Cursed By Knowing The Numbers

  I have built several pools, and all of them have been headaches.  I don't know if it is the trade contractors, or if my specs are difficult, but I have never made it through the process without a great deal of handholding.

Pools, and water, add magic to a home.  It is one of Legorreta's trademark materials, and no resort home would be the same without a resort pool.

So the headaches, in the end, are worth it.  I have learned a few things along the way.  Here's some of what I know:

Pool Mechanicals

Controllers--I find either the Jandy or the Intellitouch systems work well and both tie into my home automation systems--although I wish they offered an IP based controller.

Install a little meter on the makeup water line.  You will lose roughly 0.5 to 0.75 inch per day from evaporation, any more than that--you have a leak.  7.82 gallons to the cubic foot, or 1 gallon from 200 SF of pool surface area.

 I use the Strantrol system to monitor and maintain pH and HRR.

For oxidizing bacteria, I prefer a bromine system over a chlorinated system, and ozonation for hot tubs. 

The big things to understand are how quickly you need to bring pool temp up, what the turnover is--usually <4 hours for a residential pool, and flow rate and flow rate changes through the different elements [fountains, waterfalls, spa, main drain, infinite edge, etc.)

Infinite edges seem to be a part of all the pools I have done.  The architectural appeal is significant, and the way you can get the layering of different materials at certain vantage points.

Tip:  if you use a floating cover with an infinite edge, you need to reverse the angle on the infinite edge to trap to cover when the cover is closed. 

Rule of thumb, you need 5gal/min flowrate per LF of infinite edge to maintain 0.125" of water over the weir.  Nothing worse than an infinite edge that shows high spots at the weir edge.

Finishes-- your choices are plaster, tile, or a plaster modified with crystals or aggregate such as 3M Quartz, Pebble Sheen or Gem Sheen. 

Plaster is the most economical pool finish and should last 15 to 25 years if the substrate, and the bond to the substrate, were good.  Keep your plaster a light tint.  The bleaching from the pool chemicals that inevitably happens looks worse on a dark colored pool.

If your preference is for a dark color pool, use tile, or a dark aggregate mix-in.   

I used a glass mosaic tile on the pool in these photos, to match the color of the ocean off of Hawaii.

Saving energy is a big concern of pool owners.  When I have the budget, I specify the Hydralux cover from Aquamatic in Gilroy, CA.  95% of the heat is lost through the water surface, and the Hydralux cover is a floating segmented cover that stops a larger percentage of this heat loss.  They also offer a floating solar cover, that allows the irradiance from the sun to pass through this cover and trap it in the pool.  This does not meet spec as a safety cover, so you will still need the fence.

The other way is to install a solar thermal system that loops through the pool pumps.  My rule of thumb is that I get an extra month on either end of the season here in Northern California without using a lot of gas. 

Posted by Ted at 6:59 PM | Permalink

An article in Business Week about Sophisticated Cellars got me thinking about the cellars I put in the homes I produce.  The first book I reach for when scoping the opportunity is How and Why to Build A Wine Cellar.

Why a wine cellar when winemaking techniques have improved to the point where most wines are enjoyable the day you acquire them?  Three reasons-

• it enhances the experience of collecting and appreciating wine;
• it provides an optimal environment for storing expensive, collectible wines--an effective storage solution is a fraction of the cost of the wine being stored;
• it enhances the value of your property.

The first question is capacity.  How many bottles?  Large format bottles?  Other types of storage?

  Second question is the primary and secondary functions of this space.  Long term storage?  Entertaining?  Actually practicing oenology? 

Third question is location.  Putting the cellar underground is the traditional option--great temperature control, away from light--really a highest and best use. Other options are in a detached structure--the more of it underground, the better.

The two enemies of wine are heat and light.  The fundamental job of the cellar is to prevent these two elements from happening to your collection.  It is the cycling of temperatures that prematurely age your wine--wine does not like change.  The other job of the cellar is to impress your wine drinking friends with your collection--which calls for light, and then perhaps a table, and a great racking system.

Temperature--I find that reds age optimally at 50-55d F.  Whites can take about five degrees higher in ambient temperature.  Humidity is not as big an issue, unless you are storing wines for a really long time.  The concrete walls should be enough.

Things to consider--

Diamond shaped bins are a bad idea in earthquake country.  The bottles dislodge too easily during a seismic event.  Minimize these bins in your cellar.

If you are using wine storage units, they can be noisy at night--so be careful where in the home you put them...you don't want to be woken to the sound of the compressor cycling on [again].

Resources:

Designer.  A Marin based Designer.

Racking

Split System Cooling Units.

Packaged units. 

WhisperKool units.

Posted by Ted at 1:56 PM | Permalink

This article in the Economist's Technology Quarterly  made me remember back about the path we took in understanding where LED lighting is now and how we could use it to meet our needs.

We found it was a good solution for both meeting Title 24 lighting requirements and cove lighting requirements on a recent project.  2005 Title 24 changed how we look at illuminating the homes we produce.

Look for LED's to start to encroach on the lighting turf in homes currently mandated to be compact fluorescent.  They range from 40 to 100 lumens/watt in the color spectrum most widely desired with a 50,000 hour projected life (25x longer than incandescent).

LED's are a fast moving technology, and as the technology moves down the price curve, I look to use this technology in more of my projects.  I don't know a single designer who is enthralled by the current code required lighting options (basically compact fluorescent (CFLs)).  LED's may be a welcome alternative, and they will change how fixtures look--can't wait to see how these are adapted.

California's Title 24 energy code basically mandates that 75% of the light fixtures in a kitchen be high efficacy, and the balance of lighting in the home either be high efficacy (above the solid line in the chart above) or controlled by an occupant sensor or dimmer switch. 

The big change I notice are occupant sensors in bathrooms, a higher number of compact fluorescent fixtures in kitchens and all lighting circuits with dimmer switches.

The trick I found about LED's is to get the light warm enough.  So you need the fixtures to produce greater than 60 lumens/watt in a 3000K color range (warm white) and a CRI (color rendering index) of >90.  Same goes for CFL's if you are evaluating those.

If you want to geek out on this, the relative cost can be explained by downloading and playing with this spreadsheet (hat tip to ProductDose.com) that compares incandescent, CFL's, and LEDs.

Posted by Ted at 1:35 PM | Permalink

...is what I am constantly telling myself makes the real difference.

This came up again over lunch with Lewis Butler, noted local architect, when we were discussing project delivery systems and what was important.

Quality is the one quality that is non-negotiable.  The job can cost a little more, it can take a little longer, but quality is the touchstone of any job.

How do you achieve quality on a repeated basis?

1. Build the project on paper first.  Good plans, good schedules.
2. Do Mockups. A lot of mockups.  Use these approved samples against the final finish.
3. Hire reputable trade contractors.  Getting a B minus sub to do A work is excruciatingly difficult, and impossible on a schedule.
4. Horizontal and Vertical control.  Maintaining control to within an eighth allows finishes to meet, windows and doors to operate properly, and keeps spaces visually quiet.
5. Details.  How and where materials meet.  Communicate these in construction documents or shop drawings.  Veneer matches.  Alignments. Carcass construction.
6. Hardware. Hardware is the jewelry of a job.  Custom hardware, contextually installed, sends a message.
7. Doors and Windows.  The sound of a door shutting can tell a lot about the quality of construction.  The thickness of the door can help define the quality levels...7/4, 9/4, 12/4.
8. Scale.  I gained a real appreciation for overscaled trim when producing a home designed by Grant Marani of Robert A.M. Stern's office.
9. Context--keep finishes consistent.  A poor sheetrock job illuminated by a $2000 sconce is a bad idea.
10. Keep the jobsite clean.  It sends a message to all who pass through the gate.
11. Protect all installed finishes.
12. Exacting supervision.  Fake it 'til you make it doesn't cut it.

Ten years after you finish the job, it won't matter that it took a little longer, or that it cost a little more.  What will live on is the quality of the construction and design.

It is this essence--of quality--that separates residential properties of architectural significance from every other type of real estate.  It is the home that defines how we live, and says who we are.

Lewis adds:

A couple of thoughts.  It's the relationship of quality to budget and schedule that gets interesting.  How one pegs those things to one another is the trick, expectations have to be set as usual.  The high end bay area market only rewards quality on resale, not budget and schedule.

You can't get a B sub to do A work, that's why they are a B sub.  But A subs do great B work for less money that sometimes really ends up being A.

Hardware is important, it's one of the few traditionally mechanical things that the owner operates in the house.

And of course if it's a bad piece of property, or bad design, construction quality, budget and schedule don't really matter...  so bring the architect or CM in early!  I do a lot of house shopping for people and it guarantees the best results.

That's all for now, interesting discussion.

Lewis

Posted by Ted at 12:47 PM | Permalink

I am asked occasionally by people looking to enter the industry for advice on how to do it.  And the fall is a great time to start looking and planning.

The rock stars of most real estate development companies are their project managers.  Most are well educated generalists--who have mastered the key skill of learning, observing, organizing, and delegating. 

Project managers are T shaped people--broadly empathic and with a deep understanding of a craft.  A craft could be that of an engineer or architect, it could be in the trades--carpenter, cabinetmaker, or an electrician--or it could be having the knack of performing an artful way of putting together deals, knowledge of how a building goes together, knowing the numbers, or structuring the cap stack.

Most development companies look for their project managers to have a graduate degree in architecture, real estate, an MBA, or a law degree.  I like the real estate development degree because it typically:

• has a mid-career student profile, designed so you can learn a lot from your fellow students,
• consists of small classes, and is only
• twelve months in duration, so you don't have to spend a lot of time offline reprogramming yourself.

Unless you are independently wealthy, or come from a prominent real estate family, the  first direction I would point you in is to find a grad program that is a fit for you.

The one I went to was started by Hank Spaulding and Larry Bacow at MIT's Center for Real Estate.

Michael Buckley, whom I learned under and worked for, heads up the real estate program at Columbia--and there may be no better location in the US to learn the art of real estate development than in New York City.

Stan Ross, the eminence grise of real estate accountants and dealmakers, is the chairman of the Lusk Center for Real Estate at USC.  And the winters in Southern California are a lot better than those in Boston...

Tony Ciochetti, the director of the MITCRE program, is in SF on 13NOV recruiting for the Class of '08.  I recommend this program very highly.  If you are interested, it is worth your time to come listen to the pitch.  I will be there and look forward to meeting you if you go.

The other group you want to get involved in is the Urban Land Institute.  They have a San Francisco Young Leaders Group that is a good platform.  They have a Learn from the Best program on 28SEP. 

I know, I know...grad school won't teach you everything...there are several essential skills you  need that you pick up best in el camino de la vida (loca)...  These include the ability to not be bullshitted by brokers, contractors, consultants, architects, et al and to survive the tedium of the public approvals process. 

A keen understanding of value, where the pain points are, and where you need to build momentum in the development food chain is what I  constantly strive for.  Keeping your eye on the prize.   These skills you pick up as best you can, either on your own projects, or working with a developer.

Posted by Ted at 12:01 PM | Permalink

...or fenestration, as my architect friends call it.  The primary function of a window is to provide a link to the outside.  This link needs a view of the ground and the horizon.  Windows offer the opportunity to frame a view, direct light, allow cross ventilation, and connect us with our location.

How do I get my head around windows? 

Look at the rough openings. In the Bay Area and Hawaii, my first cut for a total RO number is 25% of floor area.   Budgeting costs range from $80PSF of rough opening for mid-market solution to $275PSF for a completely custom mahogany window system  to $400PSF for a european import.

 Had one quote for a french cast bronze system that was $2400PSF, but that is another story.

Multi-point, pocketing, casement, awning, double-hung, triple-hung or fixed sashes?  Screens?  Depends on how you use the opening--view, ventilation, daylighting.

Laminated glass is great for soundproofing, and you don't have those anodized aluminum spacer bars visible in a double paned window.  Type of glass, low e, argon filled, etc--how much you use and where you use it is defined by your Title 24 calculation--this calculation determines how energy efficient your home is.

Final placing of windows needs to be done on-site--full scale model approach--with the rough frame of the building in place.  Mock up the frame of the window and move it around until it feels right.  Pay attention to the organization of the view and how the space inside relates to this.  Be careful about windows on a western exposure--they tend to heat up the house when you least need it.  Windows on a northern exposure are great for studio space.

Windows are a big part of your budget, but like the doors on your automobile, you use them a lot, and their mechanical function provides feedback on the quality of  construction.  They make a big difference in the delight and function you get from your home--so choose wisely.

Posted by Ted at 2:58 PM | Permalink

Radiant heating is high on the list of wants in almost every one of the homes I have produced.  The comfort, the invisibility, and the economies of radiant heating make it an attractive alternative. 

There are ways of designing your system that optimize the installation. Use this post when discussing heating systems with your designer.

There are four five things to understand with any radiant system:

1. There is a one to four hour thermal lag because the system is heating up such a large mass--a stone floor, for example.
2. Because of the thermal lag, we don't interconnect this source of heat with the split system as radiant systems are not meant to cycle on and off.  We do include a second outdoor temp sensor that adjusts the water temperature automatically with changes in outdoor temperature.
3. In California or sunny western states where there is a large diurnal temperature range during parts of the year, the system is best suited for areas that are not influenced by these daily temperature swings--northern exposure and basements.
4. The system is most effective in spaces where there is not a lot of solar heat gain during the day, ie in northern/northeastern/basement spaces.  I am hesitant to install these units in spaces with a large amount of southern exposure, and believe they are actually counterproductive in spaces with a large amount of western exposure due to the thermal lag.
5. Spaces with a large amount of glass and high ceilings can develop cold drafty convection currents at the windows on cold days that can overwhelm the system.  Look carefully at tubing sizing and spacing to understand how to compensate for large expanses of glass. 

Radiant heating is best understood as a steady-state, set-it and forget it system.  Most of the jobs I do, we design the system to be set at 72 degrees.  We augment the radiant system with a split system that provides any necessary cooling in summer, and responds to calls for additional heat in the winter, and in spaces with potential for temperature swings.  We don't overthink the handoff (there is none) between the two systems--radiant provides the baseline, and the split system responds to your immediate requests.

You need the split system to provide the responsiveness, and the radiant system for quiet, clean comfort.

The heat in a radiant system can come from one of two sources--electrical heating mats or tubing with hot water from a boiler.  I use mats in small isolated areas--have one in my master bathroom floor, for example.  They are not efficient providers of heat on a $/BTU basis, but work in areas where you can't have leaks or if you just want comfort heating in small areas.

I prefer to put radiant heating under stone, tile or concrete rather than hardwood.  They are more tolerant of temperature shocks than wood.  Hardwood seems to like it best in the same comfort zone as us people--that is 65 to 80 degrees.  Warmer than that, and the hardwood dries out and shrinks.  Water temp in the tubing is typically 100 degrees F +/- 10 degrees.  If wood is the look you want, look at engineered flooring or floating floor systems that are more stable with these higher temperatures.  Carpet diminishes the efficiency of the system and traps heat in the floor, both no-nos.

Hydronic radiant systems designed around a PEX tubing system like Wirsbo should give you trouble free enjoyment for a number of years.  I caution that these systems will leak, it is a matter of when, not if.  In the interim, you will enjoy the comfort, even warmth and "invisibility" of this great heating alternative.

The numbers?  The systems I have put in have ranged from $12 to $22 PSF for hydronic systems.

Posted by Ted at 1:37 PM | Permalink

Architects want input from a builder as they progress on a design to check constructability, review details, and most importantly, to check the budget.

Owners pay for this review.  What is sometimes missing is the accountability for the quality of the numbers--marketing numbers do us no good. The constructability of details needs to be part of the review and recommendation.  You don't want to know how many times I have heard whining about flashing details during construction when not a peep was made during preconstruction over the same detail.  What you need is true construction expertise--in pricing and constructability.

What is the faster/better/smarter way to buy preconstruction services?

1.Set the baseline.  You need to know quantities, units, and unit costs making up the cost estimate.  Lump sum numbers are basically useless.

2. Set the finishes.  You need to price off a finish schedule.  Stain grade vs paint grade, stone vs tile, etc.  You can iterate up or down on the finishes to get a budget number circled once you know your quantities.

3. Identification of assemblies benefiting from design build or cost plus approaches to getting it right.  On one recent job, we were under construction when the manufacturer's rep backpedaled and would not warranty the installation of their material--two years after they had sold this material to the architect as perfect for the application.  The subcontractor was sweating bullets.  After a great deal of caveatting, to-ing and fro-ing, and mockups, the material went in, looked great, and the subcontractor ended up looking like a hero--and deservedly so.  These assemblies need to be called out during preconstruction and everyone locked in a room until a consensus is reached at that time--not when you are burning $60K a month in OH&P on an active jobsite.

4. Review design for warrantable installations.  In the world of design once/build once/operate once homes, sometimes we get a little too far out on the design limb, making materials perform unnatural acts.  Best to know what is warrantable--or how to make it warrantable--upfront rather than when we don't have the time to develop a good workaround.

Don't you get this if you just bid it to a couple of contractors?  Not really. You will get a partial #1, perhaps broken out by trade.  Bottom line numbers are pretty useless and you certainly don't get 2, 3, or 4.  Those remain as gotchas to be negotiated during the building process--when you have neither the time nor great leverage.

What is the right price to pay for 1 to 4 above?  I have paid from about $0.75 to $2.00 PSF, although I have seen preconstruction lines on projects--before I got involved--add up to $9.50 PSF.  Ouch.  Have your team work to these four steps and you will start your project in much better shape.

Posted by Ted at 5:02 PM | Permalink