AUTOGRAPH SESSION LESSONS

Commercial Construction Loan Closing

Yesterday afternoon I met with the loan officer and title officer I've been working with to close on the construction loan for the Oakley Home 2.0 @ 3874 Isabella. Closings are always a critical step in the real estate development process, but this particular session proved to be an excellent learning experience as well with regards to my comprehensive understanding of construction financing and the legalese associated with it. 
As an architect and developer I am very much a generalist needing to have basic understanding of everything from construction, to engineering, to law and finance (each of which take decades to become an expert in) in order to do my job effectively. That means knowing who to talk to and asking a lot of questions, which is exactly what I made a point to do at the closing table while signing my autograph on the dozens of forms needed to close a construction loan. Thankfully the loan officer and title officer I worked with through Park National Bank were happy to provide detailed explanations on what the various documents were for, why they were required for the loan, and the different scenarios for next steps should I decide to sell, rent-out or occupy the Oakley Home 2.0 upon completion. Another neat thing about the experience was that I had the benefit of having one of the more junior employees of the bank sitting in on the closing as a training exercise, which facilitated additional knowledge sharing. Overall, I think I learned more from that 45-minute loan closing about real estate finance than I did in an entire quarter of a real estate finance class that I audited while at UC, which I think speaks to the power of project based learning. Below are a sampling of topics discussed:

• Loan conversion and renewal options
• Loan-to-Value and Loan-to-Cost lending requirments
• Appraisals
• Title Charges
• Construction Draws
• Notice of Commencement
• Mortgage terms
• Guarantees
• Lots of other good stuff

DEAR MR. PLANS EXAMINER

Permit Comment Responses

Yesterday I received comments back from the plans examiner (it really is a Mr. in this instance, hence the title of the post) reviewing the Oakley Home 2.0 architectural drawings and I'm now currently in the midst of documenting my responses. The way I handle this is by producing two deliverables to submit back to the Permit center. The first is a formal letter that explains to the plans examiner how I am proposing to address his specific questions and concerns, and where any updated information will be shown in the drawings. The revised drawings are the second component of the response package, with all changes clouded to be readily identifiable.

My hope is to complete the architectural revisions by the end of the day tomorrow, which means I should be able to get the revised drawings sets printed Friday and back into the building department the beginning of next week.

In the meantime, I am scheduled to close on the construction loan tomorrow afternoon so more to come about that.

PROS & CONS OF INFILL DEVELOPMENT

A Cincinnati Magazine Article Hitting Close to Home 2.0

Earlier this month Cincinnati Magazine posted a piece on their website titled, 'The Pros and Cons of Infill Real Estate Development: The growing trend of luxury infill developments is changing the face of the city’s hottest neighborhoods—whether they like it or not.' that referenced infill projects in several Cincinnati neighborhoods I am currently or looking to do developments in. The article on one hand acknowledges the demand for brand-new high-end homes among a neighborhood’s older abodes, but also points out community concerns about how these structures going up are often not consistent, especially stylistically, with what was up before and more significantly, putting stress on the existing infrastructure and changing the dynamic of the community itself by increasing density on sites above and beyond what was the originally intended use. So what works and what doesn't with regards to first suburb infill development? That is largely subjective, but below are a few of my design principles as a City of Cincinnati resident, Architect and Real Estate Developer, which I think lead to positive infill development for all parties involved:

1. Sensible Density: Infill developments should be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Destroying the character of a neighborhood and overburdening utilities by purchasing a property intended for a single home to parcel out and build 6 new homes on is not solving any problems, only creating them. 
2. Complimentary Scale: It is important to recognize that the reason people a flocking to areas with walkable neighborhood business districts is because they are at a comfortable human scale with buildings rarely exceeding four stories in height. New projects should strive to adhere to this and avoid dominating the landscape with towering structures and mega-blocks simply to satisfy a pro forma. Additionally, developers and design teams should make a conscious effort to embrace the street, which is often not the case with many new infill homes that have nothing but a big garage fronting the sidewalk.
3. Timeless Aesthetics: It is a bad sign when you can look at a building and tell exactly when it was built. That is usually the sign of a builder taking shortcuts to save up front costs either in materials (i.e. brick and stone on the front and cheap vinyl siding everywhere else) or in design (using stock plans or non-licensed plan designers, which often results in an awkward out-of-place looking structures). Infill projects don't need to try and copy what is already in the neighborhood, but they should be sensitive to their surroundings in a way that enhances the qualities of the community that makes it a desirable place to build in the first place.

DECK ADJUSTMENTS

Another Foot & Another Column

When I was on the Oakley Home 2.0 site Friday looking at the staking layout, I took some time to take a closer look at the size and layout of the rear deck and determined that adding an additional foot of depth to get to 12'-0" up from 11'-0" would make for a better functioning furniture layout with more comfortable clearances around the various table and chair arrangements future owners might decide on. I even went home to my own patio and took measurements to visualize what that size of deck would accommodate.

As a result of this new deck depth, the length and depth of the joists and beams will require an intermediate column to be added to the framing layout, which is shown in the revised drawing below.

STAKED OUT

Locating the Building

While construction is still a couple weeks away from starting, the project surveyor had some availability this week to stop by the site and place pins and stakes at locations around the property. The pins, which are represented on the staking diagram below indicate the front setback and overall length of the building structure proposed on the architectural drawings and plot plan. The benefit of doing this exercise early is that it gave me the chance to visit the site and provide feedback with regards to adjustments in the layout relative boundary lines, which is exactly what I did earlier today.

Looking at the proposed pin locations relative to the setbacks of the homes on either side, it became apparent that the proposed location of the house was about 6' closer to front sidewalk than what it felt like it should be, hence the mark-ups on the staking diagram shown below, which I will incorporate into the architectural plans this weekend.

The final image below shows a quick layout I did with the measuring tape and some sticks in the yard to help visualize where the newly proposed front of the home would be and how it would relate to its neighbors. In the end I think this increased setback will improve the relationship it has with the street and surrounding context, which is something very important to me with all the infill projects I do.

ARCHITECT-DEVELOPER PLATE SPINNING

The Ultimate Balancing Act

One of my former co-workers that was an architectural project manager at a previous firm I worked at often compared his role to that of a Plate Spinner, with the numerous projects, clients and consultants he was involved with needing constant attention like the spinning plates to keep everything from crashing down.

This comparison has rung especially true for me as an Architect-Developer the past few days as I have been working to get everything prepared for construction to start the beginning of next month. Here is just a sampler of what all is on my plate (or should I say plates):

• Permit: Responding to comments from Metropolitan Sewer District and awaiting comments from the Building Department.
• LEED: Filling out various forms required by the USGBC to validate LEED credits and prerequisites are met.
• Construction Prep: Signing off on the final construction contract and making final preparations for excavation to begin once permit is in hand and bank gives the order to proceed
• Loan Closing: Submitting the last pieces of documentation needed for loan closing on March 30 and the recording of mortgage on property.
• Sales: Developing a marketing strategy and support materials to have in place once construction has started and buyer interest increases.
• Insurance: Evaluating proposals from carriers on a couple different insurance policies related to the project

Fortunately, I really enjoy the plate spinning involved in being an Architect-Developer and am starting to get pretty good at.

CLOSING TIME 2017

Construction Loan Closing Set

It's been a long and winding road leading to the closing of the construction loan for the new Oakley Home 2.0 @ 3874 Isabella, but everything is now set-up for that to take place on Thursday, March 30, a little over two years to the day of my last construction loan closing. The difference between the two closing scenarios is that the Oakley Home 2.0 project is a commercial construction loan between the bank and my LLC whereas the Pleasant Ridge house was a residential construction loan between the bank and myself as the owner-occupant. I will follow-up with a more detailed breakdown of how commercial construction loans work and how they compare to residential owner-occupant construction loans in a future blog post, so look for that in upcoming days.

OAKLEY HOME 2.0 VIDEO BLOG UPDATE 11

End of Winter Recap

This is episode 12 in a series of updates on the Oakley Home 2.0 @ 3874 Isabella project that will serve as a supplement to my other Home 2.0 Project Blog Posts.

• Topics Discussed: Construction Financing, Permitting and LEED

LEED ADJUSTMENTS

Durability Prerequisites

With the Oakley Home 2.0 drawings now in for permit, I reached out to the LEED consultant team this past week to reengage them on next steps prior to construction starting in a few weeks. One of the immediate action items on my end was filling out paperwork addressing some of the LEED for Homes prerequisites such as the Durability Checklist. This checklist, which is primarily focused on mitigating unwanted interior water and moisture within the home, has a provision that no carpet shall be used within 3 feet of any exterior door. This is something that I did not accommodate in the initial walkout basement design with wall-to-wall carpet in the bedroom so I have since revised the floor finishes in this area to add a 3'x6' swath of tile in front of the patio door, which is shown below.

IN FOR PERMIT

Stamped, Delivered & Tracking

On Tuesday the permit drawings and specifications for the Oakley Home 2.0 project were submitted to the City of Cincinnati Permit Center for review and logged into the ezTrak system, which lets owners, architects, contractors and the general public track the progress of the various approvals required to secure building permits. Here is the link to that information for those who would like to follow along in real time.

HOME SCHOOL 2.0

Rethinking the 'Schoolhouse'

This past week several of my colleagues at SHP Leading Design were in Austin, Texas at the annual SXSWedu Conference to launch the '9 Billion Schools' movement, which was conceived as a way to inspire discussion, innovation and action to help create a world where everyone benefits from learning that is personalized as well as life-long, life-wide and life-deep. You can learn more about '9 Billion Schools' and how it got its name by watching the video below and visiting 9billionschools.org.

So what does this have to do with the Home 2.0 Project? I say everything because there is no place where learning is more personalized than at ones' home. It is the place where we spend the most time, where we develop our most valuable life skills, and where we have the most control of our immediate surroundings. The key is being able to optimize spaces to facilitate learning in the most effective way for us, designing our own personal 'Schoolhouse'. As an architect who not only designs school buildings, but also designed my own house, I want to share some examples of how learning has been incorporated into the various spaces of my personal residence as well as the Oakley Home 2.0 project I am working on that is set to start construction next month.

A Place for Reading (Good Weather): The Porch | Elevated high above street level, the front porch of my Pleasant Ridge home has the feel of being on a balcony or urban roof deck connected, yet distant from the surrounding neighborhood. Shaded from the sun and cooled by the passing breezes, the porch provides a serene setting for immersing myself in a book on a warm summer day.

A Place for Reading (Cincinnati Weather): The Couch | Unfortunately, Cincinnati's climate is often not conducive to porch sitting, which means most of my reading moves indoors to the comfort of my couch, which is still a pretty great spot. Flooded with an abundance of daylight and views of the outdoors, my living room makes for another inviting place to relax with a book and discover all the literary world has to offer.

A Place for Creating: The Office Studio | In addition to reading, another form of learning I make space for in my home as a daily habit is creating. Whether it is creating content for my blog or website, working on building projects, or experimenting with different piano chords, the cozy confines of the office studio provides a place where I can practice my crafts of writing, designing and playing music with minimal distractions in a learning by doing environment.

A Place for Expression: The Living/Dining/Kitchen Area | In a digital age where everyone is constantly plugged into their personal devices, our social skills and interactions with others (even our own families) are on the decline. For this reason it is important to have spaces in the home that facilitate conversation and emotional connections with others. This is one of the advantages of the open plan living/dining/kitchen layout where those in the living area can freely interact with those in the dining and kitchen area and vice versa.

A Place for Mindfulness: The Meditation Room (a.k.a. guest bedroom) | A morning ritual I developed last year and have practiced daily for the past 9-months is meditation facilitated by the Headspace App. It has been an incredibly positive development in my life and gives me a sense of clarity and perspective heading into each day that had previously been lacking. The space I have adopted as my meditation room is the guest bedroom (except for the days when I have guests staying over), which with its soft carpet, quiet acoustics and comfortable size, makes for an excellent place to be mindful.

A Dynamic Learning Place: The Nook (Oakley Home 2.0) | One of the new kinds of spaces I've incorporated into the design of the Oakley Home 2.0 project that I'm most excited about is the Learning Nook. Imagined as a place for multiple types of learning to occur, the Nook features bench seating (sized to accommodate standard patio cushions) with built-in storage below, dimmable task lighting, a plethora of places to plug-in, and markerboard wall panels for art and creative problem solving. Located adjacent to the front roof deck, the Nook also provides easy access to the outdoors for additional learning opportunities for kids and adults alike.

In closing, I would like to point out that while the homes I have designed for myself are full of learning spaces, the manner in which the places became associated with different activities was very much unplanned and only became clear over time through experimenting and experiencing. Coincidentally, this evolutionary process is quite similar to what happens with the schools I have helped designed in the way the furniture and classroom arrangements shift and adapt over time. Oftentimes, the key to success as designers of learning places, both at home and in schools is recognizing that the only constant we can account for is change and that building in the flexibility to accommodate this the best we can is what creates truly sustainable learning environments in which inhabitants can flourish.  

THOUGHTS FROM THE SUMMIT

Cincinnati Neighborhood Summit 2017

Today I attended my 3rd Annual Neighborhood Summit put on by the City of Cincinnati and at Xavier's Cintas Center. As was the case with the first two, I can't help but walk away from the event feeling a great sense of Civic pride seeing hundreds of Cincinnatians (of all different ages, races, religions and incomes) gathered together in a common effort to make our city a better place to live, work, learn and play. The event is broken down into a series of sessions and the following are some thoughts from a session that related particularly well to the Home 2.0 project initiative.

The mission of the Home 2.0 Project and Blog is creating the Next Generation of Home, but that isn't restricted to any particular type or scale of housing. The original Starter Home 2.0 project looked at addressing the Millennial Housing Dilemma, but the aging Baby Boomer generation is facing their own Dilemma that is only going to become more problematic in future years. This was the focus of the session, titled 'Golden Cincinnati: Making the Queen City a Great Place to Age in Place.'

Among the takeaways from this presentation was the 90% of seniors want to remain in their home. Unfortunately, many homes are not designed with Universal Design and Aging in Place being accounted for, making falls in the home a huge problem. Organizations such as People Working Cooperatively in Cincinnati make an effort to upgrade homes with grab bars, better lighting and other measures that help address this, but it is oftentimes not feasible to upgrade many older homes to truly accommodate the needs of most seniors as they age. For this reason, I think there is a great opportunity for the design and development of more new home construction projects that make this a priority and something I would like to tackle in future Home 2.0 project. After all, if you are not a senior citizen today, you aspire to be one someday.

DRIVEWAY UPGRADE

Architectural Site Plan Revision

Today I made a final modification to the Architectural Site Plan that will be submitted for Permit next week, which widens the driveway from 10' to 12' to allow people more room to freely walk past a parked car of any size in the driveway. This wider driveway also eliminates the need to extend the walkway from the bottom of the front porch steps to the public sidewalk. Below is a screenshot showing this update.

FSBO

Zillow Listing Posted

Earlier today the Oakley Home 2.0 @ 3874 Isabella 'For Sale By Owner (FSBO)' listing went live on Zillow. Here is the link to the listing and stay tuned for additional images and video walkthroughs in upcoming weeks. 

NOTABLE NEW BUILDS

Local Homes of Note

This past month I've stumbled across a couple local projects that have caught my attention related to future Home 2.0 projects. Coincidentally, both happen to be located in neighborhoods I previously identified as prospects for such developments. One project stood out for aesthetic reasons, while the other stood out for its method of assembly.
The first of these noteworthy houses I randomly discovered while on a Marathon Training run a couple weeks ago and is a new residence located at 5812 Bramble Avenue in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Madisonville. As far as I know, it is one of the first new single family home construction projects to go up in that neighborhood in recent history similar to the way my Starter Home 2.0 project was the first in recent history to go up in Pleasant Ridge. The exterior grabs your attention with its contemporary style (and while not my favorite design) does a nice job with scale and proportion of relating to the surrounding neighborhood. It is also great to see that the market is in a position to be able to support new construction in this part of town, which is something that would have been unheard of a few years ago.

The second project of note within the city limits consists of a series of new homes built along Morgan Street in Walnut Hills as part of the Port Authority's REACH (Rehab Across Cincinnati and Hamilton County) program. These six factory built homes were fabricated at Unibilt Industries in Vandalia, Ohio and shipped to the Cincinnati neighborhood of Bond Hill where they were staged and put on trucks that transported the modules south to Walnut Hills. Once on site, a crane lifted each section up onto concrete foundations that were poured on site and the homes were then finished out by local contractors. In the end all these homes ended up being very traditional looking and while I don't believe the factory built modular assembly method is the most efficient way to build homes currently, a shrinking labor force and rising construction prices could lead many more homes being built this way in the future, so it is good to see a local case study using this method.

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE

Ready. Set. Wait.

One thing that I have learned in my studies and experience in real estate development, architecture and construction is that patience is a virtue. This past week has been a good example of that as I'm waiting on items from the surveyor, builder, bank and Zillow to move forward on the following tasks:

• An updated plot plan is needed for building permitting
• A mortgage survey is needed for title work related to the construction loan
• A general contractor's certificate of insurance is needed for underwriting related to insurance for my company as a real estate developer
• An order of checks from my bank for my LLC is needed for me to more effectively make payments for business expenses
• Approval from Zillow is needed for me to list the house for sale by owner on their website

I do what I can to follow-up on these items and ensure they are being addressed, but in the end a lot of it is out of my control, which is where the patience virtue comes into play. Hopefully I get some good news on these items in upcoming days, but until then I will wait.

ARCHITECTURAL SITE PLAN REVAMP

Scale & Information Increase

Looking through the plan requirements for the City of Cincinnati Permit submission this past week, I realized that my architectural site plan was a little short on information and a little too small in scale to convey that information effectively. As a result, I moved the architectural site plan to its own sheet along with the architectural grading plan and added the following items, which are shown on the image below.

• Sewer main, manhole and lateral/tap locations to match the surveyor's plot plan
• Downspout drain line location, showing how the water is collected and dispersed on site
• Water main location in street
• Concrete site walls separating adjacent properties
• Concrete flat work dimensions (for walks, driveway, etc.)

In addition to the architectural site plan and architectural grading plan, the surveyor's plot plans for the property will also be submitted as part of the Permit Set.