Moultrie Street Renovation – Part I

March 12, 2012

Currently in the midst of construction, the project at 285 Moultrie Street is an excellent example of a typical Bernal Heights remodel – something we at AMK Inc are very familiar with. In addition to digging out and finishing the basement to add another level of habitable space for an expanding family, the owners are adding a new dormer on the upper floor to allow for an additional bathroom and expanded closet space. Especially in Bernal Heights, which is designated as its own “Special Use District” by SF Planning Code Section 242, building vertically (in both directions) is often a more accessible option than building a rear addition in order to expand a modest home.

We will be posting a series of photos documenting the construction process of this project, beginning with these photos of the new dormer framing & initial basement work, for your viewing pleasure & neighborhood edification.

Here you can see the framing going up for the new dormer.

In this interior shot, both the new dormer framing and the old roof framing is visible, giving an idea of how the new space will fit into the existing building.

Several structural concerns were addressed as part of this job, including the ridge beam connection, pictured here, as well as the addition of new, larger concrete footings for posts in the basement.

One more photo of the dormer framing from even more recently.

Moving to the basement level, this photo shows the main support beam overhead, and the rebar reinforcements ready to have concrete poured over them to form new post footings, necessary to support the new dormer above.

Another view of the soon-to-be footings, with the new post bases visible and an existing foundation wall in the background.

Looking from the street side of the basement toward the rear, piles of rubble and wood from demolition work pile up. In the background where people are standing will be the location of new stairs to the backyard.

This photo shows the demo work for aforementioned stairs to the rear yard, looking toward the front of the house from the rear. In the foreground is an existing concrete patio which was partially broken up, and in the middle ground you can see where the concrete foundation wall had to be cut into to allow for through access.

Stay tuned for an update next week as things really take shape!

Architects in their own words: Desert Infill?

November 27, 2010

Architects Take On Museums in Doha and Abu Dhabi – Interactive Feature – NYTimes.com.

This interactive feature presents four architects describing recent museum commissions in the Middle East. The architect engage both the lack of physical context as well as the contemporary aspirations of their surrounding societies.

Its refreshing to hear architects in their own words. Much like the The Chicago Tapes or The Charlottesville Tapes, this excerpt helps to demystify the nature and intention of the design process that is otherwise left behind closed doors.

Return to Quality in Bay Area Commercial Lending

November 22, 2010

RTRE bay area commercial lending.

This just in from The Registry:  there’s more money out there than good investments and Commercial lenders are showing signs of activity in the Bay area–but only in areas that were not previously vaporized. Its a very short flight to safety–and all evidence suggests that investors are choosing asset quality over current returns that may or may not be there tomorrow.

Where, indeed, is the secured commercial implosion that we were all warned about?

Robert Moses and the Bikelane Backlash

November 22, 2010

Bike Lanes’ Growth in New York Brings Backlash – NYTimes.com.

While New York City appears at the forefront of a national trend to increase access to its scarce pavement, a review of the chronology dating to back to the beginning of the 20th century reveals this “forefront” to be more of a “crest” in a cyclical wave of politics. Somewhere in that mush of time Robert Moses transformed New York– how he did it is as important to cyclists today as what he did.

Cyclists should review the techniques and strategies of Mr. Moses for clues as to how to implement their vision through parallel  political and a-political processes. Here are my three cents:

First, frame the message: Moses was ‘giving’ parks and parkways to the people. Cyclists appear to be ‘taking’ from the auto and pedestrians. Since there is little debate as to the future demand, need or desire to implement a healthy and sustainable alternative to the auto, the onus will rest squarely on cyclists to reframe their message as a giving and not a taking.

Second, make no small plans: Develop and sell the entire network–not just the individual intersection. Its too easy for individualized local fights to overwhelm the value of an entire network.

Third, follow the money. Moses gave us toll roads (aka “parkways,” ahem) while Bikes remain basically free. Bike coalitions have largely been self financed and their respective political results suggest this meager purse power. Municipalities that want to encourage the muli-tmodal use of their roadways should immediately enforce a drivers/riders license requirement and impose a new use fee for cyclists that use the road (and not just ‘share’ or ‘borrow’ it). The use fee should start out high and decrease with the actual mileage traveled (or perhaps number of consecutive years renewed.)

I’d value your continued comment and thoughts.

Interview with Ken VanBree, founder of Imaging Perspective

May 29, 2009

Mason Kirby: Ken, thanks for joining me today. The purpose of our conversation, is to introduce who you are, and what your company, Imaging Perspective, provides. On the outset, Imaging Perspective provides digital as-built construction services and documentation to contractors, homeowners, and building owners. Ken, could you start a little bit, by telling a little bit about yourself, and how fell into the founding of this company and technology.

Ken VanBree: I’m an engineer by background, and worked for years in Silicon Valley, doing both CAD and design of integrated circuits. My wife and I built a house about 10 years ago, and it was just when digital cameras were becoming affordable. I took a lot of pictures as we were building the house, before they covered the walls, and at various stages. I found that those images were useful later, because when we had to go back in and make some changes, and move some wires around, and install things on the walls.  It was good to know what was back there so that we didn’t tap into any pipes, or wires, or things that we shouldn’t have, when we were trying to make changes. I had put together a prototype of our e-builts software for my own amusement, but then I talked to some contractors and architects, and said, “Would this be a useful product, a useful service?”, and they thought it would be. So I set out to build a company to provide the service.

Mason: What you built was something that delivers something quite different from standard as-built documentation. For somebody that knows what “as-builts” are, in a standard sense, can you describe what your e-Builts are and how they are different?

Ken: Yes, e-builts are based on photographic record of the construction process. We go in at various stages of construction and take pictures of everything that’s there: all the interior walls, and ceilings, and floors, as well, if necessary, on the project. We put all those together in a website, or a desktop viewer, Read more