

However, if you think about it, this quote can be reduced to that age old adage, “Form vs. Function”. That is really what he’s saying isn’t it?  Form without Function doesn’t make good design.  It may look great, but if it doesn’t work, what use is it?

Although I never thought of it in exactly those terms, that really is at the heart of the design/build philosophy of project delivery.  Unless the architect and his team of professionals seamlessly collaborate with the builder and his team of professionals, the “how it works” part remains illusive.  Frankly, the Jurassic method of employing the architect to oversee the builder is woefully inadequate.  You would think that with modern technology that method of project delivery would be as efficient as ever.  Not so.  Technology has quickly advanced construction materials and methods at a pace and breadth beyond what the architect and builder can master together, much less separately.  Add the rapid adoption rate of BIM (Building Information Modeling) to the equation, and it becomes even more apparent the need – or better yet, requirement – for better, more efficient team collaboration.

Accepting the requirement for collaborative design/build, there is no way to execute this philosophy better than within the walls of the true design/build firm.  Separately, the architect and builder will always rest on their primal need for self preservation.  In other words, at the end of the day, the architect ultimately only cares about his reputation and his business, and the same goes for the builder.  Within the true design/build firm, this basic conflict is removed as neither discipline is more important than the other, and the client is the ultimate winner.  Finally, when the designer and builder are united in matrimony, they can give birth to their twins “Form” and “Function” and ultimately, the project (home) not only looks great, but IT WORKS great also.  Ahhhh – triumph!

Autodesk® Revit® Architecture

We have a new secret weapon here at Jenkins Custom Homes: Autodesk® Revit® Architecture. According to the website: “Autodesk® Revit® Architecture building information modeling (BIM) software helps architects and designers gain a competitive advantage with tools that enable you to design freely, keep information better coordinated, and deliver more efficiently.”

For our residential designers, this means that “From conception to construction documentation, [they can] design projects within an intuitive environment.” For our clients, it means it is now possible to see – and experience (through virtual reality) – their developing home before the design is even completed! According to Jenkins Vice-President, Bethany Jenkins, “It’s pretty amazing…The design of a home can now happen faster and clients can get real time feedback.”

Beyond 3D modeling, with Autodesk® Revit® Architecture, our residential designers can produce “photo-realistic” drawings like the one seen here. This is especially helpful for our clients who are not local. We can email screen shots and drawings of their home as the design develops.

Except for the picture above, all of these are drawings of homes that are currently in the design phase or are already under construction here at Jenkins Custom Homes.

The Benefits Of In-House Design

In the custom home industry, there are basically two delivery methods: design/build and traditional bid and build. Among design/build firms there are two delivery methods as well. There is in-house design and outsourced design. With in-house design, the architect or residential designer is on staff. With outsourced design, the architect or residential designer works for him or herself, or for a separate firm. In Austin, most builders outsource the design. Shan Jenkins, of Jenkins Custom Homes, has done it both ways, and he strongly advocates the in-house design approach for a variety of reasons. Some of his reasons, like the cost savings and time savings, are very practical. Others, like the way the client has more control over the creative process, are less obvious to the casual observer. Either way you cut it, however, it makes building a new home a better experience for everyone.

The practical reasons for having a residential designer in-house are the time savings and cost savings it allows the client. In the case of Jenkins, because the designers work in the same office as the supervisors and cost estimator (not to mention the rest of the staff), they have almost instant access to the resources they need to provide cost feedback to the client on design details. For instance, “I like that wrought iron detail but not at that cost. Is there a way to achieve the same look with less expense?” This means that work proceeds at a much faster pace, especially throughout the design phase. Also, having an in-house designer is one of the reasons Jenkins can guarantee that the cost is within 5% of the initial budget.

However, a less obvious reason Shan Jenkins believes in this approach is that having the design team in-house means that the client has more control over the creative process. When a builder outsources their design work, the client must explain his or her wishes to the builder, who then submits the change to the designer. Quite often, what the client had envisioned and what the designer returns are two very different things. So the client must again attempt to explain what he or she wanted, and the builder must again submit it to the designer. After a few weeks of that type of back and forth, many clients will simply settle for what they have been given, just so they can move forward with the process of building their new home. With Jenkins, the client is continually interfacing with the designer, which means the design evolves in real time, with the client present to give his or her input, the designer sketching each detail as the client speaks. Want to add a half bath by the door to the pool? No problem. The designer can sketch it in right there during the meeting on trace paper and, if it isn’t the way you envisioned it, you can correct it right there on the spot. Shortly thereafter, the team will provide you with cost data on that additional bath. Before any changes are made to the plan, you can decide if it’s worth the extra money. It’s a win-win for both the client and the builder. The synergy that is created from having everyone working together as a team to accomplish the desires of the client means a superior home and a superior home building experience.

An Interview With Jason Allison, Landscape Designer And Outdoor Problem Solver

Jason Allison, Landscape Designer with the Sanders Design Group, has graciously agreed to an interview for today’s post. Sanders Design Group is a full service landscaping company located in Central Texas.

It’s Spring in Texas. Just look outside and you cannot help but be impressed with the spectrum of colors that grace our yards and flowerbeds. I can feel my sap begin to rise just thinking about what I will plant this year. Perhaps it was pure selfishness that led me to ask these questions of Jason Allison, hoping to gather insight from the mastermind behind most of the Jenkins Custom Homes landscapes. He did not disappoint. He has proven himself, yet again, to be both knowledgeable and eloquent – a unique combination to be sure.

Me: What types of perennials do you like to use and why?

Jason: First, I prefer to see what the customer likes. Even if they just have preferences as simple as color or size, their initial input is very valuable. I then like to take into consideration the individual environment. Is the area sunny or shady? Is there a pet or deer issue? I will then put together some ideas that incorporate native or adaptive plant choices that will give a good mixture of color and texture throughout the year. Some of my favorite choices include: Lantana (many varieties), Esperanza, Salvia, Mexican Bush Sage, Plumbago, Artemisia, Skull Cap, and Jerusalem Sage; just to name a few. These selections, amongst others, can provide that season long and year-round interest and have proven reliability in our Central Texas climate.

Me: What do you recommend people do to spruce up their yards?

Jason: One quick way to spruce up a yard is to clean out the overgrown and “past-prime” plantings around the landscape. A simple clean-up and often regrouping of existing plants will help make dated yards look fresh and also open up some space for new plants and color to be added. Sometimes a simple cut-back and fresh layer of mulch can really shape things up as well. Also, one great way to add a real “punch” is to add some decorative pots with new color and evergreen plantings.

Me: What are people asking you about these days? What’s on people’s minds?

Jason: It seems more and more common these days to be asked about sustainable, environmentally conscious, or “green” options for the landscape. There are a lot of new concepts and products out there to accommodate those desires and it is exciting to be involved in creating responsible landscapes with that in mind.

Me: Would you mind telling us a little about how you design the landscaping for a particular house?

Jason: Like I mentioned before, the first thing I like to do is get a good input from the customer. After all, it is their home and their happiness in the end that is most important. I take their thoughts and ideas into consideration and then I interject my own in to the overall concept based on what I know will work together well both functionally and aesthetically. Once I have a good general idea of what is needed I then will make a concept design and put together a materials list. Next I usually revisit the project with the customer to make sure we are on the same page and I am heading in the right direction. After that meeting I will then put together a detailed design and overall plan for the project as well as a cost estimate as needed.

There are many factors that go into a good landscape plan. Elevation, drainage, hard-scape, existing vegetation, bed size and shape; to name a few. However, for me, it always comes back to what the customer has in their minds for what they envision the landscape to be. Sometimes more guidance from me is required then others, but overcoming the challenges each project presents to achieve those results is one of the most rewarding parts of what I get to do. Maybe instead of being titled a “Landscape Designer” I should be called an “Outdoor Problem Solver”, in a creative and beautiful way of course.

Me: If you don’t mind me asking, how is business?

Jason: I am glad to say that business is good. Personally I am as busy as I have ever been and I hope that is due not only to a resurgence in the economy but also as a result of satisfied customers. I truly believe that if you provide a great product, the desire for that service will always be there in some form.