Posts tagged ‘outdoor living’

Aug 3

Designing an Adventure-Ready Home

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The weather is perfect for getting out of the house to explore the beauty of our fair state. Its also a great time to consider how your home can better support your family’s active and adventurous spirit.

Here are a few of our favorite active family design solutions:

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Designed by Arciform Senior Designer Kristyn Bester. Photo by Photo Art Portraits.

Biking may be a year-round sport in Portland, but with 8 months of rain it’s important to consider how to keep the bike dry and safe when you are not riding it. For this Portland client, we integrated bike storage into a basement mudroom to give the whole family a place to prep for the ride in comfort.

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Designed by Arciform Principal Designer Anne De Wolf. Photo by Photo Art Portraits.

The transition from home-time to adventure-time is more fun when everything you need is organized and ready to hand. A great mudroom keeps all of your outdoor gear right where you need it (and NOT on the kitchen table or in a pile in the corner of the basement).

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Designed by Arciform Principal Designer Anne De Wolf. Photo by Photo Art Portraits.

A bit of whimsy can make even the chore of loading out gear more of an adventure. This hidden door offers direct pass-through access to the mudroom for sports equipment, bikes, and other outdoor gear. It’s also spectacular for hide and seek with the new kids on the street.

MilliganUsher_1926_Basement_Entry_A_P_Pro (4) Designed by Arciform Senior Designer Kristyn Bester. Photo by Photo Art Portraits.

Another great option for stashing gear is to add lockers in your mudroom space. These were integrated into the space under the stairwell, making clever use of an otherwise wasted space in the home.

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Designed by Arciform Principal Designer Anne De Wolf. Photo by Photo Art Portraits.

Even in the glorious summer months, there will be rainy days that require at-home activity and adventure. Some activity-friendly finishes can turn your basement bonus room into a place for dancing, yoga, or even an indoor soccer arena. The wraparound metal trim in this basement family room allows the kids to roll back the rug and push back the furniture for a little rainy day footie match when needed.

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Designed by Arciform Principal Designer Anne De Wolf. Photo by Photo Art Portraits.

All that adventure can really work up a muddy mess of sweat, and you probably don’t want your master bath to bear the brunt of the clean up. For this we recommend a wet room in your basement or adjacent to your mudroom that minimizes the distance your family has to travel to wash up after a day’s hike in Forest Park.

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Designed by Arciform Senior Designer Kristyn Bester. Photo by Photo Art Portraits.

Wet rooms are designed with floor-to-ceiling water safe finishes that are designed for maximum mess with minimal clean up. This basement wet room (above and below) takes a narrow space and gives it style and practicality with floor-to-ceiling subway tile and polished concrete floors.

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Designed by Arciform Senior Designer Kristyn Bester. Photo by Photo Art Portraits.

Last but not least, a weekend full of adventure often leads to a week full of laundry. Taking the time to design a thoughtful and convenient laundry space in your basement, mudroom or even upstairs like this family (below) can make preparing for your next adventure more pleasant.

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Designed by Arciform Principal Designer Anne De Wolf. Photo by Photo Art Portraits.

And then, when all the tromping and stomping and climbing and rolling and cleaning is complete, isn’t it time for a nice, relaxing soak in your outdoor spa? This family (below) tucked an elegant spa area in a wooded corner of their yard, creating a peaceful post-adventure oasis in the heart of their home.

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Designed by Arciform Principal Designer Anne De Wolf. Photo by Photo Art Portraits.

How can we help you make your home more adventure-ready? Explore our design galleries and get inspired for your next project here.

Explore the Arciform Project Galleries | About Arciform | Schedule a Design Consultation

Jun 4

10 Steps to a Perfect Outdoor Kitchen

as published in NW Renovations Magazine’s June/July 2013 issue

Oregon’s brief but brilliant summer months demand to be celebrated with frequent backyard dining adventures. The trouble is, there’s never a great place to prep the meat for the grill… and where do you put the grilled corn while you are waiting for the sausages to finish? A chef with a sunburn is never attractive… and wouldn’t it be nice to have a sink to wash up as you go?

Sounds like it’s time upgrade to a full outdoor kitchen.

Sound intimidating? Here are 10 simple steps to create a beautiful and functional backyard kitchen:

1. Get Oriented. Choose your site to work with the elements. Consider:

What direction does the wind blow? Typically, Portland area winds come from the south & southwest, so screening elements at the southern end of your space will keep your napkins and work utensils from blowing away in a sudden summer breeze.

Where is the sun? East-facing spaces will be cooler in the evening. If your backyard faces west, add in curtains to screen the late afternoon sun.

This east-facing pavilion provides ample shade and the gently sloped roof keeps the area dry and comfortable.

2. Integrate Your Natural Wonders. Carefully consider existing trees and shrubs to ensure you are making the most of their beauty and shade without causing future maintenance headaches from expanding root structures or falling fruits. That cherry tree creates a beautiful show of color in the spring… but will it stain your decking when the leftover cherries come down in the fall?

Rain chains can help manage rainwater runoff and create visual interest in your outdoor kitchen.
Rain chain from www.rainchains.com.

3. Manage Your Rainwater. It’s safest to assume that every surface in your outdoor kitchen will get soaked at some point. Minimize the damage by selecting waterproof surfaces and creating gentle slopes on all horizontal elements to encourage water to drain away from your public spaces and foundation. Great waterproof surfaces to consider include concrete, yellow cedar, stainless steel, stone, quartz or copper for a naturally antiqued look.

The tile wall on this outdoor kitchen adds personality and interest… and provides a durable waterproof surface.

4. Create a Utilities Plan. Utilities can be connected to your home’s main supply and waste lines to provide complete electric, gas and water hook ups, but this can get expensive. Another approach might be to use a tank-based propane grill or cooking appliance and to connect your sink to an existing outdoor hot and cold water spigot. Buried pipe connections can route your waste water to an appropriate exterior garden feature or rainwater catch system. Be sure to use phosphate-free dish soap to protect your plants.

Stainless steel counters flank the client’s own Weber Genesis gas grill. Note the integrated vent hood (from Zephyr Essentials) to handle airflow and exhaust. This client elected to install permanent integrated can lighting fixtures for a polished look.

5. Light the Night. You don’t need to invest in a permanently wired exterior lighting fixture to have a festively lit outdoor kitchen. Strings of inexpensive exterior chain lights with colorful shades can add charm and task lighting. Balance your lighting plan with candles, oil lamps and fire pits to keep things warm as the night settles in.

6. Create Airflow. Don’t let your 4th of July feast end in smoky disaster. Be sure your structure’s roof includes appropriate venting for your cooking surface. Prevent mold and mildew on your permanent structures by encouraging airflow around and through the space.

A built in bar and metal stools add seating options without adding to the footprint of the space.

7. Consider Seating and Storage. Where will you store your furniture and cooking utensils when not in use? Integrated storage benches can shelter your soft goods while adding flexibility to your seating plan for larger groups. Add a broad ledge to a nearby raised bed to create additional seating that will give your guests an up-close look at your favorite blooms and veggies. A moveable island can be tucked under cover in inclement weather or stationed in the garden on sunny evenings to create an inviting satellite buffet station.

8. Delight Your Senses. Rain chains create soothing sounds… and aromatic herbs in nearby garden beds will whet your appetite for the dinner to come. For the ultimate treat for the senses, add a hot tub tucked halfway under an overhang (to enjoy during inclement weather). Leave the other half open to the stars for those rare clear summer nights.

This cedar hot tub enclosure featured spiral stair steps and integrated covered dressing area with towel hooks and wood decking for maximum comfort for barefoot feet. The exterior path includes natural stone pavers embedded in pea gravel directing guests around the side of the house.

9. Pamper your Feet. What flooring surface will you provide that will drain well but be gentle on new summer feet? Pea gravel and natural flagstones can be an inexpensive option, but keep in mind that their uneven surfaces can trip up guests at the end of a long evening. One practical but beautiful surface? Exposed aggregate concrete with a dark stain.

10. Frame the View. Finally, what will your outdoor chef have to look at while whipping up that grilled salmon and asparagus? Add keyhole windows to frame secret garden views that can be enjoyed by chef and guests alike. Utilize perforated screens and semi-transparent materials to create interesting perspectives of your favorite garden features while keeping the wind and rain at bay.

An outdoor kitchen can transform your enjoyment of your home during the warmer seasons, expanding your living space and creating an inviting and convenient space for outdoor entertaining.

Explore the Arciform Photo Galleries | All About Arciform | Schedule a Design Consultation

May 23

Bringing the Inside Out: Creating a Balcony Retreat

A comfortable robe… that morning latte (or evening cocktail)…and a little something to read… all in a location that lets you enjoy the breeze and watch the world go by….

Adding a balcony to your home can add to your home’s curb appeal and gently nudge your family to spend more time in the fresh air. It can also have some significant structural engineering challenges.

Here’s the who, what when, where and whys you should consider when planning to add a balcony retreat to your home.

Where. Before you add a balcony to your home, take a moment to consider your lifestyle. What time of day are you home the most? Are you a morning person who’s day begins with a leisurely perusal of the morning paper? You may be happiest with an east facing balcony to make the most of the morning sun.

Or do you prefer a bit of cocktail hour entertaining? A south or west facing balcony will take advantage of the sun… but may leave you a bit squinty during the hottest days of summer. Consider adding in flexible screening options to take advantage of the light and stay cool at the same time.

Are you an intensely private person? Consider adding in permanent landscaping and architectural features (fences, trellises, living walls, etc) that will improve your view while preserving your privacy.

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Do you love to watch the world go by? A street-facing or rooftop balcony might be an ideal choice to create a friendly connection with your neighborhood.

(Hello Neighbors!)

Who. Next, consider who will be making use of the space. What ages will be using the space? If you have a toddler who is at the “climb everything” stage, you will need to plan for higher and more robust railing and screening options than if the space will be used exclusively by adults.

(This balcony on the 103rd floor of the Sears Tower in Chicago looks terrifying, but actually consists of a completely enclosed transparent box to keep you safe while enjoying the jaw-dropping view.)

Equally important, who will be able see into the space? Where are your neighbors’ windows located? Is your house higher or lower than your surrounding properties? Think carefully about how you will protect your own privacy and protect your neighbors from unexpectedly intimate views of your family.

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What. Balconies can be made in a variety of shapes and configurations and showcase a variety of materials in their construction. Here are a few common choices to be made to ensure a balcony that is structurally sound and serves your needs well.

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Support. How will the balcony be supported? Common choices include building the balcony atop an existing roof or exterior structure, adding post and beam support beneath the balcony (creating an additional covered space beneath for storage or entertaining) or cantilevering the balcony out so that it appears to be floating in thin air.

Weather. To avoid causing future water damage to your home, consider carefully how you will tie the balcony support and the railing into the existing house structure. When the floor of the balcony doubles as the roof for an interior space, avoiding puncture holes as much as possible is important. Every hole you create adds a potential entry point for water, moss, mold and creatures that can damage the inner support structures of your home, creating future maintenance issues. You’ll also want to consider a roof or screen to shield you from the NW weather and allow you to extend the seasons your balcony is available for use.

Flooring. The flooring for your balcony can range from a rubber membrane roofing material to aggregate concrete to floating floors featuring a tile or wood decking system. When selecting your flooring options, consider how the rain will flow onto and off of the flooring and how much energy you would like to invest in maintaining its surface appearance. Rubber membrane roofing material can be an affordable and attractive solution that has the added benefit of being extremely low maintenance.

Railings. Railings can be made of tempered glass, suspension wire, wood, or elaborately designed and welded metal. Whatever you elect to construct your railings out of, they will need to meet strict structural codes designed to address wind pressure, weatherization, child safety and structural integrity. Consider the proportion of the railing height when adding a balcony to an old home. Current codes require taller railings than would have been required when homes were built in the past. This can cause aesthetic issues that should be addressed.

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The choices can be complex, but a well-designed balcony can keep you connected to the outdoors while enjoying the comforts of home. Arciform’s design team specializes in creating personalized solutions that will fit your personality while respecting the architectural integrity of your home.

Ready to maximize your outdoor living spaces? Join us February 18th for a Master Suite Design Workshop to get inspired for your next project. Details and RSVP here.

Explore the Arciform Photo Galleries | All About Arciform | Schedule a Design Consultation

Mar 26

Summertime in Oregon

If you’ve lived in Oregon for a while you are probably familiar with our summers. Or our lack of summers. I’m an accountant and a sun slut, so I’m a bit obsessed with when we get our first 80 degree day, if we hit 100, how many times we hit 100, etc. I may have made charts. It ain’t pretty.

Another Oregonian trait is wringing every last bit of summer out of our so-called summer. If it’s not raining too hard, we’re outside. Our patios get a serious workout, even if they’re covered with moss and mildew.

Here’s a question – do you stare out at your patio or deck all winter and imagine changes that would allow you to hang out there more?

(Above are pics of Arciform owner Anne De Wolf enjoying two very different spaces last summer: a client’s deck and her own front porch.)

Maybe if you had a covered area and a fire pit, you would cook outside more?

The Oregonian just showed Toro Bravo chef John Gorham’s fire pit – and it’s not too involved. You could have one of these.

(Check out John Gorham’s indoor kitchen… and his outdoor one. Photo from the Oregonian by Wendi Nordeck.)

If you had an outdoor kitchen, you would be able to do your canning outside. Hmmm. Maybe you only need an outdoor sink? How about a greenhouse or a potting shed for garden starts? Better lighting to extend your time outside?

The list of possibilities is endless.

Re-vamping your outdoor space could be done more easily than you think. First, you can use salvaged products.

Salvaged bricks, pavers, concrete pieces and gravel can all be combined to make paths, patios and fire pits (check out this for inspiration). Mixed metal scrap (bought by the pound) can be used for fill, for pathways, for texture in a patio. An outdoor sink can be found at the ReBuilding center, Rejuvenation, on Craigslist. This one was sitting outside at Rejuvenation:

You can cover the sink with an awning made of salvaged wood, and perhaps leftover roofing tile. Salvaged doors and windows can be used to make a potting shed, a greenhouse or part of your outdoor kitchen. Salvaged industrial grids are excellent for pathways in muddy areas – these grids are designed to minimize slipping. Filled with gravel they are a thing of beauty in a muddy area.

Also, an important point to remember with salvage is that availability is often more important than a preconceived idea.

If your neighbor is pulling up her concrete driveway, take the pieces. The universe might be telling you to have a broken concrete pathway. If someone has a pallet of bricks to give away or for sale at a good price, that’s the universe telling you to consider a brick fire pit or patio. I find the universe speaks to me a lot if pay attention to the words “free” or “cheap”. For example, the container below was sitting on a 500 square foot b-ball court. By cutting out concrete sections and filling them in with gravel, plus adding a step the length of the container (using leftover material), an ugly old piece of concrete became a nifty hang-out space.

(FYI – rounds of wood from cut branches or stumps would also make cool fill – see this pin)

And then the cut-out concrete pieces were used to make a path to the sauna (excuse the yard – it has not yet been re-seeded):

(Also note the metal grid pathway on the right in the above pic – this is great for muddy areas in the garden.)

How to start?

Easy – Arciform can help with every stage of your outdoor space. First, the designers (Kristyn and Anne) can take a look at what you have going on now and help you see what it could be. They can advise about what materials can be saved and reused versus scrapped. For example, this sauna structure was made from lumber salvaged from my ripped out deck. The roof was material left over from another Arciform project (thank you Arciform!)

The designers will get you a set of plans. You can start shopping, and if that’s a hurdle for you, Arciform can also help you shop for new or salvaged goods. And then, of course, there are the guys – the wonderful Arciform crew that will make it all happen.

What do you think? Do you want to get started? Remember, getting started does not mean uprooting your yard this summer. If you want to, no worries. (I started with plans for a new deck last spring and it was my summer project.)

However, you can also start with the plans now, spend next winter gathering materials, and get that deck patio / deck / outdoor space done by summer of ’14. Just sayin’.

About Nancy Ranchel

Nancy is an accountant who offsets the practicality of her day job with extravagant and outrageous remodeling projects, often involving massive amounts of scrap metal. In her free time she can be found dreaming up new ways to turn her house into an art installation, digging through scrap heaps, and contemplating a world without plastic. Check out Nancy’s blog here: www.replaceinpdx.com/

Explore the Arciform Photo Galleries | All About Arciform | Schedule a Design Consultation

Posts tagged ‘outdoor living’

Designing an Adventure-Ready Home

10 Steps to a Perfect Outdoor Kitchen

Bringing the Inside Out: Creating a Balcony Retreat

Summertime in Oregon

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