| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| Doors in interiror walls | 11/30/2008 | Richard Taylor, AIA |
Q: We have a colonial house built in 1752 in Connecticut. In several areas on the first and second ...
A: Susan - thanks for your question! It's a tough one to answer without a photo, but I'll give it a ...
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| living room ceiling | 11/29/2008 | Richard Taylor, AIA |
Q: I recently bought a ranch style home in a suburban neighborhood. Built in 1985, it has a great open, ...
A: What you've got is a "clipped" ceiling, a detail I see mostly on the upper floors of older homes - ...
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| Follow-up | 11/28/2008 | John Henry Architect AIA |
Q: I could totally see where you thought that was a homework question. I should have given you a ...
A: 3,000 feet in height is about half a mile. There is not much limiting the area per floor for half a ...
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| Percentage of phases | 11/26/2008 | Paul S. Brown, AIA |
Q: I would like to know what the typical percentage of the total contract fee should be given to ...
A: Of course, every job is a bit different. But a good 'rule of thumb' is: Pre-Design and Site ...
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| fireplace glass door | 11/23/2008 | Richard Taylor, AIA |
Q: I am wondering if installing an airtight glass door for my masonry fireplace might help ...
A: Marty - thanks for your question! The simple answer here is no - you'd cut off all the combustion ...
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| egress window | 11/21/2008 | Richard Taylor, AIA |
Q: I am buying a house and the basement has egress windows. My mother is handicapped and I would like ...
A: Sandra - thanks for your question! Sure, it's possible! You need to decide up front what "degree ...
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| Should a brick facade be closed at the top? | 11/20/2008 | Richard Taylor, AIA |
Q: Our house suffered a lot of damage due to hurricane Ike. As part of the needed repairs, we have ...
A: Clarissa - sorry to hear about the damage you suffered; I hope your family is ok and coping well ...
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| Load Bearing Wall | 11/18/2008 | Richard Taylor, AIA |
Q: I am going to be buying a house that has a wall completely dividing the living area and a ...
A: Dan - thanks for your question! I wrote an article a while back that should help - the text of it ...
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| rubber membrane covering flat porch roof | 11/17/2008 | Richard Taylor, AIA |
Q: Mr. Taylor: In 1999, I built a new home in Chester, South Carolina. The house has a 10'deep x ...
A: Mike - thanks for your question. Based on the information you've provided it would appear that the ...
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| Rancher addition | 11/11/2008 | Richard Taylor, AIA |
Q: I'd like to add a great room to my hip roof rancher- the purpose of which would mainly be to expand ...
A: Eric - thanks for your question. Unfortunately, you're up against a very common problem that nearly ...
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| raising a roof | 11/9/2008 | Richard Taylor, AIA |
Q: I am looking to attach my house and garage via an addition. The problem is, the garage roof is about ...
A: Jason - thanks for your question! You don't necessarily need the roofs to be the same height to ...
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| about the color to use in a bedroom for girls | 11/9/2008 | Rikki Nyman |
Q: what are the color combinations that could satisfy the girl's needs for her bedroom?
A: Jen -- There are two parts to that question. First, it depends on the girl, her age, and tastes. ...
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| Building a new house | 11/6/2008 | Paul S. Brown, AIA |
Q: Paul, hello! In the interest of being specific...I'll probably provide too much information...so ...
A: Congrat's on the beautiful sounding lot! I spent a summer and fall working in the fishing industry ...
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| gas fireplace conversion | 11/4/2008 | Richard Taylor, AIA |
Q: Re: question asked was: Subject: converting wood burning fireplace to gas I read with interest your ...
A: Dona - thanks for your question! If I recall, the question you're referring to involved the ...
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| question please | 10/31/2008 | John Henry Architect AIA |
Q: when I m contemplating or concentrating in something usually grasping a pen without feeling I find ...
A: Many people doodle on paper when trying to find a way out of a mental problem. In your case, as a ...
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| roof measuring | 10/31/2008 | Richard Taylor, AIA |
Q: "How can I determine roof slope on a two story house without getting up on the roof and measuring ...
A: I can think of a couple of ways I've used before - the most accurate is to get into the attic and ...
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| Exterior paint colors for my house | 10/27/2008 | Rikki Nyman |
Q: I bought a beautiful old house and want to paint the exterior. It has been all white for many ...
A: Nancy -- I think your best bet would be to check with a local roofing contractor who could identify ...
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| Exterior paint colors for my house | 10/25/2008 | Rikki Nyman |
Q: I bought a beautiful old house and want to paint the exterior. It has been all white for many ...
A: Nancy -- It's impossible to tell what the colors were in the black and white photo because all we ...
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| Exterior paint colors for my house | 10/25/2008 | Rikki Nyman |
Q: I bought a beautiful old house and want to paint the exterior. It has been all white for many ...
A: Nancy -- Yours is a beautiful Queen Anne with strong Neoclassical elements. Traditionally, your ...
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| Bungalow style? | 10/24/2008 | Rikki Nyman |
Q: I bought this house three years ago. It's from about 1925 in Westchester, NY. Every piece of lumber ...
A: Sweet house! It's representative of the incredible diversity of the 1920s, but I wouldn't call it a ...
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| Building Footprint | 10/21/2008 | John Henry Architect AIA |
Q: I have come across various definitions of building footprint and am now quite confused. Below are ...
A: Strictly speaking building footprint is the first floor projection at grade only to the edge of ...
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| Style of my house | 10/12/2008 | Rikki Nyman |
Q: I am trying to figure out exterior paint colors for my house. I would love to do something that is ...
A: Meredith -- The floor plan you describe certainly sounds bungalowish. It's possible you have a kit, ...
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| Strange cabinet in attic of historic home | 10/10/2008 | Rikki Nyman |
Q: I am a docent at the Mattie Beal Historical home in Lawton, OK. The home was built in 1907 and ...
A: Is there any way you could take picture and post it to Flickr or Photobucket? It's very difficult ...
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| Information about my home | 10/6/2008 | Rikki Nyman |
Q: I was an expert here for many years and enjoyed it a great deal. I was hoping you might tell me ...
A: JC -- Shingles were often stained and treated with creosote, which was a penetrating oil, before ...
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| Information about my home | 10/5/2008 | Rikki Nyman |
Q: I was an expert here for many years and enjoyed it a great deal. I was hoping you might tell me ...
A: JC -- First let me say your house is very beautiful and typical of 1921 residential architecture. ...
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| Exterior paint color help needed | 10/2/2008 | Rikki Nyman |
Q: Would you please define the style of my house, and how would you paint it (we're in a middle of ...
A: Faina -- The colors you've selected are wonderful, but I really think that because the red and ...
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| Design fee cost breakdown | 10/1/2008 | Paul S. Brown, AIA |
Q: I want to know about how to get design fee cost breakdown.In that, what percentage of the fee goes ...
A: I can give you an example from the experience I have over the past few years doing mostly public ...
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| What does an Interior Designer do at an Architectural Firm? | 9/29/2008 | John Henry Architect AIA |
Q: I'm an Interior Design student trying to decide which path I'd like to take. I'm interested in ...
A: A separate department for Interior Design is normally found in a mid to large size commercial firm. ...
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| Exterior paint color help needed | 9/29/2008 | Rikki Nyman |
Q: Would you please define the style of my house, and how would you paint it (we're in a middle of ...
A: Faina -- That the porch originally had just the railing with the X-pattern makes sense. The ...
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| Exterior paint color help needed | 9/28/2008 | Rikki Nyman |
Q: Would you please define the style of my house, and how would you paint it (we're in a middle of ...
A: I can see why you are having difficulty with your house. Stylistically, it doesn't fall neatly into ...
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| Installing a deck over a roof | 9/23/2008 | Richard Taylor, AIA |
Q: We have a 71 year old (stone) house with an attached porch. The porch floor is slate with wooden ...
A: Looks like a lovely home - there's a lot of value in the historic character of it, make sure you ...
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| Frank Lloyd Wright - Jacobs House - Madison | 9/23/2008 | Rikki Nyman |
Q: My name is Sofia, I'm 18, and I'm studying Architecture in Lisbon, Portugal. I'm in the second year ...
A: Sofia -- Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian houses are beautiful ... great choice, BTW for a research ...
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| Reusing existing foundation | 9/21/2008 | Richard Taylor, AIA |
Q: My wife found a property in a neighborhood she is particularly fond of but the house is trashed. ...
A: "Unreasonable" is in the eye of the beholder, but what you're proposing is certainly worth ...
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| How removing a wall will affect the structural integrity of a house | 9/20/2008 | Richard Taylor, AIA |
Q: Is there an easy way to know which walls can be removed without compromising the structural ...
A: Gail - thanks for your question! Please read the article below: Is That A Bearing Wall? Richard ...
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| Roof | 9/20/2008 | Richard Taylor, AIA |
Q: I have a back split home with a very low sloped roof. There isn't an attic - just a 2x10 cathedral ...
A: Kurt - the existing roof structure (including the shingles) can usually stay in place while a new, ...
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| remodeling questions | 9/17/2008 | Richard Taylor, AIA |
Q: I have a few remodeling questions. First, is it possible to push up the ceilings in an apartment? If ...
A: Raising ceiling heights within a building structure is usually a complex and expensive undertaking. ...
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| Roof | 9/16/2008 | Richard Taylor, AIA |
Q: I have a back split home with a very low sloped roof. There isn't an attic - just a 2x10 cathedral ...
A: Kurt - thanks for your question! And thanks for including the photo. Raising the pitch of the roof ...
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| addition to house on hill | 9/11/2008 | John Henry Architect AIA |
Q: We have an older home with a full basement, with a man made hill surrounding it, over 50 years. We ...
A: I wish I could answer you with experience on this type of addition but most of my work is in the ...
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| architechture and real estate | 9/10/2008 | John Henry Architect AIA |
Q: i was just wondering if my poor art will affect the chance of me becoming an architect. more so i ...
A: You may be surprised how so many architects cannot draw well free hand. With a computer you can do ...
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| Copyrights for Architectural plans | 9/10/2008 | John Henry Architect AIA |
Q: I understand the copyright laws cover buildings, homes, etc. I've read somewhere that they do not ...
A: You will have to consult a copyright attorney to find out exactly if the garage you have in mind to ...
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