Thinking like an architect

30 11, 2014

What the Napa earthquake taught me

By Steve McKee|2019-04-25T17:05:48+00:00November 30th, 2014|Elements of Design, Thinking like an architect, Uncategorized|Comments Off on What the Napa earthquake taught me

A few weeks after the big Napa earthquake, John Laverty the builder, told me he had seen several of the Napa projects we had done together and that they had held up great in the shaking. That was good to hear. Year after year, we spend our effort designing and building extra strength into these houses by calling for extra plywood nailed tight to strengthen walls and metal straps nailed off to bridge any framing joints that will undergo major tension during a shake. We do all of this, house after house, for that singular moment that we know will [...]

22 07, 2014

My eclectic house

By Steve McKee|2014-07-22T04:37:45+00:00July 22nd, 2014|Thinking like an architect, Uncategorized|Comments Off on My eclectic house

Previously in Architalk: ____________________________________________________________________ "Was I ever going to design a house for myself?" asked the student. "Oh sure," I said. "Someday." "What will it be like?" asked another. I then gave an answer that I didn't even know was waiting within me. Unstated notions residing deep inside came to the surface and a fully formed answer came out of me, as if I talked about this sort of thing all the time. "My house will be eclectic," I said. "Not of any one style. It will be so over the top and filled with ideas [...]

24 04, 2014

Mister Science

By Steve McKee|2019-04-25T17:05:48+00:00April 24th, 2014|Random observations, Thinking like an architect, Uncategorized|Comments Off on Mister Science

A few years ago my uncle called me from Oklahoma to ask if it was a good idea if he set up his bathroom exhaust fan to empty into his attic, instead of running through a duct all the way to the outside like is usually done. He thought maybe the extra warmth added to the attic might benefit his house in winter. Not good, I said. The problem comes when the warm moist air from your bathroom meets the colder air in your attic. It will cool and, since cool air can't hold as much moisture as warm air, [...]

24 06, 2013

Features I want in my next house

By Steve McKee|2019-04-25T17:05:49+00:00June 24th, 2013|Elements of Design, Thinking like an architect, Uncategorized|Comments Off on Features I want in my next house

I've seen some cool stuff in houses in my day. And by that I don't mean the high-tech things like computerized light switches or the ability to turn on my hot tub from my smart phone while I'm in an airport. I suspect that these gizmos are destined for obsolescence, like the abandoned intercoms you see mounted on walls in forty year old houses. I tend to be more impressed by the simple things that will be useful and enjoyed for countless generations. Medicine closet Like a medicine cabinet, but much larger. I visited a client's home that had [...]

24 09, 2012

Notes from the Coconut Coast

By Steve McKee|2019-04-25T17:05:50+00:00September 24th, 2012|Thinking like an architect, Travel Tales, Uncategorized|Comments Off on Notes from the Coconut Coast

“It’s too bad they didn’t add windows right where those blank walls face the view,” I said to my son as we sat in the hot jets of the spa at our Kauai condo resort. I looked over the arrangement of buildings and could see that every unit had an ocean view of some sort, but here was an easy opportunity to make the end units especially fabulous with sweeping views on two sides – but the architect didn’t do it. And what a view it was – the Pacific Ocean endlessly turning itself from blue to white against the [...]

17 02, 2012

What I learned while designing for First Street

By Steve McKee|2019-04-25T17:06:36+00:00February 17th, 2012|Benicia, Thinking like an architect, Uncategorized|Comments Off on What I learned while designing for First Street

I recently got to design a major building for First Street. Then economic realities intervened, and the client decided to put it on indefinite hold for now. It was a bit of a bummer, though not all that surprising. For a glorious month and a half this project was real. This would probably be the project of my lifetime. A way to directly make that little corner of downtown live better for Benicians for decades to come, maybe centuries. It was critical to get it as good as could be. That included achieving major cost savings for my client and [...]