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We’ll call this ‘The Chicken Tower’ on the assumption that there isn’t another like it. Constructed like a kitchen cabinet (in exterior grade FSC plywood), it takes up little garden space and accommodates up to 12 free range hens.

This is going to keep happening:

I get called to a site because now that the project is nearing completion, the clients “start thinking” about stairs.  In the natural order of works on site their timing is exactly right.  Finished stairs are rightfully part of the final fix.  It wasn’t, however, just the choice of words that made me guess that up to this point the stairs hadn’t been given a lot of thought.  I duly measured up, made sketches…and then made a phone call to explain that no legitimate staircase will fit without potentially far-reaching modifications to (very tidy!) work already completed.

The same thing happened recently in a local high-profile commercial build.  The stairs were meant to be Part M compliant, but the allotted stairwell wasn’t generous enough due to newly fitted structural steels.  The frustrated Building Control Officer hinted that he might insist on completed work being stripped out and started again – this time in accordance with approved drawings (??…!).

Stairs are now fitted.  I didn’t build them.  They’re but a whisper in the direction of Part M (??…!).

Stairs are only one test for integrated building design.  When I designed movement control joints, I used to see distinctly immovable things (like copper pipes and line drains) bridging expansion gaps with anticipated movement of up to +/- 50mm.

Anyone outside of the construction industry will assume that such clear blunders were corrected (they were not).  Anyone in the industry will have their own stories of building failure caused by every sub-contract running impeccably…in a main contract that didn’t integrate the parts into a whole.

Architects have always understood the importance of integrated building design.  With the introduction of BIM, large main contractors are also becoming enthusiasts.  There persists in the industry, however, a misguided pragmatism that prefers to just get started on site – and a belief that its better to solve problems as they arise than worry about them in advance.

The results? Sometimes catastrophic, but usually average.

That’s a disproportionately high cost for a relatively small omission.

While you’re standing at the window looking out for better weather this weekend, remember that Perspective Joinery + Construction make bespoke louvred shutters in FSC and local timber!

To the construction client, Construction Detailing can seem a needless expense and a bore.  To the building end-user, it’s subtly evidenced, but not readily perceived.

Like Dylan, football or prayer…it’s meaningless to anyone that doesn’t already understand.

Construction Detailing, however, is the most complete single explanation for watertight roofs, user-friendly stairs and comfortable/fit for purpose spaces.  When it’s lacking – expect leaks, draughts, cracks, trips, condensation and spaces that just don’t work.

If building-failure has already taught you the importance of Construction Detailing and you’re concerned that your next building project isn’t adequately detailed, speak to Perspective Joinery + Construction about our Construction Detailing Service.

Most stair requirements are generic…but when they’re not speak to us about bespoke designs, unusual configurations and artistic combinations of glass, metal and solid timber.

We work with artisan metal-smiths and specialists glass suppliers – and solid local timber is standard.  Our design technology is 5-axis CNC-compatible to ensure that continuous wreathed handrails are precision-engineered.

Does your new-build or refurbishment project need a feature staircase?

This unsuspecting bungalow suffered at least six strictly utilitarian extensions over the last 3 decades.  The current owner’s simile: ‘like a parked caravan with pieces stuck on’.  The authenticity of the existing narrative evokes a certain charm and even respect, but who can resist the coherence of the rewrite?

In 2013, Perspective Joinery + Construction will be furnishing windows with bespoke solid panel and louvred shutters made by us from local and environmentally sourced timbers.  Solid panel options can be thermally insulated.  Louvred options can have fixed louvres or louvres that open and close.

The best thing about bespoke – styles can be as unique and varied as houses!

Dartmoor. Winter Solstice.  No hard ground, just pooled or running water.  Corrosive damp.  Thick mist periodically broken by heavy rain.  Open any door and water gets in.  Dog, cats, washing and shoes all drying near the Rayburn where supper is being made.

I (mentally) run through a few interior refurbishment proposals until I’m satisfied that a family can live through the winter on Dartmoor without mud and without mould.

Then I remember the weeks of the year when we want to replace every metre of external wall with sliding folding doors and leave them open and live like elves.

My nearly igloo toggles with nearly tree-house until the proposal accommodates both photosynthesis and mulled wine.

I remember 21 December 1986, elsewhere; cross-country skiing over a frozen lake in the moonlight, a spaniel my companion in the mystery that night isn’t dark and freezing temperatures not cold.

The sketches twist and stretch to include spaces for invigorating exercise, essential for warming the body and conditioning the mind for both contemplation (lovely, dark and deep) and worldly promises (to keep).  The fulfilment of my worldly promises requires an extensive computer-centric work-station somewhere in this igloo/tree-house/gym.  Other family members require an art studio, a multi-media post-production studio and even a traditional bare desk with lamp.

The old grey cat squawks for more milk…further sketch revisions to ensure that his dish isn’t in a doorway.

Plans and Sections available shortly for download.

Happy Christmas Everyone!

Windows are like lips.  They seal orifices and they have the dubious honour of being the most expressive contingent of a larger edifice.  ‘Dubious honour’ because speech issued from lips can be harmful or dull as well as comforting or inspiring.  As for visual presentations—expect anything from alluring to disappointing.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is the construction industry’s current revelation to which all standard messianic hopes apply.

For decades, building designs were done as 2D plans, sections and elevations.  In BIM, they are 3D digital models, with further virtual investigations concerning time, cost and lifecycle.  The results of these 6 Ds are, or should be, very informed building strategies yielding time-efficient, materials-efficient and cost-efficient builds.