By August the construction documents were developed and we were ready to begin the site work. I had visited the site several times during the plan development phase to check the topography and solar orientation. Thick underbrush and woods made this a bit of a challenge, but we were able to get a good general idea of a ridgeline that would provide a good natural elevation above some otherwise low ...
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Yazoo Clay is a common term used to describe what engineers would call soils with small particles and high plasticity, and therefore a great propensity to expand and contract due to changes in moisture content. Much of what is referred to as foundation problems is actually an underlying soil problem.
As I alluded to in the previous article, the usual recommended practice ...<< MORE >>
So if building costs can be such a moving target, how in the world can you custom build and be able to meet your criteria for your house, and stay within a budget?
This is a problem that the typical design-bid-build process addresses very poorly.
Too many designers will be glad to ...<< MORE >>
A recent client has prompted me to address again a subject I have tried to convey on my website regarding cost to build and designing toward a target cost.
The amount of disinformation regarding building costs being perpetuated by the housing industry and real estate market is beyond my belief, and ...<< MORE >>
O.K. folks, I wasn’t going to do this, but I suppose I’m about to “let my slip show”.
Let me state my personal opinion and position on green, particularly the governments co-opting of the environmental movement.
Let me start by clarifying that I have always been an advocate of sustainable, sensible and healthy utilization of resources. ...<< MORE >>