Terminology

Koontz - A reader sent us a note where she apologized for using the wrong terminology when describing the information she was asking about. It's a common mistake whenever discussions occur within a specific area of expertise and both people are not versed in the terminology.

All industries seem to create their own language. My brother-in-law is a flash animator and programmer and when I call him for computer advice, I have to remind him to speak in the English language, not computer language. In medicine you can't understand a thing if you don't have a dictionary of acronyms. I have a friend who is a math coach and she uses the language of math when speaking about work. I use math alot in my own work, but I don't use the same language she does and I often have to pause her for a definition.

Construction is no different. We speak in our own language and even that can be different depending on how long you've done something and what that something is. So not only is there a specific language, but that language usually evolves with the trade/craft/industry.

In an earlier post regarding heating systems, I used an incorrect term to describe what I call a split-system HVAC unit (there's one of those acronyms---see Jodi's post on HVAC for the real wording). It turns out that a split system unit, technically, is a unit where the condenser and compressor are separated, not where the heating and cooling unit are separated, which is what I meant. It's easy to get terminology wrong.

Speaking face to face, these issues usually get ironed out, but if you're writing note to note, trouble could arise.

As a client, don't expect to know your carpenter, contractor, architect or designers' language and don't feel embarrassed to ask for clarification. And even when you think you do know of what they speak, ask for clarification anyway, it could prevent all kinds of complications later.

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

Fitzpatrick-Or so the proverb goes. I used to agree with the position Peg takes in her previous post, that fences are there to keep people out and are inherently elitist and isolationist. (And who wants to argue with Robert Frost?) That was until I moved within spitting distance of about eight churches. Our current residence is in a Planned Unit Development. It’s not gated, but when the God Squad and the Magazine Militia and the Raffle Ticket Team come through, I certainly wish it was.

I work at home, so here’s what happens when someone rings the doorbell. My two dogs go berserk and don’t stop for quite awhile. The noise breaks my concentration, and if you read any studies about “knowledge workers,” it takes another twenty minutes after the disturbance to get back in the groove. Probably thirty for me. Really, do you think this is what Jesus had in mind? Can you imagine trying to do your job if solicitors had access to your cubicle, your private office, your jobsite? I can’t see how preventing them from ringing my doorbell is a step toward becoming a Stepford Wife.

When I lived in an older and ethnically diverse neighborhood, I used to believe as Peg writes, that these planned communities consisted of generic inhabitants who were only interested in interacting with each other. I was mortified when I married and moved into my husband’s house. But then my perceptions were proved wrong.

Our development contains 61 homes and the most diverse group of folks, racially, culturally, politically and economically. Vietnamese sharecropper farmers and their four kids (the first three in college) live to my right. On the left, a California State University professor of early childhood development with her son and grandson. We have accountants, nurses, pharmacists, teachers, contractors, construction workers, retired folk, Korean-Americans, Mexican-Americans, African-Americans, East Indians, Philippine-Americans and some white people. And because the development is governed by a home owners’ association, we all have to meet four times a year and deal with each other.

This is much more “neighborhood” than I ever experienced in a community without walls.

On my property, I recently installed two concrete block fences. They are easily scaled, and were built not to keep people out, but to keep my dogs in.

To me, this topic illustrates that some of the most sturdy and well-built walls are the preconceived notions we have about them. These are probably the ones that should come down.

Walls

Koontz -

..."Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down."

Mending Wall by Robert Frost


Jodi and I have a photo-shoot project later today at a site that is part of a "gated community". There isn't actually a gate, at least not yet, but there is a wall seperating the development from the neighborhoods around it. I wonder about this phenomenon.

According to Wikipedia, as of the year 2000, eight million US residents lived in gated communities and from my research, it seems these housing developments are on the rise in all countries save Canada.

The walls and gates have little to do with literal security in US developments. The walls are easily scaleable, and it's no big trick to gain access with your car by tailgating onto another vehicle that enters the area. So I assume it's the sense of enclosure that attracts the residents.

Is it so very scary out there that we need this separation from everyone who isn't just like us?

Apparently so. Walls have a long history all over the world. The Great Wall in China, The Berlin Wall, The Gaza Wall. The idea of separation has not always (ever?) been successful, yet we continue to do it. In China all new developments are required to be gated and in Saudi Arabi, the gated communities where Westerners live are armed. Will I go to visit my brother at his gated community one day and find an armed guard at the entrance? Is the purpose to keep me out or to keep him in?

Everyone wants to feel secure, especially in their home, but I can't help but feel that what we are practicing is exclusion, not inclusion and I wonder what the long-term effects will be on us and on the children we raise in these sterile little neighborhoods. Everyone at the same general income level, everyone with one of three floor plans, everyone with the same landscaping, everyone with their pass-code.

It kind of creeps me out actually.

More Venting on HVAC Systems

Fitzpatrick: Our intrepid owner of a Los Angeles Spanish Revival has written again with an update on her project, to which Peg was responding in her previous post:

Things are moving along on our little project and my next question is, do either of you have any opinions on installing air conditioning systems in older homes? We’re going to put in radiant heat (can’t wait), and the house has no ducts (of course) for central air “proper.” What’s a girl to do? Mini-splits, High Velocity…I would try to live without as we have been for the last 5 years, but it was 98 degrees here on election day!

Would love to hear your thoughts if you have any on the topic!

Hmmm. As Peg pointed out, HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning—you’d be surprised how long it took me to learn that) systems are a specialty with their own license qualification in California. In fact, on most commercial projects, the architect no longer draws this section of the plans. They are so specialized and complicated with all the energy requirements that she contracts on a design/build agreement with an HVAC contractor.

If we keep to our analogy of a home as a living body, the HVAC person is the respiratory or pulmonary specialist.

Though mostly clueless about the subject, I’ve had some recent experience. I recently viewed a home designed by architect Robert Stevens and built in 1960. The home has a split system HVAC. One portion of it has been replaced (don’t ask me which one) and the other is the original York. The same situation occurred on our company’s office building (1956). The beauty of split systems is they last a long time because you only use the part you need, and the other part gets a rest.

I’m assuming you are talking about a mini-split in the existing sections of the house, which I’d bet are on a stem foundation (crawl space below) and with attic space. I’d opt for the mini-split in your situation, so you get the kind of ventilation and cooling we’ve all come to expect. You said you plan to install radiant flooring. I’m unclear where/how this will go. Are you planning on the addition being a slab with radiant heating tubes within it? If so, you have to be especially careful the elevations are well designed so that this height difference makes sense, otherwise the addition will stick out like me and Peg at a Republican fundraiser. If you’re planning on installing that mesh electrical stuff under wood or tile but on a raised foundation, be aware that that stuff sucks energy like an SUV sucks gas.

But either way you slice it, as one of permanently reptilian toes, radiant flooring is delicious. Be sure also to design the floorplan of the addition to address cross-ventilation (pay attention to where your breeze comes from and at what time of day), and if you are able, site the addition to take advantage of any passive solar you can muster with south-facing windows and conductive flooring (such as tile).

On the interior design front, locate your return air registers and vents with care. Consider not only their aesthetic placement on the floor/wall/ceiling in relation to furniture, windows, art, but also their functional placement; e.g. a vent above the logical location for your desk in a home office—papers flying everywhere.

Also give thought to the design of the registers, the actual grilles. With the kind of detail in those houses, I’d opt to make them decorative wrought iron, copper or bronze. Peg was just giving me grief about my attention to detail on a recent photo shoot for a magazine we write for, but I always address doorknobs, back plates, hinges, hinge finials, doorstops, kickplates and vent covers. I’m always specifying custom vent covers for bathroom fans. (You’re saying, someone please give this woman drugs). The standard white plastic, metal or cheap brass is not going to cut it for this house.

Referencing the home as a living body once again, the hardware is its jewelry, it’s earrings, bracelets, necklaces, toe rings, nose rings. Think how much time we spend on those, eh? All those small details add up to a great effect.

Retrofitting for Air Conditioning

Koontz - Jen sent us a note asking about retrofitting her older home for air conditioning. What kind of system do you choose when your home hasn't had A/C and it's not just a matter of replacing the old unit? And how is it installed in homes that were not originally designed for A/C.

My first response to you Jen is that you seem to have done your homework already and at some levels, you know more about these systems than Jodi or I do.

Air Conditioning and Heating systems are an interesting mix of simple theory, complex install. The theory of what you want to accomplish is simple, determining the right system for a specific area and specific house and having it work to its optimum is fairly complex though. Because of this, A/C and Heating Contractors are one of the 30 (40?) or so specific categories that the state licenses seperately.

So the first bit of advice I have is to find a really good A/C company. As usual, having a license in the field does not insure the knowledge base of the company. A client of mine had an A/C unit installed while we were working on his kitchen and the system has never performed satisfactorily. There are hot and cold spots all over the place and it seems a simple screw-up of not having sized the vents and placement correctly. Disappointing when you've spent $7,000. to be comfortable.

The next bit of advice; in older homes you typically have the option of attic or crawl space install for conventional heating and/or cooling systems. In my own 1930's home I chose the attic because it was so spacious and I had easy runs to all the rooms. I don't know the area you're working with, or how things were built in your homes' era, but if it's an older home, one of those should be accessible to you. Installing new ductwork is more expensive than simply replacing an older unit, but it's not so pricey that it makes the project un-doable. Around my area, installation of new ducting will add $2,000-3,000. to your project on average.

Good advice on alternative systems is a tougher question to address. I'm all for them, but I know little in terms of real experience to pass-on.

You mentioned High Velocity A/C Jen, and I love the theory of this system. In my area, where 100 degree plus days for weeks on end are more the norm than not, I doubt I will ever have the opportunity to see one of these units unless one of the developers gets on board with it and starts installing it as the standard. Because the system works differently than a conventional A/C it would just be a hard sell to clients who want to feel the cold air blowing. It's a great idea though and if you can visit a home that uses it on a nice warm day and the place is comfortable, that's as good a recommendation as you can get. Obviously the next questions are reliability, life expectancy, and warranty. www.spacepak has a nice website that runs you through the system if you haven't come across them yet.

Split-systems for heat and A/C are a great system, and use to be a standard in building. In these systems the units are seperate and are ducted seperately with heat typically rising from the floor and cool air dropping from the ceiling or high wall. Since hot air rises and cold air falls, it was a logical system. The dilemma with a split-system is that you are literally buying two units, one for heating and one for cooling. Your costs for both install and replacement have just doubled. I don't know about the "mini" systems you mention. Logic tells me that as micro-chips have shrunk in size and expanded in capability, the same should be true of other systems. Often our building systems don't improve because of the lack of demand, but once the consumer demands a better system, changes happen. A good example of this is the conventional water heater vs. the on demand water heater. Again, the proof is in the pudding...can you get inside a home where the system is already in use?

Finally, with respect to radiant heating. Going back to the physics books, this is a system that hasn't become the standard simply through a lack of getting it out to the publics' eye it seems to me. Even passive radiant heating works-a friend of mine did it on his porch enclosure. If he had opted to use dual-glazed windows in that room it would probably be the toastiest room in his house.

So this long winded post is really just going to tell you what you already seem to know; there are options beyond the conventional roof-top or side-yard dual functioning unit and many of those options incorporate better physics than the older conventional systems. Find a good company, look at some of their installs and talk to their clients and see how they like the system and be our guinea pig...I'd love to know what you choose and how you think it works after a season.

Be Jane? Not!

Fitzpatrick--The do-it-yourself movement has spawned a new species—the “empowered” woman do-it-yourselfer. She dumps her husband, she dumps her job, she remodels her house and resells it for double. Then with no training, skills or proper tools, she launches herself upon the world as a self-professed remodeling guru. Because as Heidi Baker, of the media conglomerate known as Be Jane says, “It’s not rocket science.”

Well honey, maybe not the way you’re doing it.

A few disclaimers; I am a woman, I attended Wellesley college, I am a feminist. I have been professionally involved in design, remodeling and construction for twenty years.

What these women are doing is not empowering: www.bejane.com. It is a scam. Be Jane recently signed with msn to become a media partner. The Janes’ job, like all home improvement media host/hostesses, is to convince women that DIY projects are easy, so they will purchase the products and tools advertised on their site.

It sure beats trying to make a living as a legitimate remodeling contractor.

Note the stiletto boots, the tight white t-shirts, the tight jeans, the tool belts—hanging too high because they’re not fully loaded with all the implements you need to actually do a project. Compare this to Peg’s photo on our blog. She has sheetrock dust on her clothes and on her face. Because she’s actually working.

I would never in my life step foot on a jobsite—not even for a photo shoot--in a getup like the Janes’. It’s a male idea of what's sexy, not a woman’s. I have never felt more powerful than in steel-toed boots and a tool belt. I was only hanging 200 pieces of artwork to complete the interior design installation at a bank, but hey, I felt invincible. And sexy as hell.

And to have a male voice on the Be Jane tutorials? This implies that only men know what they’re doing and we’re still to listen to them. Sheesh. Dear Janes: not a very smart move for budding media moguls.

I used to perform the few odd DIY projects (towel bars, door hardware, painting), when I was tired of waiting on my husband, a professional flooring installer, or my brother, a union carpenter and now general contractor. But as a designer used to working with skilled craftspeople, I was supremely dissatisfied with the quality of my work and unable to justify the cost of the proper tools and materials to adequately complete it.

And what about the legality of these “projects” on Be Jane? Where was this house Heidi completely gutted? Did she pull the proper permits? Was the work done to current building codes? Was it inspected? Did she break the law?

Perhaps this is the fallout of feminism. Remember the old Jean Naté perfume commercial (yes, I’m that old) from the 70’s? The slim, flat-chested woman grinding her hips through the day as she “brings home the bacon, fries it up in a pan, and never, never, never, never lets you forget you’re a man?” Now we’re expected to bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, never let you forget you’re a man, while we remodel the kitchen by hand. Honestly, is anyone besides me more exhausted by these expectations than emancipated by them?

I’m all about women feeling competent and in control of their lives. But I’d much rather see them entering professional apprenticeship programs to actually learn a trade (and to raise the appalling figure of women construction workers—5%) in the years this takes, and receiving the good pay, benefits and respect this entails. It’s pathetic to see women cheering themselves in the name of empowerment because they tiled their laundry room floor (abysmally) after spending twenty minutes on Be Jane.

Be Jane? Not this chick.