- Kitchen RemodelingThis project began with a Kitchen renovation in a 100-year-old bungalow. All work was confined to the existing footprint but the new kitchen was designed to be open, both visually and functionally, to the adjacent dining area and living areas.
- Bathroom RemodelingThe kitchen and bathroom are two important spaces that require extra attention when it comes to aging in place. Curbless showers with handheld sprayers, benches and grab bars will make bathing much easier and safer in later years. Wheelchair accessible doorways and space for adequate turning are also advised. The master bathroom should be located on the first floor.
- FlooringMore and more people are deciding to age in place, either in their primary residence or in a renovated second home. Choosing to remain at home has so many benefits and with the right design, it’s an attractive option for many older residents. In fact, “aging in place is strongly linked to greater health and happiness outcomes for seniors.” In this article, we will discuss some of the most important design elements to consider including flooring, hardware, wainscoting/chair rails, lighting, and bathroom fixtures.
- Door Installation/ReplacementThe project includes a fully renovated existing home plus just over 1,000 square feet of new space with custom cabinetry, hardwood floors, all new doors and windows along with properly insulated and air sealed walls, floors and roofs. The owners also benefit from a new and more energy efficient HVAC system and water-saving plumbing fixtures. The feedback from the clients, builder and neighbors has been very positive.
- FramingThis 1,000 square foot ranch home built in 1967 was in need of an extreme makeover when we first arrived to meet with the owner who used it as a rental property but was now preparing to retire here. Our plan involved gutting the interior and exterior to expose structural framing and sheathing in order to make modifications necessary to comply with more stringent code requirements.
- Tile Installation
- FireplacesAfter this ranch style home was flooded due to burst pipes, the owners contacted us to discuss plans for putting the interior back together and possibly making some modifications to the layout that would better suit their lifestyle. The new configuration has an open floor plan in which the living, dining and kitchen areas are open to one another and spatially defined by a centrally located two-sided fireplace. Function, circulation and comfort are all greatly improved by these interior changes. An existing den was transformed into a more useable family room and a new, more spacious master bathroom was designed into the master suite.
- Staircases
- CarpetingFlooring can pose challenges to older adults, so it’s important to choose the right surfaces for your home. Consider minimizing transitions between different types of flooring, as these can be tripping hazards. It’s helpful to choose surfaces like non-slip vinyl, cork and low pile carpeting, which are much more forgiving for falls.
- Skylight Repair/ReplacementOne of the easiest ways to make your new or renovated home more energy efficient is to take advantage of daylight through the use of windows, skylights, and reflective surfaces. Not only will daylighting lower your energy bills, but it’s also a great way to make your home green.
- Cabinet Installation
- New ConstructionINTEGRATA architecture + construction is a boutique design firm located on Cape Cod Massachusetts. Our projects range from high-end residential projects to commercial projects requiring historic rehabilitation and energy upgrades. INTEGRATA also provides Construction Management Services on a select basis for many of our design clients. Projects on which we have provided both architectural and construction services thus far have included several new homes and residential renovation projects with a focus on energy efficiency.
- DemolitionAt a time when urban sprawl and cookie cutter developments are prolific, and result in neighborhoods in which everything looks the same, it becomes even more important for communities to hold on to their identities through historic preservation efforts. Sometimes one or two historic buildings can serve to define a community. This is not to say that development and historic preservation have opposing agendas. On the contrary, historic preservation can attract investment and change in deteriorating neighborhoods through revitalization efforts which provide opportunities for creative adaptive re-use of existing buildings. (A good example is the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams, MA.) This represents an extremely efficient use of resources. For example, repairing and rebuilding portions of an existing structure such as windows, doors and mouldings rather than replacing entire components or assemblies would be an option to consider. Having the structural frame or the “skin” of a building in place that can be upgraded or repaired to meet current codes often constitutes a substantial savings when compared with the cost of demolition, transportation of debris to landfills, mining raw materials for manufacture into new building components, transportation to the jobsite, and installation. This type of adaptive re-use is not only cost effective, but sustainable on various levels. It is sustainable from an environmental perspective as previously illustrated, but it is also sustainable economically by spending money locally on repair and reconstruction rather than on new materials manufactured at distant facilities. By retaining much of the original architectural fabric and historical character of the building, these adaptive re-use projects support cultural sustainability as well. When considered in this light, historic preservation can be a powerful tool used to strengthen local economies and stabilize property values.
- SunroomsYou can bring more daylight into your home through the strategic use of windows, doors, openings and skylights. If you are building a new home, it’s the perfect time to consider how to orient the rooms of your home to maximize the use of daylight. For example, strategic placement of windows on the north elevation of your home provides a more consistent, indirect light. On the other hand, sunlight coming from the south is more direct and, when managed properly, can provide a pleasurable environment for some living spaces (living room, sunroom).
- LandscapingThe design also features an al fresco dining courtyard with a permeable patio design to allow for natural filtering of rainwater to recharge underground aquifers. A xeriscape landscaping plan accompanied by a rainwater collection system will reduce the irrigation requirements for the site. The harvested rainwater may also be used to supply water to low-flow toilets and urinals throughout the building further reducing the demand on the municipal water supply.
- FencingExisting buildings in which no major work is planned can still be operated in a way that reduces energy demand by identifying many of the phantom electrical loads. These phantom loads are loads that we are not actively aware of and consist mainly of the electrical power drawn by appliances and equipment even when they are not in use but remain plugged into an active power source. The list can be long, but some examples are microwaves, televisions, invisible pet fences, computers and water heaters. Estimates report that the average US home continuously leaks at least 50 Watts of electricity as a result of these phantom loads. This is roughly 450 kilowatt hours per year of invisible that can be substantially reduced by unplugging some of these appliances or having them controlled by a wall switch when they are not in use.
- Tree RemovalThe design fees are separate from the construction fees and two different contracts would be signed if the client chooses to continue with INTEGRATA during construction. Architectural fees for a residential project could range from up to 20% of the cost of construction depending upon the size and complexity of the project. Typically, the construction costs include more than what can be attributable to “bricks and mortar.” Construction costs that an Owner should expect to incur include other important items such as septic systems, tree removal, underground utility trenches and connections, sitework, landscaping and other tasks that can sometimes be overlooked during early discussions regarding cost.
- DrivewaysPermeable pave stones were used in the driveway to allow natural leaching of rainwater back into underground aquifers and to minimize storm water runoff and erosion. Non-native plantings were removed from the site and replaced with indigenous plantings.
- Retaining WallsRetaining walls can be an effective way of moderating flooding by holding soil in place and preventing erosion, in addition to serving as a landscape design feature. Depending on your project’s budget and the severity of flooding in your area, this may be an option for consideration.
- Window Installation/ReplacementOnce a site and building location are determined, and the actual building design process is about to begin, two of the most important design considerations that should be addressed are the size of the building (area and volume), and the design of the building envelope (walls, roofs, windows and doors). The actual required size of a building and its individual spaces is not often adequately investigated. Without the knowledge of what each space is to be used for and the sizes of equipment and furnishings, it is not much more than guesswork. This can lead to rooms and whole buildings either being undersized or oversized. Undersized buildings create problems of utility when they are not able to function adequately or provide the occupants with sufficient spaces to be productive or comfortable. Solutions can be costly and inefficient and may involve the construction of additional space, or spaces, to meet requirements that were not thoroughly discussed and evaluated from the start and that may not integrate as well with the existing building because they were an afterthought. On the other hand, over sizing buildings because spatial requirements have not been addressed or because the mentality that “bigger is better” prevailed in the early design stages results in more expensive construction projects and buildings that require substantially more energy to heat, cool, operate and maintain. Inefficiencies in such buildings can be enormous. The best approach is to plan thoroughly and size buildings correctly.
- SidingFor wall and roof materials, alternatives can include brick, concrete, concrete block, fiber cement siding panels, glass block, stone, ceramic and clay tile, and closed-cell foam insulation, among others. Fiberglass doors and PVC trim and finishes that are non-porous can also help minimize damage due to flooding.
- Residential Roof RepairAs the design begins to take shape, the conceptual design drawings are translated into two-dimensional floor plans as well as three-dimensional elevations. We can even create a virtual video to help you navigate through the various spaces of your dream structure. Materials from roofing, siding and windows to flooring and finishes are selected. And, the coordination of systems such as structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing begins.
- Residential Roof Replacement/Installation
- InsulationWe worked with the new owners to rehabilitate the exterior of the building to return it to its original glory and highlight the architectural details and profiles that once adorned this vernacular version of the New England Greek Revival building while increasing its energy efficiency through carefully detailed insulation systems, air sealing and high efficiency equipment design and installation.
- CaulkingWe have reduced the air leakage by sealing up gaps throughout the building with spray foam and caulking. Other measures included installing sweeps under exterior doors, and repairing metal frames on operable windows so that they will close more tightly. We have already had one blower door test to measure the quantity of air leakage and to identify any areas that were missed.
- Electrical WorkOur investigation also revealed several other issues that must be addressed including structural repairs, management of moisture and water infiltration, electrical repairs, breaches in the buildings enclosure system (windows, doors, walls, roof), and repair & restoration of priceless stained glass windows.