Bluff House

Since the mid-1960s, the firm Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects has created a series of houses across the country for art collectors, exploring the connection between art and craft. One such house perches on a Seattle-area hillside, deferring to nature. Architecture critic Paul Goldberger says of the firm's work: "this is an experiential architecture, not a theoretical one...marked by a self-assured and sensual presence, shaped by light, texture, materiality, and scale." — Editor

Sited on a steep shoreline hillside, this house commands broad views of Elliott Bay and Puget Sound. A separate restored beach house on the same site affords water-level access and views. Switchback stairs hug the slope and connect the upper residence with the beach house and shore 45 feet (14 meters) below. Fitted between mature trees, the houses explore relationships between architecture and landscape.

The entire site is considered living space, with rooms formed both inside and out. A Zen-inspired garden court is cradled in the hollow between the street and the open, ell-shaped house, whose shorter, pavilion leg adjoins the minimally landscaped garden. A narrow entry links this leg to the longer leg of the ell. This larger but visually subordinate cedar-clad element contains the garage, kitchen, and utility rooms. >>>

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This article is excerpted from Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects: Architecture, Art, and Craft compiled by Oscar Riera Ojeda, with permission of the publisher, Monacelli Press.

A Zen-inspired garden court is cradled between the street and the "Bluff House" by Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects.
Photo: Michael Jensen

The living room's high, layered ceiling is intended to dissolve one's sense of vertical containment.
Photo: Michael Jensen

She’s ALIIIIIIVE

Not only that, but i’m writing from beautiful Franconia, NH, where I am staying with my family at the vacation house. My grandparents had the house built 30 years ago in Mittersill, a village that is meant to mimic EXACTLY its Swiss counterpart. Back in the day, glamorous movie stars and the wealthy would come to stay, hobnob and ski. It’s pretty amazing. All of the houses are Swiss chalets. Here’s where I am writing from right now:

And when I turned around after taking this picture, here’s what I saw:

But let’s shelve that for a bit.

First of all, allow me apologize for the ridiculously long hiatus since I last actually posted a blog entry. It’s been a really busy couple of weeks, but I promise I have a good excuse and very exciting news. After a year and a half illness that left doctors stumped and me completely disillusioned…just as I started to lose hope, I FINALLY got a diagnosis. I know that I have briefly alluded to this in the past, but now that I know what exactly it is (and I have confirmation that I am anything but crazy) I can share more.

So, what exactly has been going on? When I stand for long periods of time, switch positions suddenly (sitting or kneeling to standing), or exert myself I have to be really careful because my body often does not respond appropriately- often times I will start to black out or else my heart will pound so quickly that it feels like a single continuous beat, rather than individual beats. What this has meant is that not only do I have to be cautious when doing simple things, but the worst part is that I have experienced serious exercise intolerance for a while now, and had to give up running as I faint if I run for more than four minutes or so (on a good day). It has been very difficult for me, as a former runner and athlete (dancing, figure skating, track and field, cross country, skiing, softball, volleyball and crew in college, and running) for most of my 25 years, to deal with what has felt like a rebellion or failure of my body. I have always pushed my body to its limits- whether it was running suicides in volleyball until I nearly threw up, or ice skating with a hurt back or rowing with a shoulder with tendonitis. What my mind has commanded, my body has done. Sometimes I feel like I am trapped in a body that has turned on me.

Another disturbing symptom? My fight or flight reaction is on a hair trigger. It can be triggered by ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING and what that translates to is the panicky feeling your body initiates when you are frightened, but without the mental fear. It’s an extremely disconcerting thing. It means that when I am stressed or emotional, my body gives me away because I start to breathe very quickly and my heart pounds and there are even times when I start to tremble.

So…what the heck is it, you ask? After 9 doctors, 7 of which told me I was crazy and just having anxiety attacks (when the only anxiety I felt was related to the fact that no one would believe me and no one could help me!) I FINALLY saw the right doctor- a specialist that I got in to see after 6 months and he figured out that I have what is called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS for short- appropriate for a food blogger, yes?). Basically my autonomic nervous system does not regulate my body properly- my blood pressure drops inappropriately and often, my heart will speed up to try to compensate for it. What’s so difficult is that some days I am completely fine (although vigorous physical activity will almost ALWAYS bring some symptoms- especially running. I absolutely cannot run). The specialist is amazing. It turns out that POTS is very difficult to diagnose and many doctors know very little about it. When I first saw him, I told him flat out that I was afraid he’d think I was crazy, too. He was my last hope. You know what he said? “I promise you’re not crazy. Almost every patient I have has a story almost identical to yours. When doctors don’t know what is afflicting the patient, rather than admit that they don’t know what’s wrong, a lot of time they’ll dismiss it as a mental issue to avoid having to admit their own failure. You’re in the right place- it just took you a while to get here.” And there you have it.

The one thing I want people to take away from all of this? YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST ADVOCATE. Just ask Chanelle (who is amazing, btw. Read her blog if you haven’t already!). It is YOU that lives in and with your own body. YOU who knows it best. I saw some of the most well- respected doctors in the country- my aunt is a doctor and got me the cream of the crop- and even they didn’t know. Do not give up. Educate yourself. Keep meticulous records of your symptoms. Do whatever it takes. Keep your hope alive.

When I first got sick I started to do research- TONS of research, and POTS was one of the first things that I thought it could be. I mentioned it to the very first doctor I saw. She immediately and adamantly dismissed the idea and proceeded to put me on very serious medication that made me so sick I ended up in the hospital. I’m sure she thought that I was telling her how to do her job when I suggested that I seemed to have an alarming number of the symptoms. But as it turns out- I was right. Always trust your instincts (I’m afraid I’ll have to ignore the instinct to smack her upside the head- although I may write her a letter).

I cannot tell you how liberating and wonderful it has been to finally get some sort of validation and of course, to know what exactly is happening in my body. Not only that, but I have a treatment plan that will be adjusted as we go along and the specialist is very respectful of my wish to avoid medication. While I was waiting for the appointment with him, I was put on powerful steroids that caused weight gain to try to stabilize my symptoms- it worked, but at a cost. For the past couple of weeks I have been working on a plan to get my health back, return to my healthy lifestyle and started exercising again so that I can return to my happy weight. It will take a really long time to get back to where I was- it’ll take patience and diligence. But I WILL get back there. I WILL run again. I WILL regain some semblance of control over my body.

I’ll go into more detail as I post throughout the week, but some of the major decisions I have made as of late that I’d like to share:

• I will be going vegetarian. I will be easing into this as a pescatarian, then transitioning to a full vegetarian.
• I have devoted myself to a yoga practice that is slowly helping me reconnect with my body and find a confidence I had forgotten I ever had. I’ll be doing a year-long challenge with my wonderful friend, the lovely Christie. I am so excited for this and will be posting more details soon!
• I am also exploring a number of other exercise programs that I can do on my own, at my own pace so that I can relearn the cues my body sends me and hopefully, as I get better, rewire them.

I am so confident that this will all help me very much in my struggle with body image, as well. Lately, I have felt as though my life is coming together in a way that it hasn’t in a very long time- I have found new understanding of the breakup of my relationship that has led to some measure of peace, I have stood up for myself in a very difficult situation involving the death of my father and distribution of his estate, and I have begun to find my voice. With each difficult hurdle I jump, I get a little more dtermined. A little stronger. A little more unapologetically me. I’ve always pretty much known who I am, but now it feels like i’m finally figuring out what I want and that it’s ok to go for it. And THAT is an amazing feeling.

Today has been a busy day. I was skiing these:

Ok, wait. I lied. Not THESE exact mountains. Cannon Mountain, to be exact. The one that this photo was taken from. But I imagine if I took a photo from the peaks in this picture it’d look pretty similar- you know, aside from the chairlifts and tiny ant people. It’s WONDERFUL to ski again. Today went really well- the conditions were AMAZING, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and I only had to stop and rest for a short while when I started to feel a little bit lightheaded. That, for me, is a HUGE victory. I had some great eats for lunch:

Scotland's Cities

he Executive's plans for the future strategic role of
Scotland's six cities within their surrounding regions were
spelled out with the publication of the

Building Better Cities report on January 9.

It includes a £90 million City Growth Fund and the creation
of long-term City-Vision statements of how individual cities
can work in partnership with other stakeholders in their
geographical regions to achieve measurable improvements.
The Executive intends to examine the scope for the
introduction of Business Improvement Districts and Urban
Regeneration Companies as a means of stimulating growth and
renewal.

A special taskforce is also to be established to produce
initiatives on the handling of vacant and derelict land. An
additional £20 million is to be made available for land
reclamation in Glasgow, Dundee and North Lanarkshire.


Review of Scotland's Cities - The Analysis

From the

Building Better Cities report:

ABERDEEN

Union Street, AberdeenAberdeen has cemented its
presence as the oil capital of Europe. The recent history of
the city-region is one of success, with high employment, high
earnings and excellent "quality of life ".

Pockets of deprivation are isolated, but deep. Aberdeen 's
success has also been Scotland's gain through multiplier
effects for both incomes and employment, with GDP over 30%above
the Scottish average and above full employment. Meanwhile,
pressures on the fish-processing and food sectors will pose
significant challenges for the wider city-region.

Today's success may constrain success in the future. High
house prices and constraints on the availability of business
locations and land, traffic congestion, and skill shortages in
a near full employment economy each act as a disincentive to
locate and grow businesses in Aberdeen.

While Aberdeen starts from a high base, its growth in recent
years has lagged the rest of Scotland. Its success is narrowly
based on oil and gas, which in itself is a cyclical
industry.

Aberdeen has long recognised this and is well placed to
achieve the necessary diversification response - with a strong
research base, a strong service sector in terms of software and
business advice, and a higher business start-rate than the
average.

Short-term priorities

* Rectifying skill shortages.
* Building a sense of place (a City "buzz ") through
strategic cultural investment
* Improved transport infrastructure and availability of
high quality business locations
* Internationalisation of oil and gas companies and
diversification into new industries

Longer-term directions

In the longer term, Aberdeen will need to adapt to the
gradual maturing of the UK oil and gas sector through the
internationalisation of existing oil and gas firms, thereby
building on the knowledge and expertise gained and in
diversification into new industries.

DUNDEE

DundeeRecent
improvement in Dundee's economic performance and external
image have been based on revitalisation of the city
centre, on the back of long-term strategic investment in
the cultural, retail and public realms, and the growing
clusters of biotechnology, medical science and multimedia
software companies.

Dundee has a large student population, bringing a vibrancy
and diversity to the city. Nevertheless, a high proportion of
manufacturing industries have experienced difficult transitions
to new technologies and markets. This has left a legacy of high
unemployment and deep social deprivation, declining population
and vacant land.

The development of biotechnology and software clusters at
the high skill end and call centre developments are providing
new opportunities for the local economy. Business links with
further and higher education are strong. These are promising
developments on which to build. The city's business birth rate
is well below the average but has scope to improve within the
newly developing environment. Improvements to the city-centre
retail facilities and the excellent cultural and tourism
related initiatives are also redefining Dundee.

Social Justice Minister Margaret Curran:

"No single agency has the answer to the
challenges facing our cities, in particular how
we close the opportunity gap which still
stifles too many of our citizens, and also how
we secure safe, strong communities and
environmental justice for all."

Maintaining this momentum of growth to offset decline
elsewhere can be supported through effective public sector
support, which should focus on new industries and on the legacy
of economic change. Dundee's educational and health experience
is marked.

Dundee, uniquely among Scottish cities, loses a
disproportionate number of its young people in their 20s: they
take with them their skills, energy and spending power. Alone
amongst the cities, Dundee is projected to have both declining
population and household numbers.

Short-term priorities

* Championing the success in biotechnology and games
software, together with other new industries
* Building on improvements in the city centre and in city
"image" to make Dundee a place where people aim to live and
work
* Managing economic transition, and its effects on
population change and housing markets
* Enhancing the skills and capabilities in deprived
communities in Dundee represents both a challenge and an
economic opportunity

Longer-term directions

Dundee is, of course, midway between two major cities
experiencing problems of success - Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Both
might provide opportunities e.g. a competitive location in the
wider Central Belt economy.

EDINBURGH

EdinburghEdinburgh's major economic
success story is borne on the back of growth in financial,
business services, public administration and
cultural/entertainment sectors - the right economic mix at the
right time.

It now enjoys high incomes, high employment, limited
deprivation and exceptional "quality of life ". Of the four
larger cities it has the lowest crime and the highest
"neighbourhood satisfaction".

Residents of Edinburgh are twice as likely to have a degree,
and half as likely to have no qualifications, than the average
for Scotland. Its problems are primarily those of success.

Edinburgh is coming up against constraints to future growth:
tight labour market, significant house price inflation, high
commercial rentals, traffic congestion, pressures on the green
belt. Growth management is not a temporary challenge - both
population and the number of households are projected to
increase in the future.

Edinburgh will need to manage its transport system for
business, its use of land, ensuring new sites for both housing
and business, and managing the spread of business actively
outwards, with all that entails for transport, planning and
housing. The pressures for growth risk damage to quality of
life, one of the mainsprings of Edinburgh as a business and
residential location.

Such pressures might also make responding to new challenges
more difficult; high house prices stifle job mobility when it
is needed most. Any frustrated growth cannot automatically be
assumed to transfer to other Scottish city-regions - the
skilled/experienced labour market and supplier base that has
developed in Edinburgh over a period of years is in many areas
just not available elsewhere on a similar scale. Edinburgh's
success may bring opportunities for other areas, but this
process will require policy management.

Short-term priorities

* Improving transport infrastructure and traffic
management
* Rectifying skills shortages by widening travel to work
area
* Managing pressures on greenbelt land for housing and
business development

Longer-term directions

Hard choices for the city lie ahead. Strategic decisions are
required on how and where the current and forecast economic and
household growth in the city can be accommodated.

GLASGOW

Glasgow City ChambersEmployment
growth in Glasgow has out-performed all the cities over the
last five years. The significant service sector growth in the
dynamic city centre, driven by commercial and retail sectors,
and underpinned by extensive investment in the public realm, is
more than offsetting decline in manufacturing.

But the legacy of industrial change remains large. Glasgow
remains a dual city: simultaneously witnessing strong growth
and acting as the centre of gravity for the West of Scotland,
while dealing with the legacy of decline. Prosperity co-exists
with extensive and deeply rooted areas of social exclusion,
characterised by low skills and low aspirations, which are
largely disconnected from growth areas in the city.

Promoting further growth, while ensuring that prosperity is
widened and shared is a key challenge. Strong growth in the
knowledge economy and the service sector provide the engine of
growth. For this to be sustained, further improvements will be
required to the links with Glasgow 's excellent research and
learning institutions, its strong tourism presence and business
facilities.

Under utilised people/assets co-exist with tight labour
market/shortages of readily developable land. There is a large
backlog of physical dereliction - 9% of the land area is either
derelict or vacant.

Economic activity rates are amongst the lowest in the UK.
For Glasgow to have the same rate of employment as Scotland as
a whole would require over 50,000 new jobs. But over 40% of
those not in work have no qualifications.

Short-term priorities

* Widening economic successes to address deep social
deprivation. There are major opportunities for regeneration
and reconstruction with the M74 Extension, the Housing
Stock Transfer and the Schools PPP.
* Building capabilities and skills to respond to economic
opportunities.
* Improving governance and partnership working.

Longer-term directions

Glasgow has, since the early 1990s, reinvented itself on its
own terms, with growth in employment and investment. This will
need to continue - the deeply rooted social problems in Glasgow
represent both the biggest challenge in building a better
Scotland, and the biggest opportunity.

INVERNESS

Inverness CastleInverness has experienced
significant growth in recent years. Its population increased by
a third over the last 30 years. Strong growth has been
underpinned by its quality of life: excellent environment, good
school education, and low crime.

Its prospects are now better than they have ever been. It is
firmly established as the principal administrative, medical,
professional, leisure and retail centre for the Highlands and
wider afield - at the heart of the Highlands city-region.

Making the step from large town to the "capital " of a key
city region is a key challenge. Growth has been on a small
base, driven by retail, public administration and business
services.

Inverness is re-invigorating its city centre with enhanced
transport links within the city and beyond. It faces challenges
in raising its tourist offering, up-skilling the workforce and
attracting talent from elsewhere and raising its cultural
offerings.

Inverness has achieved growth on the back of changing
industrial structure - the boost of oil related growth has been
superseded by expanding ICT, medical services etc. This
reinvention of the economic base will need to continue,
requiring a highly skilled and flexible workforce. The
relatively shallow labour pool in the area underpins the
importance of the learning sector and the need to attract
talent into the Highlands as well as maintaining existing
population.

Short-term priorities

* Diversifying the economic base and fostering new and
growing industries, including by enhancing investment in
transport connections and the availability of sites for
business development
* Establishing and gaining full university status for the
UHI Millennium Institute
* Building and attracting a diverse labour pool, as well
as attracting visitors through the arts/cultural
offering

Longer-term directions

Inverness is a new city, undergoing change and development.
It is more than ever the "capital" of the Highlands
city-region. The focus on the fragile western and northern
fringe needs to be complemented with a focus on the success of
the city area.

Pattern Ten

The simple exterior of the Davis House has a powerful entry centered and given importance by the gable roof above it. Photo: David Duncan Livingston		When Howard Davis decided to build a house for himself in Eugene, Oregon, his budget constraints led him to economize on the size of the site, the overall size of the house, and the simplicity of its design. But he refused to scrimp on materials. As an architect, Davis knew that he could squeeze a lot of usefulness out of a limited area, but he also understood that the beauty of materials, carefully chosen, would enrich the experience of the house. The exterior appearance of the 1,200-square-foot (110-square-meter) house is modest and straightforward.
From the street, a simple front porch is covered with a shed roof, but given more prominence by the presence of an intersecting gable roof just above. In Oregon, a land of conifers, Davis chose to sheathe not only the walls in cedar shingles but also the roof. The result is a little furry bear of a house, a cottage. This could have led to a rather monotone appearance, but Davis contrasted the shingles with the cool blue-green paint of the window, door, and rafter trim, a color that is complementary to the rich, warm, reddish and brown hues of the shingles. And Davis had a couple of tricks up his sleeve. First, he added special punch and excitement to the entry by treating the front door to a bright yellow paint job, with sympathetic echoes in the three inset ceramic tiles just above it. Next, Davis embellished the entry by using smooth, tightly fitted wooden boards for the porch roof, railing material, and bench — an echo of the fine paneling and wainscoting found inside.		The large central living/ dining room, a simple rectangle in plan, is enriched by small surrounding spaces: the study through the glass door, the stairs, and the partly open kitchen. Photo: David Duncan Livingston
The modest plan can be thought of as a great room enriched by surrounding support spaces. Image: The Taunton Press The kitchen repeats the warm-spectrum color scheme of the main living/ dining room, but in a more intense form, with whiter white, redder red, and so on. Photo: David Duncan Livingston Unpainted wood draws attention to the innate qualities of the material itself. Painted wood shelving can recede and allow the displayed objects to shine. Photo: David Duncan Livingston Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.	The large central room is surrounded by subsidiary spaces that are as small as practical and as open to the main space as possible (an example of the pattern Private Edges, Common Core). The kitchen is tiny but open to the main room, and the study is compressed but looks back into the living room through its entry and interior window. Even the stairs are kept open to the central large space, thereby adding to its visual generousness. Contrast and Link The material theme of the interior begins with the floors of patterned oak strip flooring, which are left a natural color. This continuous, uninterrupted floor plane is partnered on the first floor with a wooden ceiling of exposed Douglas fir floor joists and clear Douglas fir ceiling boards. Connecting these two horizontal surfaces are the walls of smooth drywall, painted an even, sunny, light yellow. We appreciate the raw beauty of the natural wood floor and ceiling precisely because they contrast with the plain, creamy smooth, textureless walls that connect them. Strong contrast — such as between wood and drywall — can be refined by linking the materials to each other in some way for a more integrated, richer, complex composition. In this room, Davis has linked the walls to the wood floor and ceiling by running wood wainscoting around the perimeter of the room. Breaking out of this wainscoting are the door and window trim, built-in seats, cabinets, and shelving all of the same Douglas fir as the overhead beams and ceiling, but closer in smoothness to the drywall.

Fred Kavli Building dedicated at SLAC

Menlo Park, CA—The Department of Energy's Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and Stanford University dedicated the Fred Kavli Building on March 17, 2006. Made possible through contributions from Physicist Fred Kavli and the Kavli Foundation, this state-of-the-art building is the centerpiece of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC), a joint collaboration between SLAC and Stanford University.

"The discoveries made by astrophysicists over the past 40 years have transformed our knowledge of the universe," said KIPAC director Roger Blandford. "All of this was immensely clear to Fred Kavli and others when they created KIPAC three years ago. The Fred Kavli Building and the research that goes on inside is a result of their foresight and initiative."

The 25,000 square foot building includes a high-tech auditorium, conference rooms, workspace for 90 people and stunning views of Stanford University and the Bay. It will soon also house a visualization lab offering the ability to display three-dimensional cosmological simulations on an 8' x 10' screen.

SLAC Director Jonathan Dorfan and Stanford President John Hennessy expressed their gratitude to the donors and to the Department of Energy (DOE), which is a major supporter of the Institute’s occupants and of its operating costs.

"The DOE is pleased and proud to see that the accelerator tools, some developed here at SLAC, have be reapplied to drive the development of new tools," said Robin Staffin, representing the DOE Office of Science. "But the greatest tool of all is that of the human mind. This is a resource in which Stanford University and SLAC have set the world’s standard."

"This building will tie together SLAC and the Stanford campus in a unique and beautiful way," said Hennessy. "The work we do here will encourage the exchange of ideas and provide the foundation that will enable us to think differently."

Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and Congressman Mike Honda both attended the ceremony and congratulated SLAC, Stanford University, KIPAC and Fred Kavli on the dedication of the new building.

"We invest in basic science because we believe in its long range benefits to society," Fred Kavli told an audience of about 150 using the Kavli Building auditorium for the first time. "Sacrifices that we make today will build a future more spectacular than we can imagine. I am confident that the scientists here will make great discoveries and answer some of our most fundamental questions."

Also at the ceremony were Pierre Schwob, the Palo Alto entrepreneur whose $1 million donation funded the building's Pierre R. Schwob Computing and Information Center, dedicated to the computational and large-scale visualization aspects of KIPAC research, and Adele and Pehong Chen, whose generous donation endowed the chair for the KAVLI Institute.

Activities in the building will champion the increasing convergence of particle physics—the science of the extremely small—and astrophysics—the science of the very large. KIPAC researchers seek solutions to some of today's most fascinating and challenging problems in astrophysics and cosmology.

A honeymoon in Belgium will reveal

A honeymoon in Belgium will reveal to you a rich and historic country.
This is made up of diverse art, architecture and cuisine waiting to be discovered. Belgium is a relatively small and modest nation by European standards. There are beautifully preserved medieval towns; world class museums and excellent cuisine await you on your Belgian honeymoon.

Brussles, the Belgian capitol doubles as the capital of the European Union and therefore has a distinct cross-national feel. At its heart stands an ornate central square, framed by historic buildings and some fascinating museums. That show case art from ancient to modern times. Brussels also has superb array of restaurants and shopping opportunities.
North of Brussels stands the city of Antwerp, a magnet for art lovers! Located on the banks of the Scheldt River, Antwerp is home to the world's largest diamond industry, plus its lovely architecture adds to the magical atmosphere of the area. Villas, mansions, castles and the largest Gothic church inBelgium are found here.
The 13th century medieval town of Bruges will transport you back in time. The last changes to its architectural appearance were made over 5 centuries ago! Take a leisurely boat ride down Bruges' river, or simply stroll through the different picturesque streets, stopping to visit a caf, or one of the town's many museums.Belgium's other city with a strong Medieval past is Ghent - also filled with a vibrant and fascinating history.
For a taste of Belgium's natural beauty, head to the Ardennes region of the country. Here ancient citadels and sleepy villages nestle amongst densely forested hills, cut through by deep valleys. Guided tours of the Ardennes are available upon request.
Belgium is an enthralling nation with a dramatic past and a proud present as a center of the European Union. For Medieval romance, a look at some historic and intricately designed buildings, plus outstanding art museums and friendly vibrant people, head toBelgium for your honeymoon.

Building a Modular Home in Los Angeles

It is difficult to find an empty space in any populous area where you can simply build a house. However, in many of the areas surrounding Los Angeles, modular homes are a viable option for anyone who wants a place of their own that is designed with their interests in mind. Available with just about anything you can think of that would be found in a more conventionally built house, a modular home is an efficient and cost-effective alternative to traditional construction.

Los Angeles Modular Homes vs. Manufactured Homes

The only real similarity you'll find between a mobile or manufactured home and a modern modular home is that, at some point, they must travel between where they are made to where they will stand. A manufactured home is built to a specific federal code that requires it to have certain limitations. A modular home, on the other hand, is built following the same codes that other houses in the area where it is to be erected follow. This means that the all too familiar look of a mobile home is a far cry from what is available in a modular home. Los Angeles residents who choose to build a modular home will have a hard time telling the difference between the home they own and others in the same neighborhood once it is complete. They will, however, easily be able to spot the difference between their new house and any manufactured home.

Benefits of Modular Homes
The biggest reason to opt for a Los Angeles modular home is efficiency. These houses are built piece by piece indoors, and are then assembled on site. Why is this more efficient? Mainly because you don't have to deal with any unforeseen environmental problems that can be found in on-site construction. Additionally, since most of the work is done indoors, Los Angeles modular home builders can literally work in shifts around the clock. This means faster, more effective construction, and a closer move in date. In many instances, it also spells savings for the home buyer!

House by House

By the time I saw Lloyd House's "Leaf House," then the sauna he built, I realized he was the builder of my dreams. He did things I'd never seen a builder do. He was tuned deeply into his materials and surroundings, and there was joy and wit in addition to master craftsmanship. Here was a builder able to carry through on his own designs to the last detail. His creations took my breath away. When I came upon the sauna, I was stunned.

By the time I met him, I'd seen a number of his buildings. I didn't know what to expect. I gathered from people that he had his own unique way of looking at the world. And there was the slightly cosmic fact that when I find the numero uno builder in all my years of photographing houses, his name is not only Lloyd, but Lloyd House (the latter his family name).

Courtenay on Vancouver Island, and I met him for breakfast at a cafe on a sunny morning. We sat down, and he said he was going to talk about himself in the third person, so he'd be telling me his story objectively. Uh, well, OK. He had a pile of photos, and started in: "He started working as a carpenter in Vancouver in 1952..." "He came out to the small island in 1967 and started working, etc..." This wasn't without its amusement, as when I'd ask, "Well, what did you — I mean, what did

continued

That was the first of a number of times we got together, later at his cliffside house facing the ocean on the west side of Vancouver Island. I'd spend the night (after getting there by boat) and we'd have meals together and sit at his circular table overlooking the sea and talk about his work and how I was going to present it in the book Builders of the Pacific Coast. We'd read what I'd written and then kick things around. He's two years older than me, and we've got the same pre-television born-in-the-'30s background. A couple of old guys.

A lot of his talk was abstract and philosophical. He didn't talk about the practicalities of design and construction, but rather the processes and the insights that contributed to his creations. Out of our many conversations I concluded that the most important thing to Lloyd, in all his work, in all his creativity, was — if you'll pardon the expression — love. Love for people, love for beauty, love for wood, love for life. It's obvious.

Stefan's House When I walked down the dirt road and first saw it, my heart almost stopped. It was perfect. Everything was working in harmony: design, siting, materials, craftsmanship, details. I hadn't met Lloyd yet, but I felt I knew him. His spirit was present in this building. It was a concerto. Down a grassy road on a small island, Stefan Doll's house sat on the edge of a marsh. Lloyd built it for him in 1985, with the provision that Stefan not come to the building site until Lloyd was finished. "Stefan asked me for an artful dwelling, whether he was aware of it or not. I did my best to give him just that. Art being, for me, everything in its proper place."

Lloyd grew up on the seashore in West Vancouver. He eventually began discussing his experiences in the first person: "When I was four years old, I was fascinated with my father's saw. It had a beautiful patina. I couldn't reach it and my dad wouldn't let me have it. The power of tools. It sparked my interest. My first building project was when my folks gave me a bunch of short ends of two-by-threes. They told me to make a lion's cage, so I did. After that I made a series of forts, then hideaways and habitats in the woods. I was a builder from the time I could hammer a nail."

"One day after I graduated from high school, I was hitchhiking and got picked up by a builder, and that got me into the trade. I eventually ended up working on high-end houses, but soon realized that the architect was in it for his reputation, the contractor and carpenters were in it for the money, and no one cared about the owners' dreams. It got so that I hated getting up in the morning. I loved building, but was burned out on industrialized housing. So I took a job working on a forestry boat."

In 1966, Lloyd was offered a job by a Tyrolean ski club building a lodge at Whistler Mountain, British Columbia. He took the job, designed the lodge, and then led the 110 members of the club in its construction. "They were butchers and bakers and candlestick makers, by and large, including a few carpenters, of course. It was wonderful working with those people." The lodge was post and beam in construction, with plaster over lath on the walls. It was 30 by 60 feet in size, with a 26-by-30-foot side wing that slept 40 people.

In 1967, he "dropped out," and moved to a small island in the Strait of Georgia. At that time, there were a lot of "...radical people exploring creativity."