Architect Speak

This post will outline my life living with an architect during his personal building project.  While it gives me great comfort to know that he really knows this stuff  and can interpret what I say vs what I mean it also makes my head spin!

Contractor email: I'm looking at an option to install a concrete floor in the gather space. It will be simpler for XX reason and we can add radiator heat in the floor.

Gretchen: Radiator heat in the floor would be great but I'm not a fan of a concrete floor in our 1910 house. I'll ask Dan.

Dan in Architect Mode:


I’m not completely sold on the “concrete slab on fill” idea for the Gather Room. This would be a harder surface than the originally discussed wood. Can we have a wood finished floor, if we go with the in-slab radiant heating system, and have the heating work efficiently? Or, would the wood floor block the heat somewhat, or require a different system (Electrical radiant, versus water radiant)?


All of our original discussions for the addition were to maintain the existing floor finishes and attempt to match up the new rooms with the old.

As most of the existing house is oak flooring, with the kitchen having existing Pine floor- to be replaced with Oak flooring in the addition build-out.

Oak would be the preference for the Gather room as well. We would be amenable to a “tonal” change of flooring at the gather room, (either a different stain coloration of oak, or a different wood, perhaps).

On the budgeting- would there necessarily be much savings on the wood vs. concrete floor system here?

With the current Wood System: Site Excavation, to 24” clearance below the floor joists is required. Insulation of the floor structure with the soy-based insulation is necessary for the crawl space area; coordination of the radiant heat system in the walls or floor still required.

With the Concrete system: Site clearance and prep area for installation of the engineered fill is necessary; (Engineered fill: How much engineered fill would be needed to bring surface up from the yard level to the base pour height required?); Moisture and insulation barrier installation and prep for slab pour; coordination detailing to tie slab to foundation perimeter walls; insulating the slab would also need to work in the requirements for the inclusion of the in-slab radiant heating piping; coordination of the trades between the concrete and Heat system would need to happen sooner to get the pipe in the slab, right? Would there be costs to bring the Heating contractor on-board quicker?

We can discuss, tomorrow.

Daniel Steenstra, AIA

Contractor: ok - all good points.  Let's discuss tomorrow.

Unwanted guests

After a VERY LONG week (at work at at home) I heard the sickning sound of 'skritch, scratch' IN the WALL of the back of the house.  Grrrrrrr.  So after our visit of Christmas lights we stocked up on mouse removal.  So far no guests in the trap but no new noise either.  They're in for a rude shock when the guys rip this wall off on a freezing cold day.

Week 2: Foundation walls - check!

In 3 days we went from freshly dug trenches to 1st layer of concrete to the foundation walls.

Foundation for new gather/family room.  What did Dan notice first? Neatness.  He was very impressed by the nice finish on the outside of the foundation.

Foundation for new kitchen addition (JOY!!)

House pics 'before'

Front/side view:  The small middle window and 2 double windows are the location of the new master BR/BA and family/gather room.

Front/street view:  Only change will be an extension back to expand the kitchen

Back view: This will look much different with 8 ft addition back and 7 ft addition to the right side. We'll have a new back door with mudroom area.

Kitchen: What's not to love about this gourmet masterpiece?  Nothing! I did bake 100's of cookies and may wonderful dinners over the years.  It's also the sink of the kids first baths as babies.

Family/play room: This will double in size and become the master BR

Bathroom: This will double in side and become the master BA (with landing area with closet & linen closet in the bathroom).

Day 1: No fence & trenches

Day 1:

by 7:30am the chain link fence was gone - I hope it's not considered an 'architectural element'. It feels really good to see physical progress after years and years of discussion and months and months of design.

This view is straight out the back door as they prep trenches for new footers.

Empty shelves in a Steenstra basement?  Impossible...but true! New staircase will replace this wall.