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Coming home to this renovated apartment created a reward for hiking up the six flights.
Pre-renovation photo
Another pre-renovation bedroom view.
Beside new built-ins for the closet, we took advantage of the high ceilings to add a large cubby to store the seldom used things like ski boots and camping gear.
We stacked a few Ikea kitchen cabinet units to hide the client's books and "stuff" (two of the cabinet faces were on backorder when this was taken), transforming into the calm and serene space that a bedroom should be.
"Nasty" is about the only thing you can say about this bathroom.
Adding a transom window to bring daylighting into the windowless bathroom and taking out the small tub helped create a feeling of space in this tight bathroom.
Existing kitchen with a powder-room adjacent to the stove. Also, notice the wall-hung boiler unit next to the refrigerator and hidden below the stove is a small water heater.
What had been originally a coat closet was cleverly converted into some much needed counter-space. Though, we thought we could come up with something a little better.
Open shelving instead of cabinets were used to preserve the newly acquired daylighting. We also relocated the refrigerator to install a proper range and hood. With the high ceilings, we were able to not only add a washer/dryer (think about trudging up six flights with your laundry), but we also found room to tuck in the boiler/water heater unit as well.
The living area viewed from the kitchen before the renovation.
The living area brightened up with light bamboo plank floors and new furniture.
Polished and installed, this sink is ready for work.
Each of our concrete projects starts with a custom mold and welded steel reinforcement. Steel reinforcement gives the concrete something to bind to, giving it the strength and durability concrete is so well known for.
WIth the mold locked-in and the steel frame floated in the mold, the sink is ready for the pour.
Pour complete, the concrete is allowed to cure in the mold for about a week. While the concrete achieves significant strength after a week or two, curing is an ongoing process that takes up to a year to complete.
Fresh out of the mold, this is what most people envision when they think about concrete: dull in appearance and rough to the touch...
This is what concrete can be after it is polished and sealed.
While difficult to convey and appreciate in photos, concrete has a "depth" that just can't be achieved with other surfaces. There’s also flexibility on how much aggregate is exposed during the grinding process, ranging from no aggregate exposed to a terrazzo like finish.
Finished and ready for work.
The irregular windows and a light monitor running across the roof ridge make an especially dramatic statement in the evening.
With lower level walls and floor deck in place, the crew starts in on the upper level of this SIP home.
A lot like a puzzle, the crew locates and preps factory marked panel pieces for placement.
With walls up and trusses set, a crew of 5 was able reach this point in about 8 working days.
Looking forward to enjoying year-round sunsets from the future living room.
Prepping a super-insulated panel for installation.
A "bohemian" floor-plan will allow bathers and sleepers enjoy the view from both the tub and bed.
Finishing up the trusses, the crew gets ready to "fly in" the roof.
With temporary steel plates attached, a boom "flies in" a north-side roof panel. In total, the crew–working through rain, ice and snow–was able to complete the shell in about twelve working days. It would have taken the same crew twice as long to complete the shell using traditional stick-framing methods.
To give an idea of just how efficient a SIP structure is, this dual-use boiler is no bigger than a carry-on suitcase and will provide hot water for both the radiant heating system and domestic use.
The Kalwall light monitor running along the ridge of the roof provides both diffused natural light for the interior and high R-value to keep things warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Additionally, the deep eves shade the structure during the summer when the sun is high in the sky, but allow light to stream in when it is lower during the winter.
While anything is possible, it would have been very difficult (and expensive) to engineer and construct the openings for the irregular windows using traditional stick-framing methods.
While we knew this home would look great at night, we had no idea what a dramatic statement it would make.
Approaching the house from the long driveway, one of the first things you notice is the glowing light monitor, which has inspired to become know as the "mothership."
Maintaining a single surface plane helps keep the visual clutter to a minimum. The single plane also allows the client, a passionate cook, to take advantage of the full surface area for prep work (i.e., the level surface allows a cutting board to be laid flat across both the trivet and countertop.)
Voids were allowed to form in between the inset stainless steel rails of the dish drain and then filled with a contrasting blue slurry to create a "veined" look in the concrete.
Through the use of molding and forming techniques, we are able to take advantage of the plastic properties of wet concrete before it "sets," taking on the solid, immutable form we are more familiar with.
Ordinarily, there are occasional small voids in the concrete that are filled with a matching slurry. This brave client, however, wanted to try something a little different. Working together we came up with the idea of encouraging the formation of voids and filling them with a contrasting slurry. The end result is a surface that's smooth to the touch, but has an enhanced visual depth.
In the end we achieved what the client was looking for: functionality and clean lines combined with materials that also convey an inviting warmth and texture.
Arete Indus.
Brooklyn, NY
&
Old Chatham, NY
518.391.5912
